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CHAPTER 35

Everyone froze in their seats for some seconds before turning their heads in her direction.

The moment they laid eyes on her their breathing ceased. Although she wasn\'t the queen, she often dressed as lavishly like one.

She stood a bit far from them and at a bend. So right now, I was assumed that she was not even seeing the queen but upon hearing the secretary\'s voice, her anger rose and she spoke to instil fear in them.

Seeing the looks in some of their faces, gave her the fuel and desire to carry on and do more. "Has the cat got your tongue that you cannot speak or answer to me?" she yelled again.

"I think throwing someone to the Lions is good enough punishment for those whom the cat did not get their tongue and speak out of place in my presence."

Just from hearing her voice, Diona knew that it was Era. She bit down on her lower lip but there was nothing more she could do.

As though she was in the least bit affected, she cat-walked forward till she was perfectly out of the bend and was now face to face with the audience and Era.

She stopped, unable to take one more step forward. She wasn\'t bemused but the eye of malice she had about her person, showed how much she was unhappy that her chair had been taken from her.

She looked to Era\'s right and saw her tag seated atop the table in front of the chair.

\'Chairlady,\' she read within her. \'Yes, I am the chair lady and what does a puny little queen like her know anyway about running these kinds of things. Watch Era, as I come in and steal the spotlight from you.\'

Bringing her foot forward, she took another step towards the till she walked in their midst with her head raised high till she got to where era was.

Slowly she bowed her head a bit low without bending her upper back and greeted. "Good morning, your majesty. My apologies for earlier. I did not know you were present."

"Really now?" Era asked, with a smirk playing on her lips. She was not ready to ask her to rise. Rather she was intending to punish her and make her know who wore the crown.

"So, because you are chair lady, does that give you the right to come late and also prevent them who kept to time from starting a meeting?"

"No, your majesty."

"Then I wonder why you would raise your voice as though they are beneath you or have you forgotten that most of these ladies were once queens and are duchesses now of their lands. Before them, even now, you are still nothing as compared."

"Your grace, that was not what I intended."

"That wasn\'t huh? Okay then, explain to the house why you who are living in the palace would come later than they who travelled to get here. I am sure the majority of them would love to know the reason for your lateness because you cannot tell me you are busier than I or his majesty."

Diona was already very angry. It was annoying that she still had to bend her head to Era, a girl she hated so much and wished ill more than anyone in the universe. Now she also humiliated her.

If not that they were out in the open and she needed to keep appearances, she would have long raised her head and insulted Era for all she was worth.

"I never said anything like that."

"Do you now call me, your queen, a liar?" Era interjected, not giving her any breathing space to think properly or say anything.

"Not at all, your majesty. I dare not utter such."

"Pff…." Unfortunately, the ladies were having a swell time and one of them mistakenly, giggled out a bit.

Diona pursed her lips and looked at the lady that laughed from the corners of her eyes.

\'Carry on and keep laughing. This is just the first time this rubbish would occur. I would make you grovel before me, Lady Lush. Just you wait.\' Diona said within her.

If not for the fact that she had her father by her side and he had the king\'s favour, no one would have regarded her as anything. But now her father, Lord Caspian was one of the king\'s favourite men.

Anyone who angered him, was equal to angering the king as he could influence his way to get back at you easily.

Most times he did not need the king\'s permission, he acted on his own, in the name of the king and so long as he gave the king a reasonable excuse as to why that happened, the king would let it slide.

At most with Vidor allowed the matter to go with a warning. Sometimes, if the situation was getting out of hand, he can frame the person up for treason and that was one thing Vidor hated the most after the feminine gender.

"Since you do not dare to, I would allow this slide if you do a bow and apologize to these ladies who have painstakingly come here to wait for this meeting, thirty minutes before time as I was told when I made my inquiries before coming here, and for speaking to them rudely."

"What!"

"You dare not want to do it?" Era arched a brow at her.

"Umm," she cleared her throat. Right now any wrong move could spell doom for her as Era had so many witnesses. "I dare not complain, your majesty. I would do it."

"Good and for the delay, you would have to bow to them twice."

"WHAT!" She raised her head to look at Era and when she saw the stern look on Era\'s face, she lowered her head and responded more calmly and in a ladylike manner. "I mean, yes, your majesty."

"Carry on, we do not have all day."