HIS FUTURE QUEEN

FORGIVENESS

CHAPTER 8

ELIK

Did I just think about marriage? Marriage associated with Ms. K? Why would I do that? Heavens forbid.

Why did I allow this idea to pop into my head? And up to now...I was still thinking of her.

Jesus!

Even while the meeting with people dealing with mining had started, the idea kept popping in my head and I couldn't shake it off.

And because of that, as I looked at the faces of the miners around the table, I knew I had missed a crucial part of the discussion.

“Sir?” someone prompted me, waiting for an answer.

“We need your decision, sir.”

What the damn thing did I need to decide on? I heaved a deep sigh and asked, “Let me hear your suggestion--”

“I hope you won't stop the mining operation, sir. Many workers will lose income. What will they do? How can they feed their family?” One of the men was brave enough to express their fears.

If I were in their shoes, I would probably think the same.

“Shutting down the operations will be up to the assessment committee's recommendation. I know the kingdom has fertile soil, but we can’t continue operations if it can damage the whole lot. We will end up with more problems to deal with in the future.” I explained.

I saw the dejected look on their faces. Most of them looked at their feet below the table, for sure, they were trying to control their emotions. The monarchy was not blind to the situation, every decision we made always took into consideration the interests of our people. Therefore, I expressed...

“We will take care of the miners and find replacement jobs for them. In the meantime, they can always count on financial support from the kingdom. We can even increase it during the transition period.”

“It should not be our operations that you should shut down, sir. Why don’t you look into the small mining operations, inside the properties of the nobles? They are the ones that abused our land and polluted the waters.”

One man conveyed something which captured my interest. “Pardon me? I thought we had addressed this issue years ago?”

“They had foreign backing this time, sir. They were beginning to enter and bring in with them some high-tech equipment.” Another man chimed in.

“Do we have proof?” I probed.

“Me sir, I can testify—I've been given a part-time job, three times in the past two months. They operate at night, on land and underwater.” One miner seated at the back stood up and relayed the information he knew to the group.

“What minerals do they find underwater?”

“Ore, sir, nickel and copper,” said another miner.

“That’s dangerous. Is your income not sufficient? Why risk your life by moonlighting on illegal operations?”

I breathed in slowly and released it slowly. I swallowed down my frustration. There was no use in getting upset, but, what could satisfy these people? The kingdom had almost given them everything. High salaries, income share, free hospitalization, housing, education for their kids, and a lot more. What else do they need?

They looked down, heads pointing at the floor. It took a while before someone replied to my query.

“Ahm. Our apologies, sir. The offer was encouraging. We know it was not right, but the offers were tempting.”

“May I remind everyone of the reason why, instead of you paying taxes to the kingdom, like the usual practice in other countries, it was the monarchy who gave you an income share. This is to guarantee that the necessities, comforts, and even luxuries can be enjoyed not only by the nobles but commoners alike. Your standard of living was higher than most. Why the need to engage in illegal operations and risk your life?”

“Your highness, we are so sorry for this.”

“Do not worry, I do understand. Money when dangled in front of anyone was so hard to resist.” They were not concerned for safety when money was concerned. “Remember…they need people to continue operations, if they can't get anyone here, they can't operate. Help the monarchy fight irregularities.”

“Sir, in all honesty, most of their people did not come from here.”

Hmm. I paused for a moment and tried to digest what had been said. It was more complex than I thought it would be. It was not a simple illegal mining operation, it also involved smuggling. Everything they get from Giorginian waters would be transported by sea, without using Giorginian ports? Meaning they did not pay taxes. The coast guards should be informed. How come this escaped them?

“They were transported from nearby ports, and we met them in the ocean, but I am sure the exploration is still within Giorginian waters.” Another man spoke, which confirmed what I was thinking.

“I will assign someone to look into the details of this. I hope you can help them put together a comprehensive report. I am very pleased that you are willing to cooperate. As I said, it would help the monarchy to fight illegal activities against our land if, hand in hand, we help each other."

"Aye, sir. You have our support." they chorused.

“If we stop mining, which is our primary income source. Will that mean our annual share profit shall be reduced?” The head of the group asked.

“Again, do not worry. We have other sources of income now. And I am sure we have enough reserves to sustain us for years to come,” I assured them.

