by Nikki Gaspar
“The cottage is complete with anything that you will need. Please feel at home,” Grandma added.
“Thank you, Queen Isabella,” Mr. Taz said with a bow, and Mrs. Luminaire did the same.
“I should be the one thanking you for treating Claire and her mother as your family. I will be grateful forever.”
***
The royals’ version of a cottage was a huge house decorated with gray bricks and a huge porch. It was complete with furniture, one of the four bedrooms even had a Jacuzzi, and the kitchen had state of the art appliances and a fully stocked pantry.
“How long are you staying?” I asked when I was done inspecting the whole cottage.
“The queen said that we can stay as long we want, but we haven’t decided yet,” Mrs. Luminaire said.
“Well, I hope you stay here forever.”
Mr. Taz and Mrs. Luminaire made me repeat everything that happened ever since I came in Bellanmuse, claiming that a video call doesn’t convey the right emotions.
“I wondered why Emma never answered straight whenever she was asked about your family, but it never crossed my mind that she’s royalty,” Mrs. Luminaire said.
“I remember the day she arrived. She went out of the taxi, struggling to carry her lone bag and a baby who was throwing a tantrum. She was very polite when I offered to help her. Who would have thought that she was a princess?
Mrs. Luminaire nodded. “She certainly never acted like she came from money.”
“Not like some princess I know, then,” I scoffed.
“What do you mean?” Mrs. Luminaire asked, frowning.
Ooops…I forgot that I didn’t tell them about Ysabel.
Mr. Taz raised his eyebrows in a tell me now, or else expression, giving me no choice but to spill the beans.
“I don’t know why she’s mad at me,” I said.
Mrs. Luminaire rubbed her chin. “Maybe she’s jealous because you are getting so much attention.”
“She’s the king’s daughter, why would she be jealous of me?”
“She grew up with only one sister; she’s probably used to getting more attention from the king and queen mother. Then, you suddenly showed up, and the whole country celebrated your return. I can imagine that your uncle and grandma also showed how happy they were.”
“But that’s not my fault.”
Mrs. Luminaire patted my hand. “I didn’t say that it’s your fault. I’m just saying that she’s probably not used to have other people in the palace. And I’m sure that she’s not really mad at you.”
“Why don’t you talk to her, kid? I say, you go to her room and ask her why she’s acting that way towards you. You need to communicate. When she realizes how much you wanted to be her friend, she will warm up to you,” Mr. Taz said.
***
I decided to follow Mr. Taz’s advice and knocked on Ysabel’s bedroom door after dinner that night.
“Who is it?” Her face turned surly when she saw me. “Oh, it’s you. What do you want?”
“Can we talk?” I asked, shuffling my feet.
She raised her eyebrows. “Talk about what?”
“Can you please let me in first?”
“Fine.”
Ysabel sat on her bed and folded her arms on her chest. My only choices were a little pink stool in front of her dresser or the bed. I settled on the stool.
I cleared my throat. “Can I ask why—”
“Leave the palace. Leave Bellanmuse.” Ysabel interrupted.
“Are you really that mad at me?”
“Just leave. Your mom left you a house, right? Just go back there and forget about Bellanmuse.”
My heart was pounding. I really hoped to make things right with her and be friends. But how is that possible if she was mad enough to want me to leave the country?
“Is it because of Vincent? You know that we’re just friends, right? I would never make a move on your boyfriend.”
She stared at me for a long time. “Yes. It’s because of Vincent. I want you far away from him.”
“I can’t leave Bellanmuse, Ysabel. I can’t leave our family.”
“If you want to be friends with me, tell me that you’re leaving Bellanmuse.”
A wave of fury crashed through me, and I gripped my thighs hard to stop myself from slapping my cousin. “The palace is also my home. I have as much right as you to stay here.” Breathing deeply into my lungs, I forced myself to calm down. “I don’t deserve the way you’re treating me. I never did anything bad towards you. I never treated Vincent anything more than friends.”
Ysabel stood up and glowered at me. “Get out of my room.” She pointed her finger towards the door, her hands shaking. “Out!”
I refused to be treated like a scum anymore, so I stood, walked out of the room, and slammed the door behind me.
That definitely did not go as planned.
Chapter Twenty
The study area’s second floor was used entirely as a library. It was a maze of bookcases, some tables and chairs you can use when you do your homework, and couches in front of the windows where you can relax while enjoying an interesting book.
“Hi, lots of homework?” a voice behind me said.
“Hi, Vincent, where is Ysabel? I don’t want her to be mad at me again.”
He sat on the chair beside me and started pulling out books from his bag. “She said she has something to do, I need to do my homework, so here I am.”
“Can’t you do it somewhere else?”
“Nope. I want to do my homework here in the library.”
Even if we were just doing homework, Ysabel would blow a gasket if she saw me and Vincent alone in the library. I don’t want to give her more ammunition, so I stood and packed my bag.
Vincent finished extracting his books and finally noticed that I’m not sitting anymore. “What are you doing?”
“I’ll leave.” I zipped my bag and hoisted it on my shoulder.
“Hey, hey, please don’t go,” Vincent pleaded.
