Who are you??
**Veronica’s POV**
They had gone ahead with their stupid plans, and I honestly wasn’t as affected as I had expected to feel. Since the meeting with the elders concluded, preparations were casually being made for the marriage ritual between Lucas, Simon, and Ashley. The idea obviously wasn’t pleasant to me, but there was really nothing I could do, especially given the fact that Lucas and Simon were on board with it. At the end of the day, the elders can only suggest something alongside its consequences, but the final say always comes from none other than both Lucas and Simon.
While the ceremony went on downstairs, I remained in my room, reflecting on what steps to take next. On one hand, there were the missing papers that contained my signed agreements with a couple of individuals I had interacted with in the past to give out the mansion’s secrets. I had gone into the library and couldn’t find some of them where I had carefully placed them. At that moment, I wasn’t thinking straight as all I could process was the likelihood of those papers getting into the hands of someone learned who might not be on my side.
“But then again, who else is against me except that meddling slave? No one!” I said to myself, quietly making my way into her room when I noticed she had gone to the garden with her children. I diligently searched the place, leaving no spot untouched, but the papers were nowhere around.
“Or maybe she hasn’t found them yet?” I asked myself, standing still, trying to gain even the slightest bit of understanding I could get on the whole situation. If there was anything I knew about this woman, it was that she could be very emotional and, furthermore, naive. If she had gotten those papers, I’m sure she would have confronted me about it to show she had something against me, but so far, nothing.
I glanced at her and the boys in the garden from my window. She seemed quiet and bothered, not doing anything of note. There was no look of certainty on her face, which allowed me to relax, assuming she hadn’t gotten wind of the whole thing.
“I’ll just have to find out where these papers are before she does,” I muttered, ruffling my hair as ideas slowly began forming in my mind. “Hmm, everyone will be the most distracted during the rituals, so I’ll make use of that time to search for the papers,” I said, finally settling back and sitting on my bed.
The next day, while the ceremony went on, I spent my time going from room to room, searching for the papers wherever my feet could take me in that house. Lucas and Simon obviously couldn’t have taken them, so it had to be one of the workers. Either way, I searched every room in the mansion, just in case the papers had been planted somewhere I wouldn’t suspect.
After hours of an unfruitful search, I retired to my room to rest. It didn’t make sense that the papers weren’t anywhere. They had to be somewhere.
“At this rate, I don’t think I’ll ever find them,” I exclaimed, hanging my feet in the air. For now, I would have to continue striving while hoping for the best. Hopefully, they wouldn’t get into the wrong hands. With that, I adjourned the issue, knowing there was nothing else I could do to yield the results I wanted.
A few days later, I noticed the immediate change in how everyone in the mansion treated me. Yes, I was no longer the primary queen, looked up to as the future Queen Mother, but that didn’t change the fact that I was still the first wife, making me superior to Ashley, if I must say. However, this wasn’t something anyone seemed to consider. The usual greetings I received from the workers were no longer accorded to me. Whenever I passed by before, they would move frantically in fear and honor, but now, nobody even glanced in my direction, no matter how hard I tried to be noticed.
On this particular day, I was heading to the kitchen to inform them of what I wanted for lunch. On my way, I encountered a group of maids seated together, as if in a gossip circle. Although they all knew such behavior wasn’t condoned by me, they remained seated even after noticing my presence. At first, I thought they hadn’t seen me, so I cleared my throat loudly to make myself known, but still, nothing.
“And what are you all supposed to be doing right now?” I questioned. At first, nobody turned toward me. I looked at them, debating whether to unleash the anger that had begun building up inside me. I decided to ask again before allowing my wolf to act.
“I believe you all heard me when I asked what you were supposed to be doing?” They remained silent again, and I was about to react when one of them finally spoke.
“Well, as you can see, my lady, we are having a discussion.”
“And what discussion is this supposed to be? Didn’t I warn you all about engaging in such nonsense, especially here inside the mansion? Before I count to three, I expect you all to have dispersed from this place immediately. One…” They exchanged glances as if speaking through their eyes. “Two…” My resolve was weakening as I noticed no one moved a muscle. “Two and a half… Two and a…”
“Oh no, this isn’t right,” I heard from behind. Upon recognizing the voice, a frown immediately settled on my face.
“This isn’t nice, everyone. Please try not to engage in conversations during work time. It doesn’t reflect well on us,” she said, and I rolled my eyes. What makes her someone they actually listen to, even after everything I did to stop them? However, I was soon surprised when I saw them all standing up with convinced expressions.
“Thank you!” Ashley concluded as they began walking away. I could feel my wolf boiling at the sight. So now, because she was accorded the position of Queen Mother or whatever, they listened to her and not me? How dare they?
