The next morning, Gregory decided to spend the day with me.
“I do not like to see you sad, you always seem deflected. You are the most privileged woman in this kingdom and yet you never smile,” said the king as soon as we finished breakfast.
I narrowed my eyes at his comment, the most privileged woman in this kingdom? I had been treated as a possession! How did he expect me to be happy if I had been brought to Dranda against my will?!
“Addison, I am sorry that I make you so unhappy. I had a different idea about what our marriage would be like, I thought that we could be happy together. It is been over two months since our wedding and you still act as if you hated me. I have placed my kingdom at your feet, I have tried to win your affection, I have been patient, but I have achieved nothing. You still look
The next morning I woke up and found a white rose that Gregory left for me next to me in bed. I inhale its exquisite fragrance and beamed.Cora came in with a small envelope in her hands.“My lady, this arrived for you,” she informed me as she handed me the envelope.It was a note from Margaret, her daughter had fallen ill so it was not going to be possible for her to visit me in the near future. I felt disappointed, I intended to ask her about what had happened between Dranda and the kingdom of Trobet. Since that was not going to be possible now, I decided to ask Cora.“Cora, do you know what the problem between Dranda and Trobet is? Tucker’s sons mentioned them during dinner and…”“And what?!&rd
The following days I spent most of my time planning the tea party with the help of Cora. It was the first event I was organizing as queen so everything had to be flawless. As much as I trusted Cora and her decisions I still wanted to get an outside opinion on this matter, just to be certain that we were on the right track. Since Margaret was busy taking care of her ill daughter, I had to rely on Amelia Rose, Tucker’s wife, because I considered her the second best option."It was a pleasant surprise to receive your invitation, Your Majesty," Amelia Rose admitted."I am sorry I did not do this sooner, but I have been very busy," I lied.Now I was more familiar with the way people in Dranda spoke, white lies were in common use for everyone.We talked for a long time about trivialities before I confessed to her that I needed help planning the tea part
The next morning, I was awakened by Honey kissing my face. I smiled at my puppy although I still felt discouraged about what had happened during the tea party. I look to my side, but Gregory was no longer there, instead, there was a note written by him. "Dear Addison, I hope you feel better. I have canceled your hearings for today, a carriage will be waiting for you in case you wish to go out into the city as you wanted. With love, Gregory " The note instantly made me feel better. At least I was going to be able to distract myself and not spend the
We entered the modest clinic and, to my surprise, the doctor received me with the warmest of smiles. If he felt anger towards me he did not let it show at all. He took care of Sadie’s wound right away while Tucker held her because the poor thing had never been treated by a doctor and she was afraid of him, she kept putting her hands in the way and taking Maurice's instruments away.Meanwhile, I walked around the small clinic, Maurice had thousands of medicine bottles with labels and numerous books. On one of his shelves, I found something that made me gasp with horror, inside a glass box were the three largest and most terrifying snakes I had ever seen. I took a step back, horrified by what I was seeing. Tucker and Maurice came to my side to see what had happened.“What is going on?” Tucker asked as Maurice giggled."Her Majesty has found my most prized
Gregory decided it was a good idea to invite Norton, Oliver, and their families to have dinner with us. We received them in the royal dining room. Norton and Mary Terese had a 10-year-old daughter named Selena. Oliver and Arlet's daughter, Mandy, was not as handsome as her counterpart, she was withdrawn and had inherited the most unfavorable traits from her parents. Both girls were the same age and surprisingly well-mannered. Oliver's son, Milo, was a shy seven-year-old boy, and his manners were as impeccable as his sister's.The evening was pleasant. I really liked those people, especially Norton and Mary Terese who were always smiling and friendly. After dinner, the kids excused themselves and left the dining room, I assumed they were friends and wanted to play outside. We, the adults, stayed in the dining room while we drank wine and chatted; as the wine flowed, the atmosphere became more and more relax
A few days later, I received an unexpected visitor: it was Sadie Polk.“Your Majesty, I come to apologize for my behavior from a few weeks ago and thank you for your help after my accident. I know I should have come a lot sooner, but I was feeling very embarrassed by what happened, please forgive me,” she apologized.“I have nothing to forgive, I am sorry that I upset you with my questions that day,” I said. “I am very glad to see you here, would you mind taking a walk with me?”Sadie hesitated for a moment, perhaps she was afraid that I would ask her more questions about the Trobetians, but since the queen was granting her the honor of requesting her company, she could not refuse."Of course," she replied with an affectionate smile.We left the Queen&
