Duchess of Hope

Family Meetings

 ~~~~~Sebastian~~~~~

                Yet another day passed by as Sebastian watched Rebecca have makeup painted on and hair styled. The pain in his chest had only gotten worse in the last two weeks when the family announced that Rebecca would marry Aaron. As the time closed in on them, Sebastian watched as Rebecca seemed to grow sicker and sicker, her health deteriorating. It was hard to watch the woman he loved go through something so difficult, and her family only turned a blind eye to her distress. He remembered what she said the night her family told her she would marry Aaron. ‘Sometimes I think you are the only one that truly cares about me.’

                From the looks of things now, that may be the case. Rebecca had slowly stopped eating her meals, but her parents only passed it off as nerves, unwilling to admit that she was not happy with this arrangement. The thought made him scowl as she stood, her legs wobbling slightly. Even though they wanted her to marry Aaron, they did not seem to think about how it would look if his fiancé looked sickly. Her makeup covered most of her paleness, but it was still noticeable. It was impossible to hide how much weight she lost, though, and he worried even more for her health.

                Feeling his heart constrict again, he watched as she looked into the mirror, her once vibrant eyes dull, her hair slowly falling out, and frowned. There was no way he could just let this farce go on. Knowing he only had a few options he could use, he tried to figure out a plan to get her out of this toxic situation her family had put her in. As she made her way in his direction to the door, she wavered slightly before her legs gave out. Without even thinking, he grabbed her waist and pulled her to a stand, holding her body carefully in his hands.

“Are you okay?” He questioned when she did not meet his eyes. “Becca…”

“I will be fine.” Even her voice lacked its usual radiance. “No need to worry, Sebastian.”

                As she straightened herself again, he could only follow behind her as they made their way to the sitting room where they would have to entertain Royalty for the evening. Sebastian only felt even more anger at this. He did his best to force a smile when he entered the room behind her thinning figure. Within moments, Aaron had his arms wrapped around her before leading her over to an empty seat, far away from her usual spot. If Aaron loved her for who she was, he would notice the look of dismay in her eyes and say something, but Aaron simply sat her down next to him and turned his attention to her parents.

~~~~~Rebecca~~~~~~

                Every time she thought she had run out of tears, more seemed to form at the corners of her eyes. Rebecca felt no need to talk much these days, as there was no point. Her future is in the hands of her parents, not her own. The ‘honor’ of being Royal outweighing the happiness of her family. Even when someone spoke to her, she could only manage the barest hints of a vague answer before returning to silence. No one seemed to notice or mind, so that was how she proceeded. Except for Sebastian, who had been watching her this entire evening.

                If her heart were so easily swayed by Aaron’s attempts to woo her, she would have already succumbed to him months ago, but she was so depressed that everything said was not registering. Her head felt woozy, her ears rang, and she felt ill to her stomach, but she could not excuse herself. Finally, looking up from the floor, she locked eyes with Sebastian, whose jaw was so tight she feared him breaking his teeth. Trying her best to offer a small smile only seemed to increase the tension between his brow. At least he could provide a momentary distraction, but she worried for him in this situation. What puts that expression on his face? Was it the situation that had him upset?

                It did not matter. There was nothing he could do to save her from this, she knew. Rebecca was no longer a child. Could no longer hide behind her mother’s skirts when she was afraid, nor could she call on Sebastian to save her. Releasing an inward sigh, she looked back at the floor. For her entire life, she was to be a Prince’s bride. That was what she was told when she was old enough to understand. But none of that mattered to her. She just wanted more time with Sebastian, more time with her parents. She had thought they would feel the same.

~~~~~Aaron~~~~~~

                This was not normal, Aaron thought, looking at Rebecca out of the corner of his eye. She usually was so talkative with her family and friends, which is exactly why he had planned out meetings with all of them like this. But she just sat in her seat, staring at the floor. When he spoke to her, she only seemed to give a vague answer, her family usually filling in what she did not supply. She never looked up from the floor either, staring at it so hard he wondered if it held a secret he did not see. Was she not happy to be with her family while they talked?

“Prince Aaron, see the stitching Rebecca did recently?” It was her mother speaking to him that pulled him out of his thoughts. “She is really quite good at handmade items. When she told me she wanted to learn, I was surprised!”

“Ah, then would you be so kind as to show it to me?” He requested with a smile. “I should like to know of her interests.”

                Aaron had to wonder if she was as good with a needle as Evangeline was. Having a talented wife would be good for him. With his worries over her long forgotten, he continued to have a discussion with her parents. They would marry in less than two months, so all he had to do was hold out until then. Once that wedding took place, she could see more sides to him, the side that was just a man, not a prince. Thankfully, the preparation for the wedding was going smoothly, so he felt quite lucky. Fortune was definitely shining on him lately.

~~~~~Sebastian~~~~~

                Sebastian watched the entire exchange, feeling as though he did not belong. He could not take his eyes off Rebecca, who seemed to find interest in the floor. The longer they had to suffer through this family meeting, the sicker he felt. When she had offered him a weak smile earlier, everything within him was screaming to get her out of this room and away from them. He knew well that her family loved her in their own way. They only wanted what was best for her. But they seemed to have forgotten just who she is as a person, along the way.

                Moving closer to her to be silent support, he watched as Princess Evangeline moved in too. Curious, he wondered what she would say or do and only hoped it would be nothing terrible. Knowing the rumors about the Princess, he did not worry, but with Rebecca’s emotional state in turmoil right now, there was no telling what would upset her. Taking a seat nearby to eavesdrop, he pretended to be focused on the conversation between Aaron and her parents, who moved on to discuss more arrangements for the wedding. Hearing what they had to say, Sebastian wanted to shake his head but did not and focused on the conversation between the Princess and Rebecca.

“Lady Rebecca, are you alright?” Evangeline whispered quietly, causing Sebastian’s heart to speed up as he waited for the answer. “I don’t think anyone else has noticed, but you seem so very sad.”

“I’m fine, Princess,” Rebecca replied softly, her dull eyes meeting the Princess’s, who froze in shock. “Just tired.”

                Princess Evangeline said nothing further, simply looked into Rebecca’s eyes. It was no surprise to him that the Princess was observant, since she trained from childhood to be the Sky Queen. His jaw clenched as the Princess averted her gaze, her face saddened. Princess Evangeline knew something, but was keeping quiet. He wondered if she could become an ally to stop this ceremony before it could start, but shook his head. Despite being the Crowned Princess and Beloved of their future King, Sebastian doubted Evangeline would step in to help in this situation. Odds are, she will want to stand back and allow things to proceed for the sake of the Royal Family.