The Marriage Contest

Chapter Seventy Three - Red and White

Chapter Seventy Three – Red and White

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Give me the burden, give me the blame

I'll shoulder the load, and I'll swallow the shame

Give me the burden, give me the blame

How many, how many Hail Mary is it gonna take?

Don't care if he's guilty; don't care if he's not good

And he's bad and he's al that I've got

Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I'm begging you please

Don't take that sinner from me

Oh don't take that sinner from me

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The whole crowd was silent from the shock of Beatrice's speech. So many emotions were flowing through my mind until it finally settled on one: anger. I got up from my seat and walked to the exit.

I felt someone grab my arm and ask, "Belinda what are you doing?"

I turned around to look at Andrew and said, "You'll see." I tried walking away, but his grip on my arm held me back.

"Belinda, don't go down there. Just wait until everyone is gone and we are back in the castle."

"No." I yanked my arm free. "Everyone needs to know how he really is."

I stormed out of there before he could say anything else. I walked down the steps and then walked out of the side doors for the executioner and criminal to go through. I walked up the steps to the platform and noticed that everyone was still quiet.

"Seriously?" I asked as I noticed that no one had made a move to take Mr. Rogers out of the noose. "He's innocent just like I told you," I snapped at the king. I grabbed the noose and loosened it to take it off of him.

"What are you doing down here? You can't just come down here-"

"If you had listened to me in the first place I wouldn't be down here," I interrupted him. All I could see was red. I wanted to strangle the king. He was such a pompous bastard. "You just didn't want to admit that I, the new girl around here, could actually be right about something going on in your country that I've only spent five months in. If you were truly a good king you would've investigated mine and Sue's scenarios and then figured out who was right, but you, yet again, only listened to the first suggestion."

"Are you done insulting me?" The king roared in my face.

I glared at him and said, "What if I'm not done?"

"I'll make you," The king threatened.

"What are you going to do? Slap me again?"

"Silence!" He roared. He grabbed my wig and yanked it back, a few pins fell out but it stayed intact. "You are an ungrateful wench. I bet you manipulated Beatrice into telling everyone that story just so you would be right. You wonder why I don't listen to you and it's because you aren't worth listening to!"