14. THE PREDICAMENT
"That commoner princess really disgusts me with her fake sweet innocence and ungraceful behavior." Spat Queen Eleanor. Her elegant eyebrows were lowered and pinching together while her nose wrinkled instinctively, in agreement with her words.
Duke Alexis narrowed his eyes. "What had she done, this time?"
Queen Eleanor and her favorite Duke were having tea at one of the Queen's private guest rooms. She had purposely summoned the Duke to the palace just to discuss the issue she considered crucial and this time, it's about a certain princess who had been disturbing her mind recently.
"Oh, she is a professional actress I must say. A natural seductress. I bet every man in the palace is now infatuated with her so called innocent beauty. Not to say my boy, even the King is stupidly obsessed with her. She can do no wrong in the King's eyes." Queen Eleanor was fuming. She gulped her tea disappointedly, clearly unpleased with the whole situation.
Duke Alexis snorted. "She definitely follows her mother's footstep, that filthy commoner Queen. I don't know what had King Rolland seen in her." Duke Alexis was encouraging the fire in the Queen's stomach. "Have you ever met that bitch?"
"I...I saw her several times in the Inter-Kingdoms meetings and the Annual First Lady Conference, but we never spoke to each other." Queen Eleanor looked squarely at Duke Alexis, as if what she was going to say next was important. "And she is very beautiful."
Duke Alexis just shrugged his shoulders. "More beautiful than you?" Asked the Duke. "I don't believe a poor village woman like her may possess such a beauty. I heard she was only a cobbler before King Rolland made her his queen and I don't understand why King Rolland would marry a lowly commoner like her."
The Duke grabbed a cup with gold hand and edges, sipped his tea, enjoying for a moment its rich flavors and aromas before continuing the getting-more-interesting conversation. "And now, her daughter is here. Like her mother, she is apparently trying to force her way into marrying a royal, to remain in the circle of high status. In this case, the girl's target is your son, Prince Hugo." Duke Alexis proudly donated his two cents of opinion, inwardly happy to be getting the Queen's undivided attention.
Queen Eleanor scoffed. "Like I would allow that to happen right before my eyes! She can only marry my son in her dream. But what should I do to ward her off of my son?"
"You must proceed with your previous plan, to invite Princess Clio coming over here."
"But, that plan had been foiled by the King."
"You have to make it succeed, one way or another. Think about it, if Prince Hugo were to marry Princess Clio, he would become a future king. We know Princess Clio is the heir to the throne. "And..." Duke Alexis paused, for more dramatic effect and looked at the Queen intently. "You don't have to wait for the Crown Prince Honorable Match between Prince Hugo and your stepson Prince Axel, to decide who is going to be the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince Honorable Match is a contest between two or more heirs to the throne to compete for the right to become the Crown Prince. It's a tradition for the Kingdom of Albuquerque to select the Crown Prince in the match rather than taking the eldest son as the heir like what widely practiced by most of the other kingdoms. This match is only being held in a situation when the king has more than one son eligible for the throne. In the match, the Crown Prince candidates need to prove their strength and worthy by defeating the other in a combat battle in front of the King, the Council members, and the subjects. The sole winner will then be pronounced the Crown Prince of Albuquerque, and the heir to the throne.
Queen Eleanor seemed to have lost in deep thinking, but the Duke's voice broke the silence and scattered her train of thoughts away. "It's not that I doubt Prince Hugo's capability to defeat Prince Axel in the match to become the Crown Prince. But, why choose the harder route to make Hugo a king if we can obtain the same outcome in a simpler way?" Said the Duke.
Queen Eleanor rubbed her temples. "This is an issue I'd rather discuss another day. But, maybe you're right. Hugo will become king if he marries Princess Clio. Unfortunately, as you knew, the King had tried to overwrite the Council meeting's decision and ordered the courtship invitation letter for Princess Clio to be held back. This includes all other invitations for the Princess."
Duke Alexis mused for awhile. "Yes, your husband is an expert in complicating things further." He sneered. "If we can't get Princess Clio, perhaps you could invite other prominent princesses such as Princess Vivian, Princess Zooey, Princess Maya or Countess Luciana. They are all the heirs to the throne."
