WINTERS SECRET (RISE OF OYO EMPIRE)

ONCE UPON A TIME

13th of August.

"Good mor...."

"I want to tell you a secret, Diana; I fear you need to know this as the future Queen." Gran didn't spare me any grace for greetings; she wanted to speak to me as she sent a text for me to hurry up and come see her.

"Leave us alone," I instructed the staff and everyone there to vacate her room.

"You know one of the reasons your mother and I never got along was because of the way she treated you, she did not try to protect you when you were little" Mom and gran gran never got along ever since I was able to understand things, I just thought that was how life was for the both of them.

"I remember vividly when she gave birth to you; she was irritated when she found out you were a girl; I thank God every day that gender-revealing technology was not around back then. If not, I wonder what she would have done" Why is she telling me all of this now? Isn't it already too late?

"After your naming ceremony,y I was forced to take you away from her because I was afraid of what might happen to you if you continued to live with her, that was when I moved out of the palace"

She continued after pausing to catch her breath "She was unbothered by my decision neither did she try to stop me from taking you away it was sad that your dad also felt the same way, they did not visit not once until you turned 11 and it was time for your coronation, that was when they took you away also you had to start attending royal prep academy so you moved into the palace, it was a dark time for you and I remember vividly she did not stop maltreating you then" why is dhe telling me all of this? I had always thought Gran didn't want me around anymore. That was why she sent me to the palace; at least, that was what my mother told me back then.

"I am sure your mother has been trying to conceive all these years, and it was fruitless because it was prohibited." This is new information to me, why?

"prohibited? Why gran gran?" I asked, disrupting the story.

"Yes, your great grandfather my late husband's father made it so, he was scared that someone from his bloodline who wanted the crown would take his life when he was old so he banished them all from Ofuland and excommunicated them, so he made it law that only one child should be birth into the royal family" wow that explains a lot, now it makes sense why my mother wanted to get rid of me, it was her only option.

"And ever since he made the rule, male children have been birthed into the royal family until you were born, your birth caused a lot of discourse as they had never been a female ruler of Ofuland before and the elders planned to keep it that way and reintroduce another royal back into the kingdom, but they all refused to come back" gran continued to enlighten me about the story of my people.

"Another royal? From where?" I was confused yet again.

"They tried to call back the banished royal family members' generation, but they all declined the request., your grandfather who was alive at the time, frowned against it as he was in full support of what his father did; that is why our linage is the only royal line of ofuland" she answered.

"I guess they all decided to leave it up to faith and allow you to become Queen, but your mother had a bright idea to train her nephew to become the King, she wanted to raise him like her son and in a royal way although no one was happy with that they all agreed as they believed it was better than having a female rule over them"

"So that's where Fred comes in?"

"Yes, he was 4 years old then, and so they began to raise him. It was sad to watch especially as they neglected you entirely, and immediately you were coronated they made it known to the public, your engagement to him I mean they made that to the public" No wonder his entire family feels entitled to the crown, I guess they were promised it, well now that I know all of this I feel bad for him.

"But that doesn't explain why I was treated badly by my mom and my family, I asked.

"My dear, there is no reason to be treated badly by anyone; they're just horrible people, t, that's all,l," she said as she brought her hand closer to me g, rubbing it.

"It was all a plan, after your mom got married to my son I found out from a source, that it was her plan from day one to come to meet the crowned prince, marry him become Queen, and slowly introduce her family members to dia different section of the country, she knew exactly what she wanted and I guess having a female child ruined it a bit", gran gran said as she held onto my hands tightly.

"Those 11 years you spent with me were one of the best years I had, I am glad I got to be around you for that long, you are a blessing to me and the entire landed i want you to know that" she was sounding a bit teary as her eyes were now filled with them.

"Promise me, promise me you won't step down, promise me that you will become the future Queen of Ofulando matter the circumstances, no matter what happens, fight for it because it belongs to you" It's like gran gran reads my mind, I had already lost the last hope of ever wanting to be Queen, I was tired and I felt like I wasn't needed here and now she wants to make me promise to fight for it.

"Promise me this one thing, Diana."I don't know why she was being so sentimental; it was not as if she was dying or anything; her health had improved drastically over the past 12 hours; why is she telling me this?

"Gran gran"

"Please, Diana, promise me." She did not want to hear me talk or give any excuse; I guess I was left with no other choice.

"I promise I would take what is rightfully mine, I would become the Queen of Poland"