The king kept on staring at me as I desperately tried to remember what Cora had taught me. This was not a simple dinner, this was a test and I was about to fail it. I could not recall what piece of cutlery was used with what dish, where I was supposed to lay my napkin, or how I had to address the people around me, especially the king.
"Are you comfortable in the room I gave you?" He asked as the servants poured wine into our glasses.
His voice drew me out of my worries.
"Yes," I replied curtly, before taking a sip from my glass.
I didn't normally like the taste of wine, but I was nervous, and maybe a little alcohol would help ease my nerves or help me remember my lessons.
The first dish arrived and I had no idea what piece of cutlery to ta
I woke up in a bad mood, I wanted to go home and forget I ever knew this place. Cora misinterpreted my moody behavior as annoyance because I had not spent more time with the king the night before. She was so wrong! She was so devoted to the king that she thought everyone felt the same way. In her mind, it was impossible for someone not to love him as much as she did, so, of course, she had no clue about my real feelings for Gregory.We continued with the lessons, this time I put more attention, I did not want to go through what I did the night before and forget everything I learned under pressure. Cora appreciated my extra effort.After the lessons were over, Arlene and Sadie brought more dresses for me, it seemed like their only goal in life was to sew. I enjoyed their visits, apart from Cora, they were my only distractions.
Hours later, when Cora brought my breakfast, I told her about what I had witnessed. My maid’s face blushed as I spoke, so I immediately guessed that she knew exactly who that woman was.“We should not speak about unpleasant matters…” Cora whispered as she picked up the tray to leave the room.Desperate to know what was happening, I did something I had never done before.“Tell me what you know, Cora, it is an order from your future queen,” I stated firmly.Using my power in such a way made me feel dirty but I had no choice, I had to know who that woman was. Cora sighed, aware that she had no choice but to tell me.“Her name is Constance Labelle, she is married to the kingdom’s doctor. Believe
The morning of my coronation, I was strangely calm. Thinking about what was going to happen step by step helped me not to lose my mind. Cora had explained to me in detail everything that was going to happen: first I was going to be crowned in a formal ceremony here at the castle, then I was going to go out in a carriage through the streets of Dranda so people could see their new queen, after that I was coming back to the castle to have a big celebration with the members of the court, the party was going to last all day and at midnight there was going to be fireworks. The idea of having an entire kingdom celebrating me was intimidating but at the same time made me feel proud. For the first time in my life, I felt special.I made sure I looked impeccable more than ten times before leaving my room, Cora accompanied me to the antechamber of the room where the coronation ceremony was going to take place and there we waited patiently f
Once at the castle, we went to the ballroom, where our select guests had already begun to celebrate without us. We could hear the music and laughter even before entering.People started clapping as we came in, everyone’s sight was fixed on me. They were analyzing every aspect of me, my dress, my hair, the way I moved and smiled. Their scrutiny was overwhelming but I did my best to remain calm.Instead of approaching me as I expected, the people in the ballroom started to form a line. Gregory took me by the waist and led me to a seat at the side of the room where the line started. I then remembered that Cora had explained to me that people were going to bring me many presents to show me their appreciation for their new monarch. So they were going to introduce themselves at the same time they were giving me a present.
It was time for dinner and I had to sit next to Gregory at the enormous rectangular table.“Are you having fun?” He asked while stroking my hair."I guess," I replied without enthusiasm shrugging my shoulders.“You guess? Wow, do not be afraid to hurt my feelings. I mean, I just spent the last few weeks planning every detail of this party so that everything would be perfect, not a big deal,” he commented sarcastically.I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and said nothing.The knights and their families sat at the table with us. While everyone was chatting with each other, I just ate in silence and listen to their conversations. No one at the table seemed to be offended by Gregory's jokes and sarcastic remarks, everyone treated their king with great affecti
After the fireworks, we went back to the ballroom. Gregory seemed to be having a lot of fun and the party continued until dawn, I felt very tired, my eyes were involuntarily closing and my head ached as a result of wearing the heavy crown since morning.Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.“I am so sorry, I have been truly inconsiderate. I did not think you were so tired. Come on, let me take you to your bedroom.”Gregory offered me his arm and announced to everyone that we were leaving. The guests that remained bowed as we left the room. As soon as the doors of the ballroom were closed, Gregory lifted me in his arms as if I were light as a feather."This is not necessary... I can walk," I said nervously."Nonsense, you were yawning so much everyone could see your insides," he joked with a smug smile. “I do not wan
I woke up feeling excited, this was my first day as queen. I did not know what to expect, I got up early despite staying up late the night before. I walked to the balcony and stared at my garden, wondering what the day had in store for me.Cora came into the room with my breakfast and helped me get dressed. I decided to wear a navy blue dress and the pearl necklace that Norton and Mary Terese Caldwell gave me at the coronation.Once I was ready, Cora led me to the Queen's Hall. As Gregory had explained to me, that room was the place where I would attend to my affairs. Many people would come to visit me and ask for things from me, they would try to win my sympathy so that when the king denied them something I would support them and persuade him to change his mind. My poor subjects had no idea that it was useless, I had no influence over my husband and I would never have it. I was just anot
That afternoon I received a most welcome visit: Margaret Lewis. We met in a small room next to the Queen's Hall. It was an intimate place where we could not be disturbed and only Cora was allowed to enter. We sat down around a small round table adorned with flowers."Did you have a good first day, Your Majesty?” she asked as Cora served us tea.“I do not think ‘good’ is the right word to describe it,” I replied evasively.I did not feel like talking about Fiona's accusations. Either way, Margaret and the rest of Dranda would soon find out what had happened. I was sure the witness would take care of spreading the news across the kingdom soon enough.We talked for a while about different topics, about the kingdom, the coronation, and about Margaret's daughter, Carmen. Margaret