Belle woke up the next morning and saw Adam was still asleep in his armchair. She threw the blankets off and got out of his bed, but she decided to let Adam sleep. She wasn't going to wake him up because of a certain reason, one she had been thinking about for a while. When she got out of bed, she left Adam's room. Even though she was feeling a little nervous, she couldn't let her fear control her being locked up. Belle left Adam's room and went to her room to get dressed.
When Belle reached her room, she went to her closet and looked through her dresses. She found her light green dress in the back of the closet; she remembered that she wore that dress after Adam saved her life from the wolves. To Belle, the dress showed that she was safe, comfortable and confidant around her surrounded. Belle decided to wear that dress and feel the confidence again. She wanted her confidant-self back more than anything at the moment; she didn't want Adam to always protect her. After getting dressed, Belle heard a soft knock on her door. She slowly approached the door, she was still a little nervous on who might be on the other side of it.
"Belle, I understand you're scared." Belle heard and she recognized the voice. It was Sapphire, Belle opened the door and she saw Sapphire. She was wearing a light red dress with her hair in a ponytail, but what Belle was paying attention to was Sapphire's left eye. It was covered with a bandage that wrapped around her head. "Sight-seeing, isn't it?" Sapphire asked with a smile.
"Sorry, Sapphire." Belle quickly said, "I didn't mean to stare."
"I know you don't," she answered, "before you ask, I saw you walking towards your room. I just waited a few minutes to get whatever you were doing. Speaking of which, what are you doing?"
"Something we should've done sooner." Belle answered and Sapphire raised her eyebrows. "I'm going to go decorate the chapel for the weddings." That's when Sapphire's eyes widen. "We shouldn't stop our wedding plans because of what happened to us."
"Would you like some help?" Sapphire asked, Belle smiled and said,
"That would be nice."
"I still can't believe what has happened." Queen Henrietta said as she talks with Comte Danton, Duc Dartagnan, Marquis Toussnint and her friend, Archduchesse Adelaide.
"Things were going so wonderful." Adelaide said.
"I think we all were looking forward to your son and nephew's wedding, My Lady Queen." Dartagnan added.
"Yes, and no thanks to your accused wife and rotten kids of yours, Danton," Toussnint shouted at Danton, "the princes won't be able to marry those girls until they're feeling better!"
"I didn't even know that Nanette had this deep of a hatred towards the queen!" Danton shouted back at Toussnint. By the way Danton was choosing his words, Henrietta was starting to think on why Nanette wanted revenge on her.
"Danton," Henrietta said, "by the way you're speaking, you know more than what we're letting on." Danton quickly closed his mouth as he looked away from the other royals.
"You know the reason on why Nanette was against the Queen!" Adelaide shouted as she sat down. Danton backed himself against the wall as Dartagnan and Toussnint walked up to him.
"Dartagnan, Toussnint, back off." Henrietta boomed, the two men backed away as she walked up to Danton. "Danton, I have to know why Nanette has a vendetta against me." Danton groaned and finally said;
"All right, I'll tell you." He then looked out the window. "Nanette wasn't born royalty like the rest of us, but she was of noble birth. Her father was a very rich and greedy nobleman, he and King Randolph's father made a deal/bet, if you want to call it."
"What was it?" Dartagnan asked.
"Randolph's father had declared that whoever Randolph decided to marry shall rule over one-half of the kingdom while Randolph ruled over the other half. Nanette's father went up to Randolph's father and made a bet that if Nanette married Randolph, he should get a piece of land that's triple the size of his property, which was about six acres. "
"You're telling us that Randolph's father agreed to those terms?" Adelaide asked.
"Not at first." Danton answered, "It wasn't until Nanette's father added something else on the other side of the coin. If Nanette didn't marry Randolph, her father would give up four of his six acres for families who didn't have a home with eight bags of grain to get started. That's when Randolph's father agreed to the deal."
"So let me guess, Nanette was trying to impress Randolph?" Toussnint asked.
"Yes, but Nanette really didn't have a choice. She only did it for her parents, nothing else. After a month had passed, Randolph started to like Nanette, but it was also around the time he met you, my Queen. When he met you, he lost all interest in Nanette. Her parents were more than disappointed with her when Randolph married you. Because he lost the bet he made with Randolph's father, he kicked Nanette out of their house."
"I can't believe it," Henrietta said, "but then...how did you meet her?"
