Royal Deception (GirlxGirl)

Chapter 21

Princess Faith

I watched Malin, Natalia, and Hartley walk out of the grand hall and into the open garden. My heart had yet to stop racing.

I walked beside my father calmly, trying to keep myself together. I didn't want anyone to notice anything was wrong, but everything felt so wrong.

I turned to my father. His beard was perfectly shaped, and his hair was neatly brushed up. He looked like a powerful King, the powerful King I always thought he was.

But he was anything but. He ran the kingdom so close to the ground and tried to make his daughters fix it. I couldn't believe how much I could lose respect for someone I had always looked up to in one single night.

We walked up to my mother who was still keeping face as she gave us a smile in greeting but I could see the turmoil in her eyes.

"How was the talk with the Vitalis Royals?" My mother asked calmly with her hands delicately on her sides.

I turned to my father wanting him to be the one to explain everything to my mother while I crossed my arms to my chest.

My father cleared his throat feeling my intense stare but tried to ignore it, "Well, I think everything went well. Malin was very reasonable and as we clearly saw tonight how interested her cousin was in Faith so I'm confident they would accept the proposal," he explained.

I blinked when he said Hartley looked interested in me, I pushed it out of my head, ignored the little butterflies in my stomach, and blamed it on my order that she stay close and keep an eye on me.

My parents didn't know that I ordered Hartley to keep her eyes on me the whole night and that was probably the only reason they got to that assumption.

My mom looked at me and tried to gauge my reaction but I remained stoic. I didn't even know what I felt. Everything was coming to me all at once.

My father ignored all my pleading that I didn't want to be married for any political gain. Now all my studies and all my reading will all be for nothing. My future is to be stuck in a castle and pop a few babies.

I felt hopeless.

I turned to the tall widows with articulate metal designs when my eyes landed on the three figures outside. Hartley looked angry when she spoke to Malin and Natalia tried to calm them both. How can a servant speak to a Royal that way and they seem to know each other too?

Was Hartley really Malin's cousin and I was fooled to think she was a servant? Were they plotting for this exact outcome? Maybe the plan was to let my father think she was interested in me so he would offer marriage and take Gona. They could also be the ones funding the rebels to weaken us to the point of desperation.

It was smart but I hope that wasn't the case. I really like Hartley and I would hate her to be the villain of my story.

I took a deep breath as I felt my head spinning. I was getting so overwhelmed and I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest.

I looked outside to watch the three of the Vitalis residents walk back to the large doors heading here.

I continued to watch Hartley as she kept staring at her feet lost in thought. Who are you? I thought as I studied her tall figure. She stood the same height as Malin, making me wonder if that was because they were related. Was that the only feature she got from her bloodline?