24 TWENTY FOUR: Taboo Topic pt 1

When Esther returned to her room, she found an unexpected guest.

"Esther! Why do you spend so much time at that dusty old hall?"

Habeth ran to her, grabbing both of her hands and bringing them to her face.

"Come play with me!" the woman whined. "I am so lonely!"

As Habeth nuzzled her captive hands, Esther caught the eyes of one of her maids.

It was one of the dark-haired maids, her face glum compared to its usual spirited expression.

When her eyes met her master's the girl shook her head and mouthed, "I'm sorry."

Esther blinked slowly and nodded, acknowledging the maid's apology. She couldn't blame her poor maids for failing to stop Habeth's persistence. In fact, she should be praising them for their ability to have held her off for so long.

Still, with her mind reeling from the events at the record hall, she was exhausted at the idea of trying to entertain the blonde-haired woman.

"Oh my! You look so tired!"

Habeth quickly picked up on Esther's mood.

"Come, you must sit down and relax," the woman insisted, dragging her toward the sofa she had been waiting on.

Forcibly leaning Esther against herself, Habeth took small steps as if assisting an elderly person.

"What are you doing?! Can't you see the state your master is in?!" she paused to snap at some of Esther's maids along the way.

The women quickly scattered at Habeth's command while she gently settled Esther onto the sofa.

"You've been studying far too much," Habeth sighed, putting a hand on Esther's cheek. "You already have the best chances of becoming Queen, so is all this really necessary?"

Esther stared back into the woman's concern-filled eyes, feeling a laugh begin to rumble in her throat.

At every point, Habeth was misunderstanding the situation.

First, the reason for Esther's exhaustion was entirely due to unexpected interactions--with both the Prince and now Habeth, herself.

Secondly, she had no desire to become the Queen. In fact, it was exactly the opposite.

"For what reason are you laughing at me?" Habeth crossed her arms. "I'm merely concerned for my dear friend's health!"

"I appreciate your concern," Esther chuckled, shaking her head.

The Queen Candidate of the second best place in the House of Women was certainly exhausting, but she was always kind to Esther.

Habeth's frown quickly turned into a smile as well.

"Well, it gladdens me to see that you haven't lost your spirit completely," she grinned.

As quickly as they'd scattered, the maids scurried back with desserts, tea, blankets and calming incense.

"From now on, I expect these things to be prepared every time our diligent Queen Candidate returns from her studies," Habeth chided the women before sending them on their way again.

When the two Queen Candidates were left alone in Esther's main chamber, Habeth sighed, lounging back against the sofa.

Over the past month, Esther had been compelled to spend time with Habeth on more than one occasion. Though the woman's visit had caught her off guard this time, she knew she could get through it just as she had all the other times.

Some things that Esther had learned about the woman during their time together were that she enjoyed talking--about fashion, palace gossip, the King's rumored preferences--and that she was quickly growing bored of being confined to the House of Women.

Unlike Esther, who was quite content to spend time alone with a pile of books, Habeth craved parties and entertainment. She was having a terribly difficult time, however, finding company that met her standards.

Whatever those standards were, it seemed Esther, so far, was the only Queen Candidate who had managed to live up to them.

Deep down, though, she wished she had a clear idea of what Habeth liked about her, so she could cease doing it immediately.

"Do you want to know why I like you?"

Esther took a sharp breath in, putting her fingers to her lips to check that they were still closed and she had not accidentally uttered her thoughts aloud.

Habeth was staring off lazily. It seemed she brought the topic up at random.

"I like that you're poised and intelligent," Habeth answered herself without waiting for Esther's response, "and most of all, I like that you know how to keep your mouth shut."

Esther raised her eyebrows, once again putting her fingers to her lips. She wondered if she had offended the woman by not initiating a conversation. She was, after all, technically the hostess.

"Ahem," Esther cleared her throat, trying to think of a conversation topic. "I-"

"I have a confession to make," Habeth cut her off with a sigh, again reaching for Esther's hands. "The truth is…"

The woman paused, glancing back and forth to ensure no prying ears were left in the room.

Baara and Habeth's handmaid both stood near the door, heads bowed and hands clasped, waiting to attend to their masters' call, but Habeth seemed unbothered by their presence.

"The truth is," she repeated, leaning close to Esther's ear, "I have been testing you all this time."

"T-testing me?" Esther resisted the urge to lean away.

Fortunately Habeth pulled back before she became too uncomfortable.

"Do you remember when I told you that the handmaiden of the Queen Candidate of the tenth best place in the House of Women had previously been embroiled in a scandal with one of the King's council members?"

She stared directly into Esther's eyes as she asked the question.

"Hmmm.." Esther frowned, trying her best to recall the story.

Among the many, many gossips Habeth had told her, one concerning a handmaiden and council member seemed to be missing from her memory.

"What about the story I told you involving two of the current Concubines and their secret gambling debts?" the woman pressed.

"Oh, yes!" Esther nodded, vaguely recalling Habeth once describing something like that to her.

"I…" the Queen Candidate of the second best place sighed, glancing downward at her fingers.

It was a kind of humble look Esther had never seen from the confident woman before.

"I made it up," Habeth finally confessed.

"Not just those stories but others as well. I lied to you."