"Countess Luciana?" Queen Eleanor frowned. "Never heard of her."
"Oh, yes. Countess Luciana of The Great Kingdom of Edenlande."
"The Great Kingdom of Edenlande?" Queen Eleanor was suddenly intrigued.
Their intense conversation was interrupted by a maid who came into the room to refill the teacups and brought hot cookies freshly baked from the kitchen. She poured the tea uncomfortably with a shaky hand under the glowering stare of the duke, while the Queen looked not in a good mood either. The maid scurried off immediately once finished her job, apparently noticing the stressful atmosphere enveloping the small private area.
"If she is only a Countess, how is it possible she becomes the heir to the throne?" Queen Eleanor's curiosity soared with this piece of information.
"Well, she is not the heir, yet. But, as you know, King Stephen The Great has no heir since the passing of his son, the Crown Prince many years ago. The King is getting very old, and would be unfit to rule the kingdom in a few years to come. There were rumors that his Council has been forcing him to name the heir and eventually pass the throne to his closest relative, who happens to be Countess Luciana. Explained the Duke thoroughly.
"Oh yes, now I remember that the Edenlande's Crown Prince died at a young age. We were quite close and I used to make the Palace of Edenlande my second home... Long ago." Said the Queen softly.
"The media loves to speculate and they made the Countess major headlines in the news a few weeks ago about she is to be the future monarch of Edenlande. How come you do not know, milady?" Duke Alexis raised an eyebrow.
"I was busy with the whole Axel and Hugo's courtship matter back to back with the Annual Spring Festival. I barely have time for myself now, what more to indulge in the other kingdom's issue."
"Edenlande is not just any kingdom. It is an empire, as a matter of fact. The Great Kingdom of Edenlande is the richest kingdom in the world with the greatest army. They can conquer Albuquerque just in a blink of an eye. Some say, it's civilization is greater than that of Babylon, Spartan and Persian Empires. But its monarch refused to be addressed as Emperor or Empress since they have used the title King or Queen for centuries. Thus, Edenlande is called the Great Kingdom instead of as an Empire as it supposed to be referred as. Anybody who becomes king or queen of that kingdom will hold a great power that may cause significant political changes that could affect all the other kingdoms, including Albuquerque." Stressed Duke Alexis. He cleared his throat. "So, shall we invite her? Countess Luciana is truly a catch. It's about time to forge a new alliance with the most powerful future Queen in the world." Duke Alexis smiled.
Queen Eleanor sighed. "Probably it's a good idea. Do what you must, as so long as my son would not fall for that girl's trap. And we should also keep a close eye on what's happening in Edenlande. A stronger tie must be established with their future monarch for the benefits of Albuquerque."
The Duke nodded and bowed.
"But for the time being, I want you to bring your daughter, Lady Ariana to the palace. I want her to distract Hugo's attention from the shameless girl." The queen added before leaving the room.
Duke Alexis hid his smirk.
TUSoPS
The main highlight of the day was the full rehearsal of the Spring Festival, which the actual celebration would take place in four days more. Grand floral parade, street shows and hootenanny were among popular events in the festival but for that day, they would do the rehearsal on the parade and street dance only.
The parade and the street performances would take place at the same time. The dancers and musicians, as well as the flower floats, would start their journey from the palace compounds and moved along the Albuquerque's main roads heading towards their final destination at Grand Coliseum, located at the city center. A participation of 12 colorful floats, representing all Albuquerque's states and provinces partaking in the event. The order of the day was 'Colors of Love,' which was the theme of the festival.
The floats would be designed beautifully and be accompanied by marching bands, the street dancers and performers. The entourage of participants who are to accompany the floats will be in costumes of creatures and flowers of nature such as ladybirds, dragonflies, sunflowers, butterflies, flower bearers among others. With the festival had been anticipated to attract thousands of tourists, locally and internationally, it was undoubtedly would be a parade of great grandeur.
Princess Sofia had been briefed about her role in the festival by the event planner. As the guest of honor, she would be sitting on the VIP's flower float, which was the last float to leave the palace and also the last to enter the Coliseum, where all the other guests including the King and Queen would have been waiting. After that, she will be invited to the main stage to deliver the prizes and trophies to the winner of the most beautiful flower floats, the most unique float, the best performance and the best costume.
