The Blackmail® [Complete]

Chapter Seventeen

The wedding plans were coming up smoothly. My dresses were ready, and that of my bridal train were almost ready too and all in just three weeks! Earlier on in the week, I had gone to meet with the queen to plan the reception banquet and invitations. At Ovian's request, I had allowed her have her way with those, basically because, if it was left to me, I had no clue what to do. So, it was only wise to allow her do them and use that as an opportunity for us to pretend to like each other.

Tomorrow night was the wedding rehearsal and I had just come from my last dress fitting. I was due to join Ovian later to taste cakes and finger foods that would be served at the wedding. I was tired and unhappy, knowing that all these was just pretense. None of it was real. There were days I felt like giving up and running away. But Taylor, bless her soul, has been my pillar. The sound board I needed to stay focused.

There was one week, even less, before I become princess Charlotte Lancaster. The wedding ceremony was going to be very real and the wedding night... I stopped my train of thought. Nope, I wasn't going to give that a thought at all. Else I would break down finally and throw all caution to the wind.

Massaging my temples, I tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Jasper was going over the sitting arrangements for the wedding reception with me and I was trying to listen. Taylor had gone to rehearse with the other bridesmaids at the venue to be used for the ceremony. Tomorrow, we will do everything together.

"Are you alright, my lady?"

Jasper asked me, his face contorting in concern.

"I am very tired Jasper." I breathed.

He smiled, and I think this is the first time I have ever seen him smile. "You are a strong woman my lady. This is just one of the many mountains you will have to climb to get to your destination. And you will get there, if you persevere and stay focused."

I stared at him. I wasn't sure if he knew I was real or fake but his advice was comforting. I knew that even if he knew I was fake, he couldn't do anything about it. He only did as he was ordered. "There is very little I do not know my lady, but as my  father used to say, we are all pretending to be something. Some at love, some at life and some with themselves but the biggest fools are the ones who says they are real. For instance, I am here pretending to be the master of this great house so that I can put good food on the table for my family. The other staff, security, we are all pretending so that everything can go smoothly. You may call it our duty, but we know we are pretending. You also have a duty, if it takes pretence to help you get to where you are supposed to be, then so be it." He said all of these smiling.

I smiled back at him. I was at a loss for words right now he seemed like an old wise man who was giving his daughter sound advice. I never knew my father. I don't talk about him because there was not much to say about him. According to my mother, I was a one night stand that became a pregnancy. She had also had no parents, save a sister whom she hadn't seen or spoken to in years. So she decided to keep the baby and here I am. I wonder what she would have thought about my life, if she had been here. Would she have approved? Would she have been proud? I guess I would never know. I sighed and looked at Jasper.

"Thank you Jasper, although your analogy is somewhat confusing, I understand all the same. Now let's finish here so I can leave to taste my wedding cake." I laughed.

We finished a few minutes later and I went to freshen up. I thought about changing my clothes since I was going to see Ovian at the cake tasting but I decided against it.

When I got to the cake shop, I was surprised to see several reporters already lounging around. As soon as they spotted me, they began to take photos and throw questions.