Shackles of Time
Time...time is money. And we are all running out of time. Even if we have the money.
Joshua was bored. He had completed all the official duties for today, discussed the important pressing issue with Natasha (it was a secret and he was not going to divulge it), read all the tedious official documents (which included dozens of applications for positions in the royal palace) and listened to Prime Minister Alexander drone on and on about Jehanna's desperate situation and the solution of bringing out the Sacred Twins and Stone (which of course was refuted by Mother again due to impracticality and national safety reasons).
He had not seen Marisa around. She was not in the garden, and neither was she in the halls receiving another one of those endless streams of friends of hers.
He had time and wanted to spar with her, and she just had to choose this moment to vapourise into thin air.
Hmm…could she be in their room? He smirked. Maybe she misses me…
He heard a clatter of footsteps, along with the shushed giggles and noisy laughter.
"Did you hear? The princess is having an affair."
What?
He stopped and leant forward, trying to hear better. Did his ears just lie to him? Marisa was having an affair? Haha, happy Joker's day half a year early!
"Yeah, I heard she's cheating on Prince Joshua." Someone collaborated.
His eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
But that's…
He stiffened and stopped. An affair? Princess? Marisa? Could he have heard wrongly again? Marisa seemed hardly the type to even be interested in romance, judging from his previous few rather disheartening attempts to warm up to her.
Several servant girls were walking across the red bridge across the goldfish pond, dressed in the classic servant garb of brown cotton robes. They could not see him yet. Hurriedly, he concealed himself behind the thick bamboo grove and eavesdropped on their conversation.
Hopefully I'll find that I heard wrongly.
"Is she? She seems so quiet most of the time. Who said it?" One of the servant girls expressed her doubts.
That's right, my Marisa isn't the type to cheat on me. It's just idle chatter by a few bored servant girls with a bad habit of twisting everything into rumours and scandals for their own entertainment.
"Everyone's saying it!" There were giggles.
Everyone? That means everyone in the palace, except me, knows about me? His eyes widened at the implications. A cold numb feeling clouded his mind. His hands suddenly felt clammy.
"So who is it?"
Yeah, who is it? Who could Marisa possibly ever have an affair with? She knows so few males, besides those in the palace. Maybe that ruffian from Carcino…no…they were just dancing. Just strictly dancing like two diplomatic people interested in forging diplomatic ties for their countries.
There was a pause with a barely concealed snigger.
"Three?" The servant girl's voice was tinged with horror and surprise. "Three people? That's…so scandalous! And she's the princess!"
Three? Not one, not two but three? How did she know so many people? Why…what did she do?
His heart chilled rapidly.
"I heard that one of them is a childhood friend of hers, and he visited her recently to bring her a basket of apples or something, and they spent the night reminiscing about their love for each other. They apparently left together for an entire evening beyond the castle walls." There were several gasps. "Who knows what they did?"
One entire night? When? Could it be the night when she came back delirious? But…that was because her father died…right? She couldn't possibly lie about her father's death…could she?
"Was he good looking?" One of them asked before being silenced by the rest.
"Apparently he looked 'erudite'. Whatever that means. And he was said to be pretty cute with light brown curls and melting brown eyes. Do you want to hear about the others or not? Yes? Then keep quiet!" They waited in silent anticipation. "One of them is apparently this merchant's son from Carcino who is super rich, super hot and super charming!" There were collective squeals. "He has, apparently, chocolate brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and chocolaty abs too! They said that…he proposed to elope with her!"
The Carcino merchant? Rennac? Her? Elope?
His eyebrows knitted together into a frown.
How was that possible? They…they barely know each other, and they only met twice in their lives. Ha, Marisa isn't the kind to elope with random merchants with gold coins in their pockets. She is above that.
In spite of his confidence in Marisa, he still felt a cold lump of foreboding in his throat.
What if…these servants are telling the truth?
"Really?"
"That's so illegal!"
"Yeah, illicit affair!"
"Oh and the last one, is in our palace itself!" More sniggers. "It's that prisoner in the dungeons! Stephen or something…the other day, they said the princess went in and attended to the prisoner alone by herself! And the guards said something like they heard suspicious noises coming from the cell but they didn't dare look…" There were squeals, shrill cries and screams and loads of giggles.
He paled. That couldn't be the truth. It just couldn't. Marisa wasn't one of those loose-principled women who would throw herself at anyone and everyone around her. Especially not at prisoners. She had standards, and if even he didn't meet the standards, none of those mentioned could.
Right?
