The Choice

17

"Good evening, Ladies. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance in a less formal environment. I hope this tea will help us get to know each other better," Prince Carlos addressed before sitting down. 

I tried my best, to no avail, to avoid his gaze but as soon as he sat, our eyes clicked. 

"How's your ankle, Lady Madeline?" He asked, a bit too loudly, grabbing the attention of the other Ladies who glanced his way each time he breathed. 

Aware of their bird-like glare on me, I answered carefully. "My ankle is doing fine, Prince Carlos. Again, thank you for helping me." 

Satisfied with my reply, the Ladies began to chatter, Esme first. 

"Prince Carlos, I heard you love to hunt. My father has the best game collection in Aridia," Esme bragged, not bothering to hide the fact that her breasts threatened to pop out of her cleverly tailored day dress. 

"Well, Lady Esme, I do in fact love to hunt but I prefer hunting deer to game," Prince Carlos replied and I made a quick attempt to stifle my laughter, to no avail. 

Luckily, tea was brought in on gold trays by servants and my mouth watered at the sight of the scones, cakes and all sorts of pastry that came my way. 

The Ladies droned on and on, seeming to forget about the Prince as they tried to outshine each other. My eyes connected with Lord Amancio's, which had their usual hint of amusement. 

"Kill me now," He mouthed and I snorted, a most unladylike sound. 

"Care to share the joke, Lady Madeline?" Prince Carlos whispered so only I could hear. 

"I'd prefer not to," I whispered back, cutting through my slice of pie. 

"To think after I saved your life you'd be the least bit politer to me," Prince Carlos tsked. 

I scoffed, "You didn't save my life. I could have survived just fine in those woods." 

"Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow. I knew I couldn't have lasted a day thank to my immobility. 

"Seriously," I shot back. 

"Did you receive my message?" He asked. 

"What message?" I popped a piece of pie in my mouth. Prince Carlos' plate was still empty. 

"The book," He said, like it was obvious. 

I almost choked on my pie- which tasted good, mind you. "You sent the book?"

"Of course I did, who else could it be?" Prince Carlos looked at me like I was crazy. His eyes moved over to Amancio who was successfully engaging in conversation with the Ladies, including Fiona- who thankfully, wasn't listening to my 'conversation' with the Prince. 

"Of course. The one with a heart," He rolled his eyes. 

"Why would you send me a book?" I asked, for I was utterly confused. 

"You seemed to be interested in it. Besides, if I were cooped up in my room all day I'd like a book to read. I bet the books in the Ladies' salon don't quite cut it," Prince Carlos explained. 

"That's...quite nice of you," I said, suspiciously. Who was this and what did he do with the real Prince Carlos? "Thank You. For the book and for 'saving my life'. I can see it- Prince Carlos, librarian by day- knight at night." I laughed at my own words while the hint of amusement could be seen in his green eyes, making him look twice as handsome. 

Thankfully, the Ladies bombarded the Prince with questions and I was left in peace. Or so I thought.

"What were you guys talking about?" Fiona whispered, dropping her cup of tea back on the table. 

I shrugged, "Nothing much. Just thanked him for helping me in the woods." 

*** 

I was ecstatic when tea had come to an end and watched Lord Amancio and Prince Carlos leave with joy in my heart. I was full to the brim and I could go back to my reading. 

"He's infatuated with me," Esme whispered to Ashley as the Ladies began to retreat back into the castle. 

"More like he's scared of you," I muttered under my breath, Fiona giggling in response. 

I let Fiona walk ahead of me as I savored the rest of my time under the sun. I took a deep breath before walking into the palace. I didn't get far before I was stopped by an all too familiar face.

"Prince Carlos," I said, folding my arms across my chest. "It is very unbecoming of a Prince to startle Ladies. Besides, what do you want? If the Ladies saw me, they would kill me." 

"Calm down, Lady Madeline. I have a proposal," Prince Carlos all but rolled his eyes at me.

"A proposal?" I raised an eyebrow. 

"You could read any book of your choice in the Royal Library," He said. 

I instantly perked up. I could still remember the smell of the pages and the feel of the spines. But there had to be a catch. 

"What do I have to do?" I sighed. 

"Meet me at the library after dinner tonight," Prince Carlos replied. 

I almost choked on my own spit. A few moments ago, the Prince and I were arch enemies and now he wanted me to meet him in the library- at night? 

But, while my slow brain was busy processing the Prince's words, Prince Carlos had already begun to walk away. I mentally slapped myself. It was sure to be a strange night. 

*** 

It didn't take me long to find the Royal wing of the palace and luckily, there was no one in sight. Seeing the halls again reminded me of how beautiful and artsy the palace actually was. I could hear soft music and voices coming from behind the doors and I quickly ran past them, praying my lack of grace would not work against me. 

Soon, after a few minutes of stumbling around like a blind bat, I found the library. I couldn't help but hesitate before knocking. What exactly did Prince Carlos want from me? I knew it was forbidden for the Prince and Ladies to meet in private, after hours so why did he want to take that risk? What exactly was I getting myself into?  

Hi guys! Sorry for the late update, I spent the whole day taking out my braids to get ready for school next week. Why did this summer fly by so fast??? 

When does school start for you? Also, what do you think is in store for Madeline? 

Don't forget to vote, comment and share. Ly!