Princess charming

Episode two

“Good afternoon father” Corinne greeted as she stepped into her father’s study, he looked up from what he was studying to acknowledge her greeting.

“You were absent from breakfast this morning” he said in a matter of fact off tone

“Yes your majesty” she kind of drawled, then added “I am sorry for not informing you before skipping breakfast” not knowing the mood he was in at that moment also not wanting to get on his bad side yet. Because she was sure she would get on that side with what she have brought to discuss with him, she smiled inwardly and rolled her eyes.

“Your mother said you were feeling sick”, Corinne let out a low sigh, God bless her mother.

“Yes, I was father”

“And now?”

“I’m feeling kind of better now father, thank you”. He nodded and turned his attention back to the documents he was studying before she came in.

“Papa, are you too busy now? I have something to discuss with you”. He put down the documents again and looked at her from above the rim of his glasses.

Corinne immediately felt tentative, she wasn’t as close to her father as her elder sister was. He was always too ‘busy’ with the affairs of the kingdom to have time with his family like her mother does. Camilla was closest to him because she helps out with the affairs of the kingdom, but she Corinne couldn’t stand all that, she wasn’t cut out for it.

She would rather work on a farm and get herself dirty, or go fishing not like she knew how to, but anything a normal person would do, she’d rather do those than have tea parties with the ladies or princesses of other kingdom.

She hopped from one foot to the other trying to figure out the best way to tell her father what was on her mind.

Her father noticed her uneasiness “sit down Corinne” he smiled at her, she sighed and sat in one of the chairs facing his desk

“Now tell me what is it you have to discuss with me”

“I can’t marry him papa, I don’t want to be a Queen, it’s going to be so overwhelming and I don’t want it! She blurted out in one breath. Her father arched one of his brows crossed his arms and sat back in his seat.

She continued “why can it not be Camilla getting married to him, she knows all about this” she waved her hand around “and I don’t”.

Her father chuckled lowly “this was why you skipped breakfast this morning, wasn’t it?”

“Well, I was also sick father” too sick to stand the sight of the supposed to be fiancé she said in her head.

Her father studied her closely and she squirmed under his scrutinizing look.

“Your sister cannot marry Carlos because she’s the heiress, the next to this throne. She can’t get married off to another kingdom”. Corinne was taken aback, she didn’t even know women could rule.

“They could make a liaison, combine both kingdoms or something papa” she continued to talk but her father cut her short.

“You are getting engaged to Carlos next week and you’re definitely marrying him” he said with a tone of finality, she knew that tone, he was dismissing her.

“I could always run away father” he looked up sharply and she raised her chin in defiance too. Her father took off his glasses, oh no!! the voice in her head screamed but she was too defiant to back down now.

“Don’t make me assign personal guards to you now Corinne, I obliged to letting you have only a personal keeper because of your mother, don’t make me regret that decision”. He told her with a pointed look and then put on his glasses back. She let out a soft dejected sigh, she knew he was really done now.

She stood up to leave but first curtsied before him “have a good day your majesty” she tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice and turned to leave.

She closed his study door behind her quietly but with a determined mind of leaving the palace.

“Your highness” some maids curtsied in greeting to her and scurried past her, she nodded to them but they were already gone.

She set course for her painting room, yes she paints and loves art and anything art related, her next haven is her art studio of which she was headed to now.

She was desperate to get her hands soiled with different colors of paint and was not really looking at where she was going to, then she bumped into someone.

“Princess Corinne!” She looked and saw her keeper.

“Meredith” she simply said

“I have been looking all over for you, your highness”

“Oh, I was with father” she gestured towards his study where she was coming from. “How was your walk?”

“I went down to the river, I even got you some berries”.

“Corinne smiled slightly, “that is so sweet of you”

“So where are you headed to now?” They both started walking

“The studio” Corinne simply shrugged.

Meredith held her arm back and looked at her searching her face “uh-uh what did the majesty tell you this time?”

Corinne sighed, her keeper is like her only friend, her only true friend in the palace aside from her sister. She knew about how much Corinne hated the spotlight and royal duties, she knew how much Corinne wanted to be a normal girl and sometimes take her out in disguises for her to experience a little bit of it. Not that all those tries were ever successful.

She looked at Meredith, her keeper wasn’t aware of the recent plans she had, the plans of escaping from the palace before her engagement and birthday dinner, she wasn’t so sure she wanted her maid to know so she simply replied airily “oh you know, the usual”.

Then she puffed her chest, made a stoic face and tried to imitate her father “you are a princess Corinne and princesses don’t go around running and frolicking like they have no duties to perform”.

Meredith was already trying to hold in her laughter as she assumed the role of Corinne in their little act out, but Corinne wasn’t done yet.

“Don’t think you are still a child, by fall you will be twenty one and getting engaged to prince Carlos Montez II, that is final” she tried imitating his dismissive tone but did not get it perfectly so she continued.

“You will be a crowned princess when you get married to him and the queen of his kingdom when his father steps down, get your acts together!” She hit the dismissive tone perfectly this time around and both she and Meredith laughed out loud.

She linked their hands together and they continued down the hallway to her studio, they passed several maids and guards but they were still giggling hard to even respond to their greetings.

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“I want to paint Camilla this time around” she said while lining up her materials for painting.

Corinne took turns in painting her family members when she wasn’t painting about her fantasies or imaginary friends.

She whipped out her phone and opened up her gallery to look for a suitable picture of her sister to paint. What?! Her kingdom is up to date with modern technologies, styles, fashion and whatever you might think is happening in the twenty first century world. But she had no social media personal pages, unlike her sister. The media already keep people updated with her life so why does she need to bother with that? She uses her phone mostly to take pictures of things she likes or sceneries and most importantly to check on what is going on in the tabloids and what ridiculous story they have to say about the royal family. Splendid right? That was sarcasm haha.

She scrolled through the many pictures of her sister she had, her sister was definitely the extrovert between the both of them, she found one that was taken of the both of them when they had gone horse riding with their mother during the early days of summer. She stared at it, they both looked absolutely beautiful and free like normal girls just enjoying the sun and horse rides.

Her sister’s arm was around her while her long dark hair flowed and danced freely in the wind behind her in contrast to Corinne’s red hair. Camilla’s head was slightly thrown back as she was laughing, her smooth creamy neck was exposed. Her sister is breathtakingly beautiful and will most times with pride point it out to other princesses.

She looked at the picture and took in more details like her and her sister’s matching white tee tucked in a jeans and their brown boots.

She remembered the both of them complaining to their mother about how uncomfortable the boots were and how ridiculous they looked but their mother went ahead and added cowboy hats to their fits and replied “don’t you both look absolutely gorgeous!” In between giggles as her both daughters glared at her.

“Ah ha, this will do” Meredith went over to her and peered into her device to see the picture.

“You want to draw just her in this picture or the both of you?”

“The both of us you dummy” she rolled her eyes and they both laughed.

“Now, shall we get started I want to make sure I’ve done most of the work before the time for me meeting the engagement party planner” Meredith raised a brow

“What?! I don’t want to go looking like something the rainbow spat out”

“Yeah, right” her keeper replied. She squeezed some papers and threw it at her, then she changed into her work clothes and got started with her painting.