The Amorous Mate

Chapter 19: The Mansion

“Here you go, your Highness.”

Chelsea looked at the ragged boat that is calmly waiting for them on the riverbank. Unsure of what she will do or feel, she remained her frozen standing while Gwyneth (the woman who is sent by Lord Matthew to company her to their meeting place) is busily folding the curtain cloth used to cover the boat.

Singlehandedly, Gwyneth pulled the boat towards the water as if it was just as lightweight as a paper.

“Uhm … Gwyneth, are you sure that we are on the right place?” Chelsea asked nervously. Her eyes roamed around the place, and it did not tell anything but fear.

“Why, your Highness, are you afraid?” Gwyneth asked.

“Well, yes,” Chelsea answered. She bit her lip, and with hesitation, she ran towards the woman and whispered, “Don’t you know that wolves and vampires might be lurking around the area? They may be staring at us now, waiting for the perfect timing to prey on us.”

Finally hearing the reason why Princess Demeter was feeling frightened, Gwyneth chuckled.

“You will be alright, your Highness,” she said.

“But … you see, we are on the woods. There are no people in the area that we can ask for help. Do you think this is alright?” Chelsea’s eyes wandered around the place once again, and her face is now pale and panicking.

“Your Highness, you should not worry. You may have not asked, but I have been living in this place for a long period of time already. You are the living proof that I am still alive and well.” Gwyneth smiled at the Princess and unhesitatingly rode the boat that is calmly floating on the river’s water.

“Really? Then that means there were no wolves or vampires here,” Chelsea concluded.

When she saw Gwyneth’s hand persuading her not to be afraid in riding the boat, she slowly walked and reached the woman’s hand. Safely, Gwyneth assisted the princess to sit on the boat for a safe sail.

“I’m afraid that is not true,” Gwyneth answered.

“What?! So there really is savage creatures that is lurking in this place?!”

Quickly realizing that Chelsea screamed loudly, she alarmingly covered her mouth with her shaking hands.

“They might have heard us, sure they have heard us.” Her eyes went uneasy as she looked frantically on the surrounding. “We’re doomed.”

The woman on Chelsea’s front, however, has an entirely different aura than what the Princess has. Gwyneth was trying her best not to laugh because it will surely sound impolite to the Princess.

Instead, her small chuckles is intended for the Princess to assure that she should not be afraid.

“Your Highness, do not worry.”

“No, I think I’ve got to go. I have to go back to the city before those creatures would attack and eat me alive. That is … no, I don’t want that to happen.”

Fully decided, Chelsea stood up from the boat and attempted to load out from the transport.

“Your Highness, the Baron Lord’s clear instruction was to bring you to your rendezvous despite to your likings or not. But I will not force you to go with me—yet, I will not take any chance of escorting you back to the city. Forgive me, but you must do it on your own,” Gwyneth said.

“It’s fine, Gwyneth. No worries!” Chelsea shouted as she marched and followed the trail back to the city.

“It is not in my guilt anymore if perhaps those ‘savage’ creatures attack you while in your walk.”

Hearing that, Chelsea suddenly stopped and remained standing frozen, as if she was a pole in the middle of the woods.

Gwyneth once again chuckled. She had admitted to herself that the way the princess was acting is cute—it is far from what she had expected a noble royal would be.

“Again, you may have not asked, but I am to say; I have survived every wolf and vampire attacks I have encountered,” Gwyneth said.

From that, Chelsea has slowly turned back to the direction where Gwyneth was.

“How did you do it?” Pinching and playing with her fingers, she asked.

“Simple, your Highness. I kill them.”

Shocked from Gwyneth’s answer, her eyes widened in grave shock.

“You did what?”

She quickly ran towards Gwyneth and did not even hesitate anymore to ride the boat.

Smiling, Gwyneth said. “I killed them, your Highness. Forgive me, yet never ask why, because I would never want to taint your thoughts with morbid and brutal details of how. Let’s just hope that this trip will be peaceful and safe—but if attacks come, well, I am here to protect you. Why the Lord Matthew would appoint me to this escorting task if I am not capable, should you wonder?”