Almost at dawn, I heard the door of the common area open and I hurried out. Gregory had returned safely. Without thinking, I threw myself into his arms as if I were a normal wife happy to have her husband back. He placed his arms around me, holding me close to his body without saying a word. Not once in the months that we had been married had I been so happy to see him and now I was overwhelmed by joy.“Addison, are you all right?” His voice sounded dejected.“I am fine, and you?” I noticed that his sleeve was stained with blood. “What happened to you?!” I asked concerned.“Do not worry about me, I am fine. It was just an arrow that grazed me.”He leaned back on the couch, he looked exhausted, he closed his eyes for a few moments to rest. I sat next to him.
By the time the tea party took place, panic had subdued, people had returned to their routines and were trying to forget the past. It wasn't the first time the kingdom had been attacked by the Trobetians and it surely was not going to be the last time.As the carriage drove me to the tea party, I told myself that this time would be different. I practiced my best smile and I tried to convince myself that none of the women at the party were a match for me. Only I was the queen, I had all the power and I could not be intimidated by my subjects.When I arrived, Florence, her husband Luke, and her seven-year-old son were waiting for me outside. The family greeted me as it was proper and then Florence guided me to where the tea party was going to take place.“Your Majesty, I am sorry for the intrusion, but do you think it
The light of the fireplace reflected on Gregory’s perfect body and on mine, although I was only looking at him. My husband was lying on the rug by the fireplace next to me, we were both exhausted and overjoyed to be back home.We were finally at peace, the Trobetians were defeated, Anthony was Lorene’s new king, Queen Kendalia and Constance Labelle had been made prisoners and they could not hurt us anymore.Gregory rested her chin on the palm of his left hand, while he brought his right toward me. Gently, he placed his fingertips on my belly and began to move them over my skin almost barely touching me. A half smile spread across his face as his gaze followed the direction of his hand. My skin prickled at his brush. He then took my waist and draw me towards him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and kissed him.
I was dumbstruck looking at Gregory in the distance. I held my breath, as if I feared that breathing the image of him would vanish. Waves of different emotions attacked me at the same time, I felt my heart overflowing with joy, but my stupefaction prevented me from moving or even speaking."You are the spitting image of your father…" Sable Morgan muttered, his face contorted by shock."Let her go and I will show you that I am nothing like my father," Gregory threatened.“So you finally decided to confront me,” Sable Morgan asked, narrowing his eyes.“No, I'm not here to confront you, I'm here to kill you,” Gregory replied firmly.“You can certainly, Gregory Dominis," Sable Morgan said with a smirk.“Let go of Addison first. Then we'll settle thing between us, I'll even make you believe for a momen
I walked in circles inside the tiny cell I was kept in. I wanted to tear down to walls to escape or at least I wanted to find a way to contact Gregory to tell him that he had to choose Dranda over me. I knew that meant I would die, but I did not care as long as the kingdom was saved, I was not going to be able to live with myself knowing Dranda fell because of me.Something gave me hope, my uncle said that my cousin Anthony was the one leading the Lerene army and I knew he was nothing like his father, maybe Anthony would refuse to attack Dranda if my brothers manage to contact him beforehand. I did not really care about what would happen to me, as long as everyone I loved was safe.A couple of days went by, I tried to find a way to escape my prison but it was impossible. On the third day, the warden dragged me out of the c
During the next few days, Edward and Andrew helped Gregory plan the attack against Lerene. I was overjoyed to have my brothers here with me, I finally felt like I had everything in this world. Even though I was so happy, part of me was afraid of the war that was coming, I feared that I might lose one of my brothers or my husband but I tried not to think much about it and instead concentrate on the present and how happy I was to have them here with me.Since Edward and Andrew spent a lot of time with Gregory and the knights making strategies and talking about the war that was coming, I had a lot of free time in my hands. It was not that they did not invite me to their meetings, they did but I did not wish to be part of them because every time they talked about attacks and military strategies I got anxious thinking that the life of the men I loved was going to be at risk.
