"Well, I know I'm satisfied." Adelaide said as she sat down with the others in the front parlor, Henrietta was going to discuss about what Danton, Adelaide and Nanette think about Adam.
"I'm happy to hear that." Henrietta said, "In my opinion, excluding the part that he's my nephew, I believe Adam should have the crown."
"I doubt you would exclude that part, my queen." Danton said, "You were defiantly right, Adam is nothing like Henry."
"In my opinion, he's more like his mother;" Adelaide added, "Tough, but sensitive."
"Be glad Lydia's not here," Nanette said, "otherwise, you would be in a whole world of hurt for saying that."
"Then it's a good thing I'm pregnant!" Adelaide pushed.
"Adelaide, be careful." Henrietta warned, "I don't want you to get so upset that you'll go into labor...and I don't need my son and nephew to be a part of something like that for a long while."
"Relax," Adelaide said, "I've been through five pregnancies, I know how to release my anger and relax."
"If I may interrupt," Danton said, "I think Adam might be able to change the way his family is viewed."
"I doubt that." Nanette said.
"What is the problem, Nanette?" Henrietta asked.
"How is he expected to change his family views if he marries a peasant girl?" Nanette asked, "There's nothing for him to gain!"
"So what?" Henrietta said, "If my son wants to marry a peasant, then so can my nephew!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Henrietta!" Nanette said, raising her voice, "There's nothing for to gain, how many times do I have to say it? That nephew of yours should marry Mystique, just like your son should've married Fantina!" Henrietta rose out of her seat and said;
"If my son and nephew are happy with the choices they made, then no one, not even me, should get in the way of it!" Nanette didn't talk back after that, she was too angry to try, so she decided to leave the room. Henrietta sat back down and tried to calm down.
"My Queen," Danton spoke up, Henrietta just looked at him, "I'm not trying to take the blame, but I don't know why she's like this."
"I don't know why you married her in the first place." Adelaide said, "I think you made a bad choice."
"Nanette wasn't always like this," Henrietta said, "I would like to know what changed her."
Nanette decided to leave the room and cool her anger before she got into more trouble. She didn't understand why the two princes wanted to marry peasant women rather than royal women, her daughters have so much more to give to Sagittarius and Adam than Sapphire and Belle. She knew that Mystique wasn't doing anything to try and impress Adam, so she decided to take things into her own hands. Nanette was going to try and bust Belle's chops.
Nanette wandered around the castle looking for Belle, when she did, Belle was in the library. She wasn't reading, but she was holding a book close to her.
"Hello Belle." Nanette said walking up to her, Belle looked her and used her umbrella to stand up.
"Hello ma'am." Belle said.
"Don't 'ma'am' me," Nanette said, in an angry tone, "I am the Comtesse and you will address me so!"
"Yes...Comtesse." Belle said in a fearful voice.
"That's better." Nanette said in a calmer tone, "I hear that his highness asked you to marry him, it's not a bad idea."
"It's not?" Belle asked.
"It's not a bad idea he's getting married," Nanette said, "but it's a horrible idea that you are going to be the bride!" Belle was about to open her mouth, but Nanette beat her to it. "What do you have that will make his life better? You don't have a dowry or a title for him to gain or accept. How will you help him get past all the whispers and stares he'll get?" Belle didn't know how to respond to that, her heart was starting to fall apart when she started thinking what Nanette said. "His highness has probably done so much for you, what have you done for him?" Belle just pointed her head down. "That's what I thought, you're not even wearing a ring to show the engagement. You should leave him and let him marry a real lady, like my daughter, Mystique. She'll be able to give him more than what you can do." Nanette finally decided to leave and let Belle hang her head in sadness.
After Nanette left the library, Belle fell all the way to the floor. Her heart was falling apart because Belle knew what Nanette said, she was thinking some of it was true. Adam had done so much for her, even saving her life from wolves and giving up his freedom. Belle hadn't done anything to repay him for anything he's done. Belle was now starting to think...maybe that...Nanette was right.
Henrietta called for Adam and Sagittarius after the discussion was over, the two princes quickly went down to meet her.
