This song is absolutely perfect to describe this entire ordeal (lol) ♥
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"So there's a few things you need to know about royal dinners," I spoke, seated in a creamy pink dress in front of my dresser as my handmaiden does my hair. Sarina was inside the bathroom, dressing, as I spoke to her.
"Wait so it's an actually a royal dinner? Can I opt out?" her muffled voice came through the door as she tried to figure out how to get into the mint dress she chose form my line.
"No, you do not have a choice anymore. So some advice: do not use slang and if you can, try not to use contractions. It will just make a better impression. Do not speak when not spoken to. Do not eat unless my mother starts eating. Look at me when I eat to see what silverware to use, although with Caleb and his family I am sure they do not know the first thing about all of this so hopefully they will make fools of themselves while you are actually presentable. If my mother is finished eating, then you stop eating immediately. No one is allowed to eat when the Queen is finished. Do not put your elbows on the table, do not break anything... basically, try and not make a fool of yourselves. Most of the attention will be on Caleb so you do not have to worry but there is a chance you might be spoken to so just remain calm," I heard a groan coming from her throat.
"Are you serious?!" she sounded annoyed.
"No rhetorical questions,"
"I'm just going to remain silent. That's what I'm going to do," Sarina muttered as she exited, the gentle mint dress with a few glittery sequences flowing to her ankles. She headed back into my closet. "So I'm guessing high heels?"
"You have no choice," she groaned.
"But what about you then?" I cast a look down towards my feet, not moving my head all the much as to not cause problems for my handmaiden.
"I have fabric slippers that I usually wear over my ballet shoes. I'll wear them just to cover my feet, but I won't be able to walk," I admitted.
"You have a wheel chair?"
"Wheels? In the palace halls? Are you crazy? My mother would freak. A guard will carry me," I said, admiring the beautiful braided bun my handmaiden mad for me. I thanked her. Sarina returned with cream stilettoes in her hand and went to sit next to me. She tensed up when my handmaiden began to touch her hand but calmed down. She still looked tense though.
"I can't believe all this is happening," Sarina admitted with a nervous chuckle. I placed my hand over hers, causing her eyes to shoot to mine.
"It's going to be fine," I had never known how bright her eyes were, only now seeing them close up did I realize how beautiful they were. I shook my head at the thought and sat back.
"So I'm going to meet the King and Queen?" Sarina asked, only just now realizing that fact. I nodded.
"But don't worry. I'm pretty sure they'd rather want Caleb's head than yours," I assured her but she only grew tenser. "So... when I introduce you, just curtsey and greet them as 'Your Majesties' and don't call me by my name, or my brothers either," I said, thinking of everything that have been second nature to me all these years.
"Should I call you 'My Princess' or 'Your Highness'?" Sarina asked, biting on her lip.
"Highnesses. We're not crowned yet so it's kind of wrong to call us that," I said in thought.
"If I may, My Princess, I believe that that referring to your future title is not at all wrong. If I could, I would call you my future Queen," my handmaiden said with a smile. I returned it.
"Thank you Roxane," I appreciated my handmaiden's words and she nodded in respect.
"Wait, you're going to be Queen?!" this surprised Sarina. This was one thing she had not yet heard. I nodded in affirmation.
"Yeah. I'm the first heir so I'm going to be Queen,"
"When?" she pressed. I thought about it.
"Well, my coronation is in five weeks the day after the Royal Variety Performance and then I have a year of princess duties. If my mother decides that my work was sufficient, she will step down from the throne," I explained, nodding.
"How old are you now?" Sarina asked, curiously.
"Seventeen. I'm turning eighteen in three weeks," I said, and her eyes widened at this.
"What are you serious? Wow, that's so cool," Sarina said with amazement.
"You might want to discourage yourself from speaking like that at the dinner," Sarina groaned.
"This is going to be terrible," Sarina's hair was quickly done and pulled on the heels while I received the slippers. I waited for a knock on the door, trying not to take too much notice to how Sarina was pacing around my room, trying to get used to the heels. A knock came at my door before Ian entered, wearing his full Royal Guard uniform equipped with the unemotional expression. Once he saw Sarina his eyes widened a bit and he shook his head. He headed over towards me and swept me off my feet. Sarina noticed him and stopped in her tracks, giving a nod as greet as her hands were interlocked tightly above her chest. Ian began to walk out with me in his arms, Sarina following behind.