All the participants were ready to start their journey for the final rehearsal and were waiting for the cue from the event organizer to start moving in staggered order. She saw the other royals like Prince Axel, Princess Amber, Prince Victor and Princess Elena would also ride on the floats but obviously not on the same float with her. She felt a little disappointed because had to ride the float along with strangers, most of them are the flower bearers and costumed creatures who were too shy to speak to a royal like her. It's not that she has never been through to such events but it will be nice having someone known to talk to and to share the experience.
Just when her float was about to move after getting the cue from the organizer, a familiar tall prince came to stand by her, ready to hop onto the same float. Sofia frown and cast a contemplative look at Hugo's way. She still remembered, the last time they travel together, problems happened.
Oh no, not him again! This guy really is a walking disaster. She smothered a sigh and tried very best not to glare at the said prince.
Unrealized any of her predicaments or he just pretended not to realize anything, Hugo offered her his arm which she took it hesitantly and allowed herself to be assisted onto the float.
Sofia wore a royal blue, tall pleated maxi dress with long sleeves and lace inserts with embellished waist and a fancy cocktail hat perched on the side of her head to complete the style. Surprisingly, Hugo wore a three-piece suit of the same color that made them just like a matching couple. They glanced at each other for a second, both noticing their same color outfit but neither utter a word. Prince Hugo's popularity was evidenced by the endless screaming from the girls who were lining up along the road to watch the rehearsal and caught a glimpse of the devilishly handsome prince. Sofia felt like wanting to cover her ears from the deafening screams of thousands of the fans present. Sure he was a bit of an arrogant asshole, but Sofia had to admit that no one could hold a candle to Hugo's physical perfection. Shaking her head and dismissing the surprisingly lustful thought that unexpectedly entered her mind, Sofia waved her hand gracefully and smiled at the crowds. She too not poor from receiving massive attention from the crowds, especially young men who gawking and gaping at her in admiration, stunned by her beauty. Some even tried their way to rush and climb the float to touch her or give her flowers, making the horse guards who accompanied their floats extremely busy to keep the situation under control.
The entire journey, Sofia had to be standing close to Hugo because she was afraid of slipping or worse, fall from the unstable float due to the bumpy ride and had reluctantly kept a hand to his arm. Meanwhile, Hugo was putting up an indifference facade, as if having a gorgeous girl by his side was a normal thing or simply a mandatory rule by being a prince. His fan girls watched in envy as Hugo snaked an arm around Sofia's waist possessively, which helped a lot in stabilizing her balance on the float since she was wearing high heels. She couldn't help but secretly grateful for this little aid, though she believed he did that more for his entertainment rather than her sake.
They were standing so close together, waving happily at the crowds like a loving couple. It was as if, the float they were riding on was not meant to showcase flowers, but to introduce his betrothed to the public. But neither of them noticed it. Overall, the Albuquerque's subjects were very pleased about getting the chance to see Prince Hugo and Princess Sofia in person and they agreed that the two made a beautiful couple and complemented each other perfectly.
The visit to Albuquerque this time was totally worth it. Sofia was content that she managed to see the city of Albuquerque at a closer look, both through the ground road and waterway. She wondered how it might look like from the above.
"You should see Albuquerque from the sky. It's more beautiful." Said Hugo suddenly, breaking her little musing.
Sofia looked at him, slightly surprised. I was just thinking of it. He could read other people's mind or what?
"Oh, I'd love to! Hopefully, Princess Elena or Prince Victor would be willing to show me around." She grinned.
"Hm, maybe I can help. I can bring you around to see our many attractions." Said Hugo, not looking at her but looking straight ahead with a façade of indifference, made Sofia wondered if she had heard it right.
Sofia looked at Hugo incredulously. Just a few days ago he was complaining to his father about having to chaperone her, and now here he was almost gladly offering to bring her around to see Albuquerque. She stared at him suspiciously.
Just what he was thinking, actually? Did he get up on the wrong side of the bed, today? Or he just had a screw loose? She remembered the troublesome and mischievous boy she once knew back then in the RPA. I think, he was up to something. Sofia decided.
