Jacquelyn stood before the Governess, her eyes fixed on the woman's stern expression. Lady Beaufort's voice cut through the air sharply,
"Lastly, you must put your kingdom before everything else."
Jacquelyn raised her hand slowly, her voice barely above a whisper, "But you said my husband first..."
Griselda closed her eyes, shaking her head ever so slightly, warning Jacquelyn to tread carefully. The older woman knew that the princess was only used to saying her mind and didn't understand the basic things about dealing with other humans and that was going to be her undoing.
Lady Beaufort's gaze narrowed, her gloved fingers snapping upward to tilt Jacquelyn's chin. "I see you have a tendency to act out. That, I won't tolerate." Her voice dripped with disdain, "Everything you think shouldn't leave your lips."
As Lady Beaufort's hand dropped to her side, Jacquelyn took a step back, her eyes darting to Griselda, who stood motionless. The governess's aura was suffocating, but Jacquelyn bit her lip, deciding not to provoke her further.
"That's all for today," Lady Beaufort announced, "Tomorrow, your handmaiden will prepare you to leave." Taking a step forward, Lady Beaufort took out a folded parchment from her skirt and quickly slipped it into Jacquelyn's hand, unnoticed by Griselda.
The Governess turned her coifed head in a stiff movement, "I will see her tomorrow before the first crow."
Griselda bowed, her voice low. "Yes, Lady Beaufort. I shall have her ready before the first crow."
The governess's gaze lingered on Jacquelyn for an instant before she exited the room, leaving behind an unsettling silence.
Jacquelyn finally let out the breath she had been holding, "Ah! Grisie. I'm so glad I met someone else apart from you today. This one looks like she only eats bitter fruits for breakfast, and her life is sad."
Griselda was surprised at the girl's response, thinking she would be afraid and refuse to ever meet people, but the case was different as she now looked even more relaxed. Yet the woman was worried, if the girl was being married off in a haste, then it wasn't someone of good reputation.
Jacquelyn walked back inside her room and sat on her bed. She noticed the parchment the Governess had slipped into her hand earlier still in her loose grasp.
"Did she forget these?" The girl muttered. Unfolding the paper, she opened her mouth to read when she heard the silent sobs of Griselda. The older woman now sat in the corner of the room, crying silently.
Jacquelyn dropped the paper on the bed and quickly ran to the only mother she ever knew. Kneeling beside the woman, she held her closely. "Grisie, did something happen?"
"You're getting married," The older woman muttered.
An excited princess nodded, "Yes! Can you believe it?"
"I can't, I just can't," Griselda replied, both of their words meaning different things. While the princess felt elated to meet and mingle with her kind, Griselda was worried that the girl wouldn't survive outside, after being locked away and living in isolation. It was like taking a baby fish out of water.
Jacquelyn inhaled deeply, "I can already imagine what my husband looks like, and... and my father! And brothers, sisters!! Grisie... the heavens heard me this morning," the girl smiled, her blue eyes shining like a crystal stone.
Griselda sighed, standing up from the floor. She walked towards the girl's bed and raised the cover, trying to dust it off as it was now nighttime. Unbeknownst to the woman, the instructions that Jacquelyn was supposed to read in preparation for meeting her husband fell to the ground.
"I know you're happy, but I have a feeling it's not the heavens answering your prayers... the outside world is hell itself," the woman continued as she placed the bed cover, moving around to tuck it in properly. Her feet pushed the paper under the bed.
Jacquelyn, now standing behind Griselda, hummed, "Hell..." She repeated, and the woman nodded with a sad sigh.
"Hell... that is what it is... the people, everyone! Somewhere an innocent soul like you won't survive," the older woman sighed, slumping on the bed with her back slouched.
A sly smile formed on Jacquelyn's lips. Seeing that Griselda was feeling sad for her, she knew very well that it was time to take advantage of it. So with that, she started,
"Grisie, I know very much how you feel... I am scared too of going out there," the princess said, going to sit beside the older woman.
