CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
1690 Words
Chapter Seventeen
Celine sips the drink poured into a small mug they called teacup. As the liquid went through her throat, she tried her best to appreciate the taste.
She stared at the green water in the cup, the water she heard they called tea.
‘I don’t like it,’ she commented in her mind as she eyed them.
“Everyone, this is Celine,” Veronica announced as she smiled at Celine.
“…It’s a pleasure to meet everyone,” Celine said with her usual facial expression—an unreadable one.
“So, tell me, my lady, how was travel with his majesty felt like?” a lady asks her.
‘Hmm, it seems like they don’t know that real deal here aside from the former empress and the princess,’ her mind said as she stared back at the lady.
“It’s...fun, my lady,” Celine replied shortly.
“Celine, may I ask how old you are?” another lady asks.
‘Should I just answer with I don’t know? Or, just say that I’m the oldest in the table?’ Celine’s mind uttered.
“Oh, lady Margarett, you’ve been so working out with questioning our special guest, mind if I ask how are you these days?” Elena asks changing the topic.
Celine breathes as she eyed Elena who smiled at her.
‘Looking at her, she doesn’t look like she had children at all. What a splendid beauty, it must have been the reason why Master is undeniably handsome at all, come to think of it, I did not see his father?’ Celine thought.
“Oh my, it’s an honor that your majesty is curious about my days, well I’ve been quite sickly these days but fortunately, I’ve been okay thanks to the supplements you have been suggesting,” the lady replied.
“Oh, it’s good to hear that,” Elena responded as she chuckled, “It’s been a while since I saw you, Monica,” Elena uttered as she smiled at the lady sitting directly opposite Celine.
“Ah, yes it is your majesty,” Monica replied and smiled as well.
“How have you been?” Veronica asks as she smiled at her.
“I’ve been doing well, princess,” Monica answered as she sips her tea gracefully.
“Oh, by the way, Lady Astrid, I heard that you receive a marriage proposal last week?” Elena asks excitedly as she claps her hand in joy.
“Ah yes, your majesty, I’ve receive a marriage proposal from the Hernandez family last week,” the lady replied with slightly reddish cheeks.
“Hah, in the case of my daughter here, I’ve been finding a good match for her and I can’t choose because of too many options!” Elena uttered as she massage her temple.
“Mother, you shouldn’t say such embarrassing things,” Veronica commented.
‘Why am I here? I can’t relate,’ Celine’s mind uttered as she force herself to empty her teacup.
“Your majesty, how about his majesty the emperor?” a lady asks.
“Oh, yes, I’ve been persuading him to find a good woman, and I badly want to see my grandchildren before I die,” Elena answered making the others chuckled.
“It’s also been hard for us since my brother is hard to persuade,” Veronica commented as she sips her tea.
“Well, the emperor is very handsome indeed, actually he is the most handsome in this empire followed by the three kings. I know a lot of ladies who want the emperor to be their husband,” Celine heard the other lady said.
“Yes, yes, I am quite aware of it, it’s just that my son Mathew is really hard to handle and too focus on his responsibilities as the emperor,” Elena replied.
“Your majesty, Lady Monica here is a good woman, I’m sure she is fit to his majesty’s wife,” a lady commented.
“Oh no, I am…” Monica uttered but was cut by the former empress.
“Oh yes, Lady Monica is a very fine lady,” Elena uttered as she smiled at her.
Celine remained silent and just listened to the whole conversation. But deep inside her, she badly wants to lay down on her bed and just sleep. She can’t relate to the topic and cannot understand them, at all.
Someone who was sealed for a hundred or a thousand years cannot relate to worldly topics like they do. So, she cannot determine why her existence needed to be at this table.
‘Why am I here in the first place? It’s not like I could add something in their conversation and I cannot drink this weird drink for long!’ her mind uttered while she remained composed the whole time.
“How about Celine?” Monica asks.
Celine eyed the lady who’s already staring at her.
“…Pardon, I didn’t hear much,” she replied.
“Oh, I’m asking if ever you had received any marriage proposals,” Monica responded.