She saw Hugo flicked his eyes her way in an unreadable expression, waiting for her answer.
"Thanks, but no thanks." She said firmly.
"So be it." Was Hugo curt reply. Sofia watched as his expression darkened for a split second and she swore she could practically hear the disappointment in his voice.
Was he disappointed? Sofia thought. The ice prince was actually disappointed?
Whoaa.. This can be the biggest news of the year. But, why did he feel disappointed? Oh, sure... He was very much used to getting things he wanted and had never been denied of anything in his life.
It must be very painful and insulting for him to be rejected even for a small thing like that. He... the most handsome prince in Albuquerque, no, on earth... had been rejected by a mere princess from Enchancia, especially when he was the one offering the favored.
Oh, how good that really sounded! Sofia sneered.
But the ice prince was quite a good actor, as well. He gave her a smile, one that was confident and casual as if mocking her, telling her, it was she that would suffer the biggest loss by rejecting him. Hugo then removed his hand from her waist and Sofia watched as he turned his body away from her arrogantly, as if he could get plague infection just by touching her, when what he did the entire journey was clinging to her body.
Sofia's neutral expression turned into a scowl and she snorted. She always thought James was arrogant. But, his arrogance was nothing compared to the man in front of her. And for the second time in a day, she was glad she had made a right decision by turning down his offer just now.
Stupid, arrogant, pompous jerk! She cursed inwardly and was seething at Hugo's annoying display.
Luckily, the boring journey had not been very long as a few minutes later, their float finally arrived at the Coliseum, where all the audience had already been waiting for them. The king had not attended the rehearsal, but the queen was seen sitting in the Royal VIP grand plaza, together with some other royals and important nobles. She was adamant to be present in the rehearsal to make sure it ran smoothly and that everything had been carried out as planned.
Being a gentleman he was, Hugo gently grasped Sofia's hand to assist her stepping down the float, which caught her by surprise, despite their earlier silent fight.
"Let me help you." He murmured.
They stared at each other for a moment, in a strange expression or more like a confusion on their faces before Sofia broke her eyes away. Hugo waited patiently as Sofia arranged her dress around her hips and carefully stepped her high heels onto the ground. Then, she pulled her hand out of his warm grasp and started to walk toward the VIP area to join the other royals, after tossing Hugo an irritated look. All the time of walking, she couldn't help thinking about Hugo's demeanor.
What was it about this guy?
One time he was warm and full of affection, but a second later, he was cold and bitter. And then, he showed his concern and gentleness all of a sudden.
Was he a physco or mentally unstable, or just likes to physco others?
Or maybe he was just a heartless?
At the same time, a horsed-guard of their entourage was unable to control his horse that was not happy with people pushing their way and flocked around Sofia and Hugo's float. It snorted and whined to show its stress and anger. The horse managed to stand up on his back legs, threw its guard off of his back and tried to run away from the uncomfortable situation. Sofia was too busy with her endless train of thoughts and didn't see the horse was running fast in her direction. Worse, she hadn't even heard Hugo was shouting and calling her name to warn her about the danger until she felt someone grabbed the back of her dress and yanked her backward that made her almost fell on her back. She let out an "aaagh" sound in her shock and luckily, she had not landed on the ground but someone's chest instead, and that someone was Hugo. She stared at Hugo who was mumbling something about a stupid horse and then asking her whether she was alright. Sofia then looked at the strip of her dress in Hugo's fist in horror. He had ripped it off when he jerked her just now. Her cheek grew warm as it registered in her mind what had just happened and noticed that her back was laid bare, exposing the back of her red lace bra. Everything went very fast and before Sofia's mind could think properly, her hand had moved on its own accord.
She slapped Hugo. Hard.
There were collective gasps from the crowd who were shocked by the incident. At that moment, all the movements and sounds seemed to have ceased and a deep silence fell upon all the people in the Coliseum. Queen Eleanor raised her elegant eyebrow as she and the rest of people looked on at the couple in disbelief. Amber covered her mouth to stifle a gasp, the other royals and nobles were gaping and dumbstruck. Duke Alexis especially, was smirking in triumph as if what had happened just proved how right he was all along. A prince had been slapped in public? Oh, that was so disrespectful and insolent!
