He's not a Merman

Chapter 2 I'm not Crazy!

Chapter 2

"Princess Arienne, please hold tight!"

"I'm sorry to say this but...THAT SHOULD BE MY LINE!" I gasp when Wendy, my lady in waiting, tightens my corset. I feel the air escaping my lungs. I don't even know whether to feel relieved that it's done or despair that I have to wear the accursed thing in the first place. "Can't I just sleep in? I am not feeling too well." I groan and throw myself in bed while Wendy is busy looking for the perfect dress for me to wear for the day.

"Whose fault do you think it was, princess?" Wendy turns back from picking up my dress from the closet to look at me. "The day before your date with the Duke, you decided to fool around and drink!"

"Hey, that doesn't sound right. I was merely drinking. I did not fool around." I corrected her before anyone in the palace hears our conversation and exaggerates it.

"Is that so?" I gulp when Wendy fully turns her body so she can look at me with her arms crossed. "Then why did I hear from the guards that you dressed like a man and that they found you by the shore of the beach?"

I let out a nervous laugh. "Would it make sense and save my skin if I said that it was Emilyo and not Arienne?" I give her a cute smile, hoping that it will lighten her mood. Unfortunately, Wendy didn't find my smile appealing enough to save me from her wrath.

"We have no time for your jokes, Princess! You should be excited that Duke Carter is visiting." Wendy sounds a little worried at my sudden change of mood. I can't blame her for having that reaction because even I am confused. My normal response when Carter visits is that I would be excited to get dressed up. I would even bear wearing a tight corset just to make him fall in love with me.

But now, I feel like I love my bed more than spending time with him. What is so great about going on a date with a womanizer?

I just shrug before lying on my back and staring at the ceiling. "I am not feeling like it. Just send him home and I will follow it up with a letter addressed to him when I wake up."

Wendy drops the tray of bowl where I washed my face. I got so startled that I got into a sitting position, only to see Wendy's terrified expression. "Princess, are you saying that you don't want to go on a date with the Duke?"

"That's what I have been saying this whole time!"

In a flash, Wendy rushes to me and places a cool hand on my forehead. "You must be sick. You have to be!" She looks certain and dedicated when she nods. "I will call the royal physician!" At first, I thought that she was joking, but that's when I see her gather up her skirt and makes an attempt to head for the door.

Never in my life had I gotten out of bed so fast just so I could shut the door and stop her for making a fuzz out of her assumptions.

"Don't call the physician! I am not sick!" The last thing that I want is for my father to get the wrong idea and freak out. "Seriously, just because I don't want to go on a date with Carter, doesn't mean that I am sick!"

Wendy is looking at me like she's looking at a stranger. "Princess, you sound like you hate the duke. Don't you love him?"

"Ah ha ha..." I force out a laugh, which sounds awkward. "About that; I think love is a very strong word to describe my feelings for him."

"CALL THE ROYAL PHYSICI—"

"Wendy!" I reach out and cover her mouth to stop her from screaming. "There's nothing wrong if I had a change of heart. Don't make it sound weird! In fact, this should be a normal reaction when you find out that your partner is cheating. He's been a jackass to me, so it is only fair that I do the same!"