Chapter Nine
As soon as Victoria gave Clarisse the tea, she sat opposite to the former monarch. She observed her carefully and saw a haze of confusion and sadness etched on the queen's eyes.
She's good at hiding it though, Victoria thought, Her face remained calm. But her eyes say otherwise.
Clarisse looked at the girl sitting in front of her. No matter what she thinks, she can still feel the way the girl looks at her. Observing her.
The way this girl does it doesn't even help because she reminds her so much of Joseph.
Or maybe, Clarisse thought, because this girl is Joseph's daughter and I have no idea where her mother is.
The thought of another woman with Joseph send something weird on her stomach as she saw some features on the teenager that clearly did not come from Joseph.
The curly hair, the shape of her face and I swear those eyelashes are seemed to be fake, Clarisse thought but shook the thought, Nope.. those are real.
Victoria felt the queen observe her back as she took a sip on her tea.
I can ask her right away but it's rude if I do that, she thought, then again… I have some romantic designing paused upstairs.
Like as if on cue, the telephone on the kitchen counter rang as Victoria looked at the Clarisse and slightly smiled before she automatically ran to the phone.
"Halo?" asked Victoria, "¿Quien es este?"
"Are you done there?" she heard Arthur asked.
"Aún no," the young lady said as she looked at Clarisse, smiling.
Clearly, I'm trying to bluff her. But shit now I have to think of a language that she can't understand. Victoria thought as she heard Arthur telling her to hurry up because the plane will be dropping off any minute.
Victoria only hummed as she gave up, "I'll finish it fast. How much time do I have?"
"About 45 minutes. Is your father there?"
"No. I got to go. Should I light the candles?"
"Only if you're done."
"Great." Victoria breathed as she hung up the phone.
She looked at the queen and she laughed nervously, "Clearly you already know that I speak English. I'm very sorry about it. Uh… dad's arranging flights to Genovia. And I'm only here to design my Tio and Tiá's bedroom."
Clarisse nodded as she listened.
Victoria sighed as she placed her tea down, "Now I'll be doing what I should do. But I don't know to you but.. you can just watch me procrastinate if you want."
With that, she rushed upstairs back to the room and took the pouch of rose petals.
43 minutes left, she thought as she sprinkle the rose around the room.
Curtains, check. Sheets, check. Pillows, Victoria puffed the pillows as she saw them fluffy enough, completely unnecessary to whatever they will do here but check.
She looked around and saw Clarisse at the doorway.
What a great company, Victoria thought as she smiled awkwardly at the queen.
Next, candles to add the erotic effect. Victoria thought as she looked at the clock, 5:27 pm. 41 minutes left.
She turned to the candle stands and saw if there's any mess that could cause a fire.
"What exactly is going to happen here?" Clarisse suddenly asked as she looked around the room with a mixture of confusion and surprise.
"I'm glad you ask," Victoria said as she looked through the song selections on the player, "My Tio brought Tiá somewhere and he asked me to design their room in a- you know. Romantic as how he told me. Then judging on how it looks, I have to tell him someday that there's a difference between Romanticism and Eroticism."
She lit up the candles and smiled at the end product.
Clarisse looked around the room and hummed. As she followed Victoria out of the room.
"Is there any way I can help?" she asked,
Victoria looked at the former queen and placed a hand on her throat, "We can't have either papá or tiá cutting off my throat because I asked a Dowager Queen to clean the mugs. But your company is already a help."
Then they hurried away as the teenager put her trash in her bag.
She went to the kitchen and placed the bottle of champagne on an ice bucket then returned it inside the fridge.
"So..you've always done this?" asked Clarisse, unsure how to start a conversation with the girl.
Victoria shrugged as she cleaned the mugs and placed them inside the cupboards, "This is my first time arranging a room for- this certain- occasion. Sixth time I arrange a room and the first time I'm doing it without any professional help."
"Professional-"
"I used to accompany mamá when she arranged things. Mostly on parties or weddings," Victoria sighed, "I learned these things from her. She was always that passionate about these things, she must have thought that I am too."
"Was?" asked Clarisse.
So her mother's dead? she thought.
Victoria went to the couch as she answered Clarisse's question,"She passed away more than a week ago due to breast cancer. She said that she wanted to be cremated so there's no wake."
She spoke about it so casually, Clarisse thought as she wondered how the teenager got through the death so easily.
As if reading her mind, Victoria sighed, "I'm not really that close to mamá. Tiá more likely became a mother to me. I don't entirely have to act like the grieving daughter when I don't feel like it."
Clarisse nodded as she remembered Rupert's.
It doesn't really affect me so badly but it had to look like it because everyone expects me to be, she thought as she followed Victoria to the front door.
"Do you have someone waiting outside?" asked Victoria as she hung the blindfold at the back of the door.
"I have my guard and driver in a car two blocks away."
Victoria only nodded as she looked at her phone, "Papá's car is outside and he said that it's flat. So probably I have to ask for a cab to bring me home. Just follow it so that you can talk to papá."
"Why don't you just take a ride with me?" Clarisse asked, surprising herself and the teenager.
Victoria looked at the former queen as she just managed to nod.
"You know that I want you, Joey…" Isla said as she went closer to Joseph, "Where on earth are you after all this time?"
"Isla-"
"Dad?" Victoria's voice boomed on the kitchen as she stood at the doorway beside Clarisse.
Joseph pushed Isla away as he saw his daughter on the doorway. But what shocked him is the woman beside her.
"Clarisse…"
A/N: I added another character! Any guess who is this Isla? Jdhdhrjidhd I hope you enjoy! And please leave some review!