CHAPTER 15 AMELIA All I needed was just five minutes, five minutes to get past the guard by midnight, and five minutes to make my way as quickly as I could to the garden. I entered the garden, my eyes immediately found Alaric standing there, his smile radiant and welcoming. I can vividly remember right now, why I feel for him, it was this irresistible charm and the way he looked at me with profound passion. "Hey, you made it," he greeted me, and I couldn't help but return his smile. "A walk in the park," I replied, a playful glint in my eyes. The familiarity between us washed away any lingering doubts, and I felt a sense of ease settle upon me. This was the man I fell for and there was nothing that changed about him, he still had that softness in his eyes and the way he glanced at me still made my heart race. He motioned for me to sit, and I obliged, taking a seat beside him. In his hands, he held an apple, extending it toward me. I couldn't resist teasing him. "Should I be coll
CHAPTER 16 AMELIA The next day, the first competition was to be held. I was far from ready and I had no training whatsoever, before yesterday, I had no interest in participating in this competition but here I am now, doing that. As Constance helped me into the tight dress I felt my whole life being sucked out of me by that dress and it was unbearable, I couldn't help but complain. "The dress is too tight," I grumbled, feeling suffocated by the constriction around my waist. How do some of these ladies wear dresses like this all day, if I go a whole day in this I would most likely die and my corpse would be so shrunken by them, I would only have my skeleton to bury. Constance frowned, her disapproval evident. "Please, do not complain. The corset needs to snatch your waist tight, so you have a smaller waist. It's all about looking good for making babies," she replied matter-of-factly. This was so bizarre was I doing all this just to look appealing, so my waist would look smaller, hen
CHAPTER 17 ALARIC I knew my action yesterday caused one or two outrage but in my defense, I couldn't leave it in the hands of faith, I thought long and hard about it. But I just couldn't, it was too risky, I knew she had done well and dressed so elegantly well, but I know better than not to know that there was one or two underground politics that is being played in this competition. A lot of parents are desperate to make their daughters win and that means they could go as far as bribing the officials to make that happen at this stage. So when I saw the opportunity to help, make sure that Amelia is among the top twenty, I took it damning all consequences. Here I am right now. In the grand courtroom, I sat surrounded by three of my trusted elders - Elder Noah, Aaron, and Paul. Boaz, my loyal advisor, was by my side. They had called for my audience early this morning, I had planned to meet up with Amelia in the garden but I guess that would have to wait. I had to give them their au
CHAPTER 18 AMELIA I glared at him, still trying to comprehend how he could look at me with a straight face and tell me that he doesn't want to see me anymore. "I didn't say we shouldn't see anymore," he corrected and I sighed, what difference does it make, just when I was getting used to being happy in his arms once again, he drops this sort of bombshell. Was he used to breaking my heart? "Do you take pleasure in hurting me?" I asked and I could see him chuckling and I playfully shoved his hands which were wrapped around my waist and he pulled me into his arms again. "Come on Amelia, why would I ever delight pleasure in hurting you, I am doing this to protect you," he explained, his hands were trailing down my arms and then up to my neck and he pulled me into a deep kiss, his hands laid gently on my back, as his lips and mine touched, his lips was warmth and his breath was a bit heavy, heaving and pulling me in and then I paused and tilted my head forward to accommodate his mou
CHAPTER 19 AMELIA Constance is showing me how to knit and it is a particularly boring and unbearable process, it this what they would use to determine the winner of the contest, I might as well just quit right now, because there is no way I am learning how to knit, not to talk of becoming proficient in it. "I give up," I finally declared, throwing the knitted scarf, or what I would want to be a scarf on the floor. "You cannot give up now, I know it looks hectic but with a little practice you would get it," she tried to encourage me and I sighed. "That is the thing, I don't want to get it, I don't want to be used to sitting on a rocking chair all day knitting," I replied to her and she frowned, I know that at this point she was already getting so frustrated about my wits and bankers. But those were the things that made me, my core essence, I loved to read, to talk and I do not want to always be agreeable. I love to have an opinion of my own, not just concur with what people say be
CHAPTER 20 AMELIA It was the day of the competition and I kept clenching my hands together, I was nervous and I couldn't. Keep my heart from racing, I had the cooking skills of a five-year-old and I wasn't even that good. I knew Alaric couldn't come to my rescue today because he had to keep a low profile and tone down the favoritism. I was on my own. Well technically, I wasn't completely on my own, I had Constance by my side who is meant to assist me but she isn't allowed to give me any direction or intervene. So, yes, I was on my own today. We all walked up to the cooking quarters dressed in our aprons and forced to put on a smile to appear appealing. "You would have to wear your smile on all the time during the cooking contest," Constance had reminded me before we went up to the courtyard, and I frowned almost immediately. "Why," I had asked, I don't know why I had to be forced to do something as remotely boring as cooking and forced to wear a smile the entire time while d
CHAPTER 21 AMELIA My mind was still occupied by what just transpired between Alaric and me, at this point, I knew it wouldn't be long before we went all the way. Somehow I feel I am ready, I love him and he loves me so much too. Although I had not told him yet, I was sure I did. "You spent a whole lot of time in the bathroom, were you that nervous?" Constance asked as I tried to regain my composure. My legs were still shaky, and I squeaked. "Yes, I was adjusting my corset, a string pull," I lied, it wasn't exactly a lie when Alaric had lifted my skirt. "Oh, my lady, you did it all wrong," she snorted, making her way to me to help me fix it, while my eyes trailed as I saw Lucia approach me, she had a feigned smile on her face. Right now she is the last person I want to interact with. I am already so tense as it is. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the lucky one, don't think that sprinkle of luck you had in the fashion show will happen again," she said and I frowned. My heart ski
CHAPTER 22 ALARIC Why don't things come easy to me, how was I going to make this right? There is no way I was going to disqualify Amelia, she is the love of my life and that was something I wasn't going to let go of. A lot of eyes were on me to see what I was going to do, there had already been rumors and talk of me trying to favor Amelia, now I was about to damn all consequences. Why would Amelia make such a costly mistake like this? I stood there, surrounded by a web of confusion and conflicting opinions, my mind was in turmoil. The incident with the bad food had thrown everything into disarray, and now Lady Giselle was apologizing profusely, ordering the food to be discarded immediately. "I am sorry your majesty, we don't know how this slipped past us, we tasted all the food, guards throw away this atrocity right now," she blurted out in understandable confusion, she was partially to blame for this, it was her place to taste all the food before it was brought forward to me