Princess Lily

Chapter 6

Later that day, as Lily helped the villagers clean up the mess from the fair, she discovered Gertrude comforting one of the village girls.

“-and-and-he told me I was one of the most beautiful girls he’d ever seen!” the girl cried piteously.”But now after-after-“ the girl hiccupped. “-he won’t even look at me!”

“There, there, you should know better than to become entangled with a visiting noble!” scolded Gertrude.

“What’s going on?” Lily queried.

Gertrude sighed.

“One of the nobles visiting with the royal family seemed to have taken a fancy to Irina.” Gertrude motioned to the crying girl. “But you know how these nobles are, they use girls for their own benefit, casting them aside once they are bored.” Gertrude shook her head. “It’s all a game for them. Just a bit of fun before they have to return to boring court-life.”

Lily stood stunned, Prince James come-ons making a lot more sense now. He was just bored, he just wanted to have a bit of fun. It all made sense now. Stumbling into her home, Lily tried to suppress the tears in her eye only to come upon another scene.

The sitting room was filled with tension thick enough to cute with a knife as Prince James sat next to his mother, across from Lily’s parents and sister. It seemed she’d intruded on a private moment. The Empress sat, patting Helaine’s hand almost as if she was trying to comfort her while Helaine had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"My dear I am so sorry. But you are not Empress material. You've no sense of how to lead which you will soon need to do if heaven forbid my son dies just like his father did. Luckily, I was taught how to lead and now my country is one of the most prosperous countries in the world."

Helaine sat quietly, too proud to try and argue with the Empress.

“You would be miserable at the palace,” Empress Sophia added before turning to the Duchess. “I am sorry but Prince James cannot marry Helaine. I have watched her closely all day and she is not royalty material. We are all going back to Fortius day after tomorrow."

Prince James looked happy about not marrying Helaine but he didn't want to leave.

"Mother can't we stay longer?" he asked.

"No." she said sharply. "There are riots in Pacem and we have to put them in their places. It is not safe for us to stay out of the palace. We have a meeting with General  will be going to Pacem to control the rebels."

"Yes mother." Said Prince James sadly.

Duke Max stiffened at the mention of Pacem.

Lily backed away from the room, but not before Helaine’s eyes landed on Lily, narrowing angrily.

“This is all your fault!” Helaine exclaimed, getting up and throwing her fan on the floor. “You-you sabotaged me!”

Lily stiffened.

“I have no idea what you mean, sister.”

“Helaine—” their mother began placatingly, knowing that Helaine was about to have a tantrum, further proving Empress Sophia's point.

“No mother! This is so unfair! This is all Lily’s fault!” and with a wail of desolation, Helaine ran up to her room, sobbing loudly.

“Well!” The Empress exclaimed decidedly, satisfied that she’d made the right decision.

“I truly am sorry if anything on my end is the cause of all of this,” Lily said cautiously. The last thing she’d ever wanted to do was make her sister cry.

“Don’t be preposterous, this had nothing to do with you!” Prince James exclaimed adamantly, almost standing up to assure Lily.

Lily suddenly felt her heart constrict, remembering the reason she felt so miserable. It was because prince James was playing with her. She backed out of the room, excusing herself quietly before running out onto the gazebo on her front lawn.

She didn’t realize that prince James had excused himself as well and run after her, not missing the unshed tears in her eyes.

Lily sat down on the railing of the gazebo, looking at nearly gone sun forlornly. She leaned back on the small white pillar that protruded from the railing and supported the roof of the gazebo, successfully managing to control her anguish. It was a few minutes later that she noticed someone’s presence beside her. Knowing who it was, she opened her eyes to see Prince James looking at her.

“I couldn’t stay engaged to her,” James explained, thinking Lily was upset over the broken engagement of her sister. “You know why, don’t pretend you don’t feel the same way Lily.” He reached out a hand to grab Lily’s hand. She moved away from him, anger evident in her posture and eyes.

“You expect me to believe you?” she scoffed, throwing her head back in haughty disdain. “You think I don’t know that this is just a bit of fun for you with a country bumpkin until you go back to court with all your beautiful simpering ladies?”

Prince James looked at Lily stiffly.

“You doubt my intentions? I just broke off my betrothal-“

“A betrothal to my sister!” Lily added shrilly.

“For you!” James exploded. “I did it for you! So we can be together, so we can have a betrothal!”

Lily stilled. James sucked in a deep breath. He was a prince. A future emperor. He’d never had to ever do anything like this before. Women fell at his feet, jumped at the chance to be in his bed. And here this girl was raging at him like he’d done something wrong!

“Why?” Lily finally asked.

“Why?” James repeated blankly.

“Why do you want to marry me? You barely even know me!”

“Because-because-“ James spluttered for a minute, completely thrown for a loop.

No female alive had ever asked him why! He’d never had to answer such difficult questions before. This was harder than having war strategy meetings with their General!

“-you’re beautiful!” he said the first words that came to mind when he looked at her.

Lily’s lips set into a grim line.

“Because of my beauty, you broke off a betrothal with my sister and now wish to marry me?” There was a hard tone to Lily’s voice.

James blinked a few times, wondering what exactly he was supposed to say. Wasn’t it enough that he wanted to be with her? That he was willing to make her his Empress? She should be jumping for joy.

“You’re the most beautiful girl throughout the land. Tales of your beauty reached even us at the palace, but when I saw you….truly saw you, I realized those tales were definitely not an exaggeration. If anything, they didn’t do you justice.” James spoke honestly, pulling on past experiences where girls fell over him over his compliments when it came to their beauty.

Lily sighed deeply. He didn’t know it but his words seemed eerily familiar to what she’d hear Sir Georg saying to the poor village girl, Irina.

“I’m sorry Prince James, but I am not some trophy to be won and hung up on a shelf. I am not a prize. My kisses are not prizes to be claimed by the winner of some frivolous competition. My kisses are and will be for the man I love,” and with that, Lily brushed past him, trying to still the ache in her heart.

James seemed find a totally foreign feeling filling his heart, the feeling of rejection. Something he’d never had to face in his entire life. He wanted to run after her, gather her in his arms and never let her go until she accepted him. But before he did just that, she'd run off into the setting sun, her retreating form getting smaller and smaller as she disappeared from his sight.