[Music Recommendation: The Royal Affair ~ Ruth Barrett]
From where Adric was sitting, he could see Oriana’s attitude, and he couldn’t help but laugh. The girl was all shades of characters, and she never ceased to make him laugh. Adric wondered what the girl was playing at this point. He relaxed to watch the show quietly.
Fidelis noticed from the corner of his eye how relaxed his son was and the smile on his face. It was rare to see Adric enjoy things like this, especially when it involved their family. All this started after Gwen and her daughters decided to take the throne away from Adric by getting on his nerves and trying to provoke him every way.
The moment Oriana arrived at the palace, everything changed. Adric was interested in what was going on, especially when it came to the princess. The day they had the hunting game, if it was in the past, Adric would have given up on the game, but he still continued because the girl was inside the forest. Fidelis nodded to himself; it was the right choice to keep Oriana around Adric.
Back where Oriana was standing, she set her leg forward. Holding up the arrow, she closed one of her eyes and the other open one she set on the shooting range, ready to shoot.
Jasmine and Sophie finally recovered from their shock. They turned to continue with the game but with a deep frown etched on both their faces.
Adelaide picked up her arrow, looking at the sharpness of the arrowhead, while she also looked at Oriana. She didn’t know how to read the princess. Out of everyone Adelaide had met, Oriana was the most complex and hard-to-read person. Everyone in life has what motivates them and what they are willing to sell their soul and conscience for.
But that was different in the case of Oriana. The princess had her own personal motivations to act, and it changed at every point. One minute she was coolheaded, ready to listen to what everyone had to tell her. The next minute she was reigning hell on everyone with her words and actions.
"I’m going to hit the bullseye," Oriana muttered to herself, then she turned to look at Gwen who was also looking at her. "Your majesty, let’s reach the bullseye together as the former queen passing the baton to the new queen," her voice was slightly high and filled with enthusiasm.
Jasmine scoffed, "Teh! new queen," she whispered under her breath when Oriana looked in her direction. Jasmine faced forward like she hadn’t said anything.
"Ready?" Oriana wetted her lower lips with her tongue. "Last to shoot would be the fool," as she said this, everyone got their bow ready to shoot. Oriana burst out laughing, that she almost lost her balance. She turned to look at the servants holding her gown.
"I guess nobody really wants to be called a fool," she turned, raising her bow, she stretched it and released the arrow.
The marker ran to the shooting range, raising his white piece for Adelaide. The man shouted, "Bullseye!" Everyone cheered for Princess Adelaide. Moving on, the marker checked out Jasmine and Sophie’s target, then he announced,
"Nine-ring and seven-ring,"
Oriana nodded, turning to look at her sister, "You really improved,"
When the marker got to Gwen’s own, he shouted, "Four-ring,"
Oriana snorted, "Ah, that was sudden, I’m sorry. I don’t think I want to take over from you if your marking is so poor, your majesty," she bowed, but her head was still raised.
Gwen tightened her grip around her bow. She really wanted to say something to Oriana, but she just controlled her emotions since they were standing outside, and people were watching. She didn’t want to ruin her reputation because of one girl.
The marker finally got to Oriana’s board and checked her arrow twice. It was stuck above, outside the range of shooting. The marker raised a white piece, indicating that it was a complete miss.
"She missed after everything?" Sophie muttered, "I knew that she had no skills when it comes to archery," the princess shook her head.
Jasmine chirped, "As the saying goes, pride goes before-"
"And elegance comes before a comeback!" Oriana interjected, cutting Jasmine off. "I reached the peak you all dreaded. Did you not see the marker raise a white piece just for me? In a battle, white piece means victory, and red means..." her voice trailed, staring unblinkingly at Adelaide.
"Princess Adelaide, don’t tell me your hands are covered with blood," Oriana covered her mouth with her hand, her face filled with surprise.
Adelaide blinked; her knees trembled with slight fear. "Aren’t you being too bold, Princess Oriana?"
"Don’t mind me." Oriana waved; she was smiling, but that didn’t mean Oriana failed to notice the fear that passed Adelaide’s eyes for a brief moment. "I guess we are done here. I should leave now."
Jasmine frowned, stepping forward. "You don’t leave before the queen!"
Oriana shrugged, her eyes moving from Jasmine and settling on Gwen. "But she came before me. I say everyone should leave in the sequence in which they came," she snapped her fingers, and the servants holding her dress turned around with her.
Madame Rosalie, who was standing at the corner, tried her best to hold back her laughter. "Now let’s watch the elegant Crown Princess take her leave—I’m sorry." The woman snorted when she saw the look on people’s faces. Oriana had really poked the nerves of the women in the royal family.
"Let’s watch the elegant Crown Princess leave."
Adric and Fidelis, including other ministers, walked down from the viewing point to meet with Oriana. Though the girl had clearly lost the game, she was still leaving like she had won.
"Your Majesty," Oriana bowed on seeing the king, giving him a small smile.
Fidelis winked, "I really enjoyed the show thanks to you," the man said, looking at his son to say something, but Adric was just looking at Oriana talk.
Oriana touched her chest. "You must have been disappointed to see that I didn’t win anything," she let out a sad sigh. "And my hand really hurts from holding the arrow for too long," she raised her palm to show the king.
"Your husband should massage them with balm and oil," Fidelis suggested, trying to drag Adric into the conversation.
Oriana turned her head dramatically, "My husband, he leaves me all alone in my room in the cold night. I miss the touch, and I wish for him to cover me tonight."
The ministers gasped when they heard the shameless words of the princess. The girl was really bold to say whatever she wanted. Some of them envied her husband, wishing that their wives would also be like this.
"I should do something about this," Fidelis said, looking at Oriana, who nodded her head excitedly.
Adric didn’t know who to look at: the princess, who said whatever she wanted, or his father, who was showing excessive affection to her. He sighed; both his father and Oriana were like unstoppable partners that must be put apart, else they would make plans to ruin people.
Fidelis cleared his throat and started, "I decree today that every married man must—"
"Your Majesty!" Gwen shouted, cutting her husband short. Everyone turned to look at her. Behind her were the other three princesses.
Oriana rolled her eyes; it was clearly getting to the good part where the king would ask Adric to come back to her room. She didn’t want to tell him herself because she was the one who asked him to leave. But now, like every good thing, this woman and her three evil musketeers were here to ruin it. Oriana sneered.
"Your Majesty, permit me to speak," Gwen continued with a frown on her face. "You are really patronizing Princess Oriana a lot. She can’t be the queen if she’s not disciplined. We should set out a group to teach her properly how to talk and act outside like a real woman."
Jasmine and Sophie nodded in agreement, "Yes, Your Majesty. Mother is right," Jasmine remarked.
Adelaide, on the other hand, didn’t like the fact that her mother was openly scolding Oriana. The girl clearly was not afraid of anyone because she had nothing to lose.
Oriana pointed at her chest, "I am the one who needs discipline?" Her voice was loud and clear for everyone to hear.
"I clearly asked for my husband to return to our matrimonial bed because I don’t want to be found in another man’s hand. Now who needs discipline more: a queen who longs for her husband, or one who is being intimate with another man?" Oriana’s words had everyone freeze on the spot.
Rosalie gulped, going closer she pinched Oriana. "End the act now, no more playing Prince Adric’s woman," the woman whispered, seeing the height of trouble the girl’s words were about to cause.
"I knew it!" Adelaide sighed, "You shouldn’t have provoked her, mother," the princess whispered looking at her mother, who was standing with all the blood drained from her face.
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