"Mother?" Victoria calls out to her mother, still keeping her eyes on the young man sitting before her. Victoria was cursing herself for not piecing the puzzle together. She only briefly looked at her carriage but paid no mind to it as she did not care at the time.
"What is he doing here?" It was rude. Very rude. But Victoria had a dreadful feeling, and she could not help but ask such a rude question. "Victoria, manners." Her mother scolded, "Prince Claude has graced us with his presence because I have sent the palace a letter."
Victoria quickly looked over at her mother. "Letter?" She questions, "For your hand in marriage." Claude chipped in, smiling at the two. His smile is charming, befitting a prince like himself. But Victoria isn't an idiot. Maybe reading so many books has gotten to her head, or the many unpleasant rumors about a red-eyed snake, but she could only see a disgusting snake wearing human skin.
"That is right! You are sixteen, but many girls your age are already married! Prince Claude is handsome, polite, smart, and the next king of this country. Victoria, it is time to stop reading silly little books. Prince Claude has agreed to marry you." Her mother sounds way too excited.
Victoria can't show such an unpleasant expression. She has to smile. "I am thankful. It may be unpleasant to ask, but will it be okay to be my fiance first and then get married once I turn eighteen? I want to get to know Prince Claude more personally." She asked the two with a smile.
Victoria can't get married this second. She has to think of something, but for now, she'll use Mrs. Johnson's advice.
Her mother was about to yell something, but the prince held up his hand and stood up. "Victoria is right. It will be only fair for us to get to know each other," he says as he begins walking towards the door, stopping right next to Victoria. "I would love to get to know Victoria, as I can't keep my eyes away from her beauty features."
"Thank you for meeting with me, Mrs. Grosely. I can't wait to have Victoria all to myself once she turns eighteen." Claude says as he opens the door and walks out.
Her mother clutches her hands together and nods enthusiastically. "Mother," Victoria began speaking "Prince Claude is already nineteen years of age; I am still a teenager. You marrying me to an adult without my knowledge irks me to no end."
Victoria couldn't help but feel impassioned at the thought of marrying that creature. Her heart was sure to turn to stone, and her eyes were like an angry ocean.
"Marrying the prince will be good for you!" Her mother began defending herself. "He has some bad rumors surrounding him," Victoria brought up. "Everyone has bad rumors about him. Many can't wait to have him as their king, and he is loved by many." Her mother is like a moth to a flame.
"Mother, why do you want to marry me off to the crown prince so eagerly? We already have money, and father is well respected and loved by many." Victoria walked close to her mother and whispered in her ear, "Or is it that you started to become greedy for more?" It was rude and harsh. Victoria knew that what she said was too far, and she should not have said that, no matter how angry she got.
Her mother thought so too because she wasted no time slapping her daughter across the face. Hard enough for Victoria to stumble on her feet, she put her hand against her throbbing cheek and looked up at her mother with cold eyes.
She wanted to say sorry; please forgive her foolishness. But she was stubborn like a bull and didn't want to give in to her mother. She will say sorry to anyone but her.
"What an awful child. I should have given birth to a boy instead of a selfish girl like you. I should have prayed some more." Her mother spat out with venom.
"God will not answer your prayers. What a shame that I was born without a say," she removed her hand from her cheek and walked towards her mother, "how pitiful that you gave birth to such an awful daughter who speaks malice against her mother when they disagree on something big."
Her mother clenched her fists, and Victoria only stared at her with dull eyes. So, she backed away from her mother and said, "It is quite late, mother. Let us return to our rooms and rest. We will both cool down our heads and speak of this matter again some other day." She turned on her heels and went to the door. "I am sorry for saying such cruel words. Let us try and be on good terms until Father returns tomorrow."
She will forget her stubbornness and will apologize to the woman who birthed her. Before she could open the door, her mother called out her name, "Victoria." Maybe her mother will also apologize to her. "Refrain from wearing a plain dress from now on. You are now the fiancé of the prince; time to look like it."
What was Victoria thinking? Her mother is too prideful to apologize to anyone. A viper and a snack. She is in chains, and this house is her prison. She is certain the palace will become her birdcage, and she will become a flightless bird.
Without mentioning a single word to her mother, she walked out of the drawing room and gently closed the door behind her.
From the corner of her eye, she sees her maid walking towards her. Her hazel brown eyes lit up, and her smile was brighter than the sun on the brightest day.
