The Adulteress Queen

Chapter 2

The rest of that evening proceeded as expected; a typical dinner party. King Sebastian finally gave me a proper introduction to Sebastian after our brief argument, which was awkward, to say the least. He also introduced me to the other nobility I had not the opportunity to meet before our interruption. Lord and Lady Towngrin, the heads of the wealthiest family in the Harrenhal kingdom, were the first to be introduced once they returned. They also happened to be the parents of Lady Rebekah. Rebekah's mother, Lady Bunni Towngrin, was quite excited to hear of our lunch date. Then there were Lord and Lady Son. Lord Bardock Son's personality was almost as abrasive as Sebastian's, but for an older man, I found his appearance quite handsome. Lady Gine Son was beautiful and quiet. I had the feeling that, though she did not speak much, she was very carefully absorbing the details of every discussion. A woman like that could be dangerous for people with secrets. I ended the evening relatively content as I retreated to my room and enjoyed a pleasant slumber, waking the next morning for my first full day in the Harrenhal kingdom.

As I suspected, the only plans I had for the day were my lunch plans. I breakfasted, bathed again, and toured the castle with Launch, Sir Tien and Sir Nappa leading the way. Nappa was a better guard than Brolly, in my opinion. Something just seemed unbalanced about Brolly. Nappa was far from charming, but he did show respect to royalty, and seemed to revere Sebastian. The guard never stopped talking about the prince. When any problems might occur between my future husband and myself, Sir Nappa could prove to be a useful pawn. Once I felt confident about knowing my way around the castle, Launch reminded me that it was about time we headed to the gardens. I dismissed Nappa and Launch, having only Tien accompany me to the gardens. I was not even sure if his presence was necessary, but I certainly did not want to arrive for this social occasion with an entire entourage. One guard seemed reasonable.

Upon reaching the gardens, I found quite the assembly. Children were gathered and seated on the grounds in front of a small theatre stage. There were tables set out in the gardens with nearly every seat filled, mostly by women, a few holding their babies. I stood awkwardly for a moment as I did not know where I was supposed to be meeting Lady Rebekah, or what she looked like. Fortunately, it seemed she had found me as a blue-haired woman headed straight for me with a confident gait. She smiled brightly and had the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. She was wearing a long, white cotton gown, the perfect choice for a day outside amongst the beautiful, colorful backdrop of flowers.

"Princess Katarina." She smiled and curtsied, as I did in return.

"Lady Rebekah?" I prompted. She nodded fervently, her long, wavy locks swaying with the movement.

"Please, join me, my Princess. Our table is right over here." She claimed as she led me to a table with other women gathered. Rebekah looked over her shoulder, gazing at my guard, I realized. "Who's the handsome man?" She whispered to me. I smiled. If only Tien heard that, I could just imagine him blushing and flustering around this beautiful woman.

"Sir Tien, meet Lady Rebekah." I almost felt rude for not having introduced them sooner. Almost. Rebekah did not give me the chance to introduce, after all. Tien bowed respectfully and followed with a nervous smile as Rebekah smiled confidently and led the way.

"Ladies, meet Princess Katarina." Rebekah greeted the table as we reached the group, who stood and gave slight curtsies in greeting. "Princess, this is Lady Maron Azur, Lady Videl Satan, and Lady Lazuli Frate, and the little one is her daughter, Marron." Rebekah gestured toward each party as she introduced them. I was awe struck by how much Maron resembled Rebekah, and felt inclined to ask if they were related. Videl was young, maybe ten years old. She had long black, wavy hair in pigtails and piercing blue eyes, and was a very pretty girl. Lazuli looked a few years older than me, with blond hair, tied up in a loose chignon, and blue eyes as well, though hers did not seem warm and inviting like all the other blue-eyed ladies'. Her daughter, Marron must have been about two or three years old, with dark eyes and blond hair like her mother. She quite rambunctiously ran about in circles round the table as the ladies sat themselves properly, facing me.

"I hear you come from the Starsands Kingdom, my Princess. Is that true?" Maron asked, and I turned to her, unsure of how to answer that question. After all, the entire kingdom should have known that their prince was betrothed to the Starsands Princess. What kind of a question was that?

"Don't mind Lady Maron, my Princess. She may be a beautiful noblewoman, but that is as far as her assets go." Lazuli interjected with an eloquent discourtesy towards Maron, saving me from the awkward question. I smiled at her in thanks as she swooped her daughter into her arms, catching the girl as she ran by. "Alright, Marron. The show is going to start. You better find a good position with the other children so you can see." Lazuli urged into Marron's ear, and the girl squealed joyfully, running right off.

"It was very nice to meet you, Princess." Videl said with a gracious curtsy as she excused herself from the table to follow little Marron. I opened my mouth to protest, thinking it was unfair for the girl to feel the need to leave so soon.

"It is alright, Princess. Videl helps me with Marron all the time. The girl is very good at handling children." Lazuli assured, gesturing for me to have a seat. I looked at Rebekah, who gave an encouraging nod, and we both sat to join Maron and Lazuli.

