CHAPTER TWO

The fourth prince awaited at the entrance of the throne room for the king to usher him in.

“The King and Queen await for you your majesty,” the royal guard shakenly announced. The Prince was back and he was still the same as he left. Vague. Passive. Angry. Beastly.

With pride, his shoulders held back in honor and the crown on his head he made his way into the throne room bowed before the king and queen.

“Prince Lucian to what do we owe this visit this evening,” the queen asks staring at him in detest.

How was he so lucky? Seven times now she had made sure to send him to war, at the front lines and he always came back victorious and unscratched. She had rehearsed for mourning. She even tore her favorite garment while at it, she really thought this time he was going to come back dead and unrecognized. How was he so lucky? Who is this God that he serves that every time he manages to stay alive?

He was nothing but a son of a concubine. He is a bastard and she would rather die than let a son of a mistress ascend the throne for her sons.

“I just wish to speak to the king,” Lucian states his eyes set on his father who didn’t even want to look at his face. “Father, you sent me to war with the promise that you will give me that I desire and when I come to receive that I get news of my engagement instead. I want to know what is the meaning of this fiasco?” He demanded his voice firm and stern.

The king cleared his throat and looks at his son who has been away from the palace for months on a war he instructed him to embark on. He didn’t want to admit it but this forbidden son of his was much more wiser and braver than his three other sons. He was blessed and everything he touched and did always emerged victorious and it is because of that reason he can’t get rid of him.

“Lucian, you must get married soon. We want to see our grandchildren before we die. You’re already twenty-eight and aren’t getting younger,” the king stated in a matter of fact.

With jaw clenched, his fists clasped together and his eyes never waved off from his father.

“ Father, can you stop pestering me! I am not ready!” retorted Lucian.

“Not ready?” the king blinked. “Don’t be mad Prince! This is for your best interest. You will be getting engaged to Princess Odette tonight and I dare you to defy the orders of the king!”

This time he lowered his eyes hiding his tears from them. He won’t give them the pleasure of seeing his tears. When he raised his head his expression was that of mockery.

“Orders of the king? A king not worthy of anyone’s respect! A king who couldn’t keep it in his pants and took a maiden’s innocence by force. A king who didn’t take responsibility of his action and do the rightful thing by marrying the maiden. Today that innocent maiden is called a concubine! You are standing before me talking to me about respect and honor? Father, you were once the God I saw but now not anymore,” he paused glaring at him. “A wise woman once told me marriage is a promise to eternal love and I dare not see it otherwise,” he was referring to his mother as he spoke with pride. “I am certain I don’t love any Princess and the day I get married it won’t be out of compulsion but out of true love!” he groaned loudly and turned to walk away.

“Perhaps you might change your decision if I assure you that you and your mother will be granted freedom the day you take a bride but the bride should be none other than Princess Odette,” the king shrewdly put forth a condition he knew he couldn’t resist.

His steps faltered but he didn’t stop walking out of the throne room.

“My King why are you hell bound at getting Prince Luciann married to Princess Odette? You want that son of that characterless woman married before your legitimate son Prince Klaus ? I will never let that happen!” The Queen bellowed.

The King sighed. “Woman even you can’t deny the fact that your sons are useless. The people are starting to warm up to the sin, they are starting to see his achievements and his strengths. What about your sons? All they know is to have fun and women! Something has to be done about Prince Lucian and him getting married to Princess Odette is the only solution. I know my son, he won’t ever love her let alone produce an heir with her. Moreover the kingdom of Husbat is one of the rich and powerful kingdoms I know. This alliance will be beneficial to my kingdom if I want to stand at the top. Think before you speak,” he looks at her and walks away.

“No my King I will never let that bastard marry before my son! You are so confident that he won’t fall in love but I have seen that he is like any other man. Though called a beast he actually has a heart,” she spoke as she remembered what Saida told her about the Prince sparing a life of a mere servant even when she had stained his royal cloak. “Princess Odette is beautiful and she is rich and only she will get married to my son and produce a son. I am sorry my king for the first time I will have to soil your plans,” she determinedly said.

====

“Mother,” he softly called staring at the silhouette sitting on the garden bench with the blossoming flowers. She was outstanding on the simple yet elegant white gown with her black hair long behind her back. With her eyes met his he smiled.

“Lucian!” she gasped looking at her son. He was alive. He was alive! Her son was alive. She gathered her gown and run towards him. She threw her arms around him and tightly hugged afraid that if she didn’t hold tighter he would vanish and go with the wind. “My son,” she whispered feeling him against her small body.

