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THE IMPROVISED CLEANING
Chapter Thirteen: The improvised cleaning
Caroline’s POV:
As time passed, the mood in the palace calmed down again, thank heavens, and we were soon back to our normal routine. The routine we had even before Stephan was invited to the palace as my future fiancé. Gradually, I went back to attending council meetings with my father, but this time I had a different strategy: I would keep my mouth shut so that none of the lords would give my father any more absurd advice. So, I went into the meeting, took notes, even wrote down my personal opinions, but I did not volunteer to suggest anything. The lords in the council would look at my new posture as if I had a change of heart, but I was not going to them that this was more a strategy than acceptance of their plan.
In my mind, they were all wrong because the lords liked to oppress the people with more taxes, compulsory military service, and misery. I wo
Kaugnay na kabanata
The Princess' Golden Cage THE MYSTERIOUS SOLDIER
Caroline’s POV:I spent a few days training for the fateful inspection and trying to master my fear of horses until finally the day of the ceremony of the troops had arrived. I was in a ridiculously puffy sundress for the occasion. There was so much tulle and lace it was unbelievable. Since I would probably do something awkwardly and it was very sunny, Lucille managed to get me a very large hat, which covered most of my face. Everyone would know it was me there, but few could say anything about the face I would make when I felt embarrassed, and I was sure that would happen.At ten to eleven in the morning, with the sun already very hot, we were all there on the small platform set up in the winter garden. Reporters were present and photographed our smiles and greetings but were not allowed to ask direct questions under my father's new press policy. At eleven o'clock my father, mother, and I were led to our horses
The Princess' Golden Cage THE PARTY
Caroline’s POV:The rest of the week flew by and then finally it was Friday, when my parents would leave the Palace on a little hunting trip. My father was the most excited about hunting, but there would be a whole entourage with them, including the lords, a good part of their families and some of the maids and jacks from the palace. Everyone was preparing to depart today after breakfast, and I was preparing myself to have the whole weekend for me.I opened my eyes that morning a little happier. Not that I did not love my parents, but there was so much pressure for everything to be perfect when they were around that I could not help feeling the pressure ease a little in their possible absence.My mom came to my room early in the morning, unannounced, and I was still getting ready for breakfast. When she walked through the doors, Lucille was finishing the last touches of my already impeccable makeup.
The Princess' Golden Cage THE REVOLUTIONARY APPRENTICE
Liam’s POV:I had arrived at the Palace a few days ago and was still getting used to the discipline and schedules that the Palace guards had to keep. I was a recent graduate of the military academy in Tresoria and came from a family that traditionally served in the army. Not necessarily because we had some sense of duty to the country, but unfortunately because military service was mandatory and was perhaps the highest-paying job in the region where I came from.I must confess that I was new here, but I had already experienced some very curious episodes, like on my first day here, when we were being inspected by the royal family, for example, there was an incident with the princess who fell off her horse and the only reason she did not hit the ground was because I had reflexes fast enough to catch her before she was hurt. She appreciated my gesture, but not even looked me in my eyes to thank me. I also won a per
The Princess' Golden Cage THE SHOT
Caroline’s POV:The impromptu employee party took place on Saturday night, and since Sunday everything seemed in perfect order. Not all employees were working, and as Lucille said around, Sunday was Olivia's day off, so I enjoyed the quiet day in my room.I knew that the palace servants believed the princess was a recluse, and some of them even felt sorry for the princess and thought that perhaps she was ill. I did not pay attention to these conversations because it was all people's speculation. But the fact is that I often felt so comfortable around them as Olivia that I dreaded the day when I would have to reveal to everyone that I was Caroline. Surely, they would treat me differently, and I could not blame them. So, I decided that I would take this farce as far as I could so that I would have more friends, When I could no longer support this story, I would apologize to them all, but make it clear that I was s
The Princess' Golden Cage THE WAITING
Caroline’s POV:It was a real fright to see my mother in that state. She was hooked up to a variety of tubes and monitors, and her expression was kind of troubled. My legs went limp again when I saw her like that, so weak. It was sad to see my mother on that hospital bed.One of the nurses muttered softly to me, "No, Your Highness, you can't give up. If she wakes up and sees you like this, it won't do her any good." I nodded at her words and tried to keep abettercomposure. There was not much we could do as she was still asleep. Still, my dad and I sat in the two chairs beside her bed.I reached out with my shaking hands to take hers in mine. And when I held her fragile hand in mine, thank heavens her hands felt warm. My imagination had already gotten the better of me and I had already imagined her frozen as a dead person, but that was not the case. So the sense of rel
The Princess' Golden Cage THE CANDIDATE LIST
Caroline’s POV:A few days after theattempt onmy mother's life, I was a little more relieved that she was recovering at a good pace, according to Dr. Caldwell. She had physical therapy every day and was doing well. The doctor had already authorized her to try to speak and her lungs were evolving well, thank heavens. But there was one thing that worried me: She was constantly asking about the details of the shooting: whether we had discovered the perpetrators, whether we were searching the region for the culprits, or any other details we had. She wanted to be on top of everything that was going on in the case.My dad and I did not talk when she asked us these questions, and there were days when she was more distracted, so it was easier to sidetrack her. Other days were more difficult, and we had to urge her to focus on her healing, and then on finding and apprehending the culprits. We had agreed that it would not be good to wo
The Princess' Golden Cage THE ABDUCTION
Liam’s POV:Finding taverns in this part of the country was pretty easy. There were many workers around the palace, either those who worked directly for the royalty or those who had indirect jobs as suppliers of the palace's goods. I had already visited a few places, but as I was new to the region, these places were never the same and I was always looking for people who would speak the right words or give the clues I needed. But recently, after the attack on the Queen, the mysterious revolutionaries seemed to have hidden under rocks, or inside caves.Since a date with Olivia was not in the agenda anymore, I decided to visit one more tavern tonight. The night was unusually cool for a summer night, which was odd. My mom always told me that cold nights like this were a sign that something bad was going to happen, but I shook my head at her foreboding and went out to eat dinner in town. The
The Princess' Golden Cage THE NECESSARY COURAGE
Caroline’s POV:I spent the day after the meeting in my small office, thinking with some of the lords about the names I would list. Lord Hammond was a fair and balanced man, and he could never be replaced by some mat that my father and Lord Deveraux would choose. I really enjoyed the fact that I was given the opportunity to have a voice on the board, but I knew that much more than the names would weigh on this list. They were testing my political skills here, and I definitely could not be considered by them as less than highly capable.There were a few names on the list, and I knew it should not be long, but impactful. There was, first, David Hammond, whom I could make lord in his father's place. He was a good guy, but maybe he was considered too young. I also liked the idea of Lord Clark, a slightly older man who had been a member of the council and had resigned to take care of his wife's health when she became
Pinakabagong kabanata
- The Princess' Golden Cage THE QUESTIONED FRIENDSHIP
- The Princess' Golden Cage THE WEAK SPOT
- The Princess' Golden Cage THE DATE
- The Princess' Golden Cage THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
- The Princess' Golden Cage THE BIRTHDAY PLAN
- The Princess' Golden Cage THE UNEXPECTED NEWS
- The Princess' Golden Cage THE MASTER PLAN
- The Princess' Golden Cage THE NIGHT MEETING
- The Princess' Golden Cage THE INCURSION REPORT
