[Music Recommendation: Icarus ~ Phildel]
With the commotion that happened during the archery event, the music rendition was canceled and everyone retired to their rooms for the day, waiting to be summoned for the Queen’s hearing.
Jasmine and Adelaide waited with their mother inside her room, waiting to be called for judgment.
"Mother, I think you should have denied it until the end," Jasmine muttered with a deep sigh.
Gwen shook her head, "Adric was there. Even if I did, there’s no point now."
"Mother is right, Jasmine," Adelaide said. "All we have to do is plead on her behalf until the very end. And as for the princess, I’ll be sure to pull the thorn out."
Gwen turned, looking at her younger daughter. "I would really appreciate it if you did that." She sighed. "You’re the only one that can do what I wasn’t able to."
Adelaide nodded, looking down at her palm. She had tried to be soft with the princess ever since she arrived but had kept getting on everyone’s nerves. Now was the time to pull her out entirely.
The time for the hearing finally arrived. It was held in the big living room in the palace. Apart from the little ones, all members of the royal family were present, including the Prime Minister.
When Oriana walked in, she noticed how e
Jasmine and Caspar turned to look at her like she wasn’t welcome. She went to sit close to Fidelis.
Adric positioned himself close to the door, listening to the judgment that would be given to Gwen. His eyes were also on Oriana.
"We all know why we are gathered today, so it’ll be a short meeting," Nicholas started. "The King clearly didn’t want the situation to get out of hand, so he asked me to handle it with just the family. I’ll want to know if anyone has anything to say."
Gwen raised her hand, and Nicholas nodded for her to speak. She stood up, "I’d love to apologize to my husband. I know I have no excuse for my actions, but it was just a moment of weakness. And to my children, I hope they’re not treated like outcasts for my sins."
"Mother..." the sobs of Jasmine were heard in the room with her husband consoling her.
Oriana pressed her hands tightly. She didn’t know why, but she was supposed to feel good for crushing someone like Gwen, but it didn’t feel that way at all. The woman had humiliated her and was also the reason she was banished from Orion. She also treated her so badly when she first arrived in Avon. Yet right now, she felt very bad for her.
Why were her shoulders down when she wasn’t even the offender? Oriana raised her eyes to look at everyone in the room. They were all looking at her except Adric and his father, whose attention was elsewhere, and that was on the Queen.
"With nothing else to say, I will now announce the proposed punishment." The room became very quiet, everyone waiting to hear the final word. "As agreed by all the ministers of the kingdom, Queen Gwen will be stripped of her title, and all the privileges will be taken away from her. She shall not be allowed to attend any event in the palace. Her chambers will be moved to the outer side of the palace, and finally, she shall never be regarded as a Queen of Avon."
"No!" Gwen shouted, turning to look at her husband. "Fidelis, you can’t do this to me, I’m your wife. I had your children, please."
Fidelis rubbed his temples tiredly. "Gwen, that was the least I could do for you." He replied, "If that’s all, I should be going back to my chambers now."
"This meeting is now over," Nicholas announced, rolling the parchment he read from. The solemn look on everyone’s face and the silent sobs of Gwen and Jasmine engulfed the room.
Jasmine stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes. She pointed at Oriana. "Are you happy now? Our family was much better and lived in peace before you came!"
"It’s okay," Caspar tried to hold his wife back.
Adelaide stood up and helped her mother to stand, "Jasmine, that’s enough. We should help mother pack her things." Slowly, they all left the room.
Oriana sat in the same spot, looking down at her hands, which she was squeezing. All that started out as fun earlier was now ending with sadness, and it was all her fault.
"What is that look on your face?" Adric asked after everyone had left the room. He noticed that the girl was even sadder than the bereaved.
Oriana raised her face, "I don’t know, but I feel like I did something really wrong. I feel bad."
The thought of being the person who ruined other people’s family made her feel even worse. It wasn’t her intention at all to put Gwen down in front of people. She only said what she said earlier out of anger.
"You feel bad because you were the one who exposed her infidel act. It was bound to come to light anyway," Adric spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
Oriana pressed her lips, "Then why didn’t anyone say anything? You knew about it, but yet you didn’t say anything. I just feel like I did the wrong thing."
