The Changeling Queen

Chapter Fifteen

"Mother, are you alright?" the Princess says in a panic as she runs into the room, following the guards who are currently taking a straining Duke Byron into custody.

I wipe tears from my face, trying to take deep breathes to calm myself. "There was just a bit of a misunderstanding that caused poor Duke Byron to lash out," I say, trying to sound as calm and regal as I feel like I need to be. Why are the option boxes still not popping up for me?

Prince Claudius offers me a cup of tea that he pours himself. "Your Highness, please be honest with your daughter, at least. I don't like the idea of lying to my fiancee."

I force a smile, my hands still trembling as I take the cup from him, turning back to Princess Medea. "Alas, I suppose I might be trying to stay strong for you, dear. I'll admit that I was a bit emotional from Duke Byron getting particularly vile when I rejected his proposal. Please forgive me for not wanting to drag you into this."

She sits beside me, taking my free hand in hers. "I am so sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with that. Besides, we all know that you said you wouldn't get remarried after Father died unless you were as in love with them as you were him. Duke Byron didn't even try to court you. The nerve of expecting you to say yes to him."

Duke Byron is yelling as he's dragged out, about how I led him on and how he had the right to be the King Consort, but I ignore him, as does Prince Claudius. The only one who spares him another glance is Princess Medea. I take a sip of the tea, trying to calm my nerves. It does seem like it's beginning to help, or maybe it's just the fact that I know that I won't have to deal with that awful man anytime soon.

"Are you alright to be on your own?" Prince Claudius finally asks, still standing beside the table, not even taking a seat on the couch across from us.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Thank you. If I need anything, I'll call my handmaiden, or some other servant," I say, with a nod, dismissing them both with a wave of my hand. "My thanks, and apologies, Prince Claudius. I'm sure that you had more exciting plans for the morning."

He wipes his face absent mindedly, smearing the blood from his busted lip slightly onto his chin, though he didn't seem to notice. I wish that he would go get checked out, but he rejected it when I brought it up, so I'm not going to again.

"Are you sure?" Princess Medea asks again, grabbing my free hand once more. "I don't mind staying with you."

"No, truly, you two go have fun with whatever activity you had planned. The gardens are lovely. Maybe go take a stroll," I suggest as I take my hand back and lean forward to put my drink on the table.

Prince Claudius bows to me, which surprises me, before he walks over to offer the Princess his hand. "She will be fine now that that man is gone. Please, do me the honor of accompanying you on a stroll through the gardens."

She hesitates, looking at me again before finally taking his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "Thank you, Prince Claudius. The honor would be all mine," she says in an almost formal voice, a way that I hadn't heard her speak to him before. "I will see you later in the day, Mother. I will come by to check on you."

"Thank you, child. I'll let my Lady's maid know wherever I am so that way she can let you know if you come searching for me," I say through another forced, tight lipped smile. It makes my stomach churn to think about being alone after what just happened, but it's not like Prince Claudius wants to be here, and I still have a bad feeling about Princess Medea, which makes me feel guilty since she seems like she's genuinely worried about me. Maybe I misjudged her.

They both tell me their more formal good-byes before leaving the room. I lean back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Why am I here? Part of me is starting to worry that this isn't a dream, and that I really am Queen Cahya with some kind of strange amnesia that is making me think that I had some kind of other life before this. Could my previous life have been the dream, and this is reality? But if that's true, then why is nothing coming back to me? Everything that I know is something that I played in the game. I guess that that could part of the weird amnesia, my mind creating a way for my brain to process random memories that I might not be able to otherwise. Maybe that's what the option boxes were, too, and that's why they aren't popping up anymore. Maybe my mind is starting to heal so the boxes won't pop up anymore because I don't need them to cope.

"That can't be right," I mumble to myself as I keep staring at the ceiling.

After a little while, I stand up, brushing off my dress almost habitually before making my way to the door of the room. My hand hesitates just a few inches from the handle, but I shake my head, reaching for the handle and letting myself out. The room is now overwhelming, because all I can do in there is feel that man's disgusting hands all over me. The bile that rises up, burning the back of my throat, I have to push down so that way I don't cough it up.

"Your Highness," a soft female voice says from behind me after I step out of the room.

"Oh," I say as I turn around, then smile slightly when I see a young woman. "Yes, how can I help you?"

"That's... that's what I was going to ask you," she says sheepishly, looking down at her feet.

I pause, putting my finger to my chin. I wanted to go to the library, but I didn't want to ask where it is because I thought it would be too suspicious. "Well, I need someone to carry a few books to my room. Will you accompany me to the library?"

She lights up, turning in the direction that I assume the library is in as she says, "Yes ma'am, of course!"