Chapter 23

BECCA was looking at the looming castle as the carriage stopped in front of the gate. The driver was talking with the guard before the gate was opened as the carriage rolled onto the courtyard of the Royal Castle.
Becca's heart was beating fast as the blood was roaring inside her ears. She did not know if she could face the queen alone when Niklaus was not with her. She wished that her husband would be with her. But alas, she was here on her own.
"We're here, Your Grace," the coachman said as the weight of the footman stepped down from the carriage can be heard. She was taking a deep breath before the footman opened the door of the carriage.
The huge oak doors of the Royal Castle were opened as Becca was getting off from the carriage with the help of the footman. She was gathering her skirts before smoothing them as the butler was opening the door and she saw the form of the young queen come at her.
"Becca! It's so good to see you," she said before Becca was standing with her back straight as she was smiling at the young queen.
"Ara, how are you doing?" she said before the queen was hugging her. She was hugging her cousin-in-law before the carriage rolled out of the courtyard so that the horses could rest and the servants could take their rest. Arabella was smiling at her before she was leading her toward the castle.
"Come in, come in! Don't be shy. I know how exhausting the trip from the outskirts to get here is," she said as Ara was wounding her hands around her arm. Becca was feeling awkward but she felt familiar at the same time. It was as if Ara had been a part of her life somehow even when it had been a few weeks since she was married to Niklaus.
"So, how's my cousin? Is he still brooding in his private study?" Ara said as Becca was removing her outer coat and handed it to the butler. The butler bowed before leaving the queen and her alone. She was smoothing her bodice before Becca was smiling at her cousin.
"Well, he's been okay. Not brooding over the tenants' ledgers as you might think, Ara," she said before the queen gave a quick tour of the castle.
"Well, this is the parlor and this long hallway will lead us to the receiving room as well as the music room and painting room. I don't know if you know any instrument to play—"
"I know how to play the pianoforte," Becca said before Ara was smiling at her.
"Well, we can get you to play for us later after luncheon but for now, let's have some tea, shall we?" she asked before they were making their way to the receiving room. The queen already told her butler to carry a tray of hot tea and biscuits for them to entertain themselves in the receiving room.
"I hope you don't mind having luncheon here. Nick will be joining us later," Ara said as the maid was pouring the tea into their cups. Then, she dismissed her maid as Ara was smiling at Becca before her eyes were training on the choker that she wore. Her smile was bright.
"Well, I'm sure you have something to ask me before we have our luncheon, and while we're waiting for the gentlemen to arrive, you can ask me, Becca," the young queen said as she was taking a teacup and drank her hot tea. Becca was biting her lower lips before she sighed.
"It's...I...how do I say this? Nick told me that you can answer any question regarding this," Becca showed her choker as the young queen nodded at her while putting her teacup on the table. The new duchess sighed.
"I don't know if the conversion will affect me. I know that you guys had Porphyria when you were in your adolescence but I am already 23 years old. Will it be a different experience than what you had?" Becca said as the queen was nodding at her. Ara smiled before she patted Becca's hands.
"Do not worry, my dear. You will feel strange and you will have some changes to your body. Meaning that you will be having some symptoms that might be like when we had Porphyria but it was not as horrible as that," Ara said as she wrinkled her nose. Becca stared at it.
"How was it for you to change? All those years ago?" Becca said before Ara was looking at the tea on the table. She smiled as she turned to look at Becca.
"I can say that I want to claw my own throat as the burn was too much. The fever was high pitch and I was sweating profusely that I don't think water can save me anymore.
“You will get dehydrated fast since your toxins will be cleansed from your body. I think you can overcome that, Becca," Ara said as she was taking her hands into hers. It felt smooth like butter.
"Will there be something else except for the torture of that?" Becca asked before Ara laughed.
"Well, you don't want to eat anything, and believe me when I said this, you need to keep up your energy hence you need to take the food even though you don't want to," she said as Becca nodded. Ara sighed before she was patting her hands again.
"If anything, it will be weeks from now before your symptoms will be coming over your body, my dear. And speaking of the gentlemen, there they are!" the young queen said as the door of the receiving room opened and her husband was walking inside the room with a person that Becca would not see if she was a lady on the streets.
It was the Prince Consort himself.
"Becca! I see that you are getting comfy with Ara," Niklaus said as she was smiling at her husband. The young queen was laughing before the ladies were standing as the lords were coming toward them.
"Becca, I would like you to meet my husband, Aiden. Aiden, this is Nick's wife, Rebecca," Ara said before Becca was smiling at him.