"So, what kind of show is this?" I asked, leaning aside as a servant came round and poured me a cup of tea.

"It's a puppet show, my Princess. Just a comedic thing, mostly for the children. But this is the perfect opportunity for us women to get together and socialize. Knowing you were arriving yesterday, Princess, I just found this to be the nearest occasion. I hope you don't mind." Rebekah answered, sipping her tea and studying me over the rim of her cup. I recognized a look in her eyes, an intelligence behind the way she studied me. Perhaps there was more to Rebekah than met the eye. She was, after all, the one who proposed this meeting so quickly.

"No, not at all. Please, call me Katarina." I said, peering at her over my own rim as we studied each other openly. I did not trust Rebekah, but the best way to handle people you distrust is to keep them close to you. And I truly disliked being called Princess. I may have been a princess, but my name was Katarina. I've always shunned titles.

"Well, Katarina, I hope you like sandwiches. That is all they offer for lunch at these events." Lazuli goaded with a roll of her eyes as some servers started weaving their way through the gardens with trays full of sandwiches. The first server came directly to our table.

"For our royal guest, take anything you like, Princess." The server said, offering me a full tray of deliciously prepared sandwiches. I selected one, followed by the other ladies as the server moved on. I noticed Tien awkwardly standing by a hedge, and I knew he would be hungry. Before I called the server back, Rebekah walked right up to him, giving him a sandwich. She had selected two, and prepared to share with him. That was unexpectedly sweet. I smiled widely at Rebekah in appreciation of her gesture as she returned to her seat at our table.

"You are a lucky woman, marrying Prince Sebastian." Maron gushed as we began eating. I was expecting a subtle warmup to gossip, but Maron dove right in. I noticed Lazuli glaring at the woman and realized that the comment was a slip that was meant to be stifled until later. I cleared my throat before speaking, to give myself a moment. I tended to be very reactionary, and right now, I did not need to incite any gossip about my dislike of my future husband.

"What do you mean by that, Lady Maron?" I asked, biting into my sandwich as I waited for someone to take the bait and share with me the gossip surrounding their prince.

"Oh, you know." Maron giggled nervously, realizing her slip just a bit too late. "He is rich and handsome and powerful. What more is there, my Princess?" I am already rich and powerful, and there are plenty of handsome men who do not bear such an acerbic persona as Sebastian. Maron seemed proud of her seemingly acceptable answer as she glanced around the table, seeking approval from her friends. Lazuli was not even looking at Maron any longer, just eating her sandwich and watching Marron play with Videl at the puppet theatre. Rebekah smiled at Maron, but I could tell she was not impressed with Maron's conversational skills.

"Sebastian does not talk to women much." Rebekah offered to me, knowing I expected to hear something about my future husband. "You could say he's sort of dark and mysterious, my Princess." The captivated look on Rebekah's face told me that maybe Sebastian was not such a mystery to her. In addition to that, she did not even realize her slip as she addressed the prince by his first name only. Or maybe she meant for me to hear that.

"Is that true, Lady Maron? Do you think Sebastian is dark and mysterious?" I asked as I took another sip of tea, intentionally slipping in Sebastian's informal name to see how long these women would hold a conversation without calling their prince by his proper title.

"Me? No. I just think he can be…scary sometimes, my Princess. He has quite a temper!" She might not have used his name, but if Sebastian really avoided talking to women, which I would agree with from my own experience, then how did these women know his personality so well? I already disliked my betrothed and his attitude, but now I was suspicious of him being a womanizer.

I parted ways with the women after we watched the puppet show, exchanged some details about ourselves and acquainted with each other over lunch. At night, I received an invitation from King Sebastian and Queen Kenya to join the royal family for breakfast in the morning. It was surprisingly sooner than I expected, but I would be there.

The following morning, I strolled into the dining room to find King Sebastian and Queen Kenya already seated with food spread across the table, biscuits and eggs and pastries; it all looked delicious. After we greeted each other, it seemed that the king and queen recognized my questioning expression at Sebastian's absence.

"My son will be down shortly, dear." Queen Kenya said assuringly as she placed a gentle hand on my arm. I stifled a growl at the unwanted touch and the use of the false endearment, but seated myself and decided to begin eating, whether Sebastian was there or not. The king and queen resumed eating as well. "I hear you had a lunch outing with some ladies from court yesterday." The queen mentioned with open interest.

"Yes, I did, your Grace. It was nice to meet some women from this kingdom. I am sure you can relate, your majesty, to leaving your own home for marriage." I said pointedly, causing the queen to shake her head in what appeared to be genuine understanding.

"Perhaps we need a more formal event to better introduce you to our society." Kenya suggested, the king dropping his utensils in surprise at her suggestion. "We don't need to wait for Sebastian; he will have to arrive on time if he wants to be included in these matters." The queen said to King Sebastian, seemingly answering his unspoken rebuttal.

