The Royal Romance Book 1

C-12: The NY Apple Queen of Cordonia

My POV:

After another 3 days without incident in the Applewood Manor but Bertrand and I are still vigilant in case they attack us but so far so good. So good, it's quiet. A lot of activities happened. Mostly Royal - Commoner's visits to orphan and apple contests meanwhile yours truly always prepare for the worst things to happen. I know I said I'm not paranoid but this monarchy politics every day is a scandal waiting to happen. I keep opening my ears and my eyes for highly possibly unwanted scenarios. I was walking over inside and found a music room. I enter there and found a piano waiting to play and so I did play some haunting of an ending to a fairy tale love story and I know it all too well. I was in my mood when Bertrand willingly risk his life to be murdered by me.

"What are you doing, Victoria?" He dumbly asks me.
"I am seconds away to murder you with the parenting guide of GRB: Glorified Ramsford Bloodbath,"
"Whatever," he said but I can see his anxiety goes up, "It's the fifth day of the Apple Blossom Festival. I hope you're prepared to fight for your time with the Prince," he said.
"What is the itinerary today?"
"For all the apples," Maxwell said, "You've made an apple pie before, right?"
"Yes... especially Halloween when I wore my Lana 'The Evil Queen' Parilla costume."
"Well, are you also pretty good at planting apple trees, right?" 
"Planting a weapon of evidence yes. Planting tree of a good apple not but if it's a poison apple..."
"Okay enough of that. I don't care about that. I care about how you're going to appear today, and you should care too. The best-dressed lady will be crowned as the Apple Queen..." Bertrand interject my sentence.
"Intriguing... "
"It's an amusing tradition where the festival goers vote on who will run the Apple Court. You'd get extra publicity, the favor of the actual Queen, and the ability to boss people around for an hour."
"Interesting..."

Bertrand and Maxwell quickly lead me back to the manor to change clothes that are waiting for me. When Bert told me that I can boss around hmmm... How many different ways to annoy Drake without royal consequences?

"There's no time to lose," Bertrand said to me handing me clothes, "Through a series of promises and threats, I was able to procure a historically accurate rendition of a Cordonian peasant's best gown from the country's most prestigious stage production company, available on consignment. With this dress, you'll be sure to win the title of Apple Queen!"
"I am 'THE' Apple Queen," I said to him.

The dress consists of a blue and white knee-skirt dress with short to elbow sleeves with accentuated green lines across the breast and you can feel the skirt heavy so that it won't fly when the wind comes to refresh me.

"This is not a queen-like dress... it's more of a little doll is about to kill the prey."
"Can you tone that down?" he asks me.
"I believe I have my first prey," I said, and he rolls his eyes, "Are you sure it's not... too silly?" I ask him while looking in the mirror.
"It's perfect. You can thank me later," he said proudly.
"With a knife, I guess," I said, and I can hear his exhale.
"Come, we're overdue to meet Maxwell."

The apple orchard is filled with farmers and their families, other townspeople, and tourists, together with Media are now in frenzy. I can hear their cheers and chants. The other ladies' wave at the media while I went to the commoner's place and say Hi to them.

"Hello!" I wave at them and one of the girls gave me tulip flowers.
"My mom plant them," she said shyly.
"Your mom did? Well," then I smelled the tulips, "She has a very good gardening skill because these flowers are very beautiful in color," Then I look up and saw the mom behind her, "You mummy, you are a skilled gardener," I say to her.
"Thank you. My husband is one of the royal farmers here in this orchard,"
"Oh... that's nice to hear."
"Do you like gardening?" I ask the little one but her brother answers.
"NO. I love soccer more!"