"My lady!" Her maid yelled in excitement as she ran towards Victoria. Her brown braids bouncing in front of her shoulders, "Was your meeting with Mrs. Johnson good? What a silly question; you always have good things to say about Mrs. Johnson." She says brightly.
Victoria turned to face her and gave her a small smile, "It was a delight. She gave me one of her parasols, though she did not have to do such a thing." She laughed nervously.
Her maid looked down at the parasol, and her eyes sparkled. "The color of the parasol matches your eye color! My lady," she looked up to say something else, but her smile dropped. Her expression was full of worry as she gently touched Victoria's reddened cheek.
"My lady, who would dare slap you?" She asked her with such sincerity that Victoria felt slightly guilty. Her maid has a soft soul and is pure-hearted. How could this person be human? She is more like an angel.
"I will bring you to your room and bring medicine for your cheek! It will bruise, and the master would be very unhappy." Victoria's maid led her back to her room.
After walking inside, the maid gently put Victoria on the bed and set the parasol against the vanity table. "I'll go find some cream for your cheek, my lady." She said gently, and Victoria shook her head, "Alice, it was only a small slap. Don't get too worked up on it."
Alice shook her head. "My lady, no one should ever get hit. Whether you are a beggar or a duke, no one should ever get hit. My lady, you are far too kind, and you are far too gentle, like a butterfly. The madam was the one that hit you, right?" She asked Victoria, and then gave her a warm embrace.
Gentle like a butterfly? Kind? Victoria was none of those. She is too stubborn and does as she likes. "Alice, are you sure you are my maid? It looks like you are no maid but a saint." Alice giggled at that. "You flatter this maid too much, my lady!"
"Now, just stay here, and I will go get some cream for your cheek." Alice walked out of the room, and Victoria was left alone in the quiet once more.
Victoria stood up from her bed went to move to her vanity table and sat down. She looked at herself in the mirror and touched her swollen cheek again. "Alice exaggerates too much. My cheek won't bruise; it will only get swollen. Mother would only tell father I was being disrespectful or put the blame on someone else." Victoria says to herself.
Victoria could only hope that her father would bear good news tomorrow. She could not bear any more horrible news for two days straight.
Her door creaked open, and her maid walked in, holding some cream in her hands. "Oh! My lady, I brought the cream," she says with a smile. "Thank you, Alice." Victoria stood up from her chair walked back to her bed and sat down.
Alice unscrewed the cap and ran her fingertips in the cream. She went down on her knees and gently put the cream over Victoria's swollen cheek.
"It should be dry in a few minutes, my lady. If you are tired, we can put on your nightgown, but be sure to not sleep on your swollen cheek." Alice tells her as she stands back up.
"Sleep sounds nice," Victoria says, looking towards the window. Hearing the faint rain and thunder outside made her want to sleep. "I'll go grab your nightgown," Alice says as she goes to the closet to get one.
"My lady, do you want me to help you change into the nightgown or do you want to do it alone again?" She asks as she walks over to Victoria with a white nightgown.
"I can put on a nightgown by myself quite easily. Tomorrow morning, and every morning after that, you could help me out with a new dress." Victoria tells her as she takes the nightgown from her hands. "My lady, you usually never ask for such help every day. Did something special happen?" Alice asked once more.
Victoria only chuckled, "I will tell you tomorrow morning, my dear Alice." Alice laughs, "My lady, no need to call me dear!" She says it in a shy tone. "Why not? Alice the maid is like my sister. Alice the sister!" The two began laughing full of joy.
"Well, I must be going back to my quarters, my lady. I shall come again tomorrow to help you out on a dress before the master comes home." She walked towards the door and gave Victoria one last look. "Victoria, you are also like my dear younger sister. May you find eternal happiness in this cruel world."
Victoria nodded with a smile and watched Alice walk out of the room and shut the door closed. Victoria could go on about her misfortune, but she is loved by many good people, and she is forever grateful.
Her maid, her father, and Mrs. Johnson are wonderful people, and even though Victoria isn't physically strong, she will do anything to protect those she cares about.
She took off her green dress and began putting on her white nightgown. It reached down to her ankles, but she was comfortable and ready for sleep.
She got under her covers and lay on her left side. She stared into space; the only thing making its appearance in her room was the occasional lightning. That mysterious boy was still plaguing her thoughts like a ghost making his appearance to her.
"I wonder if I'll see you again in that lovely garden," she whispers to herself. Closing her eyes and succumbing to sleep, she welcomed the garden boy in her dreams.