“You know, nobody likes being yelled at,” she said, walking closer to stand face-to-face with me. I folded my arms, watching her every movement. What exactly was she trying to prove now?
“Just because we are in higher positions doesn’t mean we are better or more qualified. You should at least learn to talk to people with a little respect; it makes you more pleasant to them.”
“You know, I would have stayed here to go on and on about this localized mentality of yours, since you obviously haven’t spent your entire life around rulers and important personalities like I did. But then again, can I really blame you for this backward mindset that you have? Definitely not! At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how high you try to cover a poor person with positions or expensive clothing; they’re still the same. Once a dirty pauper, always a dirty pauper, no matter how much you try to clean them up,” I said, and she chuckled lightly.
“Look, I’m not going to stand here and banter words with you because I have better things to do with my time. Sure, I was bought as a slave many years ago, but I guess that makes your situation even more pathetic because here I am, standing comfortably in your position,” she gasped mockingly. My frown deepened as I realized exactly where she was going with this.
“If it takes a dirty pauper like me so little to attain the position you’ve been struggling, scheming, fighting, and having sleepless nights for, even as a brought-up princess who, in your words, spent her entire life with rulers and important personalities, then I’d rather be a dirty pauper in the next life as well. This life really isn’t balanced, you know. The Moon Goddess skipped over the well-brought-up princess with all the experience and chose a dirty pauper who knew nothing about the outside world beyond the slavery she endured for years,” she finished, laughing mockingly. She walked away with confidence, and I could only watch her retreating figure as my anger grew. The insult I had just received was enough to fuel my determination even more.
“You can laugh all you want right now, but we’ll see who has the last laugh,” I muttered to myself before heading to the kitchen. When I arrived, I noticed they had already started cooking, and the smell of freshly made miso soup filled the air.
I walked closer to the cooks, and they looked at me as though they had seen a ghost.
“What are you all busy making right now? I don’t remember telling anyone what I wanted for today’s lunch.” They turned to each other one by one, their faces full of confusion. I waited for someone to speak.
“Oh, well, Your Highness, the thing is, we didn’t think much of it since it was Queen Ashley herself who told us what to make for lunch today.” The moment I heard her name, I felt my breath hitch as I tried to contain the anger still lingering from our earlier encounter.
“And so, no one thought to consult me, huh?”
“Well, um, Your Highness, we didn’t think much of it, to be honest. We’re sorry.”
“Oh, really, you’re sorry? I have always been the one giving the orders for what we would be eating, and now some stranger comes along, and you start taking her orders as well? Really?” They remained silent while I spoke, making me unsure of what to do next.
“Throw everything out! We’re going to make what I want,” I ordered, and they all gasped in shock.
“What? Your Highness, we…”
“You what? Are you about to question my order right now? We will not be having her choice for lunch. Now pour it all out,” I commanded, enjoying the authority my voice carried. At least these ones feared me despite everything.
They were about to pour the soup into the sink when that annoying voice came again from behind, and I found myself biting my lower lip angrily.
Ashley.
Ashley’s voice cut through the air, and I could feel the heat rising in my chest. Without turning around, I knew she was standing there, watching me, probably with that same infuriatingly calm expression she always wore when she thought she had the upper hand.
“What’s going on here?” she asked, her tone light but filled with that condescending politeness she used whenever she wanted to appear like the reasonable one.
I turned slowly, facing her with a cold smile. “We’re correcting a mistake, as you can see.”
Her eyes flicked to the cooks, who had frozen mid-action, the miso soup still sitting in its pot. “A mistake?” she repeated, tilting her head slightly. “I don’t see any mistake. I ordered lunch, and they’re simply following instructions.”
“Your instructions?” I let out a bitter laugh, folding my arms tightly against my chest. “Since when do your instructions override mine?”
Ashley sighed, stepping further into the kitchen, her soft demeanor grating on my nerves. “Veronica, it’s not a competition. We both have our roles in this household now, and I was simply trying to ease the burden for everyone. You’ve been… busy, and I didn’t think you’d mind.”
I took a step forward, my voice low and full of venom. “Busy? You mean because of the little wedding ritual you’re in the middle of, stealing my position, don’t you?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but her tone remained maddeningly patient. “No one is stealing anything, Veronica. This is what the elders decided, and Lucas and Simon agreed. You knew this was coming, so get over it already.”
I could feel my pulse quicken, my wolf scratching at the edges of my control. “You think you’ve won, don’t you?” I hissed. “You think just because you’ve wormed your way into their good graces, that you’re safe? This… position you hold is temporary, and I will get back what’s mine.” Ashley shook her head at this, looking at me with what almost seemed like pity, and this annoyed me even more.