"Sweet heavens!" Jasmine held her hand over her chest when she saw her mother stepping out of the living room. "What happened to your hair and your dress?"
Gwen glared at her daughter. "Get out of my way," she shoved Jasmine to the side before leaving the room angrily.
"Mother..." Jasmine tried to stop her mother, but the next person to come out of the living room was the Queen of Orion. The princess gasped, wondering what had happened inside. "Did a wild boar attack..." Her voice trailed off when she received a stern look from Saline.
Curtis tried to hold his wife, but Saline pushed his hand away. "Don’t touch me!" She walked straight to Sophie’s room.
"We are leaving Avon," Saline said, going to her daughter’s closet to pack everything up.
Sophie, who didn’t understand what was happening, stood up from her bed. "Mother, what happened to you?" She tried to stop her mother but was shoved to the side.
"Father, what is wrong with mother?" Sophie asked her father, who had just entered the room.
Curtis shrugged his shoulders. "I don’t know."
Saline turned to look at her husband. "You don’t know? Curtis, did you just say you don’t know? Sophie, your father has been..."
"Please save that, Saline. Why are you acting like it’s the first time?" Curtis sighed, going to sit on the couch. He rubbed his neck roughly. "All this started with you, remember?"
Saline nodded. "I did it because after having Sophie, you stopped giving me the attention I needed. You spent more time in the court, so I’m not the only guilty person. But sleeping with a queen of another kingdom..."
"At least she’s a queen! What about you, who let a mere servant lay hands on you? And how am I even sure Sophie is my daughter?" Curtis barked, pushing down everything on the table.
Sophie looked from her father to her mother. "Can you both please stop! Father, how could you say that? I am clearly your true blood, and you know it."
Curtis and Saline became quiet, fuming and glaring at each other with their bodies shaking with rage, especially Saline, whose eyes were now filling up with tears.
"Did I not pay for my crimes? I let you beat me even in front of the children. I closed my eyes when you brought courtesans. I even had to pretend I didn’t want Oriana, just so you could let your anger out on her." Saline hit her chest. "I watched my own daughter get punished, and I closed my eyes to it. I watched her grow on her own without my love. I let you do whatever you want because I felt guilty, and she reminded me of my mistakes... I hated her for no reason. I had to hate my own child." The queen’s knees gave away, and she crashed on the table beside her.
Sophie rolled her eyes. "And whose fault is that? Are you really trying to play the mother card right now?"
Curtis chuckled. "Typical Saline. So what are you going to do now?"
Saline looked at the two people in the room, and she wondered if they even had a conscience. "We are leaving Avon, and we are leaving with Oriana! I won’t let her marry that psychotic killer."
"You will do no such thing. We are not leaving Avon until I get married to the Crown Prince. He was even mine to start with," Sophie sneered. "I guess it’s in the blood of commoners to take what isn’t theirs."
"Oriana is not a commoner!" Saline retorted, walking towards Sophie but was intercepted by Curtis.
"Don’t you dare," Curtis warned his wife while shielding his daughter.
Saline nodded. "Then stop me if you can," she stormed out of the room, walking down to Oriana’s room. Sophie and Curtis ran after her, trying to stop her.
"Oriana! Oriana, let’s leave!" Saline shouted. "Oriana," she called her daughter. She wanted to make up for all the times she closed her eyes to her suffering.
When they got to Oriana’s room, it was now heavily guarded with Adric’s personal guard standing there with other palace guards.
"I want to see my daughter," Saline tried to push her way through but was stopped. "Make way, let me see my daughter."
Rowan bowed deeply. "I have been asked by His Highness not to let anyone inside."
"What is the meaning of that?" Saline asked, trying to struggle her way in but was pushed back every time.
"Your Majesty, please get permission from His Highness if you want a pass," Rowan said with a calm voice but was replied with a slap.
"How dare a mere guard talk to me like that... Avon must really think us as a joke that even a lowly guard can talk as they will," Saline scoffed, her blood boiling with rage.
"The only one who thinks Avon is a joke should be Orion," Adric’s voice was heard from behind as he walked casually towards the small commotion.
Sophie touched her face and dress quickly before running towards Adric. "Your Highness, I am terribly sorry about my mother’s uncouth behavior," she tried to touch Adric but paused when she saw the deadly cold gaze he gave. Sophie cleared her throat and took a step back.
"What have you done to my daughter! Bring her out right now!" Saline raised her voice, lunging at Adric but was stopped by Rowan.
Adric exhaled. "I also forgot to tell you, wild behavior is not allowed inside the palace. Outside, yes."
"W-what, me? Wild?" Saline had received more insults than she could count in just one day. Sophie and her father gave each other a look and decided to stay quiet.
Adric turned to look at Oriana’s door. "I’m sure the princess wouldn’t appreciate the noise as she needs her rest for the wedding in two days’ time."
"T-two days’ time?" Sophie’s eyes widened. "I think there’s something you should know about Oriana."
Adric nodded. "I also think there’s something very important I should discuss with you all. Let’s take a walk, shall we?" Without waiting for them, he turned to leave the place.
Sophie looked at her mother, then at Adric. She shook her head and ran after him. "Your Highness, do you mean your wedding with me..." Her voice trailed off.
Saline looked at the door and clenched her fist, continuing to hit Oriana’s door, but Curtis held her.
"Don’t touch me!" Saline snarled with an angry face.
Curtis cleared his throat. Seeing that the guards were now looking at them, he said in a low voice, "I think it’ll be in our best interest to listen to the Crown Prince. You saw how he was earlier. I won’t contribute to provoking him," he said before leaving with his daughter.
Saline looked at the door and then at the guards. She was really scared of Adric and didn’t want to provoke him. She glared at the guards. "I’m going to come back for my daughter. You and you... just wait," she pointed at their faces.
Rowan bowed. "Noted, Your Majesty," he bowed, as he watched the woman leave. He turned to look at the door. Despite the noise, the princess didn’t come out of her room. Was she aware that her wedding was set to be in the next two days? The personal guard sighed and moved back to his position. It was not in his duty to question the Crown Prince.
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