MY TREASURED DESIRE

Chapter TWENTY-NINE: What A Scandal II

31st Day After Alexa’s Rescue.

Crown Prince Reynold Chang’s POV.

5:10 am Local Time (9:10 pm. UTC).

Imperial Palace, Oval Office of the Crown Prince.

I was dressed, ready for work. I took my seat at the head of the 12-seater dining table in my Personal Office’s inner chamber, sipping my coffee but thinking about what the day holds. My Personal Assistant arrived and picked up my briefcase but returned halfway.

“There is a minor drama at the entrance. I guess Miss Greta Merkel wants to see you urgently. I wonder how she was so sure you have arrived at the office. Should we allow her in, Your Highness,” he whispered. But I just waved him on, meaning ‘there is no harm.’

Miss Greta Merkel presented herself before me, knowing that Alexa George-Orji had left – a day ago - from Achaia. She started a drama, feigning ignorance of the source of the misery packaged in a particular parcel, which she brought to my office. And she slammed the package on the carved table. So, I asked with a gesture of surprise and lack of understanding of the issue at hand:

“Meaning?”

She grabbed the brown, padded envelope, and brought out a letter, a photograph, and a DVD pack. And she started sobbing: “What is this, my love...? We are exposed…”

“Young Lady, I think you are missing something. What is the meaning of this drama? I am not Raymond, and I don’t quite connect,” I also played her game. I had her time today.

“My love, I had seen these: They were privately delivered to me barely an hour ago by one Speed-Post Courier Agent.” She wiped her tears and shoved the letter at me. I did not collect it.

I told her frankly, “Sister-in-law, if there is something you need me to know, bring it out plainly.”

“Did you just call me ‘Sister-in-law’? Our parents made a proper arrangement for both of us to be gainfully married. And we agreed at a talk in my residence, and worked out our compatibility on bed… Did you not enjoy what we had? This is the result!” she ranted shamelessly and pushed the letter again. I thought coldly within myself: “She has the alluring beauty without the needed gumption for a modest way of civilised living. What a shame!” So, I cut in, to save our time:

“I do respect you a lot, Miss Greta Merkel. Why are you walking on deliberate falsehood? Raymond knew his family well. We do not hide anything from one another. So, he can agree on anything. He is agreeing to marry you, not for someone else. Please, could we discuss like purposeful adults?”

She moved closer and draped her right arm on my shoulder, giving me a peck on the forehead. She eventually drew a carved gold-plated dining chair closer to me and sat. She continued: “You took advantage of me and passed me on, to your General… Is that fair, future emperor?”

“Please, believe my words for it. I do not have any interest in arranged marriages. Maybe you do, it is a matter of choice. And you have no wrong in that… Now, let us be reasonable and get this ignoble matter straightened out: When the King asked me to come and see you and discuss our future together, I reasoned like a future emperor. Raymond had told me about his love for you and those close-shave encounters with death - at your university - to save your life and safeguard his love for you. He even told me about the fact that you were willing to marry him…”

“Hmm. Sensible, my love!”

“Are we discussing, or do you want to play around some more?”

“Let’s hear you out, my love.”

“…Make me comfortable, Miss Merkel.”

She looked straight into my eyes and said: “A king is always fair to his subjects. He also grants them their hearts’ desires that make living more desirable. I fell in love with my crown prince, not his look-alike protégée.”

“But you led his protégée on and caused him to fall in love with you. Then, for a spurious reason, you now wish to send him to his early grave… You are wealthy, influential, and beautiful. Do you derive joy in destroying others for your selfishness? That guy loves you. I never gave you any false hope, Miss Greta. Making love to you would never cross my mind if I do not wish to marry you. And, I can say the same for Raymond. He has a good heart. Do not break his heart.”

“Raymond is also wealthy, looks every inch like the man I need in my life… But you want his happiness and my failure… Does your alibi explain why you used me, and passed me on to your lover-boy cousin?” Greta is a difficult nutshell to crack!

“Please, do not get me wrong, Miss Merkel. I was trained to have an eye for justice and fair play,” I gave a statement of truth to pave way for my upcoming lie. Here I go: “On that day that we should meet, I considered that you both love one another. But I reckoned that our parents would want to have their way to spoil our future. So, I asked him to come to your house… Did he force himself on you? I will get justice for you if that is true.”

Something seems to hit Miss Greta Merkel. She looked at my eyes and shed tears that I dare not try to clean up: for I would be trapped in her chess game. Or, has the iron been melted? By what? Then, she spoke:

“So, this is all that I mean to you? A cheater and hard-hearted girl?”

“No, Dear… Raymond loves you so much. But you hate him, just because you wanted the position of an empress by marrying his brother who loves someone else! What kind of life of misery do you want for me as an emperor? Please, be kind to us and our nation, Greta Darling!”

She was quiet for about thirty minutes. But I must wait for her to exhaust all her alibi. She knows that she never loved me, but the power and honour that goes with marrying the next emperor.

