Dealing With Consequences
POV: Alexandra
Calypso and I sat in between the King and Queen. Both Royal family members shot a beaming smile at us and I instantly understood that whatever conversation they wanted to have with us was not going to be beneficial, at least for me. I heard Calypso sigh beside me and I think that he might have thought the same too. The Queen leaned over to me, “I am so happy that you have decided to come escorted by my son. Does this mean you accept his affection toward you?” I looked over at Sylphia who winked at me and then back at the Queen, “I can’t say I have fully accepted his feelings toward me, just that I am open to the possibility. I have to think of my family and realm if I don’t get selected in the Queen competition.” She nodded and looked over at the King, “Did you hear that Renier?” The King nodded and smirked, “Very prudent, my lady. I believe that your family would agree that you ending up a spinster would be an utter waste of good breeding.” I bristled at the sentence inwardly but I maintained my smile on the outside. Breeding was such a gross and archaic way to put things and I knew he didn’t care so much about my breeding anyway. He only cared about the dormant power that I wielded. Until he knew of my existence, he was likely content on trying to undermine the Queen to try and take her power. Now he had something in front of him that could make him a living God like myself and he didn’t want that to slip through his fingers.
The Queen smiled at me, “You won’t be angry then for what I am about to announce?” I looked at her confused, “What do you mean?” She looked at her son, “You know what I am speaking of?” He shook his head and had an honest look of confusion on his face, “I have no idea, Mother.” She cocked an eyebrow at the King, “You didn’t tell our son? I figured you would have done so considering we were both so enthusiastic about it.” The King shook his head, “Our son disappeared for the better part of the day and only appeared just before the party. I had no time to tell him.” She sighed, “Right, so this will be a surprise to them both.” She rose to her feet, “May I have everyone’s attention?” The room quieted down again as the Queen had asked, “We are so pleased that all of the Houses of Seely were able to make it here today. As you all know, we have an honored guest from Vellum here on behalf of their royalty and nobility. You also are all aware that things between our realms have not always been so friendly but thankfully due to the hard work of the former Duke Darren Batiste, peace and prosperity has come to both realms and a friendship has formed. Sadly, there are forces within Seely who would love nothing more than to destroy this peace at all costs. With that in mind, the King Renier and I have been in one mind on the idea to keep the peace between the realms in place.” Whispers broke out in the room, the Queen announcing that the King and Queen were in agreement was a huge deal in Seely as those even outside of their realm knew that they hated each other.
The Queen raised her hands and waved them up and down in an effort to quiet down the noise, “I know that this is a monumental thing that the King and I are in agreement on something but we both feel strongly about this. I would like to announce that I have put in a formal request with Vellum’s Elder Council, Queen Mother, and House Batiste to join their daughter and our son in marriage.” Gasps went up in the room and that included mine, Cal’s, Syl’s, and Ny’s. I looked at Cal who looked back at me panicked and I whispered to him, “You didn’t know about this?” He shook his head vigorously, “Not at all. Had I known, I would have warned you. This is hasty.” A noble jumped up from his seat, “What of the noble ladies of this realm, my Queen? Should they not get a chance at His Highness’s hand?” The Queen shouted, “Quiet! All of you!” Silence fell on the room yet again and the noble sat down with a panicked look on his face. She looked down at her husband and he rose, “Everyone knows that in Seely, love is an honored emotion. We believe our son has genuine feelings toward Lady Alexandra. We don’t want to keep him from following his heart just because the Lady isn’t from this realm. Do you not think this would anger the Goddess? This especially since this is her soul daughter.” I thought to myself that that soul mother and I would definitely need to have a talk when I get a minute. I told myself that I would resolve to make some time during this party to take a step outside with Jess and call on her. I looked over at Cal who had buried his head in his hands. I patted his shoulder and leaned in to whisper, “I know you are stressed out right now but we need to keep up appearances for your own sake.” He took his hands away from his face and grabbed my hand and gave the back of it a small peck. His father smirked at the action and waved at us, “You see, they are genuinely caring for each other as we speak.”