"Yes, mother?" Sagittarius said.
"Yes, Aunt Henrietta?" Adam said, Henrietta looked on the boys back and forth at first.
"My my, the two of you are acting like you're in trouble." Henrietta said.
"Sorry." Adam and Sagittarius said at the same time.
"Well, before I get off track," she said, "I talked with Adelaide and Danton...and..."
"And?" Adam asked.
"You can have your father's crown." She finally said, Adam and Sagittarius let out a sigh of relief, all their hard work paid off.
"So...does this mean you're going to be leaving soon?" Adam asked.
"Hmm, I haven't had a chance to really spend some time with you." Henrietta said, "So I plan to spend one more day with you and then I have to leave to tell the courts."
"Well, hearing that," Sagittarius said, "I know it will be hard for both of us, Adam, but...I think I'll leave the same time with my mother."
"Hmm, I had a feeling you were going to say something like that." Adam said.
"I've probably got servants wondering what to do." Sagittarius said.
"Knowing the kind of servants your father and I left you," Henrietta said, "you're probably right."
"Well, I'm just...happy that the two of you didn't give up on me." Adam said.
"You're family, Adam." Sagittarius said.
"Families don't give up on families." Henrietta added, "Our pasts don't always fit our picture."
"You have a very good point, Aunt Henrietta." Adam said, "But I need to ask, what will happen to you?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"If I do take my father's crown, what will you do? Sagittarius is ruling over Uncle Randolph's kingdom and I'll be ruling my father's."
"Oh I see, are you worried that I might be kicked off my role of being Queen?" Henrietta asked, Adam just nodded 'yes'. "Well, I'll still be a queen for a while. I won't remove my title of Queen until Sapphire and Belle become Queens themselves."
"When will that be?" Sagittarius asked.
"When I become a Great-Aunt."
"A Great-Aunt?" Adam asked, "Aren't you one already?"
"Uh, Adam," Sagittarius said, "she means until we become fathers to our own children." The pupils in Adam's eyes shrunk and his heart started racing again when that topic came back up.
"Sagittarius!" Henrietta said, "You're going to give your cousin a panic attack!"
"I'll...be fine," Adam said, "once I calm my heart down. The thought about me being a father...is enough for my heart to feel like a water pump."
"Believe me, my nephew," Henrietta said, "if you do become a father, your kids will have a better father than you had."
"She has a point." Sagittarius said.
"I know," Adam said, still trying to calm down, "it is something I'm going to talk to Belle about."
"How is she, anyway?" Sagittarius asked, "I thought both her legs were broken."
"Belle's stubborn, I'll give you that," Adam said, "but she knows when she's feeling well enough to move. I don't know where Belle went to after she talked to you, Aunt Henrietta."
"You didn't scare her, did you, mother?" Sagittarius asked.
"I shouldn't have," she said, "if I did, I didn't mean to."
"Knowing what has happened to her," Adam said, "Belle's probably alone in that library of hers."
"Adam," Henrietta spoke up, "I know that Belle lied to me."
"About what?" Adam asked, Henrietta folded her arms as she smiled and raised an eyebrow at him.
"How you met her." She answered, Adam's eyes grew wide again. "I know the two of you lied about why Adam didn't contact me. I know why you did, but I would like to know the truth."
"Aunt Henrietta," Adam said, looking around to make sure nobody else heard anything, "can you wait until tomorrow? I don't want to take any chances." Henrietta nodded her head 'yes', Adam and Sagittarius took a breath of relief. "Thank you." He added, Henrietta smiled as she took out her pocket watch.
"I believe that it is almost lunch time," Henrietta said, looking at her watch.
"We might as well get everyone together." Sagittarius said, Henrietta and Adam agreed. Sagittarius went off to find Sapphire, Henrietta went off to find Adelaide, Danton, Mystique and Nanette and Adam went off to find Belle.
Hey readers, I'm finally on summer vacation! Wahoo! I'll be putting chapters up twice a week, and if I'm lucky, three a week. Please continue reviewing!