Soon after that, Gwyneth pulled another encouraging smile before she started paddling their canoe.

The entire trip has been silent in between Gwyneth and Chelsea. Yet, it was an undiscussed agreement for the both of them—Gwyneth loves silence, that is why she lived in the middle of the woods, while Chelsea was busily feeling fascinated as they sailed across the river.

Sailing, Chelsea could not help herself but admire the beauty the deep part of the woods could offer. Yes, somehow it is frightening, but when she started noticing the blooms of wild flowers, the patterned crawls of vines, the sound of the calm river flow, and the song of the tiny birds, her view to the place has massively changed.

“Your Highness, what a lucky day it is, indeed!” Out of nowhere, Gwyneth exclaimed.

Chelsea was a bit flustered from her sudden act, especially when she frantically changed the direction of her paddling so that they could reach the river bank.

“Forgive me, your Highness, but I will be back.”

She quickly unloaded herself from the canoe and ran towards a small field of grasses just near the river. Smiling, she plucked a white flower that is solely standing in the middle of the green grasses.

Its white color is grand, because it seemed like shining and shifting from the colors of white and silver. It has three small petals which reminds her of a clover—but white.

When Gwyneth finally settled back to the boat, Chelsea had curiously asked her.

“Mind if you tell me what is that, to the point that it makes you excited?”

“This is a Moonflower, your Highness. This is a very rare flower because it only blooms in the middle of the woods where the moonlight could reach. We know how hard the light of either the sun or moon could touch the fertile soil of the forest, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but what makes it special aside from it being rare? Is that an herbal medicine?” Chelsea asked as she raised her left eyebrow.

“You have said it yourself, your Highness. Indeed, it was. In fact, a miraculous one,” Gwyneth replied.

“Oh.” Chelsea was left dumbfounded from her reply.

She placed the Moonflower on a cloth pouch strapped on her side. Soon after, they started sailing once again. It did not take them a longer minute before they have finally reached their destination.

Chelsea was awestruck when she saw the ‘meeting place’ that Lord Matthew has been saying.

She was sure she remembered expecting it only a small house or a hut where they could talk about their possible plans. Yet, the place was unexpected.

She did not even imagine that such a huge mansion almost as big as the palace’s mausoleum was standing in the middle of the woods. Yet, the truth was on before her eyes—it is a big mansion that is elaborately designed; colored with silver and gray; and the walls and pillars has patterns of intricately designed sculpture arts.

'It is not just a hut—no, it could never be,' Chelsea thought.

Right before they could unload themselves from the canoe, two handsome and well-built man appeared in their front. They are exposing their hands and arms in order for the women to use as their support when going out from the boat.

“You have finally arrived, Princess Demeter.”

Another man appeared on the women’s far front. Yet this time, Chelsea recognized that it was Lord Matthew. While he stood on her far front, his arms are firmly placed on his back; and his eyes are directly staring at her. She could not deny how attractive the lord is looking.

The sudden flashing of their unexplainable kissing moment at the back of mausoleum has invaded her memory. From that, something warm came rising from her chest, until her cheeks. She quickly shuddered her head to remove the unwanted flashback—but still, as if her body remembers it, she was terrified when she can still feel the traces of his lips crawling on the spot where he had kissed her.

“Are you perhaps fine, your Highness?” Gwyneth tapped Chelsea's arms which became the reason for her to come back to her senses.

“A-Ah, yes. I am fine.”

She forced a smile to appear on her face. Acting as if she was excited, she skipped and ran to Lord Matthew.

“So, what’s the plan?” Chelsea said as she reached beside the lord.

“As what you have planned, Chelsea. We need you to become a real princess. By that means: act, move, and think like a princess,” Lord Matthew replied.

“Okay, that sounds fun.”

“Come inside then, if you think it is.”