“Vincent, I don’t want to give Ysabel a reason to be mad at me.”
I turned around and was about to walk towards the door, but Vincent grabbed my bag and pulled me back.
“I have something to tell you, Claire, please don’t leave yet.”
“Just say it so that I can leave.”
“I like you. Ever since you arrived here, I actually looked forward to going to my lessons. And that’s because I know that I will see you.”
The audacity of this guy! “Don’t say that! Ysabel is your girlfriend!”
Had he lost his mind? I don’t care whether Ysabel was nice to me or not. She’s my cousin. I would never allow her boyfriend to cheat on her.
“She’s not!”
“Oh yeah! She’s not your girlfriend, because she’s your fiancée!”
“Technically. But we were never in a relationship. We never liked each other that way!”
“That doesn’t make sense! I’m leaving.”
How dare he lie to me. I will definitely tell Ysabel that her fiance was a cheater. I don’t care if she listens to me or screams in my face. She deserves to hear what her fiancé was saying behind her back. I slapped his hand, but he refused to let go of my bag.
“Look, the king and my father agreed that Ysabel and I would marry. We never contradicted them because we don’t want them to be disappointed, but we were never in love with each other. We love each other as a friend; I love Ysabel the same way that I love Sofia, just friends.”
“But she warned me to get away from you! That must mean that she’s in love with you and consider you as her boyfriend.”
“Ysabel has a boyfriend, and he is not me. That’s why I don’t understand why she was mad at you.”
I’m sure that was another bullshit story because I had not seen another guy set foot in the palace except for Vincent.
“Who is her boyfriend then?” I asked, humoring him.
He shrugged. “I don’t know who the guy is. She refus
ed to tell me.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter if you are in a relationship with her or not. I don’t want her to be mad at me, she’s my cousin, and I am hoping to be friends with her. I’m sorry, I have to go.”
This time, he let go of my bag and let me leave.
***
My conversation with Vincent kept running on my mind. The more I think about it, the more I realized that he was a good friend and never showed any sign that he was capable of lying. And what would he gain by lying? He knew very well that I could find out the truth in a heartbeat.
“Are you even listening to me?” Sofia asked.
We were watching a movie in my room, and it appears that she was telling me something while my mind wanders back to the library.
“Sofia, are Ysabel and Vincent in a relationship?”
“You finally asked! Why? Are you interested in our boy, Vincent? Do you have a crush on him?” she said and mocked me by fluttering her eyelashes.
“I don’t have a crush on him. I’m just curious.” I irrefutably and without a doubt, don’t have a crush on him. None.
She grinned, totally unconvinced. “For your information, they are friends. They just go along with the marriage plan because I think Ysabel is afraid of dad.”
Relief washed over me. Not because I’m interested in Vincent—definitely not. I’m just relieved to know that my friend was not lying to me.
“And Ysabel has a boyfriend?”
“She never told me anything, but I think she has. I heard her one time in her room, talking to someone on her phone, but when I came in, she immediately ended it. And she won’t tell me who it was.”
How on earth did she meet a guy? And how brave was that guy to approach her without fear of getting shot on the spot? None of us could leave the palace without a group of king’s guards surrounding us, so if she was dating anyone, the guards would know.
Aside from Ysabel’s confusing love life, though, I have another concern that I hope Sofia could help enlighten me with. I knew that she had no idea at first, but months had already passed, she probably learned something by now.
“Do you know why she’s mad at me? She said it was because of Vincent, but if they’re not really dating…I don’t understand why she’s mad.” I said while absently picking up lint on my bedsheet.
“I also don’t know why. I’m sorry, Claire, I know that it bothers you.”
“That’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.”
The relief I felt in learning that Vincent did not lie was replaced with worry. Ysabel was clearly mad about something else, and I couldn’t fathom why she lied and said it was because of Vincent.
***
The following morning, I decided to visit Mr. Taz and Mrs. Luminaire in the cottage. As I was walking, I saw Mr. Taz come out from the farm, carrying a box full of apples.
“Mr. Taz! Why are you carrying that? That’s heavy!”
“Do you think I’m old and frail?” He made his voice deeper.
I wanted to answer yes, but I didn’t think that was what he wanted to hear. He placed the box down on a table outside the cottage and then proceeded to massage his back.
“You see, your back hurts!”
I heard a loud laugh behind me. I turned and saw Mrs. Luminaire. Her belly laugh was so infectious that I couldn’t help but join her.
“You hurt my ego, ladies.”
“Oh, you are still the most handsome man in this palace,” Mrs. Luminaire said and then kissed Mr. Taz’s lips.
“What the hell?” I screamed.
They both stared at me, bewildered at my outburst.
“Why did you kiss?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Mrs. Luminaire was confused like I was the one doing the kissing and not them.
“I think our girl doesn’t know that we are in a relationship,” Mr. Taz said.
I felt stupid. How could I not know that two of the most important people in my life were together? According to them, they have been together for years, even before my mom and I became their neighbor. Mrs. Luminaire’s house was owned by her late husband, and she keeps it clean, but she lives with Mr. Taz in his house.
