Hayden looked at the laughing couples as he sipped the cold honey brown liquid. He rolled his eyes at their bright smiles as they danced across the ballroom.
"There are many good options," Queen Rebecca whispered to her son, who only grimaced.
"Too bad I am not looking for any options," Hayden said through gritted teeth.
Queen Rebecca turned to her son with a scowl, ready to lecture him, but King Esteban intervened. "Son, you are of age —"
"Beyond of age," Rebecca frowned.
King Esteban sighed. "You will be king one day and it would be nice if you settled down soon."
Hayden set his empty glass on one of the passing trays and looked over at his parents. "Last time I checked, being married in order to become a king was part of the 17th century. Now if you will excuse me —"
Esteban gripped his son's arm before he could leave. "Please," he begged.
"There is someone we would like for you to meet," Queen Rebecca added.
Hayden glanced over in the direction Rebecca was looking at and frowned upon seeing Princess Isabella smiling their way. Hayden pulled his arm out of his father's grip and adjusted his blazer.
"May I use the restroom first?" Hayden asked, his tone tempting his mother's patience.
"Very well," King Esteban gave in.
"But—"
Hayden scurried away from his parents before his mother could oppose. The you g prince walked past the many royal faces, evading them as he tried to make his way to the exit doors. Hayden let out a heavy sigh as he reached the outside of the mansion. He took a seat in the concrete stairs as he contemplated his next move.
"Are you alright, your royal highness?"
Hayden rolled his eyes, annoyed that his moments alone were interrupted. Hayden pinched the bridge of his nose and put a brave face on as he turned around with a forced smile. However, as his eyes set on the familiar face, he broke into a bright smile.
"Are we going to get out of here or what?" William grinned mischievously as he helped his friend up.
"Let's go," Hayden led William to the royal limousine where Antonino was forced to drive the young prince to his favorite night club.
The neon lights danced along to the rhythm of the music blasting through the speakers. Both drunk and half-drunk figures swayed to the beat on the dance floor.
William smirked as he let his eyes wander around the club. "This is much better than that boring ball."
"Well —" Hayden picked up two shot glasses from a waiter walking by with a tray. "Let us enjoy this because I am quite sure I will not survive my parents wrath."
William chuckled and the two friends gulped down their shots, letting the burning liquor flow down their throats. The two of the walked further into the club, reaching one of the tables alongside the dance floor.
William let out a low whistle as his gaze fell onto the dancing brunette. Curious as to what had attracted his friend's attention, Hayden followed his gaze. "That one is mine," William grinned proudly as he began his way to the brunette.
Without thinking, Hayden pushed William out of the way, getting ahead of him. William frowned and tried to catch up to Hayden but was blocked by the crowd of dancing couples. Hayden did not know what overtook him, but he was mesmerized by the beauty in front of it. He felt something pulling him toward her.
"May I dance with you?" He whispered into the unexpected woman's ear. Unconsciously, he placed his hands on her waist, but the brunette was quick to remove them.
"I am drunk but I am not that dr--" she stopped mid sentence as she locked eyes with Hayden, taking her time to soak in his features.
Hayden was drowned in her baby blue eyes, a smile creeping onto his face as he stared at the stranger.
"Hayden. Hayden. Hayden!"
Hayden turned to his mother, bringing himself back to reality. Rebecca stared at her son with grimace.
"Mother I—"
"You must divorce her at once!" Rebecca ordered.
Hayden scoffed. "I will do no such thing."
"This — this woman, if you can even call her that—"
"She is my wife!" Hayden seethed as he slammed his hand onto the desk, startling his mother.
"Your marriage, your vows, where said while you two were drunk beyond measure!" Rebecca argued. "There was no love. This marriage was no sane decision and because of her — y-your father is dead!"
"Do not blame her!" Hayden growled.
"You are going to defend her?" Rebecca scoffed. She folded her arms over her chest trying to contain her tears. "You either divorce her or face my wrath."
"You won't do anything," Hayden answered, but he was not sure of his own words.
Rebecca walked over to her son, a cold expression as she stood in front of him defiantly. "You do not know what I am capable of," she threatened in a whisper.
"Mother," Hayden pleaded.
