The Modern Princess

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I was roaming around the castle when I stopped by the garden. It's been four days since I have been back to the Chateau and it I am now back to reality-the boredom. I walk around to look at the fresh flowers and pick it by myself. It's the season of flowers so I am really having a light mood today. One thing I love about this place is that it is the only place where I can really really roam around without them following me or wondering where I am.

I picked up the yellow tulips and smelled it. It's a fresh bloom and I love it's vibrant color, then I feel someone's eye looking at me. I looked around and see no one and I tilted my chin up and saw a white shirt, leather jacket and khaki pants hiding on the tree leaves.

"Hey" I greeted and he crammed going down the tree. "Be careful!"

"Duchess, I'm sorry" He said, bowing before me. "I will go now"

"Hey wait" I said and grabbed his hand and awkwardly let go of it.

"Are you slacking off?" I asked

He shook his head."No Madame."

"Then what?"

"It is my day off Madame"

I frown. "And what's the matter if I see you here?"

"No...thing Madame. I just don't think it's appropriate for you to talk with me Madame"

God! He's uptight! "Then sit back" I commanded and he nervously did but before I can sit he called my attention "Madame" and he removed his leather jacket and place it on the ground.

"I'm fine" I said.

"No please Madame" he insisted.

I sighed and said. "Okay" It's kind of him. I sit carefully on the ground like a real princess. I made sure my underwear will not be seen on the dress I'm wearing.

"So, what are you doing here Lawrence?" I asked.

"I just don't want to go out Madame and I don't want to stay at my room." Seriously the Madame is irritating!

"So you decided to be here?"

"Yes Madame".

I smiled and looked around "This is a good place to be when you want to relax" I said.

"I love this" I added.

"It has the perfect view." Indeed it is.

"What's that?" I asked on the spring I saw beneath him.

He pushed it a little farther from his back and answered "Just a scratch Madame"

"Can I?" I asked and offered a hand on him. I can't be wrong, it's a sketch book.

"Madame..." he refused.

"Please?" and he did gave it to me.

The first thing I saw from his sketch book was a landscape of a labyrinth. It was a three dimensional drawing surrounded by lively flowers and the thing that stuns on it was the huge fountain in the middle. So classy. So elegant. So beautiful.

"Woah...This is fabulous very beautiful" I looked at him excitedly. "You've done it?"

He nodded. "It's really beautiful." I amusedly said. The picture looks real. "It was inspired by this garden Madame"

"You think it would complement the house? I'm not good at mix and match" I admitted.

"I think it would Madame, the beauty of the house shall not focus on the outside, I think a house is more beautiful when you saw the beauty inside it" I smiled at him. He surely knows what he's saying.

I look further more on his drawings, houses and more landscapes all of which are beautiful. The next one was, out of his concepts. It was a woman, a smiling woman in the veranda, not too tall, brown eyes, fair skin, with an American-European look..."You've drawn...me?" I asked bemused.

He looked down and hid his face. "I'm sorry your majesty I..."

"Oh my. This looks great" I said. "Wow...I've never seen anyone draw a sketch of me" He has drawn me with the same dress I am wearing now and I remembered going to the veranda earlier to check out the weather.

"Aren't...you...mad Madame?"

"Why would I be? This is an art" I said "and this is perfect"

"Can you...Can you..sign it Madame? Just a remembrance" I was shocked by his favor.

"Well...yeah. I will" I said excitedly.

As I sign his drawing I told him."I would be a fan if you pursue your plans of being an architect. Maybe you can design a house for me"

"You have a nice house Madame" well I was referring on my own and not really something like this.

"Why don't you pursue what you want?" I asked. Shifting the topic elsewhere

"I can't..."

I scowled at him "Why?"

"Our family has been serving this family from my great grandfather and it's been a tradition in our family that one must serve the Royal Family"

"Why does it have to be you?"

"I was the only man Madame"

"What has the Royal Family do with your family?"

"My great grandmother was almost due in pregnancy that time and my great grandfather needed a job, the prince, who was Prince Jeanne's great grandfather snuck out of school and he saved my great grandfather from almost being hit by a wagon and even offered him a job" Debt of gratitude-the most expensive debt.

"Don't you think it has been paid a long time?"

Before he can say the word I already said it "Because it's a tradition" I rolled my eyes again. "Everybody breaks the tradition"

"Then why you didn't?" My jaw dropped and it took awhile before I recover. How did he know about it? Wait, does he even know about it? Are we talking about the same thing? This marriage?

"That was supposed to be a question your highness...I mean...if you were me...will you break the tradition?" he stammered

He abruptly stood up and said "I will leave now Madame. Have a great day" and walk away briskly.

Leaving me behind I managed to close my mouth. He's right. Why did I not break it? Why did I agree with it? I know my reasons of course. Because I find it challenging, because I have nothing thrilling to do with my life and because...of him.

"Hey" I almost jumped from my seat when I heard it. Oh my God it's Jeanne.

"Hey" I tried to sound normal he bend over and kissed me on the forehead."What are you doing here? And what's that?" s**t. Lawrence forgot his jacket.

"I was talking with Lawrence awhile ago then he left. I forgot to give him back his coat." He didn't replied, instead he pressed a grim line on his lips.

"Are you okay?" I look at him quizzically.

"Yeah" he said and looked away for awhile looking at the garden, then helped me stand up. I got a little out of balance because of the flower on my one hand as I try to pull the jacket on the other, but he managed to hold me by my waist, his chest attached to mine and we felt each other's heartbeat. I tilted my head up, encouraging him to press a kiss on my lips...and I was not disappointed he gently pulled me and descended his head on mine, making all the butterflies in my stomach fly. We silently looked at each other then he pressed a short kiss on my lips.