Hugo rubbed his cheek as the muscles in his face tightened. Sofia had instinctively slapped him hard enough that her fingerprints lingered on his skin. He too was astounded by Sofia's unexpected reaction. Too shocked that he couldn't even move an inch from his current position.
Hell, what did I do to deserve this? He thought.
I was the one who saved the damsel in distress here.
Does she hate me so much that whatever I did displease her?
Hugo just watched as Sofia pulled herself out of his hold and then ran frantically to the VIP's private room at the corner of the Coliseum. He rubbed his temples in outrage and fought back a groan of frustration with what had been happened.
God, she has changed so much! She no longer the innocent and kind girl I once knew back then.
TUSoPS
Sofia was lying in her bed and had tossed uncomfortably for hours. A stream of moonlight filtered through the window bathed her body with its luminous paleness, roughly giving her idea of how late the time had been. The incident occurred earlier this morning kept reeling in her mind non-stop, as she tried to understand her action of slapping Prince Hugo in public. Sofia was terrified. Really terrified. She didn't know what spirit had possessed her to do such action. She had caused so much trouble and wreaked havoc within just three days of her stay in Albuquerque. Of course, Hugo had been an annoying jackass the entire morning during the rehearsal but he had also been very nice to her. Again, to slap a prince in public when she was the guest in his palace was an action beyond imagination by anyone. Was it considered a treason? Would she be sentenced to death for such a crime? Honestly, Sofia didn't know. What she knew that she was screwed! Worse, she just made a good fool of herself with her foolish act when what Hugo actually did was saved her. He saved her damned life for crying out loud! Came to think of that, Sofia suddenly remembered that it was the same prince that saved her life when she had almost drowned in the Callisto River. In fact, he had saved her life twice! He was her savior. Sofia felt guilty and ashamed. This was one of the days she wished she had never been born into the world from the beginning, so that she would have never made this stupid mistake.
And Amber was mad at her. She was furious. Sofia was sure her other friends like Axel, Victor and Elena would feel the same and she dared not to think about it further. Not more than an hour ago, her sister had been banging on her door and dashed into her room demanding an explanation from her for her action. Sofia had never seen her sister that angry. After sending Scarlett out of the room, Amber had been yelling and shouting at her for what seemed like an eternity. For the first time in her life, Sofia scared her sister. Amber scared the hell out of her worse than she feared the Angel of Death, who ready to take her last breath. Amber said her action could shake the strong relationship of Enchancia and Albuquerque which Sofia couldn't agree more, inwardly. Hell, Amber even accused her of trying to ruin her courtship with Axel by acting irrationally, before the proud princess stomped off and then slammed her door.
What a despicable accusation! Sofia fumed and rubbed her temples. Hey, I thought she didn't love Axel?
Speaking about Scarlett, she suddenly remembered the untouched food on the table. Not ready to face anyone, she had been hiding in the chamber the entire afternoon like a scaredy cat and had ordered her maid to prepare the dinner privately in her chamber. But now she wasn't in the mood to eat, so she would better just ask her to clear up the table.
Scarlett! She called but strangely, her voice was hoarse and any sound barely came out.
Scarlett! She called one more time, but her voice failed her again. She couldn't even hear her own voice. Sofia terrified. What the heck is happening?
"You have lost your voice." Someone answered from behind her back. Sofia turned and saw a beautiful young maiden standing in the middle of the chamber, staring at her.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?" Sofia was eyeing the beautiful princess who dressed in a mustard elegant ball gown suspiciously.
The princess just smiled before darted her eyes on the book lying helplessly on her bed. Ignoring her, she read the title of the book. "Arthurian Legend: The Love Story of King Arthur and Queen Guenevere. Hm, a good choice for reading, I must say." She commented.
Sofia covered her mouth in surprise. Belle? The beauty and the Beast?
Belle just nodded, clearly indicating that she could read her mind, even though Sofia had not been able to vocalize her thought.