“I am back mother. For good this time,” he disengaged from the hug and kisses her face.

“I knew and believed that you will come back to me very soon. They told me you won’t make it and that war was a fierce one but I believed in the God I serve,” she looked at the skies. “That you would come back. My dear son I admit that I was scared for your life,” she cried holding his hands and kisses his wounded knuckles. “Come let me clean your wounds and dress them before they get infected.”

He followed her to the bench where she tore part of her gown, dipped it into the water pond besides them and used the damp material to clean the dirt from the wounds. He heartily watched as she gently did it and occasionally blew air to ease the stinging pain. His eyes clouded with tears, she didn’t deserve this life at all. She deserves better.

“I…I have agreed to marry the princess mother,” he dropped the bombshell and she halted for a second before continuing to dress his knuckles.

She snorted. “I tried to stop him as usual he discarded me. What did he use against you this time?”

“Mother in this world I love only one woman and she’s the only one I would do anything for. She’s my only weakness and the only one I can sacrifice the whole world for her happiness.”

She smiled cupping his face with her hands. “I know you love me son but the day you fall in love no one will matter to you more than her. When she is hurt, you will feel her pain and when she’s crying you will yearn to comfort her. When she’s not with you, you will feel like you’re losing your breath. Perhaps you will learn to love the Princess.”

“Mother, you are crazy you know? If love does exist then why are you not a princess consort. Father calls what happened between the two of a mistake and I am a product of that mistake,” he sadly smiled. “Mother the day I fall in love I will change my name,” he stated. “Come we should go inside and have something to eat. I am famished.”

                              ★★★

She was dead tired. She was very hungry if she didn’t have anything to eat then she would die. She stagger her way into the kitchen and everything was sparkling clean from the plates to the pots on the stove. The aroma in the air indicated that they had cooked and didn’t safe her any food.

“So you are back madam queen?”

Hope licked her lips ignoring her and took out the dried fruits she managed to get from the pudding she was preparing earlier on. She sat down on the stool to eat them.

“I am talking to you!” she snatched the packet from her and scattered the fruits on the ground.

“What have you done? This was my dinner Angel!” she gave her a look bending them to retrieve them from the floor but her sister stepped on them making them impossible to eat again.

“No!” she cried. “What have you done? What have you done? I was going to eat that Angel.”

“This will teach you to respond to me when I am talking to you. This is my father’s house and I rule this place. Just like your mother you have no standard in this house.”

Hope scoffed wiping her nose. “Princess? Princess my foot! Listen I have no time to waste on a pathetic excuse of a daughter like you. You have said it, this is our father’s house and I am elder to you. Listen let me tell you, the days I used to abide by everything you and your mother said have long gone. I only tolerated you because of my late mother and nothing is holding me back. For your own information in case you have forgotten my mother was the right and legal wife of this house. You and your mother were and still guests.”

“Hope, you trying to say my mother is a characterless woman who wrecked your useless mother’s home? It is your mother who manipulated her slimy self into my father’s life through trickery. Your useless dead mother was a harlot.”

“What did you say? Angel, I am going to say this once take back what you just said,” she bites down on her lip to put the temper coiling up on her veins to a cool.

“Or what? What will you do to me? Hope, what will you….”

A tight face slap shut her quiet and caused her to fall to the ground. Hope straddled her body and wrapped her hands around her neck. Chocking her.

“I am sick and tired of you and your mother. I don’t deserve this. My mother didn’t deserve it. You and your mother led to her death and I will never forgive you for it,” she glared in anger still chocking her. “Now take it back. Take everything back or I will finish this once and for all!”

Her aunt who just came home from a friend’s house was surprised to hear shouts and cries coming from the kitchen so she dashed to see what was going on. Her heart sank to find her beloved daughter at the jaws of death.

“What is going on here? Hope leave my daughter! Let her go! You animal let my daughter go!” she pried her hands away and pushed her off Angel whose face was red and in tears. “Are you trying to kill my only child?”

 “Warn her,” Hope darted her finger at them. “The next time she opens her mouth to talk ill about my mother I will kill her. Mark my words I will,” she hissed and stormed out of the kitchen.

“Mommy she tried to kill me,” she coughed. “She almost damaged my face.”

“Don’t worry. I am going to tell your father about this. Hope thinks she is now grown. She has grown wings! Don’t worry I am going to chop them off and watch her fall. She will have it from me. Until and unless she joins her useless dead mother in hell because that’s where she is I will not give her peace in this house,” she swore.