"Your Highness, Lady Sarina; the Adams household has already arrived and is being escorted to the dining hall where the Majesties and Highnesses are ready to greet them," Ian informed.
"Blagh. I do not want to do this," I admitted.
"I understand Highness, but after all of this is out of the way, you will never have to make contact with him again," I sighed and nodded.
"I truly hoped so," we headed through the halls until we reached the dining hall, a massive table with more than fifty seats where only ten spaces were made up for a dinner at the far end of the table. Flowers were decorating along with golden wear. Clearly my parents wanted to make an impression on the Adams, most probably how idiotic their son was and how significant their daughter is. That was the type of people they were. I could see Sarina look at the chandeliers in awe, their glowing like stars in the night. I could see that Caleb and his family all wore their fanciest clothes, but the actual worth my parents could tell was less than average. With Caleb's college intuition, they had become a little too broke for something like this.
My father was greeting them with handshakes, the Adams at least having the respect to bow and curtesy. On hearing the door open, everyone looked up to see us enter. Ian walked with me in his arms, Sarina flanking us.
"Oh my darling!" my father cooed, coming around to me as he took my cheeks with his gloved hands, kissing my forehead.
"Let us be seated," my mother called, waiting for a servant to pull out her chair before seating at the head of the table. A servant assisted in pulling out my chair, allowing Ian to place me down gently into the chair that was on my mother's left side. My father took my mother's right side and the twins sat next to me, Sarina on their left. The Adams family were all sat on my father's right, very awkwardly. I could tell all three of them were avoiding any glances, clearly embarrassed. At least Caleb knew what his feelings were now.
"Although under terrible circumstances, I am glad we can all come together at this dinner to put aside our differences and work this out," my father began, the servants moving about to bring the hors d'oeuvres.
"I think I speak for me and my family that we are eternally grateful that we are given this time to right our wrongs," Mister Adams said, his necktie clearly too tight. He probably made it in a rush.
"Indeed. I am so sorry about my son's actions towards your daughter. We didn't raise him like this so, well..." Miss Adams was nervous, crackling in her apology.
"That is how children are. We did not raise Melanie to leave the palace to frolic with boys, yet here we are," it was clear that my mother was still upset.
"I believed at the time that I did it for love, therefore I have no regrets," I admitted, keeping up my confidence and courage. I could see my brothers slightly nod from the side of my eye. I could see my mother wanted to say something, but my father interrupted.
"Tell me of your friend, Melanie," he encouraged, interrupting the possible fight that might have brewed. I smiled and looked over my brothers at Sarina. She looked magnificent in the dress and with natural coloured makeup and her hair done like that. I could not defy that fact.
"This is Sarina Miller, my friend I made. She is gymnast and she will be performing at the Royal Variety Show," I said, trying to get the most positive sides that might be up for conversation out first. Sarina bowed her head respectively toward my parents.
"Your Majesties, it is an honour," she said in the sweetest voice she could muster. I silently congratulated her.
"Oh, how lovely. I will be looking forward to your performance then," my father said, causing Sarina to blush as she muttered a thank you. That went well.
"Caleb will also perform at the Royal Variety Show," Miss Adams chipped in, trying to make their image lighter in heart of all this darkness. Caleb had not yet spoke a word or even looked up. Several servants entered the hall, bringing with them each a tray with a hors d'oeuvres on top. They each placed a small plate in front of us, revealing the devilled egg. It made me giggle each time when I heard the name. Sarina remembered what I told her and waited until my mother began eating before taking a bite, her eyes popping out. There was caviar in these eggs, and I don't think she's ever had that. It was amusing to watch her expression.
The Adams family didn't know the first thing about etiquette. It was hilarious.
I was doing well with eating the egg, only requiring one hand to use a fork. That will change in a few courses, I knew.
"What do you do for a living?" my mother inquired, taking her time in eating which was good, because then the issue of eating later than her would not come up this early yet.
"I work at a modelling agency, Your Majesty," Mister Adams admitted, trying to get all his pronunciation correctly.
"I edit articles for newspaper columns," Miss Adams explained.
"My son works with me as an assistant photographer," at that my mother looked over to Caleb.
"Do you enjoy photography?" he was surprised at the addressing.
"Uhm yes, Your Majesty," he nodded his head. At least he knew how to be respectful, but I'm guessing his mother drilled him.
"Are you any good?"
