5. Without looking back

Selene waited for her mother to leave the room and collapsed to the floor, as it never crossed her mind that an innocent gift, like the one she had given to Henry, could now be something that could get her into more trouble than she already had. Not only her, but also Henry, if the king or the queen were to discover who had the other brooch, she would be completely lost and condemn Henry in the eyes of His Majesty.

Selene covered her face with her hands, she had no idea of the punishment they could be condemned to because of their imprudence. She had no choice but to try to retrieve the piece and apologize to Henry.

That truth only increased her distress, tears overflowed from her cheeks and she made no effort to stop them when they started flowing from her eyes again, because she had no way out. Selene dreamt that one day women like her would not have to submit to forced and arranged marriages behind their backs, but that they would have the voice she did not have. Now she only had to put on a brave face and accept what had been decided for her, but how could she live as the king's wife and future queen when her heart belonged to Henry? How could she give herself to a man she did not love on her wedding night?

Selene sobbed, she had dreamed of the day and her wedding night, she had hoped it would be something worth remembering, something she would treasure every day for the rest of her life.

"Hurry up, you can't keep the king waiting!" Her mother's voice only increased her pain, thick tears spilled from her eyes again as she stood up and tried to compose herself, for her own sake and for Henry's sake.

Frederick was desperate in the living room of the small Russell mansion, he hated having people's eyes on him, but asking them not to was too much, because as king, he had already come to terms with being the center of attention. He had to maintain his posture as a cold and serious man, because that was what had earned him respect, just like his grandfather and father had done, because becoming king younger than expected had caught them off guard, as they did not expect the early death of King Oliver.

The person who understood him the most was his mother, the Queen, who also had to adapt in less time than expected and for that reason, she was always by his side, giving him support and with an aura of respect and majesty that had earned her the respect of the kingdom. However, she was not the woman he wanted to have by his side in that moment, Regina was who occupied his thoughts at that moment.

Thinking about the woman who owned his heart made him feel powerless, Frederick truly, in the depths of his heart had hoped that his future wife would not be pure, that would have been a good reason to break the agreement between the families, but it seemed that the girl knew how to play her cards very well, but if she thought she could make a fool of him so easily, she had no idea of anything.

"Regarding what has happened here today, no one will say a word," the king threatened and all the present subjects only nodded and remained silent. "Whoever dares to say something will face the consequences."

"There is no need to mention it, Your Majesty, we are here to fulfill your orders," assured the doctor, the nurse nodded, while the personnel accompanying them stayed silent.

"I am no one to contradict your orders, but I would like to know the reason for all this," Baron Russell ventured to say.

"It has simply been a routine check-up," the Queen mother said curtly and the Baron simply nodded, realizing that they did not intend to tell him the truth of what had happened.

"I understand, Your Majesty," he responded and exchanged a glance with his wife, who also did not understand the reasons that had led them to treat their daughter this way, but in the end, they were no one to reject or criticize royal decisions.

"I want to return to the palace," the queen whispered to her son, but everyone heard it, although they seemed to ignore it.

"Return in the carriage with the doctor, I will go back with Lady Selene," proposed Frederick and his mother nodded as if that had been an order and she would comply, because if she respected her son's wishes, no one would have an excuse not to do so.

The only wish he could not grant was to marry the woman he wanted, because that was beyond his power, as it was tradition and something agreed upon by previous kings. A decree that even with all his power, wealth, and privileged position in court, he could not revoke.

"I will be waiting," the Queen whispered, leaving the house, while Frederick showed his displeasure at Selene's delay.

"Someone tell Lady Selene that I don't have all the time in the world, I am a man with many responsibilities," he declared with obvious annoyance.

Frederick wanted to know the reason why his future wife had given the brooch reserved for the announcement of a real pregnancy to Henry. He wanted to understand the type of relationship that existed between them, as he was convinced that not everything in life was a simple coincidence. It was a lesson he had learned over the years from his family's history, as betrayals usually came from someone very close.

