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“But true,” I replied winking.
“You stated that you are leaving, and yet I do not see you leaving,” my mother declared.
“Forgive me, I am going now,” I said, opening the door and stepping into the dim hall where only my mother’s assistant stood, waiting. How had it become morning so fast?
“Adelaar,” she said, bowing her head, pretending as if she did not know what had happened from the state of my appearance this morning.
All I could do was nod, walking back toward my rooms, praying my mother would spare her.
This was mortifying.
I had never been in a situation like this, not even with my mother. And to make it worse, I was trapped. My clothes were too far away, and I couldn’t exactly just hop back into them as Gale had. So, I sat there in bed, holding the sheets for dear life as she turned back to me, a frown on her face so deep my mom would scream about wrinkles.
“Yesterday, you promised you would dedicate yourself to following the rules and that you would work to be an asset to my son, to this family, and not disappoint me. Now, here I am, not even twenty-four hours later, disappointed.” Her voice was calm but only slightly.
“I apologize that you are disappointed,” I said gently, looking over my hands instead of her face.
“But no apology for making me so? I see from what you said that you have learned the difference between forgive, apologize, and sorry. And I noticed neither you nor Gale seems to regret your actions.”
There was nothing to regret. In fact, I wanted him back here with me. But I could not say that, so I just kept silent.
I did not want to look into her eyes, but I did anyway. “Your Majesty, to be honest, you can’t make me feel ashamed about this. I am very embarrassed you saw it, but I’m not ashamed about being with him.”
“I am not asking you to be ashamed, Odette,” she snapped but took a deep. “I am asking you to be smart.”
“I—”
She tossed a newspaper onto the bed. Not understanding what she meant, I picked up the paper only to see a photo of myself on one side and Sophia, dressed in black with a black veil over her face, on the other side. I could make out some of the words and sentences on the paper, but not all of them. It was enough to tell it was utter crap. The things they said I said or did weren’t true.
“Before the sun even came up, my son was notified about this, and he ordered no papers to be in the palace today and for no one to speak of it. Do you know why?”
Slowly, I looked back up to her, but she did not give me a chance to speak.
“He did so to protect you. He did not want you to see it. And I cannot fault him for that. It is a prince’s nature to worry about his future wife. It is a future wife who is supposed to give him the confidence not to worry. If that was not already enough to start this morning, I was woken with the news of the prince entering your rooms last night. Do you not think it is embarrassing for me to walk in on my son as I have? The image of him like that is not one I ever want to have, and yet I am here. Why? Not because I wish to be an evil queen or mother-in-law to you. I did not come here to help Gale, but to help you.”
“Me?”
She nodded. “One day, you will be queen, Odette. Do you want the newspapers tomorrow to say that you seduced the prince and kept him locked away in bed with you on your first night in the palace? That you distracted him from his duties and also ignored centuries of customs and traditions?”
I stared at her, gaping. “I—”
“You did not seduce him. He seduced you? Odette, have you not read history? It is normal for the kings and princes to indulge in whatever they like. That is not scandalous. ‘Bad’ women, ‘bad’ queens, are. Who did what first does not matter; it will be your fault anyway. Everything will somehow connect to you. The Adelaar was late to a meeting? It was Odette who stopped him from coming. Sophia cried? It was Odette who caused it. No matter how famous you were before, it pales in compassion to being a queen consort. You will be written about and studied by others for generations. What you wear, what you say, what you do—that is now part of this country’s history. And you being of the skin tone you are, the country you are, will be written about, spoken about, and especially lied about, more than any other queen, I am sure. Do you want to give them more ammunition? Do you want them to write about this?”
I shook my head. Each time she said my name, it felt as though she were smacking me.
“Then follow the rules and protocol as if it were holy scripture. You do not have to be a virgin, but you are going to have to act like one,” she said blatantly. “Even after you two are married and have children, you will still have to act like one. However, until that time, do not let my son’s charms get to you and do not charm him yourself. You may show you love each other. Even kiss. But nothing more until you both are married. Understood?”
“I understand.” Even though we were married already—that secret got harder and harder to keep. But I also understood her point. And a smart part of me was grateful for her reality check.
“Good. Now, you will bathe and prepare for your day while a few of my maids clean this room. No one will know of today. I have already had a rumor spread that you were saddened that I told you to abandon your singing career, and as such, Gale came to talk to you last night and returned to his room afterward. It will not put you in a better light, but still, it will be better than the truth,” she said and walked to the door. “Do not disappoint me again, Odette.”
Is that possible when I do not know all of the rules yet? I thought as she left. Lifting the paper, I stared at the photo again.
Would people really believe this?