"Alright." King Sebastian nodded at his wife, clearing his throat. "Princess Katarina, we would like to throw a ball in the palace at the end of the week. All the lords and ladies of the kingdom will be invited, and we will introduce you as our kingdom's queen-to-be." King Sebastian finished with an inviting smile, giving me a nod before returning to his food.

"A ball?" I heard questioned derisively from the far side of the room. I did not even need to look in that direction to realize who was complaining. I did not care; he was not ruining this for me! It had been so long since I've been to a ball, and this one would be for me!

"Yes, a ball!" I retorted immediately to Sebastian's shadowed figure. He emerged into the stream of sunlight from the grand windows of the dining room, which cast light on his annoyed scowl. "You heard your parents; I need to be introduced to your society. Being secluded in a castle is no way for a princess to live." I stated haughtily.

"Are you sure about that?" Sebastian taunted as he walked to the table. I met his gaze to see him smirking at me. Insinuating that I belonged shut up in here, why I could just…

"Sebastian! Show your bride some respect!" Queen Kenya scolded, beating me to the quick as she stood from her seat indignantly. Sebastian opened his mouth to retort, then shut it tight and sat in his chair, fuming just as much as I was. We weren't even married yet and were already like a couple of bickering children who could not stand to be in the same room. How embarrassing.

"You two will be meeting with Lord Piccolo this afternoon to begin arrangements for the wedding ceremony and coronation." King Sebastian stated after a sufficient period of silence allowed our anger to subside, if only a negligible amount. I looked at Sebastian, who was glaring at nothing, with his head turned to the side when he seemed to notice my eyes on him. He looked at me and shrugged. Just shrugged. He grabbed a biscuit from the table and shoved it in his mouth before walking away without another word. I would not tolerate this cold behavior! I followed Sebastian, quickening my pace as the loud click of my high heels alerted him of my pursuit and he moved much faster than I could.

"Sebastian!" I yelled after him, hoping against the odds that he would stop so I could confront him. Of course, by the time I turned the corner, he was nowhere to be seen. I leaned against the wall disappointedly, trying to stop the tears of frustration that threatened to emerge from my eyes. This was not right, it wasn't fair. I was giving up my entire life, everything I've ever known to marry this prince and keep our kingdoms safe by forming an allegiance through our marriage. At least I had a ball to look forward to, which would be a satisfactory distraction from my doomed-from-the-beginning marriage.

I had Launch set up a meeting with the best dressmaker in the kingdom, who offered to see me anytime I would like, of course. A dressmaker would be a fool to not accommodate the guest of honor at a ball, and a royal one at that. I would not have the dressmaker work on a wedding gown for me, though. I already had that, and it was special to me. It would be arriving soon, from my home. I would be wearing my late mother's wedding gown. It was my father's one offering to go along with this engagement which I solely coveted. I would be busy today with Lord Piccolo and Sebastian, if he bothered to show for this arranged meeting, so I would meet the dressmaker tomorrow. I sent Launch to arrange the meeting time and go over general details for me as I headed with Tien as my escort to meet Lord Piccolo. Clergymen always made me nervous, and I felt my palms start sweating as we approached the clergy offices.

"Calm down, Katarina." Tien said soothingly, drawing me from my worries. I smiled weakly back at him. It was too difficult for me to be calm right now, even if Tien was right that I should. It was rare for him to address me so informally, but I really preferred hearing my name to 'Princess' right now.

"Thank you, Tien. Wish me luck." I said as I inhaled a deep, calming breath and knocked on the office door. I was quickly greeted by Lord Piccolo, who opened it himself with a welcoming smile. I was surprised to find Sebastian already seated inside. I sighed and sat in the empty seat next to Sebastian, refusing to even look at the arrogant prince.

"Well," Lord Piccolo drawled as he sat in his seat across from us on the other side of his desk, "to start off, you two will have to look at each other without looking tortured on the wedding day." I looked at Piccolo in shock, and apparently Sebastian did as well because Piccolo smirked at both of us knowingly. We must have been incredibly obvious if he could detect our hatred so quickly. "I've officiated over many arranged marriages, as you can imagine, your majesties." Piccolo continued, and of course he must have, the majority of weddings amongst nobility these days were arranged by their parents for purposes beyond love or desire. "Many of them have been just like you two. So, if you can follow my instruction, I can marry you two and you will, at least outwardly, appear to be happily married." Piccolo clasped his hands together on the desk and looked pointedly at Sebastian. "Isn't that what this kingdom needs, my Prince?" Sebastian scoffed through his teeth, but Piccolo nodded as if he had agreed. I sighed in frustration, rubbing my head.

Piccolo went on to explain the process of the wedding ceremony and our duties, as well as what would be involved with the coronation. It all sounded simple enough, though Piccolo was right. We needed to appear to be a united front in order to have a strong kingdom. But we had two more weeks until the wedding, and I was not yet ready to make peace today. Once Piccolo concluded the meeting, I excused myself, thanking Piccolo and taking my leave otherwise wordlessly as I sought the reprieve of planning for my ball.