“But…” she wanted to speak but saw me taking a peep at my wristwatch. Then, she paused.

“I am so sorry, Dear Sister… My morning has been planned but I must hear you out. Read your letter if you believe I should be concerned.”

Greta spoke quietly as only a person affected by chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behaviour would: “We made hot love to each other, you and I… And we enjoyed it. Now, here, you are denying that you ever had a mutual relationship with me?” Then, after gently shaking her head for a while, she said, “You think I am a psychopath?”

I was shocked about her reasoning, even when I know that she was normal to feel as she does, right now. But I also know that she was not sure that it was not Raymond all through. I prepared myself for the worst since she might be what she thinks I thought about her… I am so sorry for hiding my truth. Revealing it will let me lose my happiness forever. I will also lose ‘my brother’ who loves this woman more than his own life! However, by mutual consent with Raymond, Greta could become free if Raymond is sure that she would be happier away from him.

Oh God, please forgive me: I promise not to ever commit this error again… Nothing is wrong with my faith in Buddha. However, I promise to do what my fiancé wanted… to become a Christian like my sister and worship Buddha in a different way… It is a vow, O God! I promise you; I must fulfil it… Just free me from this seductress!

She looked at me tenaciously. Then, she slapped my left cheek, not too hard. I stood up and feigned being afraid of her, to prove that she was a psychopathic patient. I felt as if some short needles stung my face at that slap. But I was not feeling as hurt as that. So, I listened as she spoke with high emotion: “I can be a gambler that you would not have anything to do with until I change, but do not make a madwoman out of me,” She pleaded. But I know that she was trying to find the truth. So, I held her close to my chest for about ten minutes…

“All things work together for the good of those who love God, and are ‘the called’, according to His will,” I said, stroking her blonde head. I try to sound sympathetic: “I understand how you feel. I also know the solution to this logjam!”

She suddenly pushed me back after hearing my words, and said… “Is that in your Holy Books? You are becoming confusing. What has come upon you?”

“Buddha is Holy!” I said and pulled her back to her seat as I sat before her. “Well,” I started. “God has called you to fulfil a mission. But he also did not want you to lose out completely!”

“What are you…”

“You had a mental picture of your Mr. Right… But our human wishes are not God’s command, Okay? Imagine that God did send Raymond to your house, and you consummated your love. He is the real man you saw and crushed after. It’s just that he is not the crown prince. You can’t love someone without having contact with him, can you? So, this is the first time we are having any real contact… And, if you choose to let go of a mirage and hold on to the substance – That will be good for all of us!”

She seemed calm. But my third sense feels that something remains to be solved. She came here claiming that “we” were exposed, and she had wanted to whip some emotions. But now, I seem to have turned the table.

“I am sympathetic towards you, Miss Greta because my brother’ is deeply involved, psychologically… And you are not bad for him at all,” I tried to flatter her to squeeze out what was on her mind. But she remained quiet. Her eyes were fastened on me! But I continued speaking, unaffected: “I am sorry that our resemblance has caused some disorderly jumble here. Would you love to read your letter…? But remember, Raymond is the right person to hear you out. What do you think?”

“A gambler was not good for an emperor. She is only good for his protégé… Thank you for listening so far…” She rose to leave, but I held her hand tenderly to say:

“I am truly sorry. Please make my brother happy! You will be fulfilling a condition of love… I know that you love Raymond too. It may not be as he does for you! Should I feel free to call you ‘my sister-in-law’?”

She smiled dryly and said: “With honest, due honour to the beautiful man behind this façade, I won’t like to be rude. Let me say it mildly: ‘soothe yourself’!”

She turned around and swerved her beautiful gait away from my residence. I waited for the gate beep to be assured that she had left the Crown Prince’s gate. Of course, she might go straight to Raymond. They are well acquainted! Her pranks with me cannot work again, as God has decided, and I will fulfil my vow. I picked up my phone to dial Raymond…

31st Day After Alexa’s Rescue.

General Raymond Chang’s POV.

6:20 am Local Time (10:20 pm. UTC).

Imperial Palace, Office of the General Officer Commanding, A.S.S.S.

The ASSS Headquarters, Achaia.

I do have a tab on my cousin’s office, and he knows that I must monitor the events at the Crown Prince’s Office. I am convinced that the Prince and Greta Merkel have agreed that this parcel contained a salacious DVD, which is aimed at destroying their public image.

“Oh, My Lord!” I responded to my cousin’s call.

“She is likely to be on her way to your office. Be assured of success,” he re-assured!

“She maintained that she had a relationship with you!” I regorged about what I monitored from his office. “Then, I will convince her about your standpoint. I will ask her about why anyone that is not a psycho should want to make a s*x video about two people that never had any amorous relationship, too.”

The crown prince might have succeeded in convincing Greta that she only had an affair with only me... But how would he be able to steer her from her main mission – To make them get married to cover up the impending scandal that she created?