3. The test

"It's impossible!" shouted the queen in response to her son's words.

"See for yourself and then you'll see how impossible it is. I've told you, mom, not everything that glitters is gold. While you consider her a good candidate to become your queen consort, to me she's nothing more than a prostitute."

"Frederick!" exclaimed the queen, astonished at the way her son referred to the young girl in the middle of the dance floor.

"I don't know what we'll do, but I won't stay without knowing the truth," he warned, and his mother simply nodded, giving an uncomfortable smile to the guests who were curiously watching the scene.

The Queen Mother cleared her throat and gracefully approached one of the castle servants. She whispered something in his ear and swiftly returned to her position next to her annoyed son, who couldn't stop glaring at his cousin Henry, who seemed to enjoy the discomfort on Frederick's face.

Indeed, Henry not only displayed the brooch in a visible area for Selene to see, but he did it especially for the king to see as he danced with his fiancée. His head spun, unsure which feeling was predominant, but he couldn't deny the pleasure he felt in seeing the irritation on the cold king's face. That was all he could achieve that night. What Henry didn't know was that he was also exposing Selene to something more difficult than the news of her engagement.

"Thank you for attending tonight. Unfortunately, the Queen is feeling a bit ill, so the evening has come to an end," the servant announced ceremoniously, but with a hint of confusion, as he didn't understand the queen's request. Such things never happened in the kingdom, especially not during the celebration of the king's engagement.

Confusion and surprise appeared on the faces of all the guests, but it was more noticeable on the Baron, his wife, and the young Selene, who had moved to one of the corners of the tables, wanting to be away from her parents and Henry. Seeing him dance with other girls only broke her heart even more.

The guests left the grand hall of the castle and made their way towards their carriages, gradually leaving the place while murmuring about what had happened.

The Russells remained in the royal hall, waiting to say goodbye to the royal family and their daughter, who would now stay in the castle or so they thought, until the queen dismissed them and the annoyance on her face was evident.

"Your Highness," Selene's father pronounced.

"Take your daughter home, Baron," he ordered, creating noticeable confusion in the man.

"Your Highness, we came prepared to leave our daughter at the palace," Selene's mother intervened, but the queen immediately disagreed.

"Baron Russell, with your permission, we are leaving," said the stern queen, turning around to exit the royal hall, followed by her son, the king.

Henry swallowed hard, unsure of what to do. Seeing Selene hurt and bewildered, he felt utterly lost. Instead of approaching her, as much as he wanted to, he turned and followed the queen and the king to his room.

"What happened? Have we done something to displease the queen?" the woman asked. The Baron denied it.

"We barely breathed in her presence," the man replied.

Before they could continue with their questioning, they were escorted out of the castle, and the guards' behavior was nothing like the way they were received.

Their carriage, not ostentatious but more eye-catching than many others, arrived for them, and they almost pushed Selene inside. Since her arrival, she hadn't been able to regulate her breathing or swallow the lump in her throat.

"What did you do to the king?" her mother asked, her tone biting, which caught Selene off guard.

"I-I didn't do anything," she answered, her voice faltering. "Were you not planning on telling me about my life? Was this the birthday I expected to have?" she asked her parents, looking at them as if they were strangers.

"Don't be insolent, Selene. Do you know how many young noblewomen would have wanted to be in your place?" her mother challenged, then furrowed her brow, never taking her eyes off her. "What did you say to the king? Don't say 'nothing' because we were practically thrown out of the castle in the worst possible way."

Selene chose to remain silent and prayed for the journey home to be shorter so she could reach her room and drown her tears in her pillow.

As if she had been heard by angels, the journey to their house was quick, without any mishaps, ignoring the conversation and complaints from her parents. The carriage hadn't fully stopped when Selene jumped out and ran inside their house. She didn't want to see the faces of the Russell lords any longer. After everything that had happened, did they really think they could arrange a marriage for her without considering her opinion or feelings? Selene knew they had the power to do it, but she had believed all those years that her parents valued her life, her thoughts, and her feelings. She had been mistaken. They were only watching out for their own interests.

(...)

The sun hadn't fully risen above the horizon when a whole entourage emerged from the castle, before the town had fully awakened. The queen, her son, and two servants boarded the carriage, followed by another carriage and several mounted guards.

Henry watched from the window as everyone left the castle and saw his chance to escape without being seen or pursued, so he ran to the stables and galloped away towards the outskirts of the city.

The galloping of horses and the sound of wheels against the dirt and stones on the road startled the Russells, who were still in their rooms, not exactly resting. Selene's parents had slept little, continuing to analyze carefully what had happened the night before, and Selene had the worst night of her life, falling asleep from crying fatigue and having nightmares during the few hours she was unconscious.

