CHAPTER 19
779 Words
Bridgette Montgomery stared at the man who stood beside her uncle and scrutinized the man’s fancy clothing. For Pete’s sake, he has overdressed someone with a low status. While waiting for her uncle’s response, she stared at his outfit.
Even though his long-sleeved, silky jacket covered him just above his crotch, the upper right part of the jacket was barely buttoned up. The sleeves of his coat were broad, and it extended down to just over his wrists. They were embellished with a single thread lining and a decorative band at the wrists.
The jacket has a rectangular neckline that exposed a portion of the rough shirt worn underneath it, and it was worn with a black rope belt that was kept together by a tiny belt buckle at the waist. The rope belt was purely ornamental and served as a means of displaying one’s wealth.
“Uncle? Who is this man?” She repeated the question when both men just stared at her, and it looked like none of them had a plan to respond immediately.
“Dear, please look closer. I am sure he looks familiar to you,” Thomas said.
Bridgette lifted the tip of her eyebrows before she studied the man’s appearance and squinted her eyes for a moment as if she was trying to recall how and where they had met. “Have we met before?” She inquired while feigning ignorance because there’s no way she could forget the man who abandoned her and let her die in the wilds. If not because of Thomas Montgomery, she wouldn’t be able to survive. Initially, her uncle tried to hide the truth from her, but she learned about it…accidentally.
“Show your respect to the King, dear,” Thomas urged his niece to show respect to the man responsible for her mother’s death. In the past, he refused to believe that the King could do something like that to his family and reported to him that the child was alive. Then, he issued a command to keep the child and her identity to remain a secret.
“Your Majesty,” she said while she curtsied before him, but the King immediately helped her to stand up straight.
“You are the exact image of your mother,” he mentioned while trying to touch the face of the young woman before her, but she immediately slapped his hand away. He chuckled at the woman’s reaction because she reminded him of his first love.
“Don’t touch me,” she reminded him.
“I’m sorry. Bridgette, isn’t it? I gave you that name when you were born,” he lied, but no one could dispute his claim.
“Perhaps, you already have a hint why I am here now,” Arthur said.
“No, I don’t have any idea why you are here,” Bridgette responded in a haughty tone. She tried her best to mask the anger boiling inside her, but just the sight of him made her furious.
“You are needed in the palace,” he announced.
“As far as I know, you already disowned me,” she said, and her uncle gasped in surprise. Her uncle had no idea that she remembered everything that happened to her in the past, and she also read the journal he kept near his bed. “So, please leave. I am not going anywhere,” she informed him.
“It’s a King’s order,” Arthur clarified the situation.
“As far as I’m concerned, I am not bound to any law, Your Majesty!”
“Perhaps, it was the case. However, my brother may not be safe from hiding you all these years,” Arthur stated.
“Arthur, what are you talking about? If I kept her hidden all these years, it’s because of your order. Surely, you can’t just play with your words right now,” he reminded Arthur to be mindful of his words and not to twist the truth.
“May I have to remind you, Thomas, that once I take this to court, it’s going to be your words against mine. Now tell me, are they going to believe you?”
Upon hearing it, Thomas clenched his jaw for being tricked and glared at Arthur. “You know very well that the palace is not safe for your daughter, so why are you doing this?”
“Because I am the King, and I know better what’s good for her!” Arthur screamed at Thomas, and soon both of them were glaring at each other.
“As I’ve said, I am not going anywhere,” Bridgette repeated her words before walking away.
- Writer