“So that’s why Grandma gave you this cottage? She knew that you are together?”
“Everyone knew Claire,” Mrs. Luminaire said. She was forcing her face to remain blank, but the corners of her mouth were twitching.
“Oh…”
“Don’t worry, kid. At least now you know,” Mr. Taz said, patting my back. His voice was shaking with laughter.
Mrs. Luminaire wasn’t able to stop her laughter this time. Her giggles rang into the palace grounds, and since my initial shock had already worn off, I couldn’t help but join them.
“But why are you carrying that box of apples?” I asked, massaging my sore abdomen and catching my breath.
“Mr. Kai needs them to make pie later, and I volunteered to harvest because I love the farm. Did you know that I was a botanist?”
“Wow. You would love it here, then.”
“Yes, the garden and the farm are like a dream come true.”
***
I stayed in the cottage to join them for breakfast. The delicious aroma of Mrs. Luminaire’s waffles was irresistible; she even sliced some fresh fruits from the farm to go with it. With a belly full to bursting, I rushed out of the cottage to be on time for my class, which would start in five minutes.
“It’s not enough that you stayed here in the palace? You even brought those foreigners along with you?” Ysabel snapped while she also walks towards the study area.
My hurried steps halted, and I almost stumbled. With a deep sigh, I gathered as much patience as I could and then faced her. “Grandma invited them, Ysabel.”
“Yes, because of you. If you really miss them, why don’t you all just return to where you came from?”
“Why are you so mad at me, Ysabel? I never did anything bad towards you.”
“You exist. That’s what you did.” Her voice was almost a whisper when she said it, but the pain it caused was like a punch in my gut.
All I wanted was to hide in my room and bawl my eyes out, but nothing good would come out of it, so I sucked it up and forced my feet to continue towards the study area.
Chapter Twenty-One
Meals in the palace were something I look forward to every day. Ysabel usually was quiet and minded her own business, allowing me to enjoy the delectable creations of the kitchen staff. Today, however, sharing a meal with her was the last thing I wanted. I told Sofia to let grandma and Uncle Ant know that I would dine with my neighbors. I didn’t tell her why—much to her annoyance—because I didn’t want to place her in a position where she had to choose sides between her sister and me.
“Do you have a problem, kid?” Mr. Taz asked, watching me play with my food.
Realizing that I’m not fooling anyone, I dropped my spoon on the plate and stopped pretending to eat. “It was Ysabel. She’s still mad at me.”
“Have you talked to her?”
I nodded. “We got into a fight.”
“I saw her talking to her younger sister earlier. She seemed nice,” Mrs. Luminaire said.
“She’s nice to everyone, except me.”
Mrs. Luminaire shook her head. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
“She said that I should go back to where I came from and that she is mad at me just because I exist.”
“Oh, Claire, then don’t mind her. How about Princess Sofia, is she treating you nice?”
“Yes, Mrs. Luminaire. Everyone is good to me.”
“If she says more hurtful things, maybe you should tell the king or queen mother.”
“She will just hate me more if I do that.” I managed to whisper as my chin trembled.
Mr. Taz patted my hand. “Just tell us if you don’t like it here in the palace anymore, okay? We will take you back home.”
The tears that I have been trying to hold in all day flowed from my eyes, and once it started, it w
ouldn’t stop. I wept for I don’t know how long. Mrs. Luminaire hugged me and rubbed my back while whispering comforting words. It felt so good to have a mother’s arms around you and moments like this made me miss my mom so much more. A long time later, my eyes finally dried, and I felt like I also drained all my energy.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Taz, Mrs. Luminaire. I will go back to my room.”
“Okay, Claire. Sleep early. You will feel better tomorrow,” Mrs. Luminaire said, and then kissed my head.
***
What was left of my energy was consumed by my trek from the cottage towards my room in the palace. I couldn’t sleep yet, though, because I knew that Mari would come to give me my glass of milk. She does this every night without fail because according to her, it would help me focus on my lessons in the morning. I washed my face, changed into my pajamas, and reclined on my bed with a huge yawn. A glance at the clock on my side table told me that she should arrive any moment now, so I played on my phone to help keep me awake.
A loud knock on the door startled me awake; exhaustion won, and the phone that was supposed to distract me was dropped on the bed beside my hand. I stood up groggily to let Mari in because she won’t take a rest until she’s finished with all her tasks.
“Sorry I was late, Claire. I just did something and ran out of time.”
“That’s okay, Mari. Thank you for bringing me this. Please rest for the day, okay?”
“Okay, goodnight.”
I took a big gulp of milk after she left, eager to finish it and go back to my bed. As I swallowed, however, an after-taste was left on my tongue. It’s not spoiled, but there was a difference from the other milk that Mari brought before.
The glass was poised on my lips for another gulp when my room started to spin. I leaned on the wall and took deep breaths. I obviously underestimated my exhaustion, and my body was making me pay.
I gripped the glass tighter and took a tentative step towards my bed. Though the room was still spinning and loud pounding noises started to fill my head, I managed a few more steps. Just an arm’s length from my bed, my hand slacked, the glass fell on the floor, and then my surroundings became black.