Griselda rubbed the girl's hair gently. "I know, you will be scared. My heart can't even take it. What do you say I help you run away from the palace tonight? You can escape all of this."
Jacquelyn raised her face, "How is it I'm the one reading books and you now want to act it out? Grisie, that's like a bad line from one of the books I've read, and it never works."
"It doesn't?" Griselda asked with a serious tone, and the girl nodded, causing the woman to sink with sadness.
Jacquelyn bit her lip, "But I know something that works even better."
With a hopeful glint in her eyes, Griselda turned. "What?"
"Letting me go out tonight." When she said this, Griselda pushed the girl's hand away, which meant it was a no, but Jacquelyn didn't give up.
"Listen, Grisie. You might not like the idea, but that's the best you can do for me. I'll be leaving tomorrow to a world I've never seen before. Please let me go out just this once. Hopefully, I'll learn something tonight that could help me survive."
Griselda tried to think about what the girl had just said, but she couldn't risk sending Jacquelyn out. Even the thought of it horrified her. The woman shook her head.
"Grisie! Please... I'm about to marry someone I've never met before. What type of wife do you think he will take me to be? A dumb princess that has never met with humans... I don't want that, please." This time, Jacquelyn used the last trick that had always worked with Griselda. A tear slipped down her eye, and this was enough to melt the woman's heart as she quickly reached to wipe the tears away.
"Don't cry, Lyn... I know all of this too... but I'm scared. What if... what if someone recognizes you?" Griselda asked, biting her lips worriedly.
Jacquelyn stood up, running towards her closet, but her knees wobbled and she fell but quickly stood up. When she found what she was looking for, she raised it up,
"No one would recognize me if I'm putting this on." Jacquelyn raised a pink-colored jacket with a hood. And she draped it over her shoulder, covering her face with the hood.
Griselda stood up from the bed, seeing the girl's eagerness to really go outside. She knew there was no stopping her, and as much as she hated to agree, the princess was right and needed to meet people before she was married off.
"Promise me you won't -"
"I promise!" Jacquelyn shouted, raising her hand to her chest, without waiting for the woman to finish.
Griselda chuckled, "You didn't even hear what I -"
"I promise, whatever it is. I promise not to do it... I'll be on my best behavior!" An excited Jacquelyn shouted, her blood bubbling with joy. She couldn't believe she was about to be allowed outside the walls that had confined her all her life.
Griselda pressed her lips, "Fine, but we should leave now and be back before anyone notices our absence, and because we are leaving secretly, it will be without a carriage. Are you okay with that?"
Jacquelyn ran to the part of her closet that had her shoes and took out a comfortable boot. "This should do just fine."
"You are really prepared," Griselda raised her eyes in wonder, looking at the girl.
Jacquelyn bent down, fixing the shoe on her foot, "I have dreamt of this day all my life. Of course, I prepared for it. If you dream it, then get ready for it." When she was done, she stood up and turned around for Griselda to check her out.
"Fine, we are just going to visit the market and come back straight home. No fish business."
Jacquelyn squealed, "I've heard you!! Grisie, we'll take the whole night if you start telling me the rules. Let's go already, the excitement is killing me."
"And the anxiety is killing me," the woman huffed, grabbing a small bag from the table. She took the princess's hand as they made their way out of the isolated castle. When they got to a small part, Griselda removed dried shrubs, revealing a small path.
"I guess someone else other than myself has been ready for today," Jacquelyn grinned, giving Griselda a knowing look.
The woman paused, "I wasn't, I just made this path when I thought -"
"When you thought what? Grisie?" Jacquelyn raised her brows, teasing the older woman.
Griselda started closing the secret path, "I see someone wants to stay -"
"No, no, Grisie, I was only pulling your leg... please..." Jacquelyn held the woman's hands, stopping her from doing what she wanted to do.
Griselda rolled her eyes, crouching as she passed through the path before turning to help the princess. "Don't pull my leg. I'm old... I'll fall and break my back."
Jacquelyn thought the woman was serious until she saw her laughing. And as they laughed, they made their way out of the palace, making their way towards the marketplace.