Olive now knew that being a lady-in-waiting to Queen Kendra was very different to being a lady-in-waiting to Princess (F/n). (F/n) always had been considerate and was mindful of when she had been feeling poor or tired, and she would let her rest until she felt better. She had assured Olive that she would be fine on her own for a day or two. Sometimes, (F/n) would even let her relax in her room and have comforting food and drink brought in to help her so that she would have a quiet space to herself. Not to mention that (F/n) would craft curatives for her. One of her favorites was when (F/n) would brew her tisane from crushed towerlet petals. The light purple petals would make a soothing tisane that would help settle the stomach.
Besides just that, (F/n) would talk to her in a friendly manner and treat her with respect. She wasn't just a lady-in-waiting to her; she was a friend. Helping the late princess had been a joy, and she had hoped that serving Queen Kendra would be the same. After what had happened and having learned what (F/n) secretly had been capable of, she hoped that Queen Kendra would be able to soothe her heart with kindness and respect.
Instead, she was met with something else entirely. In public, the queen was kind and smiled at her citizens as she went about her daily tasks. The king and she seemed happy and ready to help their subjects. But behind closed doors, the queen was another woman. Princess (F/n), even behind closed doors, hadn't changed her personality, and the current queen's behavior made her question at times if (F/n) really had been capable of killing King Avan and Queen Adela. Could she have really hidden such a dark side and not let it slip when there were fewer people around? That just doesn't seem like her, but there was no evidence to support Princess (F/n)'s innocence.
It pained her, and serving under Queen Kendra was healing her. If anything, it made things worse for Olive. The queen was vain and seemed only to care for how she looked and what was new in fashion. She'd state how wonderful she looked and that she'd stand out among the crowd, and Olive didn't dare object. Rather, she simply agreed and moved onto the next task assigned to her even if she did feel awful. It didn't matter to the queen. Even if you didn't feel well, you needed to pretend you were in perfect spirits for her.
The only time the queen seemed to show another emotion was when her parents were brought up. She'd cry and say how much she missed them. Olive told herself that such emotions were genuine ones of the queen even if doubt wanted to creep in at times.
Olive, ultimately, followed Myra's example, and that kept her from being yelled at by Queen Kendra. It only happened once, and Olive didn't wish to experience it again. She thought that the queen might rip her of status and toss her onto the street.
But, she didn't say anything since she feared what would become of her if she did. And, only Myra and she saw what she was truly like. Olive wished she could get help and had the courage to remove herself from her station and live her life elsewhere. It had only been a few weeks since the wedding of King Felin and Queen Kendra, but it felt like it had been much longer.
And so, she loved when she could return to her room in the castle and be by herself for the evening. Some nights, she wished even to return to Princess (F/n)'s room just to relive the fond memories she had of the space. Queen Kendra, though, had blocked the room off. No one was to enter the traitor princess' room as it was only memories of a horrible incident. Instead, she would walk the gardens sometimes and admire the various flora, recalling how Princess (F/n) would often collect what she needed for her next batch of curatives. Even if the late princess did kill her parents, Olive couldn't help but still miss her; she missed her friend from before it all happened.
As of right now, she mentally sighed, not daring to release one in the presence of the queen. If she did, she'd hear about it later most likely, and she'd rather not deal with that. So, she remained silent and was seated on one of the wooden benches along the west side of the royal courtroom. There were also wooden benches on the east side, and both sets provided raised views of the space.
Technically, Queen Kendra wouldn't hear her. She was seated by the royal court on the north side of the space, but she didn't want to risk the queen catching sight of her sighing. They were currently deciding on a new royal blacksmith and healer for the castle. Probably, Olive should've paid more attention since both were important for the safety and health of the kingdom, but her mind drifted off to what exactly happened to Keiran.
Last she had heard, he had run off the day of the late princess' execution. No one had seen him since. It had been discovered that he had purchased a horse, and so it was presumed that he had abandoned his post out of grief for learning the truth about the late princess and the death of the prior king and queen. It wasn't a crime, but it certainly created an odd atmosphere in the castle. Keiran was the only magic user in the Kingdom of Credel that people knew about, and he was gone now.
Despite him committing no crime, there was worry. Had he run off to another kingdom? Would he serve them instead? Would another kingdom try to overpower them if they learned that they had lost their only magic user? Yes, there were still the weapons Keiran had made in Credel, but they couldn't make anymore. So, Olive did understand that her new king and queen wanted to figure out what had happened and try to bring him back if possible. She simply hoped that he was alright and didn't let the grief of the news destroy him.
What she didn't know was that King Felin was working to change things for magic users in Credel. They didn't have any that they knew of currently, but it was for future reference and if they did locate Keiran. As time passed and he couldn't be found, the court only grew more suspicious of his disappearance and were opening their ears more to Felin's wants for magic users. He wanted them not to be allowed to leave the castle freely and on their own; he wanted them to be under watch, arguing that they were too powerful to be left alone in the castle or outside of it.
And with the risk of Keiran working for another kingdom and telling them facts about the workings of the castle, the court only listened more as fear and worry plagued them. They were concerned too that he was part of their prior rulers' demise. He had been assigned out of the city when it had happened, but he might've used that to his advantage so that he could escape, leaving the full blame on the late princess. There was no evidence found in the royal forge proving that he assisted in the murders, but he could've taken it with him, having hid such evidence well enough that it hadn't been found before his speedy departure.
And, Olive wouldn't hear of these updates since the talks would continue after they picked their new healer and blacksmith. Kendra wouldn't stick around past that, trusting that Felin would take care of it. There was no reason for her to be present. Besides, she had an appointment to look at new fabrics while having a tisane and eating simnel cake.
When it was announced who the individuals filling the positions were, there was applause, and Olive clapped along despite her lack of interest in the subject at hand even though she told herself again that she probably should've paid attention. But, she couldn't help it. Her mind was all over the place, and it was a struggle to keep it hidden from her queen. Especially since she would have to cater to Queen Kendra's ego even more as she analyzed what new fabrics she wanted.
Olive missed (F/n) being satisfied with the same clothes for months on end, filling her time with other things, like her studies and walking the gardens. Such moments were peaceful. But, Olive put on a smile and followed her queen out of the courtroom, with Myra just a little ahead of her but remaining behind their queen. Maybe, just maybe, she'd get a slice of simnel cake and wouldn't have to watch Queen Kendra have the rest tossed out once she had her fill.
Leaving the courtroom with them were the new blacksmith and healer, but they went their own way, being led by guards to their new stations. Olive briefly sent a glance back their way before they were out of sight. Hopefully, they would be kind like their predecessors. At least, King Felin, as far as Olive knew, wasn't such a different character behind closed doors. But, her brown optics didn't remain on them for long. Instead, they fixed their gaze back on Queen Kendra before she caught notice.
As for the courtroom, some guards remained within the room as was standard. Felin and the royal court members also stayed. And, the discussion for the fate of magic users in Credel continued. Mentally, Felin was smiling. They were playing right into his hand. Felin had no doubt that they would pass the new restrictions on magic users. Fear consumed them after the shock from death of their previous rulers and the betrayal of the late princess. They were moldable in his hands.
Even if they didn't find Keiran, should they find another magic user in Credel, that magic user wouldn't be able to leave. No, they wouldn't run that risk again. And if the magic user was quite powerful, they would just need to enforce more restrictions so that they wouldn't overpower the restraints placed on them. He'd figure it out to make it work. Power like that just couldn't walk away from him; he wouldn't let it.