Guilt

At the Jolly Island’s castle library, Prince Maxwell sat across from his best friend and most trusted man.

“I hear the Princess turned down your proposal,” Sir Luke asked his troubled friend. He was still in disbelief because every girl in their island was crazy about his friend and dreamed to be to be the next queen.

“I can’t blame her. I am bad news,” the prince responded with a melancholic voice that surprised his friend.

Sir Luke’s jaw dropped when the prince informed him of what he did to Princess Zania in their previous marriage.

“No wonder you are shutting Mary out. Do you think Princess Zania knows this?” he asked, still shocked.

“I don’t know, but it would explain her attitude towards me. She selflessly loved me, and I crushed her.”

Sir Luke studied his troubled friend before suggesting, “Maybe you should let her be. Maybe, you were not meant to be.”

The prince frantically shook his head. “I can’t. Zania is my life. I can’t live without her. I know that now.”

Sir Luke raised his eyebrows. Everything his friend was saying was not making complete sense to him. He had just told him how miserable their marriage was but still adamant on marrying the princess.

“I love her, and I owe it to myself and her to make the past wrongs, right,” the prince explained. That was his resolution, but he had no idea how he would achieve it. It was not like he could just force the princess to wed him.

“You feel guilty,” Sir Luke pointed out. It was the only explanation he could come up with. His friend was crazy about Lady Mary and now treating her like a stranger. There were even rumors that Princess Zania was bewitching him, because she was all he was talking about since the two kings fell.

Prince Maxwell let out a weak laugh. Guilt was an understatement of what he really felt.

“I tortured her and killed my babies. My own blood. I don’t think there is anything I can do to reverse that, but I will try,” he confessed and massaged his sore temples.

“If she never loves you again?” Sir Luke asked.

The prince swallowed his saliva, a splitting headache hitting him. That was a nightmare he did not want to imagine.

The two were disturbed by Benny, the royal stuart.

‘Your Highness. Sir Luke.”

“Speak,” the prince commanded and soon felt guilty for snapping at his stuart. He was still irritated that he did not tell him about his queen’s miscarriages. He constantly had to remind himself that no one else knew what happened. As far as he knew and judging by his friend’s astonishment, no one was aware that he had been reborn or maybe the time had gone backwards.

“The word on the ground is that Princess Zania has requested to see Lady Mary,” the stuart said before leaving the two men exchanging looks.

Prince Maxwell got on his feet and paced around the study. It was looking like the princess knew what happened before, which meant he was not dreaming. He really did hurt her so much and killed his own babies to please his mistress.

In Princess Zania’s castle, Lady Mary joined the princess, who was sitting in the garden near the water feature. The location was intentional to swallow her words and avoid being heard by eavesdroppers.

“Your Highness,” Lady Mary greeted and bowed her head slightly. She hated the princess with passion, it was taking everything in her to bow to her.

“Thank you for coming, Mary. I have been informed of your relationship with Prince Maxwell,” Princess Zania got straight to the point.

Lady Mary opened and closed her mouth, speechless, while the princess continued.

“You love him, and I don’t. I have no intentions of standing in your way. I have no intentions of remaining his wife once this war is settled, but I need your help,” the princess proceeded. She was not fond of Lady Mary either, but she was the only person she was certain hated her union with the prince more than anyone else.

“Mine?” Lady Mary asked, shocked. She hated the princess and only came to see if she would say something she could use to break her and the prince up. She even had a tape recorder in her pocket to use as proof.

“Yes. A barren queen can be divorced after three years. My people will accept that I have failed in my role if I cannot bare an heir. I will go my way and you can have him,” the princess relayed her plan and Lady Mary was only thrilled to hear that. Her dream of being the queen was not dead after all.

“I see. What do you need me to do, Your Highness?” she asked eagerly.

“I have tried to turn down the proposal, but more people are dying. I don’t ever want to consummate this marriage. It is all a coalition to end the war and if you love him, you will work with me,” the princess told the attentive woman who hated her with passion in her previous life.

“You will be expected to consummate the marriage in front of the elders. I don’t see a way around this. How exactly do I help you?” Lady Mary inquired. She knew every custom in her preparation to be the next Queen.

“That is your tribe’s custom, not mine. Your father and brother are the most influential elders in your tribe. I am sure that you can get them to convince the rest against enforcing the outrageous custom. They do want you to be a queen one day, do they not?” the princess pressed on.

“I will see what I can do, Your Highness.”

Mary could not believe her luck. It might be hard to get the elders to change, but her father and brother had never failed her before.

“Great!” Princess Zania beamed. Lady Mary’s every reaction assuring her that she was talking to the right person. Lady Mary’s father and brother were the reason most of her people were wrongfully imprisoned and killed. They had managed to get all their elders to turn a blind eye to all the atrocities committed against her and her tribe. She had no doubt that they would manage to get other elders to agree to this.

“I will also rely on you to keep the prince off my chambers for good,” the princess added. The prince hated her previously and objected to their marriage, but he still visited her chambers on weekly basis. She had to take care of that, because the thought of him touching her made her cringe.

“I don’t really control his actions, Your Highness,” Lady Mary responded. The prince had become very cold towards her, she was not certain that she would be able to keep him away from the woman he seemed to be infatuated with.

“You are a bright girl. I am sure you can come up with tricks to keep him in your bed,” the princess urged.

“I will try, but I no longer have access to the castle,” Lady Mary told her. While she literally lived in the castle before, Prince Maxwell had in so many words told her never to set her feet there again. She had no idea what she did, but he seemed to hate her. She initially thought Princess Zania said something for the Prince to behave like that towards her, but the princess’s reaction was proving otherwise.

The princess smiled. She was aware of that and had come up with a way around it.

“I happen to have chosen you as my helper. That means you officially and permanently move to the castle when I do. Do whatever it takes to keep him away from me.”

Lady Mary nodded and left very excited. She just could not believe her luck. Prince Maxwell would not be able to avoid her if she stayed in the castle. It would be easy for them to rekindle their love.