He sighed in regret as he thought of the past few days. He had never seemed to be able to spend time with her, and thus, he was completely uninformed of her everyday activities and the people she saw everyday. He completely didn't know about her visits to see the prisoner, her meetings with her childhood friend and the nature of her interaction with that accursed Rennac. What she was doing was, regrettably, a complete mystery to him.
Could she really have taken advantage of his busy schedule to engage in illicit affairs with her male companions?
A flame of jealousy, already ignited by Rennac the former time, burnt bright and licked the walls of his heart.
Rennac…that accursed escort of L'Arachel…he would dare seduce my wife? He seethed, the jealousy in his heart fuelled further by the servants' conversations. My wife…Marisa…she's mine and no one else can touch her…mine and mine only…And the prisoner…her childhood friend…why do they always touch things that are not theirs?
And Marisa. Did she really have affairs behind my back?
He slammed his fist against the stem of the bamboo plant, sending a shower of loose yellow leaves fluttering through the grove as the leaves rustled.
Marisa…I have to go and ask her myself.
Turning on his heel, he left swiftly, the fire burning in his eyes.
There were some stuff he wanted to clarify, and he wanted to hear the truth from her lips and her lips alone.
She was nowhere to be found. And the only place he had not checked was their room, only because it was far removed at the west wing and not located near anything else.
Hurriedly, he made his way through the corridors.
"Belle!" He spied Marisa's personal maidservant, just as she came out of the sitting room. "Is Marisa inside?"
She nodded, shifting the bed linen in her arms. "The Princess just went in to take a bath. She told me that she didn't want to be disturbed, that she wanted to sleep for awhile."
"How long had she stayed inside?" he questioned.
Belle did a mental calculation. "Approximately five minutes, your highness. Are you looking for her royal highness? Why not wait until she finishes bathing? Her highness usually takes around two hours in the bath."
No, I need to talk to her now. I need to get to the bottom of this thing before…I may just lose it anytime and take my sword to find those scoundrels, starting with that Carcino fellow.
"I have some pressing issues that I need to discuss with her." He knocked on the bathroom door. "Marisa, open up! I need to ask you something!"
There was no response from within the bathroom.
"Marisa!" He pounded on the oaken door. Belle watched fearfully behind. "Marisa! Open the door!" He tried the doorknob, only to find it locked. "Damn!" He cursed in a fury.
Usually, she wakes at the slightest noise. Even the sound of my walking on carpet can jolt her awake. But today…why is it that she isn't responding even when I'm yelling right at her door? Can she not hear my voice?
Something was not right.
I smell…danger…and death in the air. Why? There is something extremely wrong about this entire thing. It smells phony, like a false scenery set-up in a theatrical performance.
Marisa is never one to completely ignore me, even when she is angry with me. The feeling…the atmosphere is as thick of peanut butter…there's almost this cloud of doom hanging heavily in the air.
He glanced around the room uneasily, until his gaze landed on the box on the coffee table.
The all too familiar box that contained all the words he had so lovingly penned once upon a time.
Oh hell.
He grabbed the box and flung open the container. Most of the contents were undisturbed, but the topmost letter had been touched, and it still contained her scent.
She…she read this? Hell! She was never supposed to see this! This…this is completely wrong and oh god…she'll never forgive me…never…damn…
Agitatedly, he tried to piece the situation together.
So she read the letter…and there are rumours abound in the palace about her…the door is locked…she has been there for five minutes…she wants to take a good nap in the bathtub…she is not responding to anything…she probably took sleeping pills…
His eyes widened in shock and horror.
Sleeping pills! Don't tell me…she's not that foolish! She can't be!
He tried futilely to calm himself down.
Stay calm, she's not that foolish…she'll understand…she won't take her life…she…oh dammit!
Rushing over to the door, nearly knocking down Belle in the process, he unsheathed his sword and broke the lock with one clean swipe. The door gave way with a heavy push, and he burst into the bathroom.
The mirror was clouded. There were pieces of glass on the ground with a scattered array of pink and white pills. The taps dripped slowly but steadily, and the bath was overflowing.
Marisa!
He scooped her out of the bathwater, not caring the least that he was getting his official robes soaked.
"Marisa!" He shouted, shaking her violently. "Marisa! Can you hear me? Marisa! Answer me! Dammit!"
She lay limp and lifeless in his arms, not responding to any of his calls. Her complexion was florid, but it was an unhealthy flush as though her heart had pumped all the blood to her cheeks. Her eyes were closed tightly, and he could almost not feel the breathing coming from her nose.
Quickly, he measured her pulse.
What?
Her heart was out of control.
Hell, Marisa! What the heck did you do to yourself?