"My staff took her in when she was begging for a job. She wasn't doing very well, but my staff gave her a chance to keep trying. When I met her...I admit it, it was actually love at first sight, if someone here believes in that. I didn't show it to her right away, but as time passed, I thought...she loved me and...I asked her to marry me. Nanette looked so happy, I really thought she loved me. After a month of being married, Nanette decided to visit her family. She didn't want me to come, so I didn't push it, but when she came back, she really changed." After hearing what Danton said, Henrietta felt pity for Nanette because, by the way Danton explained it, her family didn't want anything to do with her even though she married someone who was almost as powerful.
'Certainly explains why she's so upset with me.' Henrietta thought to herself, 'Nanette must've been blaming me for losing her family and fending for herself. I didn't even knew that something like this existed.'
"My Queen, I never expected her or my three eldest kids to do this."
"I know you didn't," Henrietta said, "right now, I need to make up my mind about this. I do feel for your wife, but she did threaten Belle and Sapphire's lives. Your son almost killed them and your two elder daughters tried to force my son and nephew into marrying them instead."
"Please, Henrietta, just don't kill them!" Danton begged.
"I'll think about it." Henrietta said, "Right now, I need to be alone and think about this." After that, she left the room and wandered around the castle. She was caught between what's right in her mind, but what's right in her heart. 'Nanette's family almost reminds me of my family." Henrietta thought to herself, 'What can I do? Those three brats of hers don't deserve to live in a luxurious place like their father's. It's Nanette I need to think about.'
"Put it just a little higher!" Henrietta heard; she stopped dead in her tracks.
"How's that?" Another voice spoke, Henrietta thought that it was coming from the castle chapel. She walked over to the doors to the chapel and peeked through the doors. She saw Belle and Sapphire trying to decorate the chapel; she saw there were red roses on one side of the aisle and white lilies on the other side. She also saw that Belle was trying to hang a banner up on the wall.
"I think you did good." Sapphire said as she was watching Belle get down from hanging the banner.
"Well, it's a touch crooked from my point of view." Belle said, "but I can work it later. We have one more banner to deal with." That's when Henrietta knocked on the chapel doors and went inside. Of course, Belle and Sapphire were surprised to see her. "Henrietta, what are you doing here?"
"I heard your voices as I was passing by." Henrietta answered, "If I may ask, what are the two of you doing?"
"Decorating the chapel," Sapphire answered, "the wedding can't be empty and bare." When Henrietta heard that, she was actually surprised.
"I don't mean to be picky," she said, "but are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Henrietta, I understand why you're thinking that," Belle said, "but we can't let it control us forever. Did it leave a nasty scar? Yes, but that doesn't mean we have to think about forever. Besides, we have the future to think about."
"I understand that...now." Henrietta said, "I guess my mind's on something else."
"What's wrong?" Sapphire asked.
"I just found out why Nanette did what she did."
"I didn't think there would be a reason." Belle said, "So what reason is it?"
"Nanette blames me for her family kicking her out of her home." Henrietta said, Belle and Sapphire were surprised about hearing that. Henrietta soon told them the rest and how she isn't sure on how to punish her for doing what she did. "So now you know." She added.
"Revenge is a poison." Belle said, Sapphire and Henrietta looked at her. "The Comtesse is sick and it's been spread to her older kids. I already know what revenge can do to a person, she needs help; not punishment."
"Belle, by the way you're talking, you know more about revenge than the two of us." Sapphire said.
"I've just seen what it can do...and it can cause a lot of damage." Belle said, "If you want to figure out what to do, Henrietta, you and Nanette are going to have to discuss this between the two of you, no one else needs to interfere." Henrietta was a little surprised on how...wise...Belle really was, she wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from her.
"There's more to that mind of yours than I first thought." Henrietta said, "but you've probably heard that before."
"Not from someone higher up the royal chain, like you." Belle said smiling.
"BELLE, Where are you?" Someone said.
"Where's my precious gem?" Somebody else said. Belle and Sapphire knew who those people were.
"Sagittarius knows not to call me that in public." Sapphire said.
"Sounds like they're wondering where the two of you are." Henrietta said.
"Well, that's what we get for sneaking off on them." Belle said, "Considering what the two of us are carrying."
"Be careful saying that out loud." Sapphire said under her breath. "Let's go before the two of them get even more upset."
"I think you mean more worried." Belle said as she followed Sapphire and Henrietta. She knew what she was going to face once Adam sees her after sneaking out of his room.