Selene had heard the king's request and internally thanked him, as she couldn't help but imagine becoming the laughingstock and the constant mockery in the palace corridors. Now she had to wait and see if the king's demand would really be taken seriously.

She was ready to leave, but her feet didn't have enough strength to descend the stairs. Especially, she wasn't prepared to leave her home behind, because once she stepped outside, she wouldn't return or at most, she would return as just another visitor, something she highly doubted because her resentment towards her parents was strong and recent. The wounds in her heart were still open, and she felt deeply betrayed, as she had thought that the treatment her parents had given her all that time was because they loved her. She never imagined that they actually saw her as a bargaining chip. Maybe she would have understood or tried to understand them if they had been honest with her from the beginning. At least she would have prepared herself for this moment and shielded her heart, so she wouldn't be suffering from not being able to freely live her love.

"Apologies, Your Highness… I'll go get my daughter," excused Clarice.

"It's not necessary, mother, I'm already here," Selene pronounced from the top of the stairs, still unable to take that step that would lead her to the palace of Astor.

One of the royal guards ascended the stairs after a signal from the king, as he went to get the luggage Selene would bring. However, both the guard and the king were surprised to see the small leather-lined box she had prepared.

"Is that all?" Frederick asked, puzzled, as it was very little and it seemed unreal to him compared to the luggage his mother or sister would pack for a weekend at the royal family's summer mansion.

"That's all I need, Your Majesty," Selene responded as she descended the stairs and made a slight bow to her fiancé.

"Your luggage is in our carriage," Clarice corrected and immediately demanded her servants to retrieve the trunk with the belongings she had organized in secret from her daughter, and believed were necessary for her.

The king remained with a furrowed brow and a tensed jaw, as he wasn't used to having to wait for anyone. In fact, it was usually him who others had to wait for, which rarely happened, as punctuality was very important to him. Furthermore, he hated having to let the queen go without his company.

The farewell wasn't emotional, Selene didn't want to show her vulnerability to her fiancé, the servants, or her parents. She didn't want them to see how much their decision had affected her, as she had already cried enough the previous night.

"Be a good fiancée, daughter, and show that we have raised an excellent future queen," her mother asked her before climbing the steps that would lead her into the carriage.

Selene looked at her mother and was unable to respond. Instead, she just furrowed her brow and didn't wait for one of the vassals to give her a hand to climb in. She did it on her own and sat as far away from the door as possible, which was only a few inches. She ignored the noises outside the carriage until Frederick climbed in beside her, followed by two maids who sat opposite them, keeping their heads lowered.

Was this really going to be her life from now on? People who didn't even look her in the eye and seemed afraid of her? A fiancé who also wouldn't look at her and appeared uncomfortable by her side? If she could have cried there, she would have done it without hesitation, but she had to maintain not only appearances, but also her own feelings, emotions, and heart, even if it turned her into a stone woman.

She watched her father say goodbye with a wave, to which she responded with pursed lips and a slight nod of her head. The carriage started moving and without looking back, they set off towards the castle.

The silence was overwhelming, despite the sound of the wheels hitting the dirt and rocks of the road, as well as the hooves of the horses and the shouts of the coachman, encouraging the beasts.

They didn't travel far along the road, and when they reached an intersection surrounded by overgrown pastures, the coachman abruptly stopped the carriage, causing everyone inside to nearly fly out of their seats.

"Your Majesty!" shouted one of the king's men, but he did it with a tone that sent chills down Frederick and Selene's spines.

"What's happening?" the king demanded, sticking his head out of the small window of the carriage.

A shiver ran down her spine, her hands trembled, and for a few brief seconds, her whole body froze as she saw her mother's carriage halted on the road. Two of her guards lay on the ground, along with other bodies she didn't recognize.

As she stepped out of the carriage with trembling steps, one of her guards approached the other carriage to inspect its interior.

"The queen is injured!"