Every morning in the Palace of Atlanta was the same. The whole atmosphere was calm and cold, morning singing birds started their normal routine, the inexquisite sound of soldiers matching to their Camp of training and the calm footsteps of Palace maidens moving about the Palace Halls to serve their mistresses.
But this morning was different, in addition to all this, there was a loud scream which blew away all the morning singing birds and brought a lot of attention and gossips.
“Ahh!” this loud scream came from Princess Ye Ning’s mansion.
“No! This can’t be true “
“This has to be a dream…by this time I’m supposed to be at school” Ningzi cried out in her thoughts. She looked at the fine wide bed she found herself in and then looked at her palms
“Ok, maybe a slap would do” She landed five heavy slaps on her face but was stopped by a young maiden called Shun Gui, who knelt down before her. She was Ye Ning’s personal maidservant.
“Your highness, please forgive us if we have wronged you” Shun Gui spoke on her knees, bowing her head low before the Princess.
All the other maidens present in the huge mansion did same and pleaded for mercy. After all, angering a Royal in the Kingdom of Atlanta was a taboo, death is the only penalty.
“Are these girls going nuts, I’m not…a royal or some rich girl” Ningzi thought.
“What are you girls doing, stand up!” Ningzi helped Shun Gui to her feet
“Get this straight, I’m not your princess and I need you to stop kneeling before me, it’s really absurd” Ningzi said angrily.
She monitored her surroundings and noticed how beautiful the mansion was. Though everything was a shock to her, she couldn’t deny the fact that the mansion was large and beautiful. The maidens rose up on their feet and confusion was written all over their faces. They were shocked at what their Princess said.
“How can the Princess deny her own identity?”
“ABSURD! I’ve never heard of that word before”
“Maybe the Princesses illness has aggravated, I need to inform the other Princesses” Shun Gui thought.
She looked at Ningzi who obviously was Ye Ning by appearance. Ningzi and Princess Ye Ning were very much alike. Her voice, her plump parted lips fully formed with red rouge, her smooth round face and her long shiny dark hair could not be mistaken.
“Your highness, you must be tired after three nights of sleep, permit me to accompany you to your bed”
“My bed!” Ningzi cried out in anger.
“You girls have to get me out of here before I call the police” Ningzi said looking at each and every maiden, but the look they gave her didn’t correspond to what she expected.
“Police! What’s she talking about? I’ve never heard of it before” Shun Gui thought.
“Hello! I said I’m going to call the police, so you better start talking
Ningzi was growing crazy but no one knew why she acted the way she did. Her whole life changed after a mysterious night. They called her Princess, but she knew deep inside her that she wasn’t.
“Oh my G! Maybe I was kidnapped” Ningzi held the hem of her long transparent night gown and ran for the door. Her aim was to escape from this whole madness.
“Your highness, you can’t go” several maidens ran after her, some pulled her from moving out while others stood at the door entrance, with arms extended to block her from running away.
“Your highness, please stop” said the maidens in a chorus. They all respected her but her sudden change of attitude was getting out of hand.
“Let me go!” Ningzi said finally releasing herself from the maidens grip but three other maidens stood at the door, refusing her to pass.
“Your highness, please don’t make things difficult for us, we can’t let you go out dressed in such a manner. That will tarnish your reputation and that of your father.”
Ningzi’s expression changed. She lived only with her mother and six sisters in a tiny humble cottage, not forgetting her grandma. She had never seen her father before, not to talk of his family.
“Your highness, why are you acting this way…” said Shun Gui as she held Ningzi’s arm, wearing a desperate look on her face.
“Stay away from me” Ningzi said pulling her arm away
“What’s happening to the Princess” whispered the maidens as each of them looked at each other in shock. Every maiden knew that Shun Gui was Ye Ning’s favourite maid; she was highly favoured by her and that made the other maidens jealous. They were surprised to see that the Princess rejected Shun Gui’s presence by her side, not to talk of hearing her out.
“I think she’s crazy…”
“No! Maybe she’s drunk”
“Shut up you girls, her highness is neither drunk nor crazy…I think she’s suffering from amnesia” Shun Gui whispered to the other maidens that were gossiping about the Princess.
“Hah!!” the maidens all exclaimed.
“You better get me out of here before I kill somebody” Ningzi took the lighted lampstand which was placed on the little table and pointed it out at the shocked maidens who were before her.
“But your highness, this is your home…you are the legend Princess of Atlanta”
“How many times do you want me to say this I’m not your Legen…” Ningzi paused and a sense of horror, shock and fright was seen all over her face.
“Wait a minute…what did you just call me?”
“You are the legend Princess of Atlanta”
“No, this must be a joke, I can’t be her”
She became a well-known Princess and that fact should have made matters more bearable. But that wasn’t the case.
She knew what was ahead and that brought up a lot of fear and grief in her.
“I CANT BE YE NING…” Ningzi cried out.
She was restless, and moved from side to side in the large warm room. Her present bed chamber was larger than the house her mum, sisters and her lived in.
Ningzi was well aware that her life had changed. Not forgetting her status. She was the first daughter amongst seven in the Chu family. Her family was very poor but that didn’t deprive her of going to school. Her mother did her very best to make sure all her children could get into college.
Being a single mother wasn’t easy for her as well. Mrs. Chu had always wished her kids to have a better life and a better future. She put in a lot of efforts to make her dream and wish for her children to be fulfilled.
Amongst the septuplets, Ningzi was the boldest, smartest and most intelligent.
Ningzi walked back to her bed in deep thoughts. She just discovered she couldn’t escape the nightmare so maybe she just had to stay calm and figure out how to survive.
She knew who Ye Ning was and how this whole drama would end.