"I would like to think so," it was clear from her expression that she tried to hide, my mother was not impressed with Caleb. Which was good, because I wanted them to leave as soon as possible. The hors d'oeuvres were quickly finished and the second course was brought in, which was soup. I think it was butternut, because it was delicious. I also only required one utensil.
"How is the media treating your family?" my father inquired.
"Honestly, Your Majesty, they are around every corner. There is no privacy," Miss Adams admitted, but she didn't want to sound like she was complaining. So far I was absolutely happy that Caleb was silent and awkward. It made it so much more better knowing that I intimidated him.
"It will fade. Give it two weeks and then the media will have something better to report on," my mother said, gently picking at the soup. Sarina was eyeing my mother like a hawk, making sure that she was still allowed to eat. The twins were sitting silently next to me, which I was grateful for. They knew their place and that this had nothing to do with them.
"How so, Your Majesty?" Mister Adams asked curiously.
"Well the Princess will be out of the country by then," I almost spit out the soup, choking as my body went into a temporarily shock. I coughed a few times, everyone looking at me with concern until is at up straight and breathed normally again.
"Out of the country? I have not yet heard of this?" I peered at my mother curiously, demanding an answer with my eyes.
"Oh I apologize Melanie, we did not mean to keep it a secret but you were feeling unwell," my mother said apologetically. Everyone looked at us curiously.
"Where is it I will be going to?" I inquired, my brows revealing my slight ferocity.
"It is not a dinner discussion, Melanie. We will speak about it later," she said in a tone that meant no one could go against her. She took one last spoonful off soup before placing down her spoon, everyone except the Adams family doing so. They looked around curiously before placing down their spoons as well. Our soup was soon replaced with fish, and now I had a problem.
"My Queen," I addressed in a small whisper, gently indicating towards my brace when she looked at me.
"Oh dear!" she looked over towards Bartholomew who sat next to me. "Bartholomew dear, would you please assist your sister?" he nodded towards mother before looking at me with question. I rose my brace, which he snorted at.
"Bartholomew!" my father said in a disappointed voice.
"I apologize, my King, but this was Princess Melanie's own damn fault," my mother and father clearly looked as if they were one hundred percent done with the boy, but glad that he was only the third heir.
"But we would like to take responsibility, Your Majesties," Miss Adams said before turning to me. Bartholomew began to cut my fish into pieces so that I could just use a fork. "Your Highness, on behalf of my family I would like to apologize you in the utmost manner. We will take all responsibility for this action and pay for your hospital bills. We did not mean for any of this to happen and my son is embarrassed to admit what a grave mistake he made. Right, Caleb?" she continued, looking over towards Caleb. This should be good. He took a deep breath and looked up, straight into my eyes.
"Your Highness, forgiveness is the last thing I want from you because I came here today to apologize to you, not to make up with you. You probably never want to see me again, and I understand that, but let me at least say that everything that happened in those five years wasn't faked. You were my best friend and I truly enjoyed spending time with you," he admitted, seeming just as emotional as I had been.
"Then why did you cheat on the Princess?" Sarina interfered, and I was grateful for it. Who knows what I might have said. He looked at Sarina with a hard glare before looking back at me. Everyone was still, waiting for his reaction. He chocked, having to run his hands over his face before shaking his head and looking back at me.
"I didn't love you, but you loved me and I thought I could learn to love you because I didn't want to lose your friendship and I wanted you by my side, but..."
"Not that way," I answered softly. He nodded, looking away from me. "Why Anna though?" I asked, more out of curiosity than anger. He took a deep breath.
"Because she was there for me," he looked straight into my eyes. "When you weren't," I swallowed and shook my head, feeling absolutely disgusted for some reason. I was played on, but this was even worse than I had expected. He made me feel like a monster. I thought I got over it, got over him. But now he put it on me. I didn't deserve this, I felt horrible.
"Ian!" I called, and immediately the hall door opened and Ian marched over like the loyal soldier he was. He came to my side and bend down to ear height. "Take me away," I told him softly, and he nodded in understanding. He swooped my body up and exited the hall, not giving any room for argument. I could heart Mister Adams banter with his son, my parents sharing a silent conversation while Sarina whispered to the twins. What I had just was technically taboo, having walked out on the Queen but she is my mother, and she bloody well had to understand why I am doing this. I am not going to look that man in the face ever again, and if she knew what the best course of action was, she would remove him from the palace. He did not belong here.
He's not one of us.