Rebecca pulled out another Manila folder from her purse and threw it onto the desk. "Maybe this will change your mind about her."
Without another word Rebecca walked out of the study and Hayden sunk into his seat. Hesitantly, he opened the folder and pulled out its contents. He quickly looked away from the picture in his hands and threw it aside. He knew about the incident between Zander and Flora, but it still hurt to see a picture of it. How his mother had obtained was beyond him, but he would not let it affect him.
There was a light knock on the door and Hayden called out, "come in."
"Your majesty, Mr. Esposito is here to see you." Regina — one of his new assistants announced.
"Have him come in," Hayden sighed as he gathered the documents his mother had brought him and locked them away in one of his desk drawers.
"Good afternoon, your majesty." Aldo greeted with a bow.
Hayden forced a smile. "Good afternoon, Mr. Esposito. Please, have a seat."
Aldo walked over to one of the two available chairs in front of Hayden and pulled out his suit case. Hayden sat back down, knowing very well this would be a long meeting.
* * *
Hayden watched as his wife walked away, his heart yearning to go after her, but the ringing telephone stopped him.
"Good afternoon, Prime Minister Manaro," Hayden greeted.
"There is nothing good about this afternoon." The Prime Minister's tone rigid.
"I am guessing Aldo has informed you of our decision?" Hayden mused.
"A ludicrous decision!" Manaro barked.
Hayden pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Watch how you speak to your king."
"You will regret this!" Manaro seethed.
"You do not threaten —"
Hayden stared at the telephone in disbelief as the beeping continued, announcing Manaro had ended the call. Hayden threw the phone back and leaned into his chair.
Hayden reached for the frame in front of him. "I'm sorry father, I-I am trying my best."
The young king clung onto the picture of his deceased father, wishing he were still here. The tears rolled down his cheeks unwillingly. It felt as if everything was coming at him all at once and he did not know how he would break the news to his wife. The cellphone in front of him began to ring and Hayden quickly composed himself.
"Hello?" He answered as he wiped away his tears.
"Hayden have you seen the news?" William asked, his tone in pure panic.
"What? What news?" Hayden asked back, confused as to why his best-friend was in such a state.
"The news about — never mind, it's best if you see it yourself." William paused for second. "Open the link I just sent you."
Hayden opened the recent message he received from his friend and clicked on the link attached. Hayden's eyes widened as he read the title.
"This just in, the royal scandal of the century! Only a few minutes ago, an anonymous file was sent to us containing the initial marriage certificate of Prince, now King Hayden and Queen Flora. This source tells us that their marriage was not the fairytale they set it out to be, but more of a drunken mistake."
Hayden felt the blood inside him boil as the video continued to play. Benjamin and Micaela stepped into the room, both of them aware of the news which had spread like wildfire. Hayden slammed his phone on the desk and turned to his two guard.
"Arrest her!" He breathed heavily, not sure how to control his anger. "Arrest the Queen Mother!"
"But your majesty —"
"Arrest her!" Hayden ordered and the two of them nodded obediently, sending two guards to the Queen Mother's room.
"Your majesty, we need you to come with us." One of the two guards spoke as they stepped into Rebecca's room.
"What for?" Rebecca asked nonchalantly.
"By order of King Hayden, you are under arrest." The other guard spoke and Rebecca raised an unamused eyebrow as she stared at the guards through the mirror. She stood up and let the guards detain her.
Every staff member stood astound by the scene in front of them, everything seeming to happen in slow motion. Queen Rebecca walked willing, following the step of the two guards holding each of her arms.
"What is g—"
The confused Queen Consort who had exited her room stared at Rebecca, who gave her a long cold stare as she walked by. Flora shudders at Rebecca's glance, confused as to why she had two guard next to her. Rebecca held her head high, a poker face showing no emotion as she was escorted to the dungeons, walking past her son.
A/N: Hello, my lovelies!!!! This chapter gave us a little peek at Hayden's POV of the night he met Flora and also, QUEEN REBECCA FOUND OUT THE NEWS!! What do you guys think will happen next? Lemme know your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to leave a vote if you enjoyed. Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you Thursday with the next chapter. Stay safe my lovelies xoxo 💋💋💋
Song: Kingdom Fall - Claire Wyndham