" stay away from me, I don't want it".
" Am sorry my princess, but I was ordered to do this".
"Nooo".
Mark roam around the room not knowing what to make of the situation, at the very least he dare not go in to see for himself.
" What did you do to my face!!!" Isobel screamed.
" How can you do this to me" Isobel cried out from the bathroom.
The fragrance of her skin was great but the make up done for her was scary, Isobel was shocked at the sight of herself in the mirror.
She was led to the dressing room, though it was filled with so many gowns that looked really expensive, golds were attached to them, they still weren't up to her taste.
Isobel picked the one that was best for her amongst everything else.
" Allow us put this on you" this time Isobel didn't protest about that as she let them put it on her.
Unlike what these ladies where putting on, her dress was way beautiful and fitted for her, her beautiful curves wasn't that visible but it still looked very good on her. Isobel couldn't bare to look at her face in the mirror, it was hilarious.
" Please leave, I need to change my make up", Isobel said looking quite upset already.
" But my princess you look very beautiful". Isobel watched the woman speak with disgust in her face.
" I said leave, it's an order" the ladies have no right to stay after receiving her order, they all left without saying another word.
Isobel stared at herself in the mirror as she signed deeply, she knew she had a lot of work to do after all she used to be a make-up artist before her life took a U turn. lsobel spent hours alone in her room after the women left.
Finally, Isobel came out of the room. Mark was so eager to question her for letting them go but he couldn't go into the room, now finally she was out, the anger he kept inside could finally be let out.
The door opened slowly as Isobel walked out majestically. Mark wasn't in the mood to look at her as he was still really angry, " why are you so stubborn, you even sent them away, don't you know....". Mark lips sealed the moment he turned back to look at her. He had much he wanted to say but at that moment he was speechless.
As she walked closer, the memory of Tessa walking to him with a beautiful smile suddenly came to his mind.
Tessa is very beautiful that was undeniable but at this moment, Isobel was stunning. Her walking steps where just right , at that moment he found himself lost in thought as he was staring at her, every anger in him disappeared as he stared at her.
Isobel voice over:
There was something about the way he stared at me, it was attracting but I can't get distracted now after all, am doing all this for fred. How stupid of me to admire another guy even if I know he is dead handsome. I wonder where this guy gym.
She moved closer and closer to mark with a smile. That smile was an unforgettable one, that was the same smile that made him loose his heart to Tessa.
" How do I look" Mark wasn't aware she was so close to him already as he was lost in thought. Her smile was just distracting. Mark wish at that moment his gaze wouldn't be on her lips but his whole body disappointed him as he kept staring at her lips.
" Good but next time leave it to your teachers to do their work" he said that with the coldest expression ever, every tiny bit of hope for a good day in Isobel's mind disappeared.
He moved back, making sure there was a good distance between them.
" This scroll right here contains all the rules and laws of the kingdom, so study them before night falls" he left the scroll on the table before walking away. He knew that staying one more second with her in that might just make him end up telling her how much he loved her because she looks a lot like Tessa and how much he despise her because she looked a lot like the princess.
It's complicated.
Isobel was speechless, his reaction was totally unexpected, the least he could have done was to comment on her dress, not push her away like she has some odour, at that moment she missed fred, if fred was here, he would have commented on how beautiful she looked, he would have rain praises on her till she starts feeling like the first lady, that was some of the things she loved about him. As for Mark, he is just a cold human being, she concluded.
It was nightfall already and just like he promised , Mark arrived.
The really bored Isobel lay tiredly on the bed, if she were at home maybe she would have gone clubbing or anywhere just to ease her boredom, but here, she felt like a prisoner, she wasn't even allowed to take a step out of the room, Isobel wasn't sure anymore if staying was a good idea but the fact that she would see fred again kept her motivated. " This is just for a while, it's a small sacrifice to pay for my fred" Isobel said to herself.
Mark heard her words since he had been standing beside the bed for quite a while but Isobel didn't realize it since she had turned to the other side of the bed before he came in.
After a while of staring, he cleared his throats which gave Isobel a good shock because she had no idea how he got there, it felt like he just appeared in there, or he came out of nowhere.
" You" she said sitting up.
" Yes me, have you studied it all" Isobel thought for some while about what he was talking about before she suddenly remembered she was to read a scroll, she remembered opening it once but got so bored after some minutes so she left it where he kept it. She wasn't sure how she would explain to him especially now that he seems to be in a bad mood.