Everyone at the table became silent waiting for her reply.
‘Hmm, how should I answer?’ she thought.
“…I don’t see myself getting married,” Celine answered without a second thought and without breaking her calm facial expression.
Everyone was surprised by her response.
“As you can see, Celine here is a lady of independence,” Elena announced.
“…Yes, yes, it's quite…obvious, your majesty,” Monica replied as she eyed Celine.
Suddenly there was an unexpected silence as they stared in awe at someone behind her. Celine remained calm for she knows who’s the person behind her.
“Mother,” she heard Mathew uttered.
“Oh, my beloved son is here,” Elena responded.
Everyone including Celine stands in their seats and greeted Mathew.
“Your majesty, it’s good to see you here,” Monica said as she smiled at him.
“Yes it’s good to see you as well,” Mathew replied as she eyed Celine.
“Mother, sister, I’m afraid I need to take Celine away from you,” he said as he smiled at Celine.
“Oh, it's fine, Celine?”
Elena called.
“Yes, your majesty?” Celine replied to her.
“It’s good that you’re here. Thank you for spending your time with us,” Elena uttered as she smiled brightly at her.
“It’s my pleasure, your majesty,” she replied.
“Celine,” Mathew called.
“Yes?”
“Shall we go now?”
“Yes we should,” she replied as she walks with him.
As they walk away, Celine can still feel their stares on her back.
“I can see that the emperor and that girl, Miss Celine is very close with each other,” Lady Margarett commented.
“Yes, they were, after all, they are with each other quite a lot for the past few days,” Veronica replied as she smiled and stared at them walking away from them.
Monica who remained silent and watching the two of them walking away from the table was listening to the other ladies’ conversation while her eyes were still looking at them until they exited the garden.
Meanwhile, Celine and Mathew were already walking along the grand hallways of the castle.
“So, what did you talk about there?” Mathew asks her.
“Random things that I cant relate to,” she replied with a blank expression.
Mathew laugh.
“Like what?” he continued to ask.
“They talk about how handsome you are that a lot of ladies they know wanted to be your wife,” Celine answered without second thoughts.
He laughs again.
“And?”
“They said that the lady named Monica is a perfect fit for you,” Celine uttered as she eyed him.
“Oh, that’s…”
“You should probably start to think about marriage master, your mother said that she wanted to see her grandchildren before she pass away,” Celine continued to say as she shrugs her shoulders.
“I’m not thinking about that right now,” Mathew replied.
“Well, if that’s my master's decision, I’m not in the position to oppose,” Celine responded.
“How about the tea? Did you like it?” He asks.
“…I don’t like the tea,” Celine answered as she felt her stomach swirl in displeasure for remembering the odd taste of what she drank a while ago.
‘I can see that everyone enjoyed it, except me,’ her mind commented.
Mathew chuckled when he heard her response.
“I figured it out, I think you would like coffee more,” Mathew suggested.
“…coffee?”
“Tea is not that bad, but I like coffee more,” he said as he smiled at her.
“Oh.”
“Then, when you discussed me in my mother’s tea party. I would like to ask a share of your opinion about my looks?” Mathew asks as he smiled playfully at her.
“What are you talking about master?”
“I would like to know if, am I handsome for you, Celine?”
“Pardon?”
“I just want to know,” he uttered and shrug his shoulder.
“Do I stand as a kind of confirmation for you to know if you really are good-looking or not?” she asks.
“Your point of view is what matters to me,” Mathew answered.
“…… I always believe that looks don’t matter,” she uttered, “However, a glance of you makes me want to ignore that principle.”
Mathew smiled brightly.
“Then just ignore that,” he uttered and chuckled.
She did not respond anymore.
“Oh, by the way, have you choose what to wear for the grand banquet tomorrow?” he asks.
Celine blink twice and stared at him as she stops from walking.
“Pardon?” Celine uttered.
“I ask if you want to attend the banquet, Celine,” Mathew replied.
It took her a while to answer.
‘Why would I attend such an event?’ she ask herself.
- Writer