The room remained quiet as everyone was staring at us and I oddly found my face heating up. I didn’t like the attention at this point so I turned my head to pretend like I was talking to Jess who was standing behind me. She leaned forward and whispered, “This has got to be so uncomfortable. Do you need some air later?” It felt like my voice was caught in my throat and I couldn’t speak. I merely nodded at her and she patted my shoulder, “We will find a way, Xan. How are you doing?” I looked up at her with a pleading face and she smiled, “You don’t have to say. I can feel it, you’re nervous and embarrassed.” I looked down and nodded again. The King sat down on his seat with a huge smile on his face, satisfied that he had convinced the crowd to quiet down. He seemed to be a spider who had caught its prey on its web. The Queen continued her speech, “That all being said, Lady Alexandra is currently in contention for the crown in Vellum still. We must await the results of Vellum’s Queen competition before we can proceed with negotiating terms with House Batiste and the crown. We cannot fully celebrate the joining of our realms until then but we can use this occasion to celebrate love in bloom. So let us raise a toast to the potential union of our Prince Calypso and Lady Alexandra.” Everyone raised their glasses and cheered. I looked around the room and some were not so thrilled about this, most of them were women. I looked over at Cal, “I don’t think I have many fans amongst the female society here.” He looked around and then nodded, “I wouldn’t worry about any of them. They are nothing compared to you.” The King nodded and I knew that Cal was putting on the act so his father wouldn’t mess with him. He winked at me and I smiled and nodded, “I should hope not. You might be betrothed to me after all and I hope you would love only me.”
Jess tapped my shoulder at that point, “Excuse me, Your Majesties and Your Highness. I regret to tell you that I must pull my lady away for a few minutes to discuss what all this might mean for my lady’s safety.” I nodded, “I’m a little hot too, I need to take in the air.” Taking in the air in Seely was code for needing to use the restroom in the most elegant way possible. It was much like the old-school Terre way of saying you need to powder your nose. The Queen nodded, “Of course, please take the time you need to discuss and take air.” I rose from my seat and the Prince rose as well, “Please be diligent. Now that this has been announced, you will definitely have a target on your back.” Jess nodded at him, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. I am a lycan so my senses are powerful. I will be hyper-aware of any goings-on and we have Sebastian. He will make an appearance should anyone mess with her.” He sighed and nodded, “I await your return, my lady.” He took my hand and kissed it once again. I found my face blushing again and I cleared my throat, “I won’t be long. Please do not worry. Jess is very capable of protecting me. She’s stronger than she looks.”
We stepped out of the room and I had expected to be followed by one of the King’s goons. I did not sense anything but Jess pulled out a dagger from her skirt and said loudly when we stepped out into the hall, “I know you are there, show yourself.” Jheelis stepped out from behind a pillar and smiled, “I expected no less, my lady. Very good. I was sent to follow and spy on you.” I nodded at him, “Alright, come along.” We all stepped towards the front gardens and once I found myself in the gazebo at the center I called out, “Aphrodite, I really need you. Are you available?” I heard her voice, “I am available but I cannot come to you. You will come to Eden.” As usual, a bright light enveloped the three of us and we found ourselves in the garden. She smiled at me, “My child, it is always good to see you.” She looked over at Jheelis who looked as if he was going to faint, “One of my worshippers in Seely…Jheelis. Is that correct?” He nodded but said nothing and she smiled at him, “You are welcome here so long as you bear no ill will towards my child.” He shook his head, “No harm intended toward my lady. I consider her someone I must protect as your daughter.” She nodded then turned to Jess, “My dear, my congratulations on your upcoming proposal. I knew I got that one right. Your compatibility has always been off the charts. It just took him some time to realize it.” Jess smiled, “My thanks to you Goddess. You have my eternal gratitude and devotion.” Aphrodite winked at her, “I see lots of children in your future. I truly believe what my child has made for you will do the trick.”
I cleared my throat, “I hate to break up the love fest here but I have come with a purpose, Aphrodite.” She nodded at me, “I expect it. You can ask.” I drew in a deep breath, “What the hell are you playing at? You made Prince Cal fall in love with me.” She began to play with her fingers, “I was told that your fate was more than just Vellum. Your fate was now to become the savior of Seely too. Nothing in life is guaranteed and certainly, you are not guaranteed to marry Lucien either. I had no choice, this was an order from All Mighty.” I sighed, “That explains it. So he hasn’t been affected by my gift?” She shook her head, “His feelings are very genuine towards you. He wants to protect you and love you but only by staying away from you. He believes you are in danger of becoming his father’s pawn.” I clenched my jaw, “If that was the case, how can All Mighty want me to fall into the clutches of King Renier?” She shrugged, “I cannot say, He had not divulged this information to me and we are not to question. You know the Lord works in mysterious ways. This isn’t just a saying amongst the Christian humans. It is, in fact, reality. All that being said, He did tell me to tell you one thing you must know and all must keep an eye out for.” I looked at Jess knowing that this was really meant for her ears more than mine, “What is it?” Aphrodite spoke after a long pause, “Another God has gone missing and we have reason to believe that he is helping out in Seely.”
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