The miners bobbed their heads expressing their satisfaction. I had to contend with the fact that they were still willing to cooperate with us, it was the best way to protect the kingdom. The people and the monarchy should work hand in hand.

In a few more minutes, the meeting with the miners concluded. It was good that they knew the kingdom never failed to improve their standard of living. But, I was a bit concerned about illegal activities. Who were the personalities involved?

Was there a threat…again, in the kingdom?

It was all part of a never-ending saga of kingdom operations. Unfortunately, this was also part of my inevitable future.

*****

KLAUD

“I want to apologize to the Prince,” I whispered in between pitiful sniffles. Or I thought I whispered it to myself. I never intended for Peter and Mia to hear me.

“You should have done that earlier,” Peter said. “And will you stop crying? Tomorrow your eyes will be red and swollen. Do you want the panel to think that you are sick?”

I hated to admit it but he was right.

“I wanted to but he left early. What should I do?” I asked helplessly.

“Tell him tomorrow,” Mia said. “Or don’t even mention it. I don’t think the steering committee's decision is entirely up to him. Aside from the fact that we didn’t know if he ever paid attention to what you did.”

“Can't you see he was treated with the utmost respect here, whereas me—oh—“

“Stop that! Stop thinking of the worst. You must worry more about how to answer the panel tomorrow.” Mia advised.

With tears brimming in my eyes, I picked up the pamphlet given to us. However, as soon as I saw the image of the Duke, which looked so similar to his son, my eyes welled up with tears again.

And as if speaking with the Duke face to face, I murmured, “Sir, kindly ask your son to forgive me. I promise to do my best and study well so that one day I can contribute to your kingdom. Please, sir, please!”

Despite the laughter of my friends that I was hearing in the background, the feelings of sadness and heartache were real.

I had this scholarship in mind for two years. It was the fastest, surest, and most economical way for me to finish the medicine course. There was no other way out there that could match this opportunity.

I passed the stiff first-round screening, I made sure my grades were high and I even graduated with honors. My school dean even wrote a good recommendation for me. He did not do that to all the students. Mia and Peter were not recommended by the dean.

Peter and Mia were just influenced by me. As far as resources were concerned, their family could well afford to send them to medical school. Unlike me, my parents, of course, would support my dream, but it would be a burden to them financially.

I wished for the Prince to be more objective in choosing the right candidate. I promise to dedicate my time to studying well and give back to the AKW hospital my utmost support in the future.

“What if he could not set aside what you did?” The small voice in my head asked the dreadful question.

It would be the end of my dream. Not all of them though, but one dream that would surely rip my heart to bits and pieces.

Hot tears cascaded down my face, I had to convince the Prince to give me a chance. I would even wash his laundry, even his briefs, daily if he could forgive me.

Later that night,

I twisted, turned, and curled myself into one piece in my bed for a whole two hours, trying to get into a comfortable position, before giving up any illusions I had about getting a peaceful sleep. I sat up eventually, turned the lights on, reached for my phone, and sent my parents...an"I missed them a lot", message. I wish I could tell mom and dad what was bothering me, but I didn't want to worry them. At the rate it was going, I would be seeing them in three days at most.

I sprung out of bed and moved towards the window. The frosty and foggy night barred the moon and stars from spreading their magnificent light, but the view beyond the window still took my breath away.

Giorginia kingdom was a fantastic place to live in. I fell in love with the place as soon as I saw it, even in mid-air. It would be disheartening to leave the place, especially with a shattered dream.

But--it wasn't the end of the line. I would pray that the handsome Prince Elik would have a heart and not take what happened in New York against me. That would be my only hope. Plus, of course, I have to sell myself tomorrow in front of the panel, telling them why I deserve to be chosen as one of the scholars. There were twelve slots...I only needed one.

Thinking about the handsome Prince Elik, perhaps in another time and space, I could appreciate his undeniably salient features better. From his deep blue eyes, dark brown hair, pointed nose, kissable lips, and physique of a god. He ticked all the boxes for my Mr. Right and more. Unfortunately, he was a Prince...and Princes belonged to Princesses and not to beautiful frogs, like me.

For now...I would be happy to get his forgiveness and let me pursue my dream of becoming one of the best doctors in New York. That would be more than enough for me.