"This behavior is not befitting of a woman of your status. You are the youngest daughter of the Northwest manor and future queen of this kingdom, playing pranks on your soon to be husband and king as well as the younger Prince is not something a lady should do." Mrs. Peterson scolded me.
After pulling off the biggest prank I've ever done on Arthur -I was actually being lectured about my behavior last night at seven in the morning.
After Linda and I had successfully escaped from the guards we had the luxury of watching two prince's with horrified looks on their faces and covered in every sauce known to man.
For the prank on Arthur, we had most of the kitchen staff dressed like corpses by the best makeup artists in Awa. Once they looked like zombies from a horror movie we had them hide behind the flower plants and up in the trees ready to jump out when Arthur was near. And for the final touch, we positioned containers filled with just about every spicy and creamy sauce we could find directly above the back door and in the trees with the guys dressed like zombies.
All that was left was to get Arthur into the silent yet creepy garden where we would scare the life out of him and made him a human sauce dispenser. And from the terrified screams and look of horror on his face, I knew my plan was a success.
As for Prince Marcus, the prank on him was not as extreme as Arthur but it was just as horrifying.
"As the next Queen of this kingdom, you will be a role model for the younger generation. So, you must refrain from pulling such childish pranks for petty reasons." Mrs. Peterson said as she gave me a pointed look. I curtly nodded as I waited for her to dismiss me. If I wanted I could have left five minutes after she started talking but I didn't do that.
I stayed and listened to her lectures on the expectations this kingdom had for its queen because Aunt Mariah had suggested Mrs. Peterson give me a pep talk. Of course, it was supposed to be a lesson on the role of the future Queen -which I had little knowledge of- but Mrs. Peterson took it upon herself to scold me for my "disrespectful" behavior towards Arthur and Prince Marcus.
Aunt Mariah and Uncle Damien didn't say anything about the prank, mostly because of the fact that Linda and I use to prank Arthur when we were younger. So, it wasn't uncommon for us to do such a thing. Although I had stopped after I turned fifteen years old in an attempt to be a regular nobleman's daughter. But now I was willing to anything if it meant I didn't have to marry Prince Marcus. Even if it meant him throwing me out of the palace.
"I can't believe the prince would choose someone like you to be our Queen. You may be of noble blood but Miss Scarlet would have been a better choice. You-" she was abruptly cut off when the commander of the royal guard came into the room.
Mrs. Peterson wasn't the only one who thought Scarlet was better for the role of Queen. She had trained for this whereas I was dragged into this position against my will. Some may see being a queen as a luxury but I knew that it wasn't. Yes, the title of queen gives you the power and the finest material items a girl may want but there was always a catch to having something handed to you.
Being a queen doesn't mean you will have a laid-back life. No, it meant that you will have a huge responsibility placed on you. Not only are you in charge of governing over an entire kingdom but you must always think of the citizens well being before your own. After all, a king and queen are responsible for the safety and well being of their people. They make decisions that will either benefit the kingdom or bring it to its knees.
Although a queen is there to help guide and lessen the responsibility of the king, she doesn't get the final word in any political or domestic matters. The king has the power to take what she says into consideration or throw it out the window and move forward with his original plans. He has full control over every situation.
Being queen is a responsibility only a rare few can handle and I don't believe I can deal with such a big responsibility at my current level. Although Scarlet may not understand this concept and only want to stake her claim on Prince Marcus and the throne I still believe she can handle this position better than I can. Besides everyone already seems to believe so.
"Your Highness, sorry for the disturbance but I have been ordered by his majesty, Prince Marcus, to escort you to his chambers." The commander of the royal guards said politely, extending his hand for me to hold.
I blinked a few times before looking at the guard in the uniform made for the higher ranking guards of the palace. I frowned at what he just told me. Why would Prince Marcus want to see me in his chambers at such an hour? Was it because of the prank I pulled or was there another reason?
"If you don't mind me asking, commander, why does Prince Marcus want me to meet him in his chambers?" I politely asked him as I placed my left hand in the palm of his rough ones. He looked taken aback that I would ask him that. I guess everyone thought I was either a whiny brat or a heartless person.
The guard helped me out of the chair I was sitting in before answering my question. "That, I do not know your Highness. I was only ordered to escort you to his chambers."
I slowly nodded before turning to Mrs. Peterson -who might I add looked quite smug for reasons I don't know- I said my goodbyes and left with the commander.
I don't know why Prince Marcus sent the commander to get me or what he intended to do but I was going to tell him what I thought of this marriage. We were finally going to a well overdue conversation.
••••••••
"Rebekah I see you finally decided to grace me with your presence although I wish it wasn't because the commander of the Royal guard escorting you here." Prince Marcus said while he stood outside on the small balcony.
"I do not know what you mean your majesty I was never told you wanted to see me." I lied as I watched his every movement. I wasn't going let him think he had won. He should know that I don't back down without a fight.
"But I was informed that you had received my invitation to meet me in the Royal library upon your arrival yesterday. Though you did not make an effort to show up." He said as he drank from his glass of red wine. Although it was quite early he was already fully dressed in a midnight blue suit and well-styled hair.
"I do recall Albert saying something along the lines of meeting you but it must have slipped my mind after the exhausting hours spent unpacking my belongings and settling into my room as well as the emotional exhaustion from having to leave my home," I said as I sat on the nearby chair, crossing my legs and resting my chin in the palm of my hand that was on the armrest. I heard him sigh before looking in my direction.
"Nevertheless you're here now and we have much to discuss my Queen. And no more formalities Rebekah we've known each other all our lives it does not make sense to be so formal with each other when we will be wed in two months time." Prince Marcus said as he walked into the room and leaned against the small oak desk.
"That may be true Prince Marcus but I would much rather address you as such for the time being. We may have grown up with each other but this is our first official conversation without my sister's presence." I said as emphasized the word, Prince. I could feel the anger bubbling up inside me but I wasn't going to let my anger cloud my judgment.
I needed to have this conversation with a level mind and not one of a spoilt little child.
"I would still prefer it if you called me Marcus without my title however if that is what you wish I will not stop you. It may be true that this is our first official conversation without Scarlet in the way and I do understand that you aren't particularly fond of me at the moment. Although the circumstances I chose to admit my feelings towards you may not have been the right place to do so, I did mean what I said at the ball in front of my people and I hope you would understand my reasons." I narrowed my eyes at him. He knew what he was doing was wrong and yet he did it.
Scarlet may no be the best sister towards me but she was still my sister and he hurt her because he "loves" me. Not only was that not a logical reason to announce his alterations to the plans for that night but he also made my family and everyone else believe I was aware of his motives.
"Whether or not your confession that night was true it wasn't the right place or time for them to be known. In fact, they should have never been revealed because you are betrothed to Scarlet. You were well aware of the consequences of your plans but you still went ahead with it. You blindly made a decision to break my sister's heart and drag me into a situation I had no knowledge of, although my family, as well as the citizens of Awa, seem to think otherwise." I said harshly.
I was breathing heavily as I tried to keep my pent-up anger under control. I glared at him as he moved away from the table and walked in my direction.
"I know you don't w-" I cut him off with a humorless laugh. I can't believe he thinks he knows me so well when we've had little to no interactions in the past.
"You don't know anything about me or how I feel Prince Marcus." He shook his head in an almost sad way before looking me directly in the eyes with determination.
"I know more than you think Rebekah"