Chapter 16: The Maids Know Everything

June 16, 2006

The next day, Joseph woke up a little later than usual. He had drunk a little too much whisky the night before. He had drowned his fear. He got out of bed quickly when he saw the time on his watch. He showered quickly and got dressed quickly. He took the small velvet box containing the ring, then put it in the pocket of his leather jacket. He swore to himself that he would have it on him at all times, so that he could offer it to Clarisse as soon as she gave him her answer. If it was positive of course. He hoped so. He then went up to follow the Queen.

"Oh Joseph." Clarisse smiled at him when she saw him enter the room.

Clarisse did not say it, but she feared that Joseph's delay had been caused by the fact that she had not given him an answer to his request the day before.

"Good morning, Your Majesty. Forgive my delay, I didn't hear my alarm go off this morning." Joseph apologized.

"It's nothing Joseph." She stated.

"So did you sleep well, Your Majesty?" Joseph asked, taking the initiative to fill her cup of tea and place it in front of her.

"Yes, but I had a lot of trouble falling asleep. So I'd say it was a very short night." She smiled.

"Maybe a chamomile with lavender tonight will help you catch up on the hours of sleep you missed." Joseph suggested.

"I don't know if that will be enough to take my mind off an important request that was made of me yesterday." Clarisse smiled delicately.

"So can I conclude that a certain percentage of thinking has been done?" He asked.

"Not really. Last night I was far too upset to have any healthy thinking. I spent part of the night imagining what the future would be like if I answered yes to that question. It was too many beautiful thoughts for me to finally fall asleep." Clarisse explained.

"You see, Majesty, I had trouble sleeping because of the fear that your answer would ultimately be negative. The fact that it kept us awake shows one thing: it really matters to both of us." Joseph smiled softly.

"I promise to really think about it and get back to you quickly, Joseph." She told him, cupping his cheek.

"I know you're particularly busy at the moment. Mia's wedding, Nicolas' stay at the palace, Mabrey's shenanigans, preparing the Princess to become Queen, and the various social events planned to be organized. I understand perfectly, Majesty. I'll be patient." He said, kissing the back of her hand.

Meanwhile, in the palace kitchen, Mia wanted to get herself a snack. As she approached the room, she heard two maids talking. She stopped to listen.

"I heard he did it."

"He did what?"

"His marriage proposal."

"What? You mean Joe asked to ask the Queen to marry him?"

"Yes, in the gazebo in the gardens."

Mia widened her eyes, then smiled widely.

"Well. And she said yes, didn't she?"

"Not exactly. She'll think about it."

"Oh but why didn't she accept right away. She's in love with Joseph, and he's in love with her. I mean it's obvious, everyone knows that. Why didn't she accept?"

"His duty, it's obvious remember that ridiculous law. Why do you think Mabrey is constantly around these days? Now that Nicholas is 21, he is eligible, so he wants him on the throne. It is the best way for the Viscount to get his hands on the throne. Like the rest of the country, he must know that Joe and the Queen are in love with each other. So, he is keeping a close eye on the Queen, that is obvious."

"I know, but Princess Mia is here now. She will succeed her grandmother soon."

"She probably doesn't want to take the risk. I don't know. But she didn't say no. But she didn't say yes either. I sincerely hope she will say yes."

"Besides, it seems that when he was a teenager, Mabrey found Clarisse particularly to his taste. But it was not reciprocal. Then she was promised to Prince Rupert. It is even said that on the day of Clarisse and Rupert's royal wedding, Mabrey got drunk in a bar. He told the bartender that Clarisse would regret choosing someone else one day."

"Seriously? That explains everything. When King Rupert, may he rest in peace, was alive, she was untouchable. And as long as she is the King's widow, she remains so.

"Yes, and the day Mia takes the crown, Clarisse will still be, as Queen Consort."

"Not to mention that she doesn't want anyone to steal the crown from her granddaughter, she has a right to it. And we all know that if the crown is to be taken from the Renaldi clan, Queen Clarisse will do everything in her power to ensure that the country does not fall into the wrong hands. ยป

"I don't know what kind of queen Mia will be, but to this day, I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that Queen Clarisse is the best Queen Genovia has ever known."

"Absolutely."

"I really hope that one day, not too far away, Joe and the Queen will finally be able to live their story in the open."

"Me too, really. You can tell they're happy when they're around each other. It's not for nothing that the whole country suspects that there's true love between them."

"The day they get married, the whole country will celebrate, that's for sure. The people are not blind and they want the good and happiness of their beloved Queen Clarisse."

Mia turned back. She simply couldn't believe it. She decided not to intrude, but she really hoped that her grandmother would accept Joseph's marriage proposal.

June 18, 2006

It was the day of the royal guard review. Joseph had ensured the security of the event. After the incident with Mia's horse, he had realized that it was a set-up to humiliate the Princess. Joseph knew who had taken the initiative. He had no proof, but he knew. He went to the groom who was on duty that day.

