A Love Unnoticed

Chapter Five

Valeria paces around her room, wondering what she just got herself into.

"My lady, you have been pacing around your room for an hour now." Lucia says, her head following Valeria. She was sitting on the edge of Valeria's bed. Valeria told her to because she had something important to say to her, but she didn't know how to get it out.

As soon as Valeria came back home, and once she was done being heavily questioned by her parents, she immediately asked for a bath and to be changed into a nightgown. Lucia immediately knew that she was in a bad-ish mood, so she made sure that she wore something fancy (Valeria loved fancy things, even though she always denied it). A long, white lace nightgown with long sleeves. She had a light pink ribbon tied around her waist. Because of the nightgown's size, the sleeves slipped down from her shoulders a bit which caused a bit of her chest to be exposed. Valeria didn't care, it was just Lucia, anyway. And she was fucked.

Very. Fucked.

"Lucia, I have something very important to tell you." Valeria said.

"Yes, my lady, I am aware. You have said that for the last thirty two times."

Valeria sighs. "Prince Gardain asked me to marry him." She says, her eyes closed shut.

Lucia's eyes widened. "I...I see." She says.

"And I said no. But he gave me until the end of Edmund's ball to find a husband before I had to marry him. If I did not, he would make sure my family goes bankrupt." Her fists clench.

Lucia blinks, not knowing what to say.

"And now," Valeria turns to Lucia. "At the ball I tried to find a husband, and I tried to ask Edmund but he was courting my sister, so then I left and cried in a hidden room where Darius was." She says rapidly. "And now, I am married to Darius."

Silence. A lot of it. Lucia couldn't process all of this information.

Lucia. Did not compute.

Valeria rushes towards Lucia, and immediately gets on her knees, resting her head on Lucia's shoulders. "I do not know what to do, Lucia. I have to stay married to that man for a year."

Lucia looks down at Valeria. "Well, my lady, I think our crown prince is better than the prince of Styine..." She mutters.

"Yes, and I am very grateful that I do not have to marry Louis, but Darius?"

Lucia sighs. "Is Prince Fowler really that bad, my lady?"

Valeria nods. "Yes. Worse than Satan himself." She says, bluntly.

Lucia nods slowly. "Well, if I may speak candidly--"

"Please do."

"I think this is a good opportunity for you."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You would only be married to Prince Fowler for a year, think about the benefits. Security. Money. You would have all that you need, a safety net." Lucia takes Valeria's hands. "My lady, I would never want to see you suffer with a man who would treat you as if you were nothing." She shakes her head. "You and Prince Fowler may quarrel a lot, but his highness would never hurt you. If you ever came back home one day and you were hurt..." Lucia starts tearing up. "Whatever could I do? There is only so much..."

Lucia has been by Valeria's side for as long as she could remember. She was basically the only elder figure Valeria had. Instead of being a maid, Lucia saw Valeria as a younger sister. She made sure that Valeria could live as happily as she could. Valeria had a really shitty past, so Lucia tried her best to push Valeria towards happiness as she stayed five paces behind.