The next morning, I woke up, and my mother's words were repeating in my head.
How dangerous can the palace be? Mother didn't want to tell us stories about her days at the palace. But by the look on her face whenever a topic about the palace came up, you could tell she didn't have many happy days.
I jumped out of bed like a frog and yawned. It's a new day, and luckily, freedom is still mine. I hope they don't show up until I'm thirty, so I can use being a hag as an excuse to get out of this doomed engagement.
I'd tell them I have a body count of sixty-five; maybe they will reconsider marrying me to their future king. I mean, who wants a whore for a queen?
I stop in front of the mirror and study my reflection. Mercury-red hair falls past my shoulders and splashes into my face. Two piercings on my cone-shaped nose resemble Maleficent's horn, freckle dots scattered across my cheeks and a bird-shaped tattoo on my left arm. Yup, not queen material.
Satisfied, I grab my towel and head to the bathroom.
We run a bakery, in fact, the best bakery in town. Mom and Dad's love story began in the same bakery. At first, the royals thought that Mom might not survive and would come running back after a while. But they underestimated Dad's baking skills. They heard he was a baker but didn't know he was the best in town.
If the high royals didn't still have a grudge against Mama, we would be supplying the palace with bread now, but that doesn't matter. With the notoriety we have accumulated, hundreds of people from different places come to us every day, waiting in line at our bakery just to get a loaf of bread.
Meanwhile, Dad should be at the bakery getting everything ready while the rest of us prepare to resume our roles as waiters.
The work is certainly stressful, but the tempting smell of freshly baked bread makes it bearable.
I was behind the counter serving a customer when a commotion suddenly broke out outside. Although I didn't have a clear view, I could see people standing in a circle with their cell phones, and I wondered if a celebrity was passing by.
It wouldn't be new; we have regulars who are known for different reasons. I brushed it off and continued to rummage through the drawer.
Grabbing a few notes, "Here is your change," I presented it to the woman in front of me, but her attention was elsewhere; she turned pale as if she had seen a ghost.
I looked in the same direction and saw my worst nightmare coming towards me with a big smile. "Oh my God, Prince Reuben," the woman gushed like a three-year-old, leaving me with a violent shudder. You could say she was in her forties.
Embarrassing.
"I don't know if you saw, but there's a queue out there." I turned to my fiancé, who probably couldn't recognize me.
He laughed, "Why should I wait in line? You don't know who I am?" There was a hint of annoyance in his tone, just as I expected, but unfortunately for him, I was just getting started.
I scoffed, "I see you on my TV screen every week with a new Hollywood actress. Of course, I know who you are."
"For a woman standing behind a counter, that's a lot of boldness."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Want to know what else I have?"
"The right to kick you out of this bakery if you refuse to go outside and wait in line like the others are doing."
All traces of a smile disappeared from his face; perhaps no one had ever spoken to him this way before.
"No one cares a cent about your status," I continued my speech with pride. "In this bakery, all customers are equal. If you hate waiting in line so much, ask someone to do it for you. Don't think you can come and go here like you please; this is not your palace."
He was silent for a moment; then his eyes shifted to the sign on my chest that boldly read my name.
"Naomi." He called slowly, but it sounded more like a threat.
However, I refused to give in. This isn't even an attempt to break off the engagement. I hate how royals can do whatever they want. It's not the 1960s for crying out loud.
"It seems you have a grudge against the royal family. Tell me what we did to get into your bad books?"
"What didn't you do?" I respond immediately.
He doesn't seem fazed. "You're an interesting character."
"And you're slowing down my business. The door is there, young man." I show him the door, motioning for him to leave.
He turns on his heel but stops. "I want you to know that no one disrespects a prince and walks away."
"Is this a threat?" I raise my eyebrows, slightly amused.
"No, it's a known fact."
I know for sure that he can't hurt me, so it doesn't bother me. If it were that simple, Mom wouldn't have been spared after running off with a commoner. Do you think the Royals didn't try? Although deceased, my grandfather's influence lives on, and that alone has got us covered for life.
Just as he is about to leave, Salie comes out of the kitchen.
"Ruben Knight?" she calls, unsure he turns to her, and she gasps.
"It's you, the royal playboy."
Reuben glares at her. "You people have no respect for the royal family."
"That's because we are royalty too." She says. I rush to cover her mouth, but she slaps my hand away.
"Royalty, you say?" asks Reuben.
"That's not even what's shocking." She walks over to an empty table and sits cross-legged.
"Have you ever heard about a story of your grandfather promising some general that he would make one of his descendants a queen?"
Reuben's eyes widen with interest; of course, he knows about it.
"You won't believe what I'm about to say, but..." Salie trails off, and I prepare myself for the worst.
"Standing before you is none other than your future queen, Naomi Sailor."
I can see h
is eyes widen in horror; he looks at me briefly and then turns to Salie.
"You're kidding."