"Sofia, I'm sorry to tell you that your amulet has cursed you for the injustice you had done to Prince Hugo." Belle told her. "As the wearer of the amulet, you should know that with each deed performed, for better or worse, a power is granted, a blessing or a curse." She stated the obvious.
Sofia only nodded.
"Sofia, don't let prejudice seals your logic and rational thought. Never let it contaminates your pure heart and instills hatred in your soul. You must open your mind and overcome your prejudice towards others, only then you could see the beauty in their heart." Said Belle, her voice was soft and angelic but firm.
She smiled and put a hand on Sofia's shoulder. "Should I choose to remain prejudiced, I could never fall in love with the Beast who turned out to be my prince charming and saved a kingdom that had been cursed. Sometimes, what is essential is invisible to the eye. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly."
Sofia could only gape at Belle as if trying very hard to digest her message.
"Sofia, I'm sorry that I must tell you this. If Prince Hugo doesn't truly forgive you, you'll remain mute forever in your life." Belle now was standing right in front of her and stared deeply into her eyes.
What! Is that true? Sofia was surprised. Did she hear it right? Sofia looked at the place Belle had been standing a second ago, but no one was there. She had disappeared.
Sofia felt like wanted to cry. It's all her fault for what had been happened and she only had herself to be blamed. Since when she had been a very cold hearted person and being prejudiced to others? Where had all her kindness gone? Worse, she couldn't even see the goodness in others, the kindness and concern that Hugo had given to her. Sofia realized she had not been herself these few days and that she must do something to right the wrong. To correct her own mistake.
I want to apologize to Hugo but how? I don't have voice, I can't even speak...
Sofia paced back and forth across the room, deep in thought.
I need to apologize...
I need to apologize...
I need to apologize...
Finally, Sofia grabbed a pen, a piece of paper and wrote down a message.
Prince Hugo,
I'm terribly sorry. I really must apologize. I regret my action and shouldn't have done that. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.
Sofia.
Sofia read her own message a couple of times. Feeling satisfied, she folded the paper neatly in half and went out to search for Prince Hugo. She stumbled upon Scarlett, who just entered the chamber with a bouquet of fresh flowers to replace the old ones in the vase on the table. She looked at her lady in puzzled as the princess suddenly went out of the room after hiding in the chamber the whole day.
Sofia walked upstairs towards the royal family's floor and heading to the Prince Hugo's chamber. In the vicinity, she saw her personal guard following her at a distance as a safety measure, only to be ignored by the princess. She had a more important matter in hand, to say sorry and to get her voice back! She arrived at his chamber, standing for a few minutes in front of the door in hesitant, all the while disregarding two Albuquerque's personal guards who were eyeing her with a questioning look.
She took a deep breath and knocked the door. No answer. She tried again. This time, she heard a slight rustling and shuffling sounds from the inside of the chamber and after that, the door was burst opened. And then, a pair of intense, penetrating eyes were staring at her that made her heart and soul trembled.
Ugh, Prince Hugo?
AN: Hello guys, I'm very sorry for taking forever to release this chapter. My life is truly a hectic since the past few weeks because I have to take care of my new house renovation and I also will be relocating to another state in the next two months. The busyness affected my adrenaline and I couldn't even write a word because of that. But, the messages/reviews from you reminded me of my obligation to this story. So, here I gave a longer chapter for you - 5K+ words for a chapter, one of the longest chapters (I must be crazy). I hope you didn't yawn while reading or I would feel hurt. Hehe... :D
About this story:
1) I made Axel as Hugo's half brother in this story. He is King Garrick's son with his late queen. (While Hugo and Victor are King Garrick and Queen Eleanor's sons). Actually, I've always wondered why Axel and Hugo have a big age difference and different hair color, I just manipulated the fact a bit to suit it with my story.
2) Axel is NOT the Crown Prince in this story. I made it as such because I plan a 'Battle For The Crown' between Axel and Hugo in a later chapter.
NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW: Will Sofia get her forgiveness from Hugo? She'd better work hard for it or else she would be a mute forever! The themes for the next chapter are ROMANCE and ROMANCE and ROMANCE. (At least that's what I'm trying to do). Excited? Me too...
REVIEW: I saw a few new reviewers and also happy that my regular reviewers keep supporting this story. Love y'all !