(Addison’s P.O.V.)My husband stayed by my side the whole following week, little by little my strength came back and I was able to get out of bed with help.“It is time to appear before the kingdom. I already feel strong enough to show myself in public,” I declared as soon as I was able to get out of bed.“You are just winning a battle against death and all you can think of is the welfare of the people. This kingdom does not deserve you, and neither do I,” said Gregory while his eyes reflected the love he felt for me.“It is too late, I am the only queen they have,” I said, smiling. “Help me, I need to look presentable.”Gregory and Cora assisted me to get dressed and fix my hair, it was impossible to fight my paleness and my obvious loss of weight, but they tried hard to make me look as hea
(Addison’s POV)I had almost no strength to stay awake, but I could not sleep either. Despite the fact that my physical pain was practically unbearable, any discomfort in my body languished compared to the sadness in my heart. I always knew that my uncle and aunt were not nice people, but I never imagined what they were capable of. The idea of my brothers being killed was too much to bear. I had to cling to something to cope with the pain that overwhelmed me, that something was my kingdom. The people of Dranda were terrified believing that the Trobetians had murdered me, and I was not going to allow these disgusting beings to break the will of my people.I did not know what time it was when I opened my eyes, the light was bright, streaming through the closed curtains. I found Gregory sitting in an armchair next to my bed, fast asleep. My handsome husband was not his normal self, his face was
(Gregory POV)It was dusk again, my eyes stung from lack of sleep. Tiredness made it impossible for me to think clearly. Cora begged me to go to sleep, but I did not want to be away from Addison for even a second.At midnight, I closed my eyes for a moment because I could no longer bear the stinging, I dozed off until a weak voice brought me back from sleep:“Gregory… I am afraid, I don't want to die.”Addison's voice was harsh and weak, but it was her. In a second I was totally conscious and I took her hand in mine. My beautiful wife was pale and almost lifeless. Although her eyes were as beautiful as ever, they did not shine. Addison squeezed my hand weakly, she barely had the strength to stay conscious. I kissed her hands and her forehead, tears of happiness escaped my eyes.“Do not be afraid, my love, everything wil
(Gregory’s POV)Maurice was with Addison for hours. Norton and Tucker waited beside me to show me their support. I was so worried I thought I was going to loose my mind.Maurice came out after a while.“Your Majesty, the queen has regained consciousness for a few moments, it seems that the antidote is helping her to resist, but it is too early to be able to ensure her survival. I am afraid there is not much more I can do at the moment,” the doctor explained. “I will be back soon and apply another dose,” Maurice declared.“Leave me alone, please,” I asked without turning to see the knights, my gaze was fixed on Addison's door.“Let's get out of here and give the king some privacy,” Tucker said. “I will take care of the kingdom, Your Majes
(Gregory’s POV)I felt sick, I could not believe Addison had betrayed me this way. I thought she was the woman of my dreams, I was so in love with her I never thought she would be capable of trying to murder me. Lerene was going to pay for this, I was going to destroy King Adolf and his kingdom, I would not rest until I had obliterated their existence from this earth… Addison was a different story, I had no idea what to do about that. I knew she was a traitor and she did not deserve my compassion, I should send her back to Lerene and let her perish with everyone else, but I could not. I did want to part from her… I was too weak to let her out of my life. “What do you want to do, Your Majesty?” Tucker inquired since it had been several minutes since I last spoke.“I do not know…