"I'm clocking out," I announce."Naomi," my mother runs out of the kitchen wearing an apron."You and Salie have to buy me things at the supermarket.""NO." Salie and I scream at the same time.Mom is shocked: "What's wrong with you two?" She asks."Tell Salie to do it; her legs probably run faster than her mouth," I say, and Salie's mouth drops open. I ignore her and head for the door.As soon as I leave the bakery, the cold wind attacks me; I breathe in and out sharply. To be honest, I don't know why I'm acting this way. Based on Reuben's reaction, I wasn't what he expected, but wasn't that what I wanted? For some reason, it burned, but only a little.I don't want to go home because if I saw Salie again I would remember everything, and right now I just wanted to forget.I took out my phone and dialed my best friend's number, which she picked up in seconds."I thought I'd never hear from you again," Aleah exclaimed. We haven't spoken in a while, and it was my fault."Sorry, I've been
I was dancing in a garden chasing butterflies when a crashing sound made me jump out of bed bringing my fantasy to an abrupt end.“Good morning, my lady.” Greeted an unfamiliar voice.As if the king-sized bed and antique walls weren’t enough, standing at the edge of the bed was a young girl in a black and white dress carrying a drum.“Who are you?” I asked, looking around the strange room.“I am Martha, your maid, responsible for tending to your needs.”I look at her as if she speaks German. This whole scenario just screams that I may have been kidnapped. I run to the window to escape, but I’m not prepared for what awaits me next. I look out from a very large castle, surrounded by similar structures, all seeming ancient and mystical.The scenes from this morning cloud my memory and everything seems to make sense.“You should get dressed, young lady,” Martha says from behind, “The queen is waiting.”After passing through various corridors and corners, we finally reach the queen’s chamb
I’ve spent a week in this palace, and I still can’t get used to their way of waking me up.“Is the drum supposed to be an alarm or something?” I ask, getting up from bed irritated.“I’m sorry, ma’am, but these are the Queen’s orders,” Martha says, bowing her head apologetically.For the first time, I felt the need to sit on that throne. I can’t wait to take her crown and place and finally put her where she belongs. Too bad there’s still a long way to go.“Where is the king?” I wonder out loud.“Forgive me, my lady,” Martha begins, and I know she wants to scold me again, but in the most polite way possible. “But it is forbidden to speak of the king. Please don’t ask any more questions regarding the king in the future.”What an exaggerated response. I sometimes wonder if people here even touch grass; they act like it’s the Middle Ages.“Okay,” I nod in response and head towards the bathroom when Martha blocks my path.“Today there will be a small gathering to celebrate the return of Pri
I whispered for him to put me down, but he ignored me and carried me straight to my room. Once we arrived, he gently placed me on the bed while Martha watched in amazement from behind. I was just as confused as she was. What had gotten into him? Why was he suddenly being kind? Despite my questions, I was grateful that he had chosen to protect me from his siblings.After settling me on the bed, Reuben took a seat next to me, and I could tell he had something to say. He turned to Martha and demanded a first aid kit, prompting her to quickly leave the room to fulfill his request. I braced myself for what was to come, unsure if it would be good or bad news."First of all, I'm sorry for what happened tonight," he began.But I chose not to accept his apology. "If you hadn't told your mom about me, we wouldn't be in this situation. So, I decline your apology."Reuben didn't seem bothered. "The truth is, I don't care if you accept my apology or not," he replied in his usual arrogant tone.Of
Belen and Jade remained silent as they forcefully pulled me out of bed. I looked to Martha for assistance, but she deliberately avoided eye contact, indicating that she was also powerless in this situation."I'm not even properly dressed," I protested, hoping to find a way out of whatever they had planned."Don't worry about that, we'll take care of it," Jade replied with a mischievous smile. With no other choice, I reluctantly followed along.True to her word, Jade made sure to dress me up. However, I was far from satisfied with the outfit I was forced into, but I kept my complaints to myself. The dress was so long that it practically swept the floor, with sleeves that threatened to engulf me entirely. I've never been one to dress provocatively, but this was just too much. Even nuns don't dress like this because I could barely breathe and this seemed to please both princesses as they stared at me in awe. "Don't you know that modesty is expected of you as a queen?" Jade remarked, not
A chilling silence hung in the air, and it was no surprise that my actions caught them off guard. However, I had reached my limit. I was tired of being bullied and insulted to my face. If I didn't stand up for myself now, who knows what they would do next.It only took a few seconds for her to recover from the shock. She got up and wiped the remaining juice off her face."Are you out of your mind?" Belen's harsh tone grabbed my attention, but before I could respond, I felt a slap on my cheek. I didn't need to guess who it came from. Without hesitation, I returned the blow, making sure to gather all the strength within me to leave a mark.Silence fell upon us once again. Blondie blinked, too stunned to speak. Jade got up and approached me. It was clear what her intentions were. As soon as she reached me, she raised her hand to strike, but I caught it mid-air."Don't you dare," I warned, refusing to let go. My grip was so tight that she couldn't break free, no matter how hard she tried.
After being whipped until I blacked out, I regained consciousness to find myself back in the comfort of my room. I was lying face down, unable to move due to the stinging pain in my buttocks."My lady, you're awake," Martha's voice came from behind me. I tried to nod, but the sharp pain shot up my spine, causing me to cry out."I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you," Martha sniffled. I couldn't see her face, but I could sense her tears."It's not your fault, Martha. You're not the one who did this to me," I reassured her."But I stood by and watched it happen," guilt was evident in her tone. If only I could embrace her and let her know how grateful I was to have her in my life. If my maid had been like the others, evil and plotting my downfall, I might have given up a long time ago."Let me apply balm to your wounds."My skirt was lifted, and I didn't object. A cold sensation spread over my wounds, causing some pain but also relieving it slightly."Can you get me some water?" I asked
It had been a whole week since I endured the brutal flogging, and although it took some time for my wounds to heal, the pain was gradually subsiding. The queen had exempted me from attending classes and participating in any activities, confining me to my room for recovery.Giselle made a point to visit me every day, despite my clear indication that I wasn't interested in being friends. I couldn't help but wonder why she persisted in wanting to befriend someone like me. Not that there was anything inherently wrong with me, but the people in this place were not fond of forming close relationships with someone of mixed heritage.Martha informed me that Giselle's father held a prominent position in the royal family as the king's uncle, and he was one of the influential figures who held power. Despite her privileged background, Giselle didn't flaunt it. Martha described her as humble, and even though she associated with Belen and her group, she stood out as someone unique."Mi mi!" Giselle