The Changeling Queen

Chapter Six

"You look lovely, Your Majesty. I'm sure your daughter will understand the delay," my Lady's maid tells me as she finishes putting up my hair, fixing it before I have to go to my lunch with the Princess. "I told the kitchen that you two would be dining together for lunch. I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty."

"I don't mind as long as it means that they ensured that there will be appropriate food," I say, trying to sound detached. I wish that I had seen more of the Queen in the game because with only the tidbits I saw and the option boxes, I feel like I'm drowning trying to impersonate her.

"O-of course, ma'am," she says, a stutter in her voice. "I will make sure that they did, if you'd like to meet your daughter in the parlor before going to lunch."

"Yes, do that," I say as I stand up, checking myself in the mirror one more time before I make my way to the parlor. Luckily, I knew where that was because it was the starting point in the game.

When I get to the parlor, I see the Princess sitting on a couch across the table from Prince Cladius. He has a bright smile on his face, and his laugh is deep and warm. It stops me in my tracks, completely caught off guard.

"Princess Medea, you are quite the character," he says, still laughing as he looks at her with affectionate eyes. "I would be hard pressed to find another woman as charming as you to be my future bride."

"Prince Cladius, you have a silver tongue if I ever heard one," the Princess, my step daughter in this game, giggles as she bats her eyes. Not wanting them to accuse me of eavesdropping, I clear my throat. Both of their eyes turn to me. "Oh, Mother! My apologies. I didn't realize that you were here yet," she says as she stands up, hurriedly curtsying.

"It's fine. Please, continue your conversation. I will instead make my way to the dining room and you can join me when your guest has left," I say with a tight smile before turning to leave.

"Wait!" she exclaims, which catches me off guard enough to stop. "Please excuse my outburst, but might you allow Prince Cladius to join us for lunch?" she asks.

"I would be delighted," I say, trying not to grind my teeth. Great. I'm going to be forced to spend an entire meal in the same room as one of the hottest men that has ever existed, who hates me. "Please, when you two are finished with your conversation, come join me in the dining room."

"Thank you Mother," she says happily before I nod my head, taking my leave.

It takes me a few minutes to find my way to the dining room, where servants were already getting the table ready. "Queen Cahya, we weren't expecting you yet. Please forgive us for taking so long to set up," the man's voice trembles as he almost drops the bowl in his hand.

"I decided to come early to let you know that we will be having a guest join us, so please set a place for Prince Cladius," I explain as I take my seat at the head of the table.

"Of course Your Highness, here," the man came over, getting a wine glass and setting it in front of me before getting the bottle of wine from the middle of the table and pouring it for me. "Please let us make your wait as enjoyable as possible."

"I expect you to," I say as I took a sip of the wine.

I had to force myself not to crinkle my nose. I hated wine. It tasted and smelled like rotted fruit, which was all it really was. However, I knew that there was no way for me to refuse this without it looking suspicious, so I had to drink it. I take just a sip, forcing it down my throat, before putting the glass on the table, much to the man's clear dismay. "Did you not like it, Majesty?" he asks, putting the bottle down. "I can fetch another. I only wish for you to enjoy your meal, and without the proper wine, that wouldn't be possible," he further explains, sounding almost panicked.

"It's fine. I just am not particularly in the mood for wine today," I say to try to curb his mounting panic, likely worried that something will happen to him if he displeases me.

"My apologies, Your Highness. Is there another spirit that I might fetch for you?" he asks as he nervously fidgets with his hands, looking at the bowl he just out down.

I pause, considering if I should actually ask for something else or not. "I wouldn't say not to a spot of gin," I say with a slight smile.

"Gin, ma'am?" he asks, a crease forming between his brows as he asks.

"Is there a problem with what I requested?" I ask with an eyebrow arched, a frown set on my face. It's hard for me to try to mimic the Queen, but I also want to start redeeming myself to make this dream as pleasant as possible, so I guess this is as much a place as any to start changing what she normally does.

"N-no ma'am. I was just a bit taken back is all," the man says before he rushes off to go get me my drink.

Eventually, the Princess and Prince come in, still giggling and smiling at each other. Prince Claudius has a love struck smile on his face as he pulls out the chair for Princess Medea. "There you are, my future Queen," he says as he lingers behind her after she sits, and he pushes the chair back in.

"Thank you Prince Claudius," she giggles, pushing a lock of her golden hair from her face. "You are nearly too good to be true. I am truly blessed that my Mother set up this marriage with you and your parents, otherwise we might never have met."

She looks over at me expectantly, so with my glass of gin in hand, I smile a pursed smile and say, "I am so glad that my step daughter will have such a caring husband. Not all of us are so blessed. I am very pleased to know that I made the right decision with who to entrust her with."

Prince Claudius' upper lip twitches into a momentarily snarl before it drops back into place. "I agree that she is blessed, just as I am with her. If I had had to take the hand of the first woman my parents wanted me to wed, I'd be married to a woman that would never let me into her cruel heart."

I choke as I take a sip of my gin, clearing my throat as I try to process his words. Did he mean that he was first meant to marry me? Surely not. The Queen is a few years older than him, but I guess if his parents just cared about power, maybe it wasn't that big of a deal. She was still certainly young enough to have children.

I give my head a slight shake before putting on that forced smile again. "I don't believe that there is a woman in the world that could resist your charm, Prince Claudius. Now, please, let us begin our meal."