Princess Lily

Chapter 24

James sat in his study, having just finished reading a letter written to him by Lily. Winter had turned into early spring and whenever he tried to discuss the matter of his engagement to Lily, his mother ended up having another fainting episode. James was beginning to suspect that though the first episode may have been real, the rest seemed to be delaying tactics on her part.

No matter, he was going to take up the matter at once today. Enough was enough. He could tell from her letters that Duke Max was being stubborn about the whole betrothal and Lily was miserable. He’d even tried sending financial help for Duke Max with his friend Georg, hoping the old man would take it as a truce offering. But Duke Max had sent the money back, telling Georg that Prince James could not buy his approval. The man was infuriating, exactly like his daughter.

“Mother,” Prince James stated as he entered the yellow parlor where she sat taking tea.

Lady Sasha sat with her, her tea-cup perfectly poised in her hands.

“My son, my heir,” Empress Sophia’s warm voice and gentle tone bolstered the young prince’s confidence.

“It’s time to call Lily to come stay with us,” James stated firmly. “If we are to be married by the end of the year-“

“You’re not still on about that country bumpkin are you?” Sasha cut in loftily.

She gave an easy smile towards the Empress.

“We all know she won’t last even a week here, Prince James. She isn’t cut out for life here,” Sasha insisted.

“I think I’ll be the judge of that,” Prince James said stiffly.

“I propose,” began Empress Sophia, slyly smirking towards Sasha before continuing, “-that we call her here for a trial period. If she decides she wants to come, we will formally announce your betrothal, draw up the required contracts and have a grand engagement party for you. After all, I don’t want to go through so much trouble only to have her decide she would much rather leave.”

James rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was the most he’d gotten out of his mother in the past two months. He’d taken what he could.

“All right mother, I concede to your demands. We won’t tell anyone we’re betrothed. Instead, we’ll invite her and announce our betrothal after a week.”

“Two months at least,” the Empress insisted.

James stiffened.

“One month mother,” James replied. “And then we announce our engagement to each other.”  

The Empress looked sideways at Sasha and when the Prince turned to leave, he didn’t catch Sasha’s triumphant smile.

*    *    *

“Oh we’ll make sure she wants to leave the moment she arrives!” clapped Sasha to Counselor Vesky. “Just leave it to me!”

Counselor Vesky motioned to the servants and guards that were loyal to him.

“From today onwards, you will follow Lady Sasha’s orders,” he instructed.

Sasha’s narrowed her eyes into two evil slits as she smiled deviously.

*    *    *

Lily ran down the steps of her home, happily going to hug her mother.

“Oh Mama! He’s done it. He’s sending for me to come begin learning royal protocol with his mother! And a month after my arrival, there is to be a grand ball announcing our engagement!”

“A month?” Duchess Luci queried. “He should be announcing your engagement in the papers before we send you there. This is absurd. He should be coming to see your uncle to draw up betrothal contracts. You are the granddaughter of a king! What is Empress Sophia trying to do here? There should be plans of a formal betrothal before even thinking of calling you to live at the palace!”

“Mother, there will be a formal betrothal, just after a month. Empress Sophia thought this best to give me time to acclimate into palace life,” Lily argued as she held the letter up in front of her mother to show her what prince James had written.

Duchess Luci rolled her eyes. “I don’t think anything I say will convince you otherwise.”

Lily laughed and hugged her mother again.

“I have to go pack Mama!” she called gaily before floating back to her room.

*    *    *

“Carl!” Lily exclaimed cheerily, hugging him. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

“I came to get you,” Prince Carl confessed. He then caste a wary glance towards the grey storm clouds outside. “Though maybe we should stay tonight and leave tomorrow?”

“I’m all packed,” Lily said insistently. “And it’s better for us to go ahead and leave as soon as possible.”

She heaved a weary sigh and settled into the cushions of the chaise behind her.

“James told me Duke Max wasn’t too happy about your engagement,” Carl ventured hesitantly.

Lily shrugged nonchalantly.

“No more so happy than I assume Empress Sophia had been,” Lily replied with a trembling smile.

Carl started at that and Lily laughed.

“No matter how much James tries to hide it from me, I know that one of the reasons it took him so long to send for me was because the Empress was…probably still is, against this union.”

“Mother will come around,” Carl stated confidently. “She just needs some time to come to terms with it all.”

Lily sighed.

“I wish I could say the same for my father,” Lily muttered crossing her arms with a hmph.

Things had never been like this between them. She’d always been the apple of his eye. And now he could barely stand to be in the same room as her.

“Good to see you Prince Carl!” Duke Max’s voice boomed throughout the sitting room.

Carl turned and Lily couldn’t help but notice that her father’s smile was genuine. It seemed her father had no issues with the younger prince. What was his problem with Prince James?

Carl stood up to meet Duke Max and the two immediately got caught up into a discussion regarding the recent bridge being built over a lake that was going to travel easier throughout Fortius. However, the laborers had recently gone on strike because the contractor was apparently withholding a portion of their rightful wages. 

“It’s out of our hands, it’s between the workers and the contractor,” Carl responded.

“Spoken like a true noble. If we don’t do something to help the poor laborers, who will? We hold positions of influence and power, surely we could convince the contractor, chosen by the empire, to cave?” Duke Max pushed.

Lily watched the back and forth between her father and Prince Carl, whole-heartedly agreeing with her father. But they weren’t on speaking terms so she didn’t jump into the conversation like she normally would have.