Under the Roses

Chapter 3

His words brought a tiny smile to my mouth, but it dropped once I heard a man say, "Honestly Giles, why didn't you pick someone we can trust? You never know what goes on in the minds of the townsfolk."

I muttered something under my breath that Giles would've been horrified to hear me say, and I went to the door, tired of hearing myself be dissected by a bunch of noblemen that didn't even know me. At the hand that stopped mine from pushing it open, I looked up and saw Leo shaking his head.

"None of this is your fault, Adelaine. You were just selected yesterday, and I think that's enough reason to not get involved right away in issues. And don't take the bureaucrats' opinions personally, they just like to rag on everyone." I knew he meant to placate me, but I had to do something.

"Leo, I took on the responsibilities of the princess the moment I accepted the role of elect, whether it's been made official with a ceremony or not. I can't just back out of the hard things and leave them up to everyone else. A commitment is all or nothing." At my reply, his eyes widened a bit, then, as if knowing he wouldn't be able to change my mind, he nodded and stepped back, removing his hand.

"Good luck then. And Adelaine? For what it's worth, I think you're going to be a pretty good princess."

I had those words to boost my courage as I shoved open the grand door and boldly walked into the room, the feeling of everyone's eyes and the sudden silence weighing down on me.

"Please excuse this intrusion, your Majesty," I said to the man lying in the bed, the only one of them who could be the king. He offered a light smile, though I could sense his puzzlement, and I took that as a cue to continue.

"But before I do anything else in the palace, I wish to formally introduce myself. I mean, as long as my qualities are being discussed candidly here," I lifted my chin and looked straight at the assemblage of hushed bureaucrats, then spoke to the entire room. "My name is Adelaine Lucy Callaway. I was born in the spring twenty-two years ago in a village in Wysteria to two parents that are no longer here. I was chosen yesterday as the princess elect. I tutor children and teach them music. And I will do all I can to serve Wysteria and its people, even if my social status lists me as a commoner."

The men who had, minutes ago, been making assumptions of me refused to answer the challenge in my eyes, averting their gazes. Then I swept low into as steady of a curtsy I could muster, my legs shaking from what I'd just done.

I didn't know how the king would react— I mean, what was the proper protocol for princess elects that came swooping into the room with an impromptu speech fueled entirely by indignation? He probably thought I was too forward, or annoying for obviously eavesdropping. Maybe he would even overrule Giles' decision right there and order him to choose someone less touchy, or someone from a higher standing. But what I didn't expect was to hear a feeble but purposeful clapping, and I looked up to see the king himself, having pushed himself up to a sitting position, applauding. Stunned, I straightened and could only blink. Did I actually do something right here?

"Splendid introduction, Miss Adelaine," he said. "And delivered with the grace, wit, and assertive manner only a princess of Wysteria could achieve." I knew my face was displaying all my emotions, and he chuckled.

As if a great idea suddenly came upon him, he reached over to his bedside table and began to dig around for something. Beckoning Giles closer, he whispered into his ear, and when Giles nodded, he pressed a small object into his hand. The rest of us didn't know what to do when he left the room, and we simply stood there, waiting for something, anything to happen. At last Giles returned, and I breathed a sigh of relief that the awkward tension in the room had lessened.