“Wait?” the Queen argued. “I specifically requested to be present during this girl’s examination.”
I shifted while the woman glanced at me. Then, she leaned in closer to the Queen, muttering, “I just think it might be uncomfortably for the girl, Your Majesty.”
“Do I look like I give a damn?” the Queen hissed. “God, it’s impossible to find good help these days. Get on with it, woman, I don’t have time to stand around all day.”
The nurse shot me an apologetic look before motioning for us to follow her in the other room.
This one was white too, but what frightened me more was the large seat with stirrups in front of it. Surely, this was all a sick joke. They didn’t expect me to get into that thing while the Queen was watching my every move… right?
“If you please, Miss Jonathan,” the nurse said awkwardly, motioning to the seat.
I glanced between her and the Queen, feeling my heart hammering in my chest. When neither of them moved an inch, just staring at me, I realized I didn’t have a choice. Either I went through with this or I risked making the Queen angry. And I wasn’t about to let her belittle me for feeling uncomfortable.
I put my most confident face on as I removed my panties and climbed onto the seat. The Queen glared at me with disgust in her eyes, but I defied her by staring right back. If she wanted to do this the hard way, I was more than happy to oblige. I would make it as uncomfortable for her as possible.
Her eyes wandered over my body, and I could tell she didn’t approve of that, either. Her scandalized gaze swept over my shaved pussy, and I could tell how pissed off she was that I hadn’t let my hair grow over my vulnerable parts. She muttered something under her breath before coming to stand beside me. At least she gave me that small sense of comfort, but once she glared at me, I realized she’d stare at me through the whole procedure and try to make it as difficult as possible for me. The woman was horrible, and I vowed to get her back for all the stuff she’d done to me.
The nurse set to work, and I winced when I felt the coolness of the tools she was using. I braced myself for what I knew was coming, and sure enough, moments later, she put her specimens aside and cleared her throat.
“Well?” the Queen barked. “What are the results?”
The nurse blushed and motioned for me to get dressed. I pulled my panties on and glared at the older woman beside me. She was really making this difficult, and I had no doubt she’d make a big deal of the big reveal.
“She did not pass,” the nurse muttered, and the Queen laughed out loud.
“I knew it,” she hissed. “I knew it.”
She walked right up to me, jamming her pointer finger between my ribs.
“You filthy little girl,” she hissed. “I knew you were lying all along. I knew you were nothing but a commoner!”
“I may be a commoner,” I replied. “But it seems to me I have more manners than the Queen herself.”
The nurse gasped and the Queen sucked in air as she stared at me.
“You infidel,” she murmured. “You’ll be punished for this, even though you’re not in the competition anymore. Obviously.”
I flushed as I walked up to her, barely reaching to her shoulders but feeling taller from the adrenaline rushing through my veins.
“Obviously?” I repeated. “And how are you going to explain it all to Olivier?”
“Don’t say his name,” she roared at me. So easy to provoke. Almost too easy. “You’re not pure, girl. You’re out of here. Olivier wouldn’t want a woman another man has touched.”
“Oh, no?” I asked, with a sweet smile playing on my lips. “I’m sure he wouldn’t, Your Majesty.”
“So you understand,” she went on, triumphant. “You must be gone by the evening.”
“Except your son was the very one who did this,” I purred as if she hadn’t said a word. “He’s the one who took my virginity. The one who fucked me.”
She flinched at my crude choice of words, the color draining from her cheeks.
“That’s not t-true,” she argued, but her voice wasn’t as certain as it had been before, and she glanced at the nurse as if the other woman would back her up. But she busied herself with the equipment instead, blushing as she ignored our conversation. The Queen turned back toward me, her face furious and twisted in rage. “You’re a liar, Amber Jonathan. Who would confirm your story? No one.”
“No?” I asked. “There is someone who could. Actually, a whole room of people, since your precious son fucked me in front of an audience.”
She paled even further, and I gave her a sweet smile as I left the room. She followed in my step and watched me put on my clothes, stewing in her own anger.
“They’re all liars,” she said as I finished getting dressed. “They’d all lie for you!”
“Then ask the person you trust the most,” I suggested. “Your son.”
She winced as if I’d hit her.
“You traitorous girl,” she muttered. “You liar. You… you slut!”
“Call me whatever name you want,” I purred. “The truth will remain. Now, I’ll be on my way. I trust you don’t need me for anything else?”
“No,” the nurse cut in, giving me a wide smile. I almost got the feeling she was proud of me for defying the tyrant Queen. “You can leave.”
“Such a whore,” the Queen spat out when I opened the door. “Don’t think your filthy ways won’t catch up with you, Amber Jonathan.”
“Oh, I know they will,” I replied with a wide grin. “And they’re precisely why I’ll be the last one standing.”
With those words, I sauntered off.
Chapter Eight
Amber
Two days without challenges followed, and I was grateful for them, using the time off to let off some steam with the other girls.
After the exam, I was so angry I could’ve slapped the Queen if she dared show her face in front of me again. But I kept my feelings to myself, knowing that if I expressed my hatred for the older woman to anyone, I could be called out for treason. I needed to keep my secrets my own. I wasn’t sure whom I could trust in the castle, so for now, I didn’t speak of my true feelings to anyone. Even when Zara and Safiya prodded me for more information, I kept a stoic smile on my face and warded off their remarks by saying the Queen was a respectable woman who knew what she was doing.
“You can’t believe that!” Zara exclaimed as we were walking in the castle gardens. Her expression was one of disbelief and she was intent on explaining to me just how much the Queen had wronged me. I merely listened with a serene smile on my face. Keep your secrets to yourself, I reminded myself in my mind, over and over again. You never know who will prove to be a snake.
“Let’s talk about something else,” I finally said, tired of the conversation going in circles. Safiya, who was walking with us, rewarded me with a grin, and I could tell she was getting sick of Zara’s insistence, too. “Safiya, you seem to know so much about this place. Did you read up on it before you came here?”