×Heather×Dawn came quickly and we had to go into the carriage after the servants were done preparing everything. I was exhausted and half asleep that by the time the carriage started moving, I went back to sleep.This time, our journey was peaceful and quiet but for the hooves hitting the ground below. That was probably because of the large number of reinforcements that surrounded us and I was grateful that there were no complications in having them sent to us.Benjamin had calmed down even though I noticed that he had a lot on his mind. I strongly doubted that Prince Alfred would get out of this unscathed but that would mean our relations getting worse. It would also mean that I couldn't see Diane anymore.I worried for my sister and wondered if she knew about Prince Alfred's plans to attack us. And if she did, I wondered what she thought about it. Diane's hatred for Benjamin was a bit of a shock to me and I would not be surprised if that's what made her be okay with this plan, if s
×Heather×I took a small sip of my tea, afraid that it would cause another eruption of vomit, and when it didn't, I sighed in relief."Is this the same one that you served at first?" I asked as I looked at Bridgette."Yes, but I added honey instead of sugar cubes. Does it taste different?"I hummed and took another sip before reaching down to rub my belly. "Not really but I can tell. The baby seems to like it." "I'm happy to hear that. Please enjoy it while you can."And I was. Ever since I entered the second month of my pregnancy, food has become a challenge. I was never a picky eater but the baby was very particular about what I ate and I would be lying if I said that it wasn't annoying. You could never get used to the feeling of vomiting out your insides.I also became very sensitive to scents so I couldn't paint anymore. The scent that I loved became one that gave ma a headache. On the bright side, I was excited to have a child. They still had a long way to go until they would be
•Heather• A small smile stretched my lips as I silently studied the beautiful butterfly in front of me. It had large, bright colored wings that were attached to a small body. I wondered what kind of breed it was and where it was from since my parents made sure that there weren’t many butterflies in the manor because of my older sister’s weird fear of them. Tilting my head to the side, I lightly shaded the picture that I had been drawing for a while now. I had somewhere else to be but after having an encounter with such a captivating creature, I couldn’t miss drawing it for anything. Having my journal on me, I figured that it had to be a sign. The Harlow’s manor was a spectacular building that, in my opinion, had the most beautiful garden in all of Reechidre. It was wise not to take my word for it though because I didn’t move around often. “Heather!” My mother’s voice screamed in horror that I flinched, making my pencil scratch through the page. I looked at my surroundings to se
•Heather• Servants rushed around the manor in panic as the search for Diane continued. Despite my mother’s efforts to keep the incident secret, it spread like a wildfire and it was only a matter of time before the neighboring manors caught wind of it. My hands tightened on my dress as I tried to think of solutions. How could we save the royal family from this humiliation? What kind of compensation would lessen the burden of this shame? Even if we found something to make them feel better, our family would never be trusted. We would become outcasts amongst the nobles and even the middle class. But that would be better than death, right? I looked up at my mother, who was deep in thought as well. She would probably rather die than be pushed down the societal ladder. After all, being better than those around her is something that she loved and tried to instill in her children. Suddenly, the door swung open and my blood turned cold at the sight of the person who walked in. The tense atm
•Benjamin• Classical music filled the ballroom as people danced to and fro. Everybody wore their finest garments and I could tell that they were having a great time eating and dancing on this beautiful night. Even the band that was playing had smiles on their faces as they played their instruments and lightly tapped their feet on the stage. It was a joyous occasion for everyone but my bride and I. After being swindled off the bride that I was promised, this woman wasn't even trying to look entertained. Heather and I sat in front of the room as we watched everybody have their fun. Our dance was the last and our only job right now was to look happy and receive well wishes and gifts. I looked at Heather through the corner of my eye. Despite tying her hair up to show off her elegant jewelry, her short figure was almost drowning in the dress that she wore. I guess they didn't have time for adjustments. Her dark blue eyes searched the room while her full, pink lips were set in a noti
•Heather• "Rise and shine, your Highness," a woman said softly as she gently shook me by the shoulder. "What if she's tired from last night?" Another woman asked and the other gasped. "I hope not. It's not a good day for her to sleep in." I groaned and opened my eyes to see two women, who were standing on either side of my bed, staring down at me. One had brown skin, black hair that was tied in a bun and even lighter eyes while the other was a brunette with green eyes. "You're finally awake," The brunette said. "My name is Bridgette and I'm your lady in waiting." "I'm known as Annie and I am your lady in waiting as well," the other woman said with a light accent that I wasn't familiar with. "Nice to meet you," I said as I rubbed the sleep off my eyes. "The prince did mention that he would send you in today." "We hope that you aren't too exhausted from last night. There's a lot that has to be done today." "That's okay." Despite me saying that, I was beyond exhausted.
•Heather• "So boring," Annie whispered with a yawn as she leaned into the couch that she was seated on. "I hate to agree with you, but you're actually right," Brigette said before looking at me. "Your Majesty, would you like some tea perhaps?" I hummed. "Give me a few more minutes." "Understood." "You have been saying that for a while now. I'm kindly requesting a break for all of us," Annie groaned. I looked up from the document that I was studying. Back at the manor, I was only supposed to look pretty and know how to be a good noble and mother. When I was told that I had queenly duties, I thought that I was supposed to go around the kingdom waving and giving encouragement. But that was not the case. Benjamin ordered that I be given the same kind of work that would be given to him. It surprised that he could trust me with such work, but I was glad that I could put my mathematics and history skills to use after being looked down upon because of those very things. In Reec
•Benjamin• "Is this where the village ends?" I asked as I looked at the open pasture ahead of me. "Yes," Scott, my right hand man and trusted friend, answered. "This is the last village of the Northern district. If you walk past the forest, you'll reach the border in about thirty minutes." "I see. That's good then." The village was doing better than I expected and I was happy that the bags of wheat and fertilizer that I gave two months ago helped the villagers. I looked down at the map that was tucked in my belt. Despite being King, I didn't have as much power as I would have liked. Power was in the hands of those who held the most influence and gaining the peoples' trust was a priority of mine. As much as gaining support from the nobles was a great place to start, I couldn't neglect the poor and I hated seeing the weak suffer because they were not strong enough. "Let's continue to the west," I said and began to walk to where we had left our horses. "Wait a minute," Scott