Chapter Four
1534 Words
After confirming that Prince Dan had practically walked out on her , Princess Diana had also stormed out of the restaurant with no small commotion . She had slammed the door of her car and ordered Spotty , her bodyguard-c*m driver , to drive off . Infuriated , she had kept swearing and crying untill they had arrived at the palace . She had hurried past the living room where her parents , King and Queen Kane of the Southern Kingdom , were sitting into her room . Calls from her mother join them at the table had gone unheeded .
She had locked herself in her room and lay on bed sobbing . She then remembered that she had to make a formal complaint to Dan's mother . She dialed her number and complained bitterly about how Dan had ashamed her before her friends by walking out on her .
Her mother had then knocked on the door to inquire about why she was so pissed . She had not bothered to answer nor open the door . She had ultimately gone to sleep untill late the following morning when the pangs of hunger sent her scampering to the breakfast table . Her parents were already seated and they observed her as she sat pensively .
" Are you okay , dear ?" her mother ventured . " You certainly look worn-out . What is bothering you ?''
" Nothing . Don't you see that I'm fine ?" she retorted . She had a way of talking with her mother that always irritated her father .
" How many times have I told you that that's not the way to talk to your mother ?" The King grumbled . " Your attitude and lack of respect will only lead you to a lot of trouble ."
She kept quiet . Her mother continued probing her .
" You say nothing and you came in yesterday like you were being chased by a swarm of bees ? And you made it even worse by refusing to talk to anyone ."
" Nothing I can't handle by myself . You should stop bothering yourselves ."
" What are you trying to make of us ?" The King insisted . " You might be educated , but certainly you are not wise . What makes you think that you know more than your elders ?"
" It is just that I don't feel like talking about it right now ."
" Talking about what ? Can you explain the cause of your unbecoming behaviour last evening ?"
" Dad , must I always come crying to you even with small and personal issues ? But if it may be of any consolation to you , I had a small disagreement with Dan ."
" Young lady , you know very well that piecemeal explanations are not my forte ! What was the cause of the disagreement ?"
" I made a complaint about my food in a restaurant which seemed to rub him up the wrong way . Consequently , he walked away ."
" That's quite insensitive of him !" Observed the Queen .
" I will be honest with you . With your attitude , I can't blame the boy . He most probably walked away to avoid further drama from you . Of late , I have noticed your unladylike behaviour since you came from abroad . I have seen the way you are treating the palace staff as if they were lesser human beings . You have given way to a serious superiority complex that could be more detrimental to your relationship with others ." Her father admonished .
" Dad ! Why should I always be the one on the wrong ? Apparently , he is a saint in your eyes !"
" Don't put words in my mouth ! All that I'm doing is appraising your character . However , I must say that I'm unable to find Dan culpable in this incident . You don't seem to realize that he is your fiance , soon to be your husband . You feel like you are doing him a favour by marrying him . Get down from your high pedestal because as the crown prince , there are many ladies at his disposal . Start behaving as a princesses , not like a fast-talking , vulgar-mouthed movie actress ."
" I knew that you will never say anything good about me !" She started whimpering .
" Your Majesty , don't be so hard on her . I know she is a good girl . Let's give her time for the foreign influence to wear off . Come here , sweetie ," added the Queen as she moved to hold Diana in her arms .
" Hurry up with the wedding preparations . The sooner it is over , the better ," the King ordered as he walked out , leaving them to their women talk .
A few minutes later , there was a knock on the door and the maid ushered in Candy . She was about to run straight to Diana , but hasted on seeing her on her mother's embrace .
" Good afternoon , your Majesty ," she greeted .
" Good afternoon . It is good that you have come . Your friend here is in such a horrible mood . Hope you could cheer her up ."
" Oh , c'mon Diana ! When did you start behaving like a big baby ?''
" You can say that again ! Everyone seems to find fault in me ," Diana responded , straightening herself . " Perhaps you could make them understand how Dan embarrassed us yesterday ."
" Yes , I would like to know what really happened ?" Demanded the Queen .
" What can I say ? I have never seen a man humiliat a lady the way he did . To me , it seemed like he was looking for an excuse to get away from us ."
" May I know what exactly Diana did to make him so irritated ?"
" It was nothing to warrant his action . After all , don't us women complain about the taste of particular foods ?"
" So , in other words you are saying that the exchange was between Diana and the maid , and not Dan ?"
" Exactly ! He was not involved in any way ?"
" Would you say that he was annoyed at Diana's outburst ?"
" I can't say that with precision . Coming to think of it , I can say that he used that as an excuse to get away . He probably had some other issues to attend to ," she added , coyly .
" What do you mean by other issues to attend to ? Wasn't it meant to be a lunch date ?"
" By the way , has he called you to offer an apology ?" She asked Diana instead of responding to the Queen's questions .
" Nope , he hasn't and nor have I . However , I talked with his mother last night ."
" I thought as much . Anyway , never mind ."
" Never mind what ?" Interposed the Queen .
" I wanted to say that I saw him in a certain supermarket today . He was dropping a certain girl when I saw them ."
" Why would he go shopping ?" Wondered the Queen .
" I don't think he was the one shopping . The girl was . What struck me as unusual was the fact that he gave her lots of money and left ."
" What kind of girl was she ? I mean , she could have been one of the palace maids ?'' Diana's heart was racing .
" I don't know . Although , she was strange-looking and shabbily dressed , I dreaded the way he was talking to her . She was beautiful if you could remove the servitude in her ."
" Wait ! Are you insinuating that he could be having an affair with her ? That he could be cheating on Diana ?"
" No , I'm just stating my opinion of what I saw . I don't want to be the harbinger of bad news . Besides , she might be a maid who was on an official errand and he decided to drop her at the supermarket ."
" No . That's impossible because there are cars in the palace specially meant for such tasks . Moreover , shopping is never done by a single maid . I'm not surprised that he has not called me !'' Diana ranted . She was indignant with fury .
" Why are you getting worked up about something that might not be the way you think ? I'm sure Dan will never think of cheating on you ," her mother comforted .
" There is only one way to find out . I'm going to see him tomorrow ."
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