The King's Daughter

55 The Queen of Verdelle

Just as I predicted, Louis' good behavior was rewarded with a little more freedom. He tried extremely hard to be on his best behavior at all times. He did everything he was told, worked hard every day, and never complained. The ankle tracker never came off, but they eventually stopped chaining him up at night and they even allowed him in my bed chamber sometimes (though we kept that a secret from the king).

While Louis worked as a slave, I continued my royal training in preparation of becoming queen one day. With the comforting knowledge that Louis was alive and nearby, it was easy for me to get back into my life as a princess. My old life came back to me and I eagerly looked forward to my destiny as future queen. With every passing day, it became clearer that divorcing Louis was in fact, good for my well being. I hadn't been able to see how dependent I was on him and how I had been kept from being who I was. That didn't mean I didn't miss being his wife though. Someday, maybe we could become one again.

The fact that we weren't married didn't stop us from finding hiding spots around the palace where we could make out. Nearly every day, we'd find ourselves alone and kissing at least once. My love for him only grew. He had transformed so dramatically from who he was during the dark times and become someone I freely admired and adored. There were moments when his old self rose to the surface and threatened to tempt him to join the dark side again, but whenever he had those wicked thoughts, he would find me and I would help turn him around.

The baby in my belly continued to grow over the months. The doctor's first prediction had been correct, it was a girl. She was strong and healthy. Apparently, Louis had never used protection when we had been having sex. So it was no surprise that I'd ended up pregnant. Our little princess was born that summer, a little bundle of joy with Louis' eyes that crinkled when she smiled.

It was only after little Rayne was born that my father slowly stopped giving Louis dark looks whenever they were in the same room. While the king eventually grew to tolerate Louis' presence, he never accepted him as the love of my life. It was understandable. After all, Louis had been the leader of the worst gang of criminals Verdelle had ever seen. But it hurt that he couldn't see Louis the way I did. It didn't matter how many stolen items were returned after Louis revealed his secret hiding places. Louis disclosed the location of countless stolen royal treasures and it was all returned, but still my father only saw him as a villainous lawbreaker. Some things in life don't work out, so you just have to be content with the things that do.

To my surprise, Quinn appeared in the palace one day applying to be my new lady's maid. Seeing her again caught me off guard and I immediately denied her application, even though Susan kept raving about Quinn's impressive (but fake) letters of recommendation. She didn't seem too disappointed at my coldness. I quickly found out the main reason she had applied was to ask me if I could free Harry.

"Please, Aria. All I ask is that you free Harry." She begged.

"It's 'Your Highness' to you. But I'm sorry, Quinn. There's nothing I can do to help him. I don't have that kind of power."

I sent her away and made sure she wasn't allowed in the palace again. She might like Harry, but she drugged me to get Louis back while she supposedly "cared" for Harry. There's no telling what that girl might do to me or my child or even Louis if she still wanted him back. She left the palace and didn't come back.

It was spring of the next year when the king passed away after suffering a stroke. It had a lot to do with his failing health, but I also think he desperately missed Mother and couldn't go on any longer without her. The entire kingdom went into mourning for days. He was a well-loved ruler. My coronation as Verdelle's new queen happened quickly. Even after the royal crown was placed upon my head signifying my new title, I didn't feel any different, other than no one ever telling me "no" again.