Mondo Pastello | girlxgirl | Completed♕

Chapter XXXV ♥ Day Four of Acceptances

On Day Four I offer you my sinful fingers for typing this story ♥

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Bartholomew was the only who refused to start thinking of the possibility that Cornelius might not be found. Or, if he is found, then it would involve him being a corpse. I regretted everything I said to Bartholomew when I tried to get him to not get his hopes up, as well as every single syllable I told Sarina. I, however, made the decision to not attempt an apology right away and instead waited it out. Family was more important than my relationship problems, however dearly it hurt me.

We almost had a case where Bartholomew ran away, but luckily the night patrol was especially on guard around the missing twin's other half. Father nor Mother punished Bartholomew's escape attempt, but had surprisingly opted to spend the entire night awake with him as a source of comfort. Everyone in family held a deep concern for Bartholomew. This fact was supported by the bewildering scene I had seen from my balcony. The Honourable Lady Matilda, the girl who hated our family with all of her guts because they were declared the side branch, had actually offered her support to him. When Matilda and Lewis got involved, you knew the intensity of the situation skyrocketed.

A family meeting was scheduled and usually I didn't despise them, but this one I did. This one involved the entire royal family, which wasn't all that unusual. I dread when Princess Alice's family come over but when the Mother Queen was present, everything was either serious or amusing. This one would be all business, but the worst part was that everyone entered with sombre expressions, and there was one chair left open.

"My family..." my grandmother began at her position at the head of the table, taking my mother's usual seat. "You will not like what I have to say,"

"Then don't say it," Matilda retorted under the her breath, her mother shooting a silencing glare towards her. Matilda said nothing further.

"The manhunt will be called off," Mother Queen revealed, Bartholomew immediately retaliating.

"What? No! We cannot call it off! We have to find Cornelius!" he said, rising from his seat and placings his hands firmly on the table.

"Bartholomew! Sit down!" Mother said from across the table, Father gently pulling on Bartholomew's shirt until he took his seat again. Our grandmother sighed deeply, her old wrinkles contorting.

"I am so sorry, my grandchild, but there is only so much we can do," her voice was frail from old age yet the wisdom in her eyes scared me.

"We are the bloody Royal Family! We own four countries! How can we not do anything more? This isn't just some commoner who ran off, it's the bloody prince! Surely there is more we can do!" he sounded desperate and many looked away from his roaming eyes, guilt evident on their faces. They pitied him.

"We must face the possibility that he will not ever return," Bartholomew slammed his hands down.

"Unacceptable!" Mother went to scold him but the Mother Queen intervened, shaking her head.

"I am truly sorry, Bartholomew. This is a tragic lost for the entire nation and our family. But, I cannot allow to lose even more family," she said with a sharp glare and instantly everyone knew what was going to go down. "Princess Alice, Duchess Hannah; would you please leave the hall with your respective households?" it was completely awkward when nine people left the room, giving us concerned glances. Our household that should've been five members now sat in front of the Mother Queen at four.

"Mother? What is this all about?" the Queen addressed her mother, concerned. The Mother Queen sighed deeply.

"All of this happened because of the differences between the children's personalities and how you two tried to raise them. Therefore, you will now discuss everything that has caused this, unbiasedly. I will act as 'referee' and make sure nothing gets out of hand, but it is completely and utterly unacceptable that the main Royal Family is not open with each other. There will be no objections, for this is a command," I had never heard her sound so serious, and she certainly had never used her power over us. We all twiddled uncomfortable under her stare, even Father, until she eventually sighed and calmed a bit. "Let's begin. Cornelius had a panic attack because of the fighting that started with Bartholomew and Vincent. Bartholomew, would you kick-start this conversation by explaining your side of the story? There will be no interruptions," she said strictly, looking straight at my father who nodded weakly.