Royally Bounded

Chapter 11

Clara

"You're a man who can never be tamed, and being married only traps you from freedom. Don't say I didn't warn you."

My mind wandered back to Bertha's words. They played like an endless tape, and for some reason, it almost sounded like a warning to me instead of her brother. She showed me a clear picture that being married to Hayden was the wrong decision, and it was proved when he and another woman walked out from the same room last night.

After breakfast, Hayden and I headed over to Imperos, a small city where he was gifted the land to reside at and a short thirty minute drive from Keldon. He and Ivor had their own land in the country, and it represented their privileges as sons. It was a tradition in the royal family that the princes had their own area to symbolize their duke status. Meanwhile, the princesses would only share land which belonged to their husbands. Even in the royal family, the women had a less privileges than men.

That's because when they were married, they considered to not be part of the country anymore. They belonged to their husband who had full control of what they wanted.

Hayden drove into an enormous garage that was occupied with various types of expensive cars lined over at both sides. He parked into an empty space specifically for his current car. It was in between a red Lamborghini and black Audi.

I didn't learn much about cars, but I could recognize a few of them since my neighbourhood back in Liford was surrounded with upper class families. People parked their cars out in the streets just to show the value of their vehicles.

The door suddenly clicked open, and my eyes trailed upwards from the long limbs to an unrecognizable face. I immediately headed out, standing beside Hayden when I turned around to see two servants in front of us. Both of them did a low curtsy, having a warm smile on their faces as they saw me.

"Prince Hayden, Duchess Clara, it's wonderful to have you home," the older man greeted.

His hair was trimmed to a short buzz cut, and a white mustache grew over at the top of his mouth. A white dress shirt fitted under his black suit vest, and a perfectly knotted tie wrapped over his neck.

Hayden nudged his head, and the older man nodded in response. "Duchess Clara, my name is Reuben. I'm the head servant of Imperos palace who has been taken care of Prince Hayden for over ten years now."

"Reuben, it's lovely to meet you," I smiled and offered out my hand. Rueben blanked out, staring down at my hand. Hayden cleared his throat before Rueben shook my hand quickly. He returned to his normal posture, his back straight and flat.

It almost seemed like they feared me, but it was the difference in our classes that drew a border between us. My mother-in-law kept reminding me about being less mundane, and she told me I should be cautious of everything I did with the status I held now.

"Duchess Clara, this is my nephew, Simeon," Rueben gestured over at the younger servant beside me. I only nodded and smiled at him to reduce the awkwardness between us. He reciprocated the same gesture.

A maid entered the room, rounding a genuine smile on her lips. She stood to the height of my eyes, a plain black dress over her small frame. Half sleeves stopped to her elbows, and the skirt dropped down to her knees. Her blonde hair was twirled into a bun, her clear face revealing the deep outlines of her features.

"Duchess Clara, it's a pleasure to meet you," her soft, smooth voice spoke with enthusiasm. "My name is Violet, and I will be your maid starting from today."

"Hi, Violet," my heart softened at how sweet she was. I wanted to step forward and give her an hug to pull our relationship closer together, but Hayden immediately grabbed the back forearm before I could move.