48 hours to fall in love

Part 44

As night fell, Elizabeth ordered the cooks to prepare the most exquisite dinner of all time. On the table would rest the most extravagant and delicious dishes, because today, after twelve years, after twelve very long years, at last the royal family was complete, and they were going to dine together, something that Isabel came to believe that she would never see again in her life. But, it was happening, it was tangible, it was real, it was real that her daughter was present, that the sweat was furrowing her brow, that the wind was stirring her hair, that the blood was circulating in her veins. And, being deprived of sharing with her twelve years in which she grew and changed a lot, she would take advantage of every moment, because now she realized that the little things were doses of happiness that filled her soul. When the royal dinner began, Greta finally came out of her room, she was wearing a navy blue dress that reached her ankles, and low golden heels that made her look beautiful. Greta came down the stairs and showed herself in front of the former king, Fabius, Elizabeth, the queen, Vilma, and her husband and current king, David.

-Daughter, you look wonderful," exclaimed Fabius, trying to make her feel as welcome as possible.

-Thank you very much, daddy," said Vilma, in a low voice, and after that, she looked for her place at the table so she could sit down.

-You look beautiful, sister," Vilma praised her, giving her a sincere smile.

-Don't bother, Vilma," declared Lady Greta, somewhat shyly.

-It's no bother, sister, not at all, I'm just telling you what my eyes see," replied the queen.

They began to dine, Lady Greta was not really hungry, she only came to be reunited with her family, even though her appetite was not fully awake, in spite of that, she took some of the delicious delicacies that lay in front of her eyes.

-You don't know, daughter, how happy I am that you are back. That you are back, I know it has been a traumatic experience for everyone, but the important thing is that you are back, and I, as your mother will make sure that every day you enjoy it, that every day you are happy and that you recover your notion of reality, and that you remember that you are not just a girl, you are part of royalty, I will make sure you remember all that, I promise you," said her mother, looking at her with loving eyes.

-I thank you very much, mom, but please, I ask you all, if you really want to make me feel welcome and safe, don't ever mention again the traumatic events I lived, I don't want to talk about it ever again, it's something I ask of you," the princess mumbled.

-Don't worry daughter, I promise you that, from now on, it will be totally and absolutely forbidden to talk about your kidnapping, not only in the castle, but in the whole kingdom of Empress. Tomorrow I will announce this rule to all the inhabitants of our kingdom.

David was surprised by Fabio's comment, because now he was no longer the king of Empress and had no power over the kingdom, now the king was David, and he was the one who made the decisions, along with Queen Vilma.

-Father, I don't want to sound rude, but now, the one who rules the rules of the kingdom is David and me, not you," Vilma spat, trying not to sound contemptuous.

Fabio suddenly found himself in the middle of an embarrassing situation, in which he had to accept that he had made a mistake, now he was not the king, but the queen's father.

-I'm... I'm very sorry, Vilma, it's just that this transition we've been going through these last few days is still not coming together. I leave it up to you to decide what you think is best for the kingdom," said Fabio, and immediately took a sip of wine.

-I understand, dad, don't worry, however, I agree with you, the best thing is that it is forbidden to talk about what happened to Greta, it is the best thing for the family and, of course, for her.

-Thank you very much, I appreciate it very much, Vilma.

-You don't have to thank me for anything, Greta, you are my sister, and you know that you can count on my help in good times and bad. I will always support you in everything. And, now that I am the queen of Empress, life is much more difficult, but with your support I know I can be a better queen," Vilma declared.

The queen was unaware of the trouble she had just gotten herself into, Greta, as the rightful queen of Empress, and as the only heir to the throne, could not bear such humiliation of being her sister's mere support. She dropped the goblet to the carpeted floor, and it shattered into dozens of sharp little pieces, and the wine in the goblet was spilled all over the expensive carpet, and also on Princess Greta's low-heeled shoes. She rose to her feet and directed a murderous glance at her sister. All attention in the room was drawn to Lady Greta, who was burning with anger, and whose swollen veins on her forehead betrayed how upset she was.

-That crown does not belong to you, Vilma, I am the legitimate queen of Empress, whether you like it or not, and you better not keep flaunting your power because you won't like to meet me angry, little queen," replied lady Greta, angry.

Vilma did not dare to open her mouth, Lady Greta was right, she was flaunting something that did not belong to her, and these were the consequences of her words. David took the floor, he was not going to allow anyone to treat his wife in such a derogatory manner, so he exclaimed:

-Look, Greta, I don't want to sound rude, but I consider that Vilma has not been insolent with you as for you to be insolent with her. Besides, she is not to blame for being the queen of Empress, she only did what her parents ordered her to do.

-I know you are now the king of Empress, but that does not mean you can come into the family and take a place of trust among us, David. My sister can defend herself, she doesn't need someone like you to defend her. I am only telling the truth, isn't it, father, isn't it true that the crown that Vilma wears belongs to me? -questioned the princess.

Fabius meditated for a moment, then said:

-Yes, Greta, it is true, now that you are back, you are the rightful heir to the throne, you are the true queen of Empress -declared her father.

Vilma formed a huge "o" with her mouth, she could not believe what she was hearing, that crown belonged to her, it had been given to her in an extremely formal ceremony, surrounded by many witnesses. And now her father was telling her that this crown was going to be snatched from her hands, that in reality she had married for nothing, that all the sacrifice of getting married in such a short time had been worthless. She could not bear such an act of wickedness. Tears blurred her eyes, and she threw the cloth napkin away. She stood up, and immediately ran to her room, she could not continue there. She needed to get away and meditate. She needed to get away so they wouldn't see her tears.

-Daughter, no, wait! -Elizabeth cried.

Queen Vilma hurried up the stairs and when she reached her room she lay down on her bed. Placing her face on the goose down pillow, she burst into tears.

A faint knock sounded at her door. Footsteps advanced toward her. A warm hand caressed her shoulder.

-Daughter, do you want to talk? -her father asked.

Vilma regained her composure and sat down on her bed next to her father, inhaled a breath of air and reflected on all the recent events and their possible consequences. Fabio wiped with his fingers the tears that slid down his daughter's cheek.

-Daughter, I know that what happened downstairs was not something pleasant, I know that it is thanks to you that we still preserve the kingdom of Empress, and your bravery is something I will always carry in my heart and, I assure you, so will the inhabitants of our kingdom. But now, now that bravery calls you to be honest with yourself, to be right, to be wise. I know I should not tell you what to do because one of the qualities of a queen is to know how to make the best decisions, both for herself and for the people around her," her father advised her, while he put an arm on her back to make her feel protected, a feeling that, although most people deny it, she always longs to feel.

Vilma, for her part, did not say a word, her father had already said everything she wanted to hear. Now, in the midst of the silence that enveloped them, she surrendered to peace and, for the first time in her life, let things flow, without allowing anything to alter her mood or her harmony.