Knocks on the door forced the Baron to quickly get out of bed and run to the door, surprised by the presence of the queen, the king, and the royal doctor. The Baron looked at them, not understanding, but stepped aside to receive the visitors, who entered confidently and a bit arrogantly.

"Your Majesty," he greeted with a bow, "What brings the honor of your visit to my home at this hour?" he asked, hoping not to be perceived as rude, but in his mind, he couldn't make sense of the presence of royalty in his house.

Clarice soon appeared, apparently having just heard the voices of the newcomers, and rushed to get dressed and present herself as presentable as possible.

"Your Majesties! What a joy to see you in our home! Please, follow me!" she exclaimed effusively, gesturing for them to follow her to the social area of the large house, which fell just short of being a mansion. The Baron's fortune had been greatly compromised due to some bad business deals in the past, but he still held his noble title, giving him a certain level of respect.

Clarice called for the servants of her house, who quickly appeared to attend to the unexpected guests.

"Baron, we have come in search of your daughter, and the doctor will conduct the necessary examinations before proceeding with the engagement," the queen explained, while her son, King Frederick, remained silent, with a furrowed brow and a tense jaw. So much so that it seemed like he was about to break his teeth.

"Examinations?" Selene's mother inquired, confused. "What examinations are you referring to?" she asked, hoping for a different answer than the one she already knew she would receive.

"We want to verify that Selene is still a virgin," the king replied sharply, with a tone so firm that no one dared to challenge him. "Where is she? We don't have time to waste," he demanded.

Clarice intercepted the reply or complaint that her husband was about to make, for as uncomfortable and offended as they felt having their word doubted, they could not rebel against the monarch.

Selene's mother stood up with trembling legs and after nodding, made her way to the girl's room, followed by the doctor, the queen, the king, and a nurse.

Clarice opened the door to her daughter's room and without giving them time to wake her and prepare her for what they were about to do, the doctor entered and walked towards her, startling her by moving the sheets that covered her.

"Mom, what's going on?" she asked, frightened.

"They have come to examine you, dear," her mother commented, and Selene frowned at her.

"We have come to verify your virginity," Frederick informed her sarcastically, to which Selene looked at him in astonishment.

"I am a virgin! No one has ever touched me! I haven't given myself to anyone!" she exclaimed, looking intently at Frederick and then at the doctor, whom she looked at pleadingly, as she was dying of embarrassment at the mere thought of someone touching her intimately, no matter how much of a doctor they were.

"I'm sorry, Selene, but we have come to verify it and your words are not enough to calm the doubts," Frederick refuted, and Selene's eyes filled with tears in an instant.

She was sure of what they would find when they examined her, and she briefly thought that surrendering herself to Henry in the past would have been her salvation from an engagement with a man she did not love and who was willing to humiliate her in the worst way.

"Leave the room," she requested, her voice choked up, knowing that she had no way out. She noticed hesitation in the king's gaze, so she swallowed hard and found her voice from the depths of her chest. "Please," she pleaded, and upon the queen's nod, her mother, the king, and the queen left, leaving her alone with the nurse, who looked at her with pity, and the royal doctor, whose expression remained unchanged.

When Henry passed by Selene's house, he did not expect to see the carriages that he had seen leaving the castle an hour ago. He swallowed hard and continued on his way, for throughout the night he had not stopped thinking about Selene's engagement to his cousin.

A shiver ran down Henry's spine as he caught sight of the simple house hidden among the trees. He dismounted his horse and tied it to a secluded branch, ensuring that no one could notice his presence in that place, let alone know who lived there.

With fearful steps, he walked up to the door, and there was no need to announce himself, as it opened upon his presence. However, he couldn't see anyone inside. Nevertheless, he continued to enter.

"Why have you come?" a feminine voice asked from behind him.

"Did you know?" he responded without answering her question.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Did you know that Selene would be Frederick's fiancée?" he inquired with clenched jaw. He raised his gaze and waited for a response, which took a while to come.

"Yes…" she replied, and Henry looked at her in surprise. "What has happened?" she asked.

"They announced their engagement last night!" he shouted. "If you knew she would be his fiancée, why did you make me get close to her and make her fall in love with me?! What kind of mother are you?!" he demanded, offended and controlling the lump in his throat.

"No, no, no… They announced their engagement?" she asked, furrowing her brow, and Henry nodded angrily. "That wasn't supposed to happen until a year from now!" she retorted, furious. "You had one more year to make her fall in love with you and be with her! She was supposed to be your wife because it was an agreement your father made with your damn grandfather when she was born. But after losing everything, she was assigned to your cousin. They've taken everything from us!" she exclaimed angrily and threw a ceramic vase that was within reach. "It's up to you to make sure your cousin doesn't get away with it, just like always. You are the only one who should occupy the throne, Henry. You must be the only husband that Selene should have…"