Short Story Of The Week: The Omniscient Bastard

There he goes again and he is coming back in two days. It was announced that the King is going on Royal duty to Oeiras, but I know it is not true. He is meeting the so-called ‘Myrtle Flower’. I have seen her around. Very delicate. Very pale. A true lady. A married noble lady!

His golden carriage awaits him in front of the palace. The servants rush to get everything ready on time. Some maids run around to dress Sua Majestade, others are preparing Sopa da Pedra and a chestnut roast. The Royal Coachman is already waiting in his red and yellow suit. Today the King will visit his sixth bastard child, Maria Rita, who was born a few weeks ago. He is wearing his best silk cape, his grandest wig and silver brooches.

I was never that important to him, not even when I was born. I am ashamed of being Don João V’s bastard child, especially because I was abandoned by both my parents. I have not seen my mother - Mother Paula de Odivelas- since I was around eight years of age. She left me a wooden cross and a bible I cannot read. She never came to visit me but I saw her a few times when she came to ‘bless’ the King. He also went to visit her, going on Royal Duty to Odivelas’ Convent. I pray that the new child has a better life, like my brothers. Hopefully, she will not end up as one of her father’s servant. 

Standing barefoot on the cold kitchen sink I look through the window. I see my father’s carriage leaving. The maids go back to their duties. The palace doors are shut.  Everyone takes a deep breath. The King is gone and he is only coming back in two days. 

A piece of Historical Fiction

The story is set in the 18th Century in Mafra, Portugal