" No I tried reading it but I couldn't understand a thing so I left it, sorry" Isobel got herself prepare for his screaming or any action, she knew it was her fault so she was ready for the aftermath.
Mark made a deep sign as he stared at her. She expect him to scream or even hurt her, or get mad at her but no he was just silent and that was killing her, he should say something, not stare at her weirdly like he was doing now.
Isobel tried avoiding his eyes, she couldn't bare to stare into them. Isobel wondered what was really going on in his head right now because his expression was just too hard to read.
" I will take you home". After a while he finally spoke, his words really shocked her as she stared at him confused, not sure where he was driving at.
" I thought you loved fred but I was wrong, I thought you would do anything for him but I was wrong, all this time, you where just whining about your love for him but a little sacrifice like this you can't even do, so I would take you back home, after all if I do bring him back it would be such a waste because you don't deserve him. Get ready am taking you home". Mark words were like a thousand sword piercing her heart at the same time. She couldn't control the tears falling from her eyes anymore.
" Stop there, how dare you question my love for fred, everything I have done till this point is for him". There was tears in her eyes but the anger in it was more. Mark had never seen her this angry, he almost thought she wasn't capable of anger, he smirked as he stared at her.
" You can't say I don't deserve his love because am doing everything you say even if you haven't prove to me if you can really bring him back but because am willing to follow any lead no matter how hopeless". Mark looked at her with an evil smile.
" You say you love him but you can't even do as much as to study rules" he moved towards her with a devilish look. Isobel was at her bravest as she stared straight in his eyes without a hint of fear in her. At this moment, Mark was amazed at her braveness, this was a side of her he has never seen before. He hold her hand tight.
It hurts but Isobel refuse to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that he has hurt her, her stare at him was evil. For the first time, they stare at themselves really close but the tension between them was more intense.
" If you love your man that much then prove it".
" You will come tomorrow morning and I will show you what am ready to do for him". Her determination made him smile, it was a very cold smile. He left the room almost immediately, Isobel fall to her bed as tears fell down her cheeks.
Mark was walking down the hallway when he sensed a movement, he stopped at the spot trying to figure out where that person is hiding.
" Come out now, don't let me find you" his voice was really frightening. Andrea came from behind a wall.
" I heard your conversation with the princess" mark looked around them to make sure they where alone as he dragged her away.
" Don't you think you where been too hard on her".
" No am not, we are running out of time so we can't afford for her to be childish, I need to keep her on her feet, if not we will loose the battle before we have a fighting chance" his face was emotionless as he spoke to andrea.
" But..but using her dead boyfriend is too harsh, what if she finds out we can't bring him back, tht would hurt, I don't want it to get to a point when she turn on us because of our mistake" the frown on mark face made andrea scared a bit.
" Those are just emotions compared to the life of everyone in atlantis, if angelica gets the throne she will revenge on everybody in atlantis for choosing Tessa over her even if she was the first child. Fathers, mother's even children will die due to her wrath because she doesn't care about the people she cares only about herself, so tell me should I let her have her way". Mark took a deep breath after watching andrea face, he knew she never liked to be shouted at, right now he was hurting her feelings. He moved closer to her. " Next time think about this things before you tell me about someone emotions". He left before giving her a chance to comment.
What happened to you Mark, you where never this heartless, it's almost like your heart died with the princess".
Isobel was reading with ultimate concentration that she didn't notice when andrea came in.
" My princess" she bowed before coming in, she smiled while watching Isobel study hard. " May I help you" the smile on her face was relaxing.
Isobel was glad she would finally having a reading partner because they were too hard to read and harder to understand. " Yes please".
Andrea assistance was really helpful as the words where now finally beginning to make sense.
The whole night Andrea stayed awake with her to help her study the rules and how to speak. She knew andrea was nice but she never expected that she would be fun to be with as well, she always looked serious just like Mark, Isobel had even thought they were friends because they are alike.
Andrea had stayed with her all through the night which made her realize the gravity of the situation, if mark was that strict with her and andrea is this serious with it then it must be really complicated.
After several hours, Isobel could already narrate the law, even recite the names of all the ministers as well as their positions, it wasn't easy learning them all in one night but andrea was a good and patient teach but more than that, Isobel was a clever girl.
It was a long night no doubt as Isobel and Andrea fell tiredly on the bed as they stare at themselves and laughed for no reason at all.
After the reading Isobel felt quite comfortable in Andrea's company.
" Isobel I heard you have a man you love and want to revive" Isobel was quite taking back as she stares at her speechless.