"I missed you" he said, I breathed with my eyes still closed I replied "I missed you too" and the first thing I saw was his beautiful smile.

"I got flowers to put inside our room" I said and we walk together, his hand on my waist."Let's go put that in"

"Why was he there?" he asked. Could you not ask that? I'm still busy remembering our kiss. Hey! I didn't said that!

"It was his day off and he was wandering around the palace."

He nodded and replied."I see"

----------

After I showered I looked thoroughly and examined my body. Am I getting excess fats now? Since the wedding day I haven't been into sports really. I get the weighing scale to check on my current weight and what the...I gained five pounds now?

I throw away the weighing scale and looked for a sports wear. I have a husband to impress. I mean, I have to lose weight really. Jeez, what am I saying these past few days? I've seen a tennis court nearby and I think I can play there on my own without asking people to leave and vacate the place. Tennis is really my game, well, maybe because of my friends. It was a form of our bonding and somehow, we got hooked on it. I pulled out a white Nike tee and a black Nike skirt, there. Perfect!

"Kathy, where are you going?" Lila asked.

"At the tennis court nearby"

"You will play with whom?"

"With the machine perhaps, unless someone knows how to?" and Lila and Ava looked at each other, conveying a secret message I didn't get.

"You know anyone Ava?" and she didn't respond. What's the matter? "Ava?" I repeated.

"Lawrence knows how Duchess" Ava uttered.

This is good. I'm playing with a man! I turned to Lawrence and asked. "Really? So can we play then?"

"I'm sorry Duchess but we are not allowed to play with the royal family" he hesitated.

I scowled "Why?"

"It's an order Madame" I rolled my eyes. Shitty orders. I bet he's the only one following those.

I tried to be calm and smiled at him. "Please? I don't want to just play with no one"

"And I'm not really good at it ma'am" Excuses!

"I'm not too, I just want to play"

"But..." he turned and looked at Ava and Lila.

"Don't worry, I am in charge with this, go get your things then"

"Duchess..."

"It's an order" All rules have exceptions and the exception for this rule? It's K-A-T-H-Y.

Lawrence tried his very best to stay away from me as we walk towards the court and it is somehow irritating. Am I contagiously sick or something? When we finished warming up I called him and said. "Don't worry Lawrence this is on me" I guess he's thinking that he'll be fired for breaking the rules.

Game one. All set, and I smashed the ball that's it. Game on. We've agreed it to be best of three only. I don't think I still have the stamina if I make it five. With his posture and moves I think Lawrence is good at Tennis. The first score was mine, but I didn't felt good on that. He intentionally missed it.

"Do not let me score that easy, if you lost, I'll fire you" I said, he seemed to let me score because I'm his boss.

Three rounds wasn't that easy for me, because he gave me a thirty on the first round I won on that, but the second and third? Damn I only got thirty on both.

He handed me the towel and a Gatorade "You really aren't good at it, you are great at it!" It's been awhile since I played like this, like I played with a pro. I'm not telling that Sophia and Josh aren't great, it's just that I think we haven't practiced a lot lately.

"Thank you Duchess" he humbly replied.

"Call me Kathy"

He froze in horror giving me Oh no this means trouble look "That is a form of disobedience from the rules have Duchess and it is a sign of disrespect" He stammered. Another shitty rule.

"You know what you are very intact." I said frankly, Sophia's right.

"I am just following the rules"

I smirk. Let's see what we can do with that rules "Ava" I called out.

"Yes Duchess?"

"How do you call me whenever it's just us?" and she looked at Lawrence

"Kathy"

I shot an eye on him. "See? I ask them to call me by my name" and I ask them to hide it to Jeanne.

"Duchess, the Duke will..."

"Sure get angry at you if you don't call me duchess, but he wouldn't know, Call me Kathy, you understand?"

He didn't answer. "Please?" I said.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes Kathy" he sounds hesitant. Who's the exception to the rule again? K-A-T-H-Y.

Ava served us Nacho chips individually, I pushed the other to Lawrence and I looked at him like he's gonna die if he doesn't eat it and my killer glance worked. He took a bite of it.

"How long have you been with the royal family?" I asked casually.

"Five years and counting" as far as I remember Lawrence is a year younger than Jeanne. So if he's twenty nine now he's been with the family since twenty three? He wasted his life!

Then I remembered... "You said your family has been serving our family right? What's your father's name?"

"John"

"John? As in John the Duke Henri's assistant?" He nodded. Does he know about the marriage? If I ask he'll know about it!

"Well, until when are you planning to serve us?"

"I treasure my work Madame...err...Kathy. It's also a privilege to work with my country's Royalty."

"And you should treasure your expertise in drawing too"

"I'll get you a drink." he said avoiding my suggestion. I will not give up until you pursue Architecture Lawrence.

I've been in different exhibits and I think Lawrence's ideas about structures are brilliant and he can even draw great landscapes, well about the portrait I'm not so sure since I've only seen my face in his portrait and I have nothing to compare it into.

What people do not know about me, which Jeanne doesn't know too is that I am a painter too but I haven't sold any of my works, some of them I give as a gift when my friends ask so and I can still count the people I've given my paintings into-Sophia and Tessy. I have a big warehouse in the old house where my paintings are in. Trina's the only person allowed to get in, though I know her granddaughter has already been in the place, she admires my skills in painting.

"Thank you" I said as Lawrence gave me the bottle. His face says that he still doesn't want to talk about the Architecture thing. Okay I will drop it...just for today.

After taking a gulp from my drink I asked him, "What about another round?"

He smiled and stood up. "Sure"

I walk by his side "I'll surely beat you this time" I teased.

"I love my job Kathy" and we both laughed but the laughter immediately vanished when I saw a white collar shirt and black shorts coming. Why did I not feel good when he came?