Picking her up in his arms, he dashed out of the bathroom and into their bedroom, shouting for Belle to find Natasha and the healers.
Marisa…hang in there…they will be here soon to save you…
He felt useless just looking at her and not knowing what to do. He knew that anytime, her heart could stop racing and fall into a deadly slumber, and she would be gone forever.
No! Marisa! You can't just leave me like this!
The thought of her leaving him was so intense that it nearly brought him down onto his knees. Frantically, he wrapped her in the blankets, trying to keep her as warm as possible. Rubbing her hands and arms as though it would help her blood circulation, he kissed her on her damp hair, on her forehead, on her cheeks. The thought of losing her was impossible. He would never allow that to happen, not when he was alive and well and beside her.
Come on…dammit…why aren't they here yet?
Her ruddiness in her cheeks bloomed further, and the rest of her grew paler and colder.
No! You can't! Marisa! You promised to stay with me until my coronation! You can' just break your promise like this!
He cradled her in a tight embrace, pleading softly to her to cling on to her life even though she couldn't hear him. She wasn't one to give up so easily. She couldn't just leave like this. He wouldn't allow her to.
Marisa…stay alive…please…
Blood seeped from the corners of her mouth.
Marisa, I promise you. I don't ever question your faithfulness to me. Dammit, they can say all they want, but I know you're true to me. Marisa, wake up! Don't let death get to you!
Red blossoms bloomed over the white bed sheets from the blood that was draining out of her mouth.
No!
He could hear the footsteps and the frantic cries.
Hang in there…Marisa…hang in there…
The doorknob turned.
Just a little more…
The door opened to reveal Natasha and the healers.
You'll be fine Marisa. He dropped a kiss on her forehead. Please, stay with me.
"You mean someone tampered with the bottles, Joshua?" Queen Ismaire scrutinized the large pieces of broken glass before which. Until recently, they had been two bottles containing pills.
"I suspect someone exchanged the bottles of sleeping pills for this. And they substituted the headache pills for something more deadly," Joshua said. "They took advantage of Marisa's carelessness to check the label of the bottles. It was probably someone who knew her quite well. This much I have deduced from the evidence in the bathroom, and I have not entrusted my thoughts to anyone. I fear they may harm Marisa further in her current fragile state."
"But why would anyone want to harm her, Joshua?" Queen Ismaire sighed. "Out of the three of us, I hold the most power, and she the least. Why would they target her in that case? It would scarcely make any impact on the national politics."
"That's what that has been baffling me as well, Mother," Joshua frowned. "I can't think of someone who may want to harm her, but is close enough to her. Even I don't know much about her everyday habits." He paused. "There is another possibility, however, but it is unpleasant…"
Queen Ismaire closed her eyes briefly. "Suicide."
Joshua nodded. "I was hoping it was not the latter, but now it seems as though it is more possible. There was no evidence of foul play, and Marisa…she was said to be slightly depressed by those who saw her."
"Poor child," Queen Ismaire said sympathetically. "Did you say or do anything that might have had unwittingly hurt her or something?"
His mind flickered back to the box and to the letter. The flowery language and flowing script made him wince mentally.
"No, Mother," he said finally. "I haven't the faintest idea."
Queen Ismaire nodded. "Perhaps it's the rumours that drove her to desperation. How is the quenching going on?"
"Prime Minister Alexander is attempting to quell the servants' gossip, but apparently it is spreading like wildfire."
"Do you, my dear, believe in her innocence?" Queen Ismaire asked.
He hesitated. "I don't have a doubt about her fidelity." The words came out less firm than what he wanted them to be.
She nodded. "That's good then." She went back to drinking the tea. "So how is sharing a room with your wife? Pleasant?"
"We're…pretty alright…" he replied vaguely. "It is a comfortable arrangement."
"That's good," Queen Ismaire said as she replaced the cup on the saucer and began examining the glass shards with renewed interest.
"Mother…that day after the meeting with the House of Lords," he asked hesitantly. "What exactly did you say to Marisa?"
A shadow fell over the queen's face as she stared at the steam from her hot tea. "Nothing, Joshua, it was just ladies' talk," she said finally. She smiled benignly. "I doubt it would have drove her to suicide. It was very mild and light-hearted."
Joshua nodded curtly. I don't think I believe you this time Mother.
There were some things that were better left unsaid, even between mother and son. Even if both knew exactly what the other was thinking.
Author's Note:
A pretty short chapter from Joshua's POV instead. Well, I can't let Marisa die of course. But..yawn...so boring. Going to update the next chapter as soon as I can, and I plan to bring in moar politics XD
Love ~ snowylavendermist