Chapter 5 - Be same

Zara

     “I love you, Mateo. Everything about you. Your mess, your best. I will love you forever, no matter what”. I close the book I’m reading in frustrated. Oh! Novel how much more? I need drama. Real drama and not just some jeered up love story reminding of my present contradictory love live.

     “My lady?” I look up and sight Maryann, the head lady-in-waiting looking radiant as usual but not uptight as before.

     “Yes, Maryann?”, I say from my bed, straightening up my back a little. I was so going to stop the rule that says a princess should act royal at all times once I was queen soon enough. The coronation was just in three days.

     “Elizabeth had a fever and asked me to take over your personal needs, my lady”, she said folding her hands under her dress’ folding. It showed an envelope.

     “Yes, do you want to show me something?”, I say looking at her dress once again.

     “Oh yes, Eliza asked me to give you this. She found it in Fernanda's personal things”. She gives me the envelope. It had a ribbon on it and was packaged in an old-fashioned way.

     “Did she look through her things? That is wrong, you know”, I say defensively not minding that the person in question threatened me three days ago and still counting…

     “I know, my lady. She said it should be quickly read and returned before midday”, she said still standing and looking professional as always. “She also mentioned that Fernandez went to the royal bank to withdraw a large sum of money”, I shone my eyes till it almost fell out of their sockets.

     “Okay, you’re excused now”, I say and watch as she goes out with elegance, stepping with her high heels, carefully closing the door behind her as she walks out. I open the letter seeing,

     “My dearest Alejandro, how do you do? I trust you’re fine because you looked so fine when I saw you this morning with my dad. Oh, you looked so handsome but I felt saddened because I couldn’t reach for you, a mere guard in their sight but the world to me. I wanted to touch you till sunshine goes down…

    My main purpose for writing this letter is to say we are fleeing this evening. I have secretly gone to the royal bank to take as much money we might need. Meet me at the gate by 11pm tonight.

                                                                          Yours faithfully,

                                                                          Fernanda.

    I read it all over again to be sure of what I’ve just read. How could she do this? I had personally warned her not to ruin her family’s name. I had to do something to stop this. I had to tell someone. But who? Who was going to believe me? I had only spent five days in the palace and was still like a stranger to them. I couldn’t make accusations without having proofs.

Off course the letter in my hand was sound proof but I couldn’t use it directly if I didn’t want her to expose the fact that I hadn’t gone to the sheets with Zachary.

     Yes! Why didn’t I think of it? I could tell Zack. He had to believe me. I could tell him of the sheets threat also.

     “Maryann?!” I say, yelling a bit as she opens my door and runs inside in spite of her professional heels.

     “Return this to its location”, I say handing her the letter. She clearly understood what I meant as she curtseyed.

     I opened the door to sight the other four ladies-in-waiting at my doorstep. That was their positions since there were on duty. I had to change this whole thing. It was nothing but punishment to stand on a spot throughout the day for a jobless someone.

     “Take me to Zack’s office”, I say to the four of them as two lead the way and the rest fall at my back. I walk freely since there was no one around until we make a halt in front of Zack’s office. There are two guards positioned in front of Zack’s office as one announces my presence.

     “My prince, princess Zara demands to speak to you”, the guard say with his device near his mouth. It was a digital device that was used by guards over here.

     “Tell her to come in”, he says. I could hear the distaste in his voice as I step into his room with my ladies-in-waiting saying with the guards.

     “I-”, I try to say but stop when I see a maid blushing and passing by my side, going out the door. What was she doing here? Why was she doing here? Why was she blushing? I immediately recover and continued.

     “I have something important to tell you, Zack”, I say watching him. He was sitted on his chair and writing something. It’s been three days since the kiss in the library and also three days since we last conversed. Guess we gave each other the silent treatment.

     “I’m all ears, tell me”, he said totally relaxed and calmly folding arms.

     “Don’t take it personal but I’m being threatened” I spit out immediately. They were going to flee this night and I had no time.

    “By who, if I may ask?”, he says looking at me. I silently wondered if he had a secret affair with the maid that just left. I didn’t know their traditions here but back in England, a royal is only permitted to have a partner. Anyway… why do I care?

     “Your sister” I said cautiously. This earned a laughter from him as his body vibrated in upward and downwards paces.

     “You sound stupid, you know. Whatever cat fight you had with Fernánda, I’d advise you to drop it”, he says lifting the coffee papers beside the stack of papers as he sipped it with his thin lips. Couldn’t believe it was the same I had my mouth a few days ago. Snap out of it, Zara! A little voice tells me.

     “It’s not a cat fight, you have to believe me, please”, I say mentally slapping myself and adjusting my denim trousers clicking my shoes in distress. What even led to me begging this piece of shit?

     “Then explain Zara, you can’t just walk in and make false accusations of my sister” he said narrowing his eyes in dismal. I swallowed my mouth’s liquid, this was just so great! A tomboy like myself who spent half of her life being rebellious, being nervous just not to spoil her family’s name.

     “Okay, listen carefully because I hate repeating myself. Fernanda has an affair with a guard and I confronted her about it. But she threatened to reveal that we haven’t made out yet as King and Queen. I kept my mouth shut to save our name but we have to react now because, she’s going to flee this night with a guard by 11pm” I finished sighting and uncrossing my legs as I watched his face.

     “You’re not making this up, are you?” he says smirking in a forceful way. Like he’s trying to remain noble in spite of the news with a bit bad blood I broke to him.

     “Psst! Really you think I’m making this up? Or are you blinded by the façade of this innocent girl your sister has played for years? I stand up in annoyance and flip my braided hair back

     “Don’t you dare speak of my sister like that. You’ve no damn right so if I were you I’d just shut up like a proper wife” he says slamming his hands on his desk. This shakes the coffee on the table and it falls down shattering to pieces.

     “Okay, I get you. I won’t speak of her like that but one thing is for sure. I’d show you how much of a saint your sister is. Meet me tonight at the palace gate by 11pm” I say shrieking at the sight of the scathed coffee mug and walking out but he’s quick to hold me. He grips my lower arm, making me move forward.

     “And what do I do if I discover that you’re lying, mi esposa?”, he says comfortably calling me wife in Spanish, forgetting I didn’t understand their language fully; yet. But thanks to my reading of books, I understood some terms.

     “Bé same”, I say not even realizing when the words came out of my mouth. The two words that meant ‘kiss me’ in Spanish.

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“There is no such thing as a good story. There is only something like a good book. A good book is where a reader finds complete solace and comfort; a way to escape harsh realities relating to his life.”

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