Lord Matthew walked and lead Chelsea towards the interior of the grand mansion. She have seen other people outside that is lurking around the area. Some are busily working, some are busily playing—especially children.

She had even seen a group of men that is going to the back of the mansion. All of them are topless, revealing their hard-earned abs, biceps, and pectoral muscles. When those men met her eyes, she panicked and quickly avoided their gazes.

“Forgive me if they would not recognize you as a princess, Chelsea. The people in this mansion are not from the Nightingale Kingdom. They are from other Kingdom you have not yet visited, for sure—even the real Demeter,” Lord Matthew explained while they were aiming to the mansion’s huge doorway.

“Who are they? I mean, what is your connection to them?” Chelsea asked in whispers.

“It is hard to explain, I must say, but I would like you to consider them as my family. We … we have special connections you could not understand by now. Perhaps sooner, you would.”

The inside of the mansion was even more grandiose. It was heavenly designed that Chelsea did not realize she was holding her breath while looking at the almost a fairy tale-like mansion. It is not just beautiful, but clean and shining.

“Wow, Matthew, how the heck this beauty was just placed in the middle of the forest? It should have been outside!” Chelsea exclaimed. “I’m like a real princess living in fairy tales if I live here.”

“There is surely enough reason why this place was hidden from the public. A lot of people in this mansion prefers to live separated from the hustles of the cities.”

Lord Matthew continued walking until he reached one of the many doors found inside.

He carefully knocked as he intently listened on whatever sound that is coming from behind the door.

“Who are you calling—”

“Shh …” Lord Matthew interrupted. He placed his index finger on his lips as a sign for her not to cause any noise.

Sooner than expected, the door wildly banged into open.

“Whatever is your reasons, Jullian, I would never not—” A woman fuming in anger appeared from the suddenly opened door. Yet, her anger stopped when she realized that the knock does not come from someone named Jullian. “Alph—”

“Beatrix, didn’t I ask you a favor yesterday?” Lord Matthew cut her. He then placed his hand beside Chelsea’s waist so that the woman would recognize her presence. “This is your Highness, Princess Demeter Nightingale from the Nightingale Monarchy.”

Beatrix, the woman who seemed the daughter of god of rage, has bitterly looked at Lord Matthew’s hand that is wrapping around Chelsea's waist.

“Oh, is she the one you are talking about, Alph—I mean Lord Matthew?” she asked.

From head to toe, Beatrix scanned Chelsea with her scornful, full of judging eyes. Because of that, Chelsea felt an immediate feeling of being small and powerless.

That made her irritated.

She looked back at the woman with her undefeated scornful glare along with one of her eyebrows raised.

“Nice meeting you, Beatrix. I am Princess Demeter Nightingale, the second Princess of the Nightingale Monarchy,” Chelsea proudly said as if the title she mentioned was truly belonging to her.

“Why, Lord Matthew? It seemed that the Princess likes me the way how I liked her too,” Beatrix sarcastically said. “As if … she was not here, asking for my help.”

Hearing that, Chelsea’s forehead creased. She quickly looked at Lord Matthew with a querying stare.

“What does that woman is meaning, Matthew?” she asked.

“Hah! You just call our Alp—I mean Lord Matthew by just his mere name?! How dare you!” Beatrix snarled.

Yet, as if a puppy, she was quickly tamed when Lord Matthew stared sharply at her.

After that, he turned towards Chelsea. “Beatrix will be the one who will assist and teach you the basic conduct and etiquettes you must remember as a Princess. She knew enough techniques to teach you.”

“What?! Matthew, I think that is definitely a bad idea!” Chelsea disagreeingly exclaimed.

“Whether you like or not, the both of you have no choice but to be along together. You need to ease your strong impressions with each other,” Lord Matthew firmly said. “Beatrix, do your best so that the Princess will learn everything. While you, Princess Demeter, you have to listen and follow her. I believe I have to say you have no buts.”

Now, with a final cold glare from the void eyes of Lord Matthew, he closed the door of the room—leaving both Demeter and Beatrix confused and disoriented.