"Timothy, come here my boy." Joseph said, motioning for the young groom to come closer.

"Yes sir, how can I help you?" He replied, approaching Joseph.

"Sandy has been part of the royal stables for 4 years now. Never has such an incident happened, I would like to know what happened." Joseph said.

"I don't know, Mr. Joe, a bad day for the beast perhaps. There were a lot of people during the event, the horse simply got scared." Timothy said.

"Sandy has done several events like this in 4 years, more like twenty. Plus, the Princess knows Sandy well. It wasn't the first time she rode her. So I can't help but think that something else scared her, and I think you know exactly what I'm talking about." Joseph said.

"No sir." The young man said, avoiding Joseph's gaze.

"I'll give you a chance to tell me the truth. You put the Princess in danger, do you realize that it could cost you dearly? So I'll ask you one last time. What happened?" Joseph asked in a more serious tone.

"Um. Um I. I'm sorry. It's my fault. I was forced, sir." The young man said, taking the fake snake out of his bag.

"Who forced you, Timothy?" Joseph asked, taking the snake from the young man's hands.

"My father owes Viscount Mabrey money. He used that to force me to do it. If he didn't, he said he would take my father to court. My father is sick, sir, and he can't work anymore. And Mabrey told me he would forgive my father's debt if I did him a little favor. Please, sir, I don't want to go to jail. It's my word against the Viscount's." Timothy said repentantly.

"Listen to me, little one. From now on, you don't talk to the Viscount anymore, is that clear?" Joseph said firmly.

"Yes, sir." The young man replied.

"And you never do anything like that again. I'm serious, you don't want me in your way." Joseph added, terrorizing Timothy almost more than the Viscount.

Joseph let Timothy go and headed towards the limousine that had just arrived. Clarisse had arrived. He went to the back door to open it for her.

Meanwhile, Timothy returned to his post near one of his colleagues and friends, Charly.

"Hey, so what happened was your fault?" Charly asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Timothy replied.

"What did Joe tell you?" Charly asked.

"To stay away from Mabrey and never do that again." Timothy said.

"Wow. Dude, you don't know how lucky you are." Charly wondered.

"Yeah, but the head of security is scary, let me tell you." Timothy said.

"Yeah, but that's nothing. If that had been Queen Clarisse on the horse, you'd probably be in the morgue by now, dude." Charly said.

"Do you think he would have been able to do that?" Timothy asked.

"For his beautiful Clarisse? Yes. Not only is it his job, but he's also in love with her. I'm even surprised he never destroyed Mabrey." Charly said.

"Yeah. I admit it." Timothy said.

Clarisse got out of the limousine and gave Joseph a worried look.

"What happened Joseph? I was only told that there was an incident during the royal guard review." Clarisse said as she climbed the stairs of the palace accompanied by Joseph.

"The horse got carried away. But Mia is fine, don't worry. While trying to help her, I grabbed her leg, but I didn't know about the prosthesis. So the prosthesis fell to the ground and Mia took refuge in the stables." Joseph reassured her.

"It's not like Sandy to get carried away like that. Oh poor Mia. Could you go get her for me please Joseph?"

"Of course your Majesty."

"I'll be at my office." Clarisse said as she entered her suite.

Arriving at the stables, Joseph heard Mia and Nicolas talking. He went in and informed Mia that Clarisse had arrived, then motioned for Nicolas to stay.

"Nicolas, you're not going to disappoint me, I hope?" Joseph began before being interrupted by Mabrey who entered.

"Oh what an unfortunate incident that was. I'm leaving now, will you accompany me to the exit?" Mabrey asked his nephew.

"I would like to speak to your uncle one-on-one Nicolas. Thank you." Joseph said.

Nicolas left the stables, leaving Joseph and Mabrey alone.

"Viscount, you may not know what my job as head of security is. My job involves protecting the crown, making sure no harm comes to the crown, and also intervening when someone starts playing with the heart and emotions of the crown." Joseph explained.

"I believe the entire country is aware of your devotion to the heart and emotions of the crown." Mabrey taunted him.

Joseph's demeanor changed on the spot. He let a moment of silence pass, then spoke.

"If you cross the Princess, you will be held accountable to me. And no matter what crimes I commit against you, remember that I have diplomatic immunity in 26 nations. Including Puerto Rico." Joseph said in a calm but firm tone.

"You will find that the word fear is not in my vocabulary." Mabrey shouted.

"Maybe, but it is in your eyes."

"Mabrey remained silent.

"You forgot something." Joseph said before putting the fake snake on Mabrey's shoulder and walking out of the stables.

"He's completely crazy, that one." Mabrey said for himself before walking out as well.

Mabrey understood that it was better to keep quiet. He did not want to have Joseph on his back.