The Vindication Gents

Chapter 1.1

Kathleen Remes’ POV

It has been 5 years, or to be exact, 5 years, 2 months, and 13 days since I have been in prison as a juvenile. I have passed my 21st birthday in that prison, but since my service time has come to an end, I'm happy to say that I got out with a new start.

“Here’s your thing, Ms. Ramos. Sign this form and you are free to go,” the warden said as she gave me the slip for my belonging.

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said as I signed it on before she took it and gave me my things back.

“See you around,” I said as I walked out of the office.

“I hope not,” she mumbled before I smirked, walking out of the office. I walked out of the prison facility as I was taking in the first sunlight that I had been longing for for the past 5 years. I took in a deep breath as I looked into the sky.

“Free at last,” I said as I was exhaling my breath while I was smiling. I could feel that someone was watching me. I turned around and my lovely servant was waiting for me in a car that was low profile.

“Milady,” he said as he bowed to me.

“John,” I said as I gave him my things.

“Welcome back, milady. I think that you had a splendid time?” He said as I was walking toward the car.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let’s go, I’m starving,” I said as I was walking with John behind me.

“I'm afraid that I have to inform you that we will be staying at the Summer Estate of your father’s. Only the crown princess is allowed to stay at the main castle,” he said, which made me stop in my walk.

“Is that so? How things changed,” I said as I looked over my shoulder to look at John. I smirked.

“Whatever, it did not involve me, so why bother?” I said as I went ahead and got inside the car before John could open the door for me. I closed it and just put my iPod inside my ears to listen to classical music by the greatest composers of all time.

Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Liszt, Chopin, and many more.

“What have you done in the last 5 years, sister?” I whispered to myself as John started the ignition and drove off from the prison to the Summer Estate. I thought it was a long journey but I dozed off during the whole drive so that I didn’t even know that we had arrived.

“Milady, we’re here,” John said as he looked in the rearview.

“Is it now? Well, let’s see the family then,” I said, but John stopped me.

“You will be staying here, along with me as your servant and some other employees to take care of your daily needs, Princess,” he said as he got out of the car. I rubbed my temples again as I took off my iPod and John opened the door for me.

“Thank you,” I said as I got out of the car. I took my surroundings as the estate was isolated from everybody else and no one was around the neighborhood.

“This is nice. I could use some peace and quiet,” I said as I put my hands inside the pocket of my jeans.

“Right this way, milady,” John said as he opened the door and the other servants took my things out of the trunk.

“This will be the hallway and the ballroom. A door leading to the kitchen and dining hall, the stairs will be—“ he was explaining all the stuff that I knew before I had just made my way to the stairs.

“Milady, please wait, I have not finished the tour yet,” he said. I sighed before turning to look at him.

“That hallway will lead me to the pantry and this will lead to the bedrooms. The door behind the stairs will lead to the garage and the basement. Anything else you want to add?” I said as I looked at him. He just stood there with his stoic face as always.

“Very well, I see that you have acquainted yourself with this house,” he said as he looked at me. I scoffed at him before I sighed.

“I grew up here, remember? You’re the one that took care of me,” I said as I went up the stairs to avoid any more conversation with him. I went to the room that was far left in the hallway. It has been my bedroom since I was a little kid.

I came to visit this estate was the last time when I was 10 years old. Then, that accident happened and I stepped onto this estate again. I held the handle before I took a deep breath and stepped inside the bedroom.

I looked around the room. There was a king bed at the edge of the room that was close to the window that overlooked the mountains of my country, Finland. There was a door that led to the bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe to my right. I saw there was an additional television and a set of comfy sofas in front of it.

“This is nice,” I said as I went to the TV and switched it on to see what had been happening around the world when I was in prison.

“Now to the latest news, Princess Katherine Abigail Remes, the Crown Princess of Finland has announced her engagement party that will be held tonight at the Royal Castle of Finland. On the other hand, her fiancé, Chris Virtanen, a successful shipping businessman, has had a show with her at the local shopping center to catch up with each other before tonight’s party. Now to sport,” the newscaster said before I closed the television.

“So, are you with Chris now? How interesting,” I said as I went to the bathroom to take a shower before I have to gatecrash the party tonight.

“Milady,” John said as he knocked on my bathroom door.

“What?” I said as I was relaxing inside the bathtub.

“The car will be leaving at 7:45 PM, sharp. Please don’t be late,” he said before his footsteps faded away. I groaned before I sank myself into the bathtub. The images of the accident came into my mind as I was closing my eyes. I got up from the tub and I gasped while I took my breath.

“Damn it. It’s okay, Kathleen, everything is in the past. Nothing will ever happen again,” I said as I looked at the clock. It was 7:15 PM. Oh God, I will be late again.

“s**t!” I exclaimed before taking my towels and going to my closet to get the appropriate dress to announce my release from prison.

After 30 minutes of getting ready and going to the vanity mirror to get my makeup done, I went downstairs and to the front door. John was waiting in the car as he held the door for me.

“Thank you, John,” I said as I got in. He closed the door, nodding at me,

“Have fun at the party, milady,” he said before I looked at him. I smiled at him.

“You bet I am,” I said before I closed the window and the driver drove off to my parents’ castle to my big surprise.

*****

The journey was not that long. I was not expecting a delay in the traffic as the driver knew the secret road for us to go through and arrived at the castle in record time.

“Here at last,” I said as I looked outside the window and the country’s finest and most elegant castle was glistening in the moonlight. I looked at it with hatred as that was the very place where my sentence had been ordered and I had to get away from society for a very long time. When the car came to a stop at the front of the foyer, the driver spoke to me.

“We’re here, Your Highness,” he said. I looked outside the window before the valet opened my door.

“Showtime,” I mumbled as I went out of the car.

“Welcome, ma’am,” he said as he bowed to me. I smiled, as he did not know who I was and this would give me an advantage that not a lot of people would notice me.

“Thank you,” I said with authority. He looked at me before he gasped quietly. Damn it, he knew. I smiled at him before telling him to keep it a secret as I held my finger to my lips. He nodded before I went on to walk inside the castle.

“Invitation, please,” the woman at the door said as she was waiting for the card. She was busy looking at the name list so I cleared my throat and spoke up to her.

“Is my face enough?” I said as I looked at her. She looked at me before she gasped too. I held my finger to my mouth as a sign for her to shut up.

“Of course. Welcome home, Your Highness,” she said before I nodded at her.

“Thank you,” I said before I walked inside the ballroom of the Royal Castle. People were chatting away and music was playing in the background. I looked around, as there was not a person that I didn’t know.

Maybe they don’t know me, since I haven’t exposed myself for the last 5 years. Things have changed. I had changed but the servants outside knew me. How could that be? I thought before I was trying to locate my parents but failed.

I shook my head before I went to get to my parents. I didn’t announce my arrival as I knew it would throw them off. They expected me to be a goody-two-shoes like my twin, but I have something else in my mind since I gatecrashed this engagement ball.

“Excuse me, do I know you?” A voice interrupted me when I was about to get to my parents’ throne room. I turned around to look at the person that dared to disturb me. When I looked inside his sea-green orbs for the first time, I knew that I had been losing this fight since the beginning of our meeting.