SECRET OF THE AMULET

CHAPTER 23

            Even though the dress just covered a small number of her shoulders, it fell to a stunning draped neckline. Due to the loose fit, the dress had a comfortable but elegant appearance. Until just above her wrists, her arms have been draped over her shoulders. The sleeves had a loose fit from top to bottom, giving the dress a more casual appearance.

            The waist of the dress was narrow, yet it had a relaxed fit. Wrapped with a cloth ribbon and fastened in the front, she was considered to be appropriately dressed for the occasion. For the past two weeks, Queen Eleanor required her to refresh what she had learned about proper decorum when she was a kid. Instead of informing the woman that she was given a proper education in Greenhill, she just allowed her to avoid more questions.

            For the past two weeks, she has become meek and obedient. She had no more energy to argue about her uncle because they always shut her up whenever she was trying to talk about the man banished from the palace. Sooner or later, she believed she would find some ways to leave the palace without inflicting damage to the people who had supported her.

            After checking her appearance in the mirror, she glanced at Camilla to ask for her opinion, and the woman just smiled at her. “Who is their guest that I have to wear this elegant gown?” She asked, but Camilla only shook her head. “Well, I am going to find out later,” she said while trying hard to fake a smile.

            Her life in Greenhill was happier and more comfortable than in the capital, where all of her actions were being watched. It was exhausting and draining her energy, but until she found a way to escape, she would try her best to endure everything in the palace. For a moment, she wished that there was someone she could trust in the Palace. Unfortunately, she had to be wary at all times because aside from Eleanor and Lucienne, she had no idea if other people hated to see her back in the Palace.

            She was headed to the Great Hall, where dinner would be served when she happened to see a familiar form from a distance.  At first, she believed it was Zacharias Blackwood, so she waited until he would turn around. Then, she took a deep breath when another man had a similar built with Zacharias Blackwood.

            What’s wrong with her?

            Since that night, she couldn’t stop thinking about him, which has affected her mood every day! She was worried for her uncle, and at the same time, she was thrilled to meet with Zacharias Blackwood, and she believed it was one of the reasons why she didn’t go mad in her new home. 

            Another sigh escaped from her lips as she continued to walk slowly towards the Great Hall. Earlier, she has decided to try winning their trust so she would be allowed to move freely without the group of people who were always hovering and following her.

            When she arrived at the Great Hall, she saw the King and Queen, and their facial expressions barely told her of what was going on inside their head. “A pleasant evening, Your Majesty,” she curtsied before her father, as well as to his new queen who just lifted the tip of her eyebrow upon seeing her.

            “My Queen, where is Princess Lucienne? We shouldn’t allow our guest to get hungry,” Arthur said to his wife, after nodding his head to his first daughter, who looked exactly like his…first wife. He took a deep breath before he gestured for the servant to be serving the food for their evening meal.

            “I heard that you have a guest for tonight, Father,” Bridgette said, and the woman beside Arthur Montgomery gasped for breath. It was probably the first time that Queen Eleanor heard her call the King as her father.

            “Dear, can you fetch Lord Blackwood from the parlour? The evening meal is about to start,” he whispered into the woman’s ear because the Blackwood brothers were noticeable absent…as well as Princess Lucienne.

            When Bridgette heard Lord Blackwood's name, she immediately assumed it was Zacharias Blackwood, the Duke of Hartwell, who happened to Princess Lucienne’s fiance. However, she didn’t see him on her way to the Great Hall earlier. It was another man who looked dapper and dandy in his outfit.

            While waiting for the guest to join them, Bridgette was nervous. She kept on tugging the hem of her dress under the table while waiting for everyone to join them. From a distance, she could hear some laughter, and someone’s voice sounded so familiar to her ears. When a group of four appeared in the Great Hall, she could only stare at him, and he did the same.

The man squinted his eyes towards her as if trying to figure out why she was in the palace and not in Greenhill. Bridgette expected that he would say something to acknowledge their previous meeting, but the man just smiled at her, and as they got closer,  he introduced himself as the Duke of Hartwell. Well, she wasn’t stupid not to get what he was trying to say. He didn’t want her to mention to anyone about their previous meeting, and she understood it well.

“Your Majesty, I have no idea that you have another daughter and too beautiful to be hidden from the public,” George Blackwood remarked. Well, he liked Princess Lucienne to become his wife, but he couldn’t have her; the other woman would suit his taste.

“She was sickly while growing up,” Arthur replied, and both men nodded their heads without asking further. It was common for the nobles to keep their sickly children away from the public or make them live outside the capital to recuperate quickly.

“I see,” George Blackwood said before they began their evening meal.

As expected, Queen Eleanor and Princess Lucienne were graceful hosts, and Bridgette couldn’t tell if their smiles were genuine or fake. They were as engrossed in their roles as the hosts and entertained their guests as best as they could.

Occasionally, Bridgette would steal a glance at Zacharias Blackwood. Still, she was careful not to be noticed, or it would cause an issue, especially when her half-sister was engaged to the man. “Milord, you must be thrilled about your upcoming wedding with Princess Lucienne,” she remarked when the silence became too deafening a few moments later.

“Of course,” he replied without adding further details.