"Don't you think father would be mad?" I questioned my sister, she looks at me confusingly.
"Of course not," she said with confidence, "well not unless you tell him" whispering to me whilst nudging my shoulder.
I laugh it off and we both head back to the castle.
"Daphne — Are you happy?" I utter as we are both walking back home. She leaves the area around us in complete silence.
A few minutes go by and we arrive back at the castle and headed towards the garden for a little while.
Complete silence, she did not speak to me after what I have said, but I couldn't blame her... living in this family was difficult.
We were held to such high expectations, being controlled and forced to do things we didn't want to do.
I had been wandering around the garden as she had been sitting on a stone bench admiring the roses bloom and the fountain's water.
I am stuck facing the tall grass which laid miles away from our garden until I had felt a hand on my shoulder.
Daphne.
She turned my shoulder so that I am facing her, "My dear sister..." she whispers slightly with a smile.
"You asked me if I was happy, truth is — I'm adequate" she slightly remarks to me. I smile at her.
Her arms open as I reach in for a hug, She hugs me ever so tightly.
"You just need to wake up and live your life, don't let others control it for you" she whispers. I look up to meet her eyes.
"What was that?" I add to what she had whispered. She smiles at me.
"Wake up my darling sister" the words she had said are repeating all over my head.
"Wake up"
"Wake up"
"Wake up"
__________
My eyes unfolded as I took in a deep breath of air begging for more, only turning out to be a cough at the end fleeing my mouth.
Looking to my right I see Mary, dabbing a wet cloth on my forehead, yet when she realized I awoke she placed it gently on her lap
I slowly rubbed my temples as I felt the pain rush throughout my body.
" What happened?" I mumble in complete shock at the position I am put in at this very minute.
" Dear, you had blacked out in the fitting room and your moth—" I cut her off I put my hand out as a signal to stop.
" My mother, where is she? Why didn't she—" I mumble to myself but Mary could still hear what I was saying.
"Your mother called for me.. she left for Anna's shop" Mary states whilst looking at me. I look down at my lap with my fingers intertwining together in complete devastation.
My mother didn't care, it was obvious really, but just for a moment, I thought she would be right by my side other than looking for dresses.
I didn't want it.
I didn't want to be queen if it meant I had to abide by my parents' rules.
" Claude, Your mother — did leave a note for you I suppose you should read it," Mary announces as she hands me a letter.
I smile and nod.
I opened the letter and what it said shocked me I couldn't believe it.
To my dearest daughter,
If you are reading this, then you have finally awoken from a deep, yet hurtful sleep. You blacked out and passed out on the floor if no one had already told you. The housekeeper was assigned to take great care of you. Hopefully, you are better now and your father has some news for you, so you better go speak to him as soon as you can and don't be a little brat and refuse. I'll be finding a dress for you in the meantime.
Truly yours, Laura Bardot
your mother ~
I still gaze at the letter in shock that she did not give two shits about me and demanded that I go speak to my father whilst she's picking out dresses.
Pathetic.
She is by no means a mother of mine.
I truly cared about her yes, she was all types of things, but a mother figure she was not.
" Claude." a deep voice had uttered my name. He was standing in front of my door as he had his hands behind his back.
My father signals Mary to excite the room, but before she does she looks at me caressing my cheek then leaves.
As she passes by my father, him and her stare intensely at one another. He stares at her with disgust on his face, as she firmly walks out.
He makes his way towards me as I sit up straight waiting.
"You look beat... maybe she failed her job" my father had stated. "What do you know, never once in your life had you taken care of me — or have you forgotten?" I speak with credence.
He clears his throat as he adjusts his tie.
" Claude, I've got some news for you," he says clearly with a smile.
"So I've heard — well, spit it out" I utter towards him. He raised his hand making me flinch back.
"You do not speak to me like this in my castle!" He shouts angrily at me. "Y-yes father I-I'm sorry" I mumble.
He walks around my room whilst saying, "You will be attending Hogwarts to finish your year then you be crowned queen." I get up and head towards him.
"Wait but isn't the—" he cuts me off. "Yes, I am aware of your coronation, things will be arranged" he addresses me.
He heads towards my door not before saying words I wished would have never been coming out of his filthy mouth.
"You will need to find yourself a suitor before your coronation, and if you don't... let's just say things may not go great for you.."
He shuts my door as I turn around grabbing a pillow and screaming into it with all my might.
Truly, I haven't been to Hogwarts in a while it would be very different for me many princes and princesses from other kingdoms would be attending the place too, but most common folks.
Me being alone wasn't good enough for my family my parents wanted me to find a man.
A wealthy man.
A man with a good reputation.
A man who would be a good suitor for the kingdom.
Most importantly a powerful man.