"If that’s how you feel, I don’t know how to help you then," Adric twitched his lips, before he turned to leave the room.
Oriana sighed. After waiting for some minutes, she left for her room. So many thoughts crossed her mind. Was she really a person bound to wreck homes, just like she was accused of in the past? When she left her own family, they found peace. Now she was in Avon, and everything was moving south.
Madame Rosalie caught sight of the princess walking back to her room, and she waved. "What happened? Why is your face like this? What will be the Queen’s fate?"
"Can we go inside?" Oriana muttered. She wasn’t really feeling like herself at the moment, and all she wanted to do was cry. She didn’t even know why.
Rosalie nodded, "Sure. Let’s go. And your personal maid is back. She’s drawing a bath for you."
"My personal maid? You mean Freya?" Oriana asked, and before Madame Rosalie could reply, Freya stepped forward. "Freya!"
Freya threw her arms around Oriana’s neck, hugging her closely. "I’ve missed you so much, Princess Oriana. Staying inside that room all day without moving, I felt like I was locked in somewhere."
"I missed you too. And how’s your leg?" Oriana looked down at the girl’s leg. Though she still tied it with a white piece, she was walking with it.
Freya raised her leg, "All better now." She tried to walk with it to show Oriana that it was all better.
"Freya, meet Madame Rosalie." Oriana introduced, "And Madame Rosalie, this is Freya. She’s more like a friend and sister to me."
Freya bowed, "Greetings, Madame Rosalie."
Rosalie waved her hands dismissively, "You don’t have to be so formal with me, okay?"
Freya raised her face and smiled. Then she turned to Oriana, "I heard some maids talking. Did something happen today?"
"About that, let’s all go inside." The three of them entered Oriana’s room and sat down. Oriana narrated to them what happened and the punishment that was given to the Queen.
Madame Rosalie was the first to speak, "I don’t think you should feel bad. Maybe you made a mistake by exposing her, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t do it." Freya nodded in agreement.
"And maybe your heart is heavy because you’re thinking about someone else." The woman winked at Oriana.
Freya raised her eyebrows, "Someone else? Did I miss something while I was away?"
"You’re too young. Close your ears," Madame Rosalie teased her.
Freya raised her shoulders, trying to show that she wasn’t young. "I know things too. You can tell me, please."
Oriana chuckled, looking at Madame Rosalie and Freya. Staying with people she was comfortable with really gave her comfort. "You already know, Freya. It’s about my husband," she whispered the last words, and the three of them started laughing.
"I see it’s no longer Prince Adric," Madame Rosalie nudged Oriana gently, then her face turned serious. "I feel you should tell him how you feel, and you should do it today."
Oriana touched her chest. Just the thought of going to stand in front of Adric and telling him how she felt about him scared her.
"T-today?" She stuttered.
Freya nodded, "I think I agree with Madame Rosalie. In the books I read, everything is all about timing, and if you miss it, you can’t get it back. Tell him how you feel."
Oriana touched her hair, "But what if he rejects my feelings or suspects me?"
"You never know if you don’t try," Rosalie advised. Reaching forward, she held Oriana’s hand. "I think Prince Adric already knows because why would you care about what he wants in a woman? You should really go for it! And we’ll be here to cheer you on."
Freya joined her hand, "We’ll be here. What’s the worst that could possibly happen?"
Oriana bit her lips. She was always the confident girl. Nothing scared her. Why was she afraid of saying something as simple as her feelings in front of Adric?
"Okay, I’ll do it tomorrow."
"No! Today!" Freya and Madame Rosalie shouted in unison.
"It’s now or never, Princess Oriana. Go for it," Madame Rosalie encouraged.
Oriana nodded, "Now or never!" She raised her hand, "Let’s do this!" She stood up and left the room.
"She’ll be fine, right?" Freya asked when Oriana left the room.
Madame Rosalie nodded, "She should be. She has to be," the woman muttered.
Oriana’s hands turned cold as she got closer to Adric’s door. She knocked once, then pushed the door; it was open. Slowly, she walked inside.
"Prince Adric, I-...!" Her words hung in her throat.
The sight in front of her and the words she just heard tumbled Oriana’s world as she stared directly into the eyes of the man she had come to love.
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