IMPERIUM

Chapter 12

"Your highness, we have a problem!" The breathless maid said.

"What happened?" Alayna nervously asked.

"It's- It's her majesty, she found out..."

'Oh no, don't tell me she's already caught on!'Alayna thought for herself, but before she could think of a possible excuse the maid interrupted her thoughts.

"... she found out that you've skipped the dancing lessons," the maid finished off before she could catch her breath.

"What!?" Alayna burst out, however not in shock but rather in relief.

"Her majesty is very mad and wants you to take responsibility for your actions" she said, "and since you've been careless enough to skip dancing lessons when your coming of age ceremony is coming up in two weeks you have been given a punishment."

'Take responsibility!?' Alayna certainly didn't have time for that. She glanced at Lina hoping to be of any help, but Lina could only shrug her shoulders and so Alayna had to accompany the maid to receive her punishment. Alayna sighed and accepted her fate, even though she didn't know what type of punishment she was going to get. Write a letter saying 'sorry that I misbehaved a thousand times', clean the dirtiest inaccessible places in the palace, or maybe have to take care of her younger cousins? The possibilities were endless and the only way to figure it out was to actually take the punishment itself. Alayna sighed once more, but louder ,making it obvious for the maid too.

The maid escorted her to the ballroom and as she opened the doors Alayna was met by her aunt, and to Alayna's surprise her dear cousin, Angelo was comfortably seated as well. Aunt Mara didn't seem fazed by any of this, in fact it seemed as though she had accepted it. Having to deal with rebelling young royals, that is. 

"Now, I'm not going to waste my time trying to think of an ill penalty when such a special day is near, instead the both of you will sit here and reflect about the past decisions you have made that led you up to this occurrence and I do hope you two will not skip future lessons as well, since it would force me to think of a worser penalty," Aunta Mara said in a definite tone while pointing her fingers at both of them.

Alayna crossed her arms and glared at Angelo in an insensible way. 'Great' Alayna thought for herself. Now she was stuck with her annoying cousin again.

Aunt Mara left the ballroom making sure to lock it up and closing all of the windows as well, leaving Alayna and Angelo behind, all alone.

"What reason do you have for skipping dancing lessons? Too busy fantasizing about your future husband?" Angelo jokingly asked.

"Actually I want to ask you the same thing," Alayna hissed back.

"I'm not telling you that," Angelo replied back, a little too cocky considering the mess he had put himself in.

"Let me guess, you were too busy hanging out with a special someone that you forgot about your royal duties?" Alayna shot at him.

Unlike last time Angelo didn't turn as red as a tomato, instead he fired right back at her.
"You're not as innocent either. I caught you last time."

"Caught me? Yeah, right and then you threatened me just like you always do when I haven't even done anything to you," Alayna responded in a calm yet attacking manner despite her insides fuming in rage. 

"Don't act all good willed, I'm not the only one threatening around here," Angelo remarked. That sentence was enough to silence Alayna. She leaned her head against the wall and looked out the window.

"That's what I thought,"Angelo rejoiced proudly.
Alayna heard him, but didn't bother answering him back. She kept staring out the window. Arguing with him would only exhaust her and she had better things to think of instead of trying to come up with irksome comments to bother her cousin with. She let her thoughts wander freely for a moment trying to think of a way that could help her out of this situation. In the meantime she could hear Angelo making annoying comments about her. She tried to ignore them and soon enough they faded away. She walked to the door and tried to open it. Maybe, just maybe the lock wasn't strong enough.