There are many men from other kingdoms that would most likely be Beaubaxton.
Even though my parents knew about this, they couldn't give two shits about it. They wanted me to rule the kingdom with a man by my side.
But the thing is not one person from any kingdom knows who I am.
So how was I supposed to find a suitor if no one was familiar with my name as part of the Bardot family?
I have completely washed off these thoughts as I laid in bed closing my eyes gazing into a deep slumber.
______
"what are you doing?!" I heard a faint voice yell as I could barely open my eyes.
It happened to be the voice of my careless mother.
She hit me with the pillow forcing open my eyes from what she has been doing.
" Why are you laying in bed when you have to attend school?" She states as I get up from my bed heading to my dresser.
"I had made the housekeeper get your clothes ready" she mentions to me.
Her not using Mary's actual name pushes me over the edge, he treats her like she's nothing which makes me despise my mom even more.
"You should call her by her actual name mother" I respond to her. She looks at me with a clenched jaw and a raised eyebrow.
"I will not have you talk back to me you are acting like a little B-" I cut off. "Brat? Bitch? What were you about to say, mum?"
I scoff as I turn around heading to the bathroom.
She grabs my wrist tightly which makes me wince. I didn't fight back she was my mother I had to respect her and her wishes right?
She turned me around slapping me in the face making me hold it in pain.
"You will never speak to me like that again is that clear!" She shouts. She and my father are the same.
They have strange minds, both of them.
"I'm sorry mother it won't happen again?" I utter making the room silent only hearing her heavy breathing.
"You are damn right you won't" she says whilst walking out.
She whispers words she thought I couldn't hear, which makes my heartache.
"You are lucky you are becoming queen"
I shed a tear and head to the bathroom locking the door and looking at myself in the mirror.
Pathetic I am, never have thought that she would say those words.
I pull my dagger out of my thigh strap throwing it at the wooden door leaving yet, another mark.
I didn't want her to get the best of me, but she had already done.
I fell to the floor with my hand on my head sobbing ever so lightly so that no one would hear me. I could only imagine what would happen if they heard me crying.
Yet, there was only one thing that I looked forward to, and it was going to attend school, I was able to be away from my family.
Even though it would mean leaving Mary and Albert behind I still wanted to getaway.
Let's just hope all is good at Hogwarts and what it has in store for me—
______
It took an hour or so before I stepped out of the bathroom, I couldn't dare face my mother again.
I head into my dad's study needing to talk to him about something important.
He's sitting there looking through the daily prophet with his old glasses.
"Excuse me, Father?" I question him not wanting to get into any more trouble. He looks up from the newsletter, then straight up at me.
" Yes, my dear Claude is there something you need?" He adds placing his hands flat down onto his desk.
I slowly walk up to him so that I am standing in front of his desk.
" I wanted to talk to you about me finding a suitor" I utter.
" Right I've been meaning to speak more on that" he responds making me raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
He gets up and walks around the table standing in front of me. " What do you mean?" I say nervously interlocking my hands together
" Well I will be hosting three or five events... like a ball where I would invite all the royal families," he states in a firm tone.
" There you will have time to find yourself a man before being crowned queen" he adds.
I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out of my mouth.
The room is filled in complete silence not before I add something that makes him shocked.
" What if I don't want a suitor, and what if I" I get cut off by a loud voice.
"You will find yourself a man to marry end of discussion!" he shouts at me
" Do I make myself clear Claude Bardot!"
Silence struck the room once more.
" Yes, father" I whisper loud enough for him to hear me.
He lets out a hard chuckle and turns back around to continues what he had been doing before.
I nod in embarrassment and nervousness and head out the room towards the garden.
______
"How long do you think it would take," Daphne asks me.
"Pardon?" I respond. She laughs at my remark and points to the small plant blooming from the ground.
" Oh right, Maybe seven months?" I give a guess.
She scoffs
"Are you serious, Seven months? I think five" she says turning around sitting on the stone bench.
"Let's see who's right then," I say adding more fuel to the fire.
We both joke around for a little while up until she tells me something that makes me question her thoughts.
"Live your life, Claude, all of it don't let anyone stop you" she whispers as she places a hand on top of mines.
"What do you mean?" I utter to her.
She sighs "let's just enjoy this moment no questions anymore"
I nod and place my head on her shoulder.
______
I look back at the flower to see it already growing it's been four months.
I remember she said five, Daphne technically won.
I sat down where I and she used to laugh and joke around.
" If only you were here" I utter to myself.
I look down at my lap reminiscing the times we had together when that one thought came to my head.
She told me to live my life all of it.
It took me a while to understand what she was trying to say but then it hit me.
She wasn't able to do that.
So I decided to follow her word and live my life freely.
For the both of us.
______