22 TWENTY TWO: The Record Hall pt 2

Lord Hegai's identification tag hung around Esther's wrist as she walked briskly through the morning air.

Despite being used nearly daily by her for the last month, the tag was still in pristine condition, thanks to her careful treatment of the precious object.

During the past four weeks, Esther finally began to settle in at the House of Women. She'd rise early in the morning, put on simple clothes with the aid of only Baara, and then have the handmaiden and one other maid accompany her to the record hall.

She often wished she could spend the entire day in that place, surrounded by silence and heaps of parchments. Alas, by the time midmorning came, she was obligated to leave the record hall and return to her chamber for oiling and other Candidate Preparations.

In the afternoon, she usually took a stroll around the palace grounds, admiring the gardens and how the foliage began to change colors with the season. As of yet, she had not explored the other 'many places' Lord Hegai's identification tag could gain her access to.

For the time being, she was satisfied with her simple routine.

"Hurry quickly, My Lady! I saw Queen Candidate Habeth's maid approaching your chamber on our way out!"

Well, it was an almost simple routine.

Queen Candidate Habeth, as kind and elegant as she was, had taken to calling on Esther as often as she could. Tea times, dress fittings, even bathing together, Habeth sent invitations for all of it!

Because she could not reasonably avoid all the woman's invitations, Esther had attended tea with Habeth almost every week and reluctantly accepted dresses and necklaces gifted by her.

She would have been delighted in the girl's dedication to their friendship if only she hadn't seen such a terrifying side to her that day in the dressing room. Since then, she'd done her utmost to be cautious, but Habeth had only grown more persistent.

"It seems she very much intends to have tea with you today," Baara remarked, trailing behind Esther as they walked.

"I've told them many times that Queen Candidate Esther prefers to keep to herself, but they keep coming back!" The energetic dark-haired maid shouted.

"I will have tea with Habeth today," Esther sighed.

Though the girl's advances were burdensome, she certainly didn't want to alienate a fellow Candidate. Especially not the one residing in the second best place in the House of Women.

Esther soon spotted the record hall, however, and gratefully put all thoughts of Habeth and tea time out of her mind.

"I will return shortly!" She called to Baara and the dark-haired maid, bounding up the steps to the hall.

They both nodded and took their places at the bottom of the stairs.

That was another reason Esther could never stay as long as she wished in the record hall. Since only those with permission could enter the hall, none of her companions could go with her. She felt enough guilt leaving her loyal maids standing like that for only a short time; she couldn't imagine how awful she'd feel if she left them there all day.

"Perhaps, I could ask Lord Hegai for one more of these," she mused to herself, taking the identification card out from her sleeve.

Very rarely did she meet another person in the hall at such an early hour, but it was always best to have the talisman in plain view in case someone did come in and question her endorsement.

She breathed a sigh of relief that she had already displayed the tag when she heard the door swing open. Hopefully, it would save her from unwanted conversation this time as well.

Ignoring whoever may have entered the hall, she headed to the section of books she'd been most interested in recently. The books there detailed the history of Persia and, more specifically, the gradual fall of her people--the Believers.

She learned many things the mornings she spent pouring through these old pages. There were customs and holidays of old that she'd never heard spoken of among the Despised Clan. Additionally, it seemed the laws of Abraham's God were much stricter back then.

Perhaps, that was why so many chose to stop following those ways.

"...se me."

What's more, apparently, women had been required to cover their hair. Esther smoothed her loose auburn locks, feeling a sudden surge of gratitude that she had not been born centuries earlier.

"Excuse me!"

"Eep!" The book nearly clattered to the ground as Esther jolted.

She whirled around to see a man standing behind her, his hand hanging awkwardly in the air as if he had been moments away from laying it on her shoulder.

Clearing her throat and gathering her composure, Esther looked up. She opened her mouth to suggest he keep a more appropriate distance but closed it again immediately when her eyes met his.

Blue.

Eyes bluer than the sky and black hair that reached past his shoulders.

She recognized him in an instant.

"Ah. P-Prince," Esther ducked her head, clutching the book into her chest.

"I had a feeling I'd run into you again."

The same voice from over a month ago, in the King's Garden, cleared any lingering doubt.

This man was a Persian Prince--the same Prince she met while trespassing.

Even worse, he seemed to remember her.

Biting her lip, she kept her head down, hoping he would not ask her to-

"Raise your head," the Prince ordered as if reading her thoughts.

"... Yes, Prince," Esther slowly looked up.

Eerily, it felt similar to their interaction in the garden. The only difference being that her heart was racing even faster now that she had to face him on her own.

"Have I interrupted your reading?" the Prince asked, eyeing the book clutched in her arms.

"Not at all," Esther answered too quickly, placing the book on the table beside her. "Please, tell me if you have business with me."

She silently prayed he would check the identification tag and leave her to her business.

But, again, he disappointed her hopes.