Forgotten Wife

CHAPTER 8: SHAMELESS

Setherian had completely ignored the princess, yet she was still a princess and should be treated as such, at no time had he ordered her to be left to her fate. A small memory came to Setherian's mind, he had punished her and sent her to that place as a punishment, however, that had only been temporary. Setherian covered his face with his hands, he never said how long the princess was to be in that place and as no one had mentioned her again he had forgotten all about her. He looked at her carefully, she was dressed in a simple white dress that went down to her knees, that dress had no ornaments, not even the maids dressed like that, her feet were bare, the same thing had happened before, he thought it was because of the extravagance of the princess but now something made him think that it was not that way.

-Are you telling me that you have been living in this place for three years without the help of any servants?

-Yes- Rebecca said.

-Why didn't you ever say anything? Why didn't you ever complain?

-Why would I do that? Even if I did who would listen to me, his majesty made it clear he didn't want to see me, I only do what his majesty wanted.

-I don't...- Setherian didn't know what to say.

Rebecca put his clothes on the bed and said.

-I'm sorry, but there are no more clothes you can wear in this place so you will have to wear your clothes, they are really clean, I washed them myself, although the blood stains did not disappear.

At that moment Setherian felt sorry for the princess before him, though he felt no sympathy for her because of all that her family had done, he felt sorry for living in such a difficult way for so many years.

Setherian reached for his clothes and pulled back the sheet he was covered with, at which point he remembered that he was completely naked, his face flushed red.

-Who took off my clothes?

-It was me, is there a problem?- Rebecca replied.

-Have you no shame?

-Why should I be?

-You took off all my clothes.

-Should I really be ashamed of that?

-You're shameless, get out I'm going to change.

-Don't you want me to help you?

-No, now come out.

Rebecca left the house and Setherian got up to change, however she came back in, seeing Setherian completely naked, she did not flinch or feel any embarrassment, and as if nothing had happened she asked him:

-Her Majesty, are you sure you don't want me to help you get dressed?

Setherian covered himself with his hands and shouted at her.

-No, go away and close the door.

-As you wish.

Setherian had never been so ashamed in his life, what education had the princess had to see a man stark naked and not flinch.

Rebecca waited patiently for Setherian to change and wondered what he had done now to make her majesty so upset.

Setherian left the house, it was a little difficult for him to walk, he felt dizzy and his head was spinning, Rebecca held him as he was about to fall and said to him.

-I'll help you get to the palace.

Setherian was in no position to refuse her help so he said nothing. As they walked along, Setherian saw that the princess was barefoot and asked her.

-Why aren't you wearing shoes?

-I only have one pair of shoes and they are too small, they hurt my feet, I prefer not to wear them.

Setherian felt miserable, as a husband he had failed to provide for his wife, even though he hated her he did not want to be seen as a stingy man who let his wife live like a beggar.

Setherian leaned on his little wife's shoulder until he reached the palace and found some guards, when they saw the king pale and bloodstained clothes they ran to his aid.

Rebecca stood aside as she watched the king being carried away, and when Setherian turned to look back she was gone, vanished like a ghost.

After the physician had attended to Setherian, he sent for the butler.

-Did you know that all this time my wife has been living on her own, forgotten in a small house in the far side of the castle?

-Of course I knew that, your majesty, I remind you that that was the punishment you chose for the princess when she attacked Miss Sarah.

-I said to take her to that place but not to leave her there forever, they should only leave her there for a week at most to meditate on what she did.

-His majesty said nothing about that, nor did he ask about the princess again.

-Order her to be brought back, and also to be given new clothes and comfortable shoes.

-As your majesty commands.

Rebecca was working in her vegetable garden when the butler approached her.

-Princess, what are you doing?

-Working in my orchard.

-That is not the behaviour of a princess.

-Then you want me to sit in my room waiting to starve?

-Of course not, that's why food is brought to the princess every day.

Rebecca couldn't help but laugh at the butler's absurd words.

-Since I have been living here only once have I been given a basket of food and that was three years ago, since then I have not seen any of the maids or had any food brought to me, if I don't get my own food I would starve to death, does the butler want me to starve to death?

The butler was stunned, although the princess had been sent to that remote part of the castle he had ordered the maids to take care of giving the princess food, it was unheard of that she had been living worse than the servants when she was a princess. The butler looked at one of the maids who had accompanied him and asked.

-Is that true?

-I don't know, sir.

-I'll talk to the head maid later, it better not be true what the princess is saying.

Rebecca felt annoyed, the butler did not believe her words, she continued to weed her garden.

-Princess, leave that and come with me please.

-Where to?

-Her majesty wants me to return to the palace.

Rebecca remembered the first year she had lived in the palace, locked in her room freezing in the winter and dying of heat in the summer, she went on cutting the weeds and said.

-I don't want to, tell her majesty that I prefer to live here.

-But princess, your majesty....

-I will not move from here, why don't you forget that I am in this place as you have done so far, leave me alone.