Royal Pain

Chapter Six

The next few days were almost torturous for Constance; she barely left the estate, stayed in her room, and only left if she was hungry, which wasn't often. The thought of her sister and brother-in-law having anything to do with her father's death and the god awful notes was enough to keep the feeling of hunger at bay. She mulled over the conversation she had with Carter, trying to figure out if there were any clues or code to what she had said, but she never could find anything. Several times she had screamed into her pillow and was tempted to beg Bucky to let her call her mother. She even ripped through her suitcases and bags, looking to see if there was any Rapture left over from the last time she had used them, even if it had been years since she had used the bags.

Constance finally had enough and walked out of her room, careful to be quiet in case Bucky was sleeping, waking him would only cause more distress for her. She crept quietly down the stairs remembering each step of the way so she didn't have to turn on the lights; she made her way into the sitting room where the bar was kept; thankfully liquor rarely spoils. She grabbed two clear bottles and walked slowly towards the french doors that led to the deck and pool. The doors made an obscene sound causing Constance to wince and raise a shoulder, but she kept going. She had enough of the mental torture of what-ifs and posibilities that she needed something numbing. She sat down in one of the chaise loungers, placing the bottles on the small table next to it before looking up at the night sky. Stars shone as sugar spilt over black marble, not a single cloud in sight, the gentle orange glow from the city in the distance added contrast to the dark outline of the trees. She never felt so alone and isolated.

With a heavy sigh, she reached for one of the bottles and unscrewed the cap, dropping it on the table, only for it to roll onto the ground; she didn't care, she was planning on drinking every last drop of the clear liquid. She held the bottle up to the sky with a sad smile.

"Cheers, dad," she toasted and brought the bottle to her lips for a long, deep pull. The liquid burned as it went down, making her wince slightly and gasp. "Didn't think this was going to go this way, hey dad?" She leaned against the back of the chaise, taking another drink. "After the call with Carter, I wondered if she was the one that possibly poisoned your tea, or maybe one of your mistresses made you something that wasn't what she said it was."

Another long drink.

"Or maybe it was you?" She raised the bottle to the dark sky that was sprinkled with tiny lights. "Did you get abdication letters? Death threats? Thought you couldn't handle it so you off'd yourself? Make me deal with it instead? Thought maybe your little Connie can do the dirty work for you and abdicate to Helmut?" With each word she spoke, anger boiled in her more and more. She took another drink, then another, then another. The stinging liquor made her cough and sit up, wheezing a bit as she caught her breath, glaring at the sky.

"You know, he only wanted to marry me because he thought he would be king one day," she growled, tilting the bottle in her lap slightly, "said so himself. We were on our god knows what number of dates when he asked me if marrying me would make him king. Should have seen his face Daddy when I told him he would only be known as my consort and would only get the title of Prince. You could see fire in his eyes and disappointment. That's why he broke it off. Wasn't because I was too busy getting high or drunk, it was because he couldn't be king." She chewed her lip for a second before taking a swing from the bottle again. "I tried to warn Carter about him," she went on, her tone somber, "but she was just enamored by Helmut. He is a smooth talker, ain't he Daddy? He and his father, the Baron, had all these plans for our kingdom if he and I were to wed. But I guess that changed now that he's with Carter and she's pregnant." She tilted the bottle and downed the rest of the liquor like it was water on a hot day. She knew she would be feeling it in the morning but she had no fucks to give anymore.