The Royal Quest of Floravera

🔜 Chapter Thirteen 🔚

By Arabella:
[December 5th]

"Corruption is paid by the poor" - George Valente.

Did I ever mention my favorite color was orange? Orange is a color of warmth. Like red, but doesn't show up in the sky, not at sunsets. Orange does, followed by pink, and blue. I love sunsets, just as much as flames. Flames also hold an orange glow to them. Sometimes I will light a candle and just stare at it to help clear my mind when I don't have the sunset to help do that.

It is currently 6:36 am. The sun doesn't rise for another hour yet here I am at my desk with a notebook, pen, and candle in front of me.

I have been brainstorming since I arrived back at the palace around 1 am. Just sat here staring at the candle and writing my ideas. Soon the ideas went from thoughts, to plans. I even have a speech written down on what I will say at the meeting.

I have plans to find this killer, and kill him for even looking at my tree. I have plans to train the town into defenders, only killers if necessary. I will pull people away from other towns, even Hillstock. I can do this all without having to unite with KettleVille. I would consider it if Liam was on the throne and not his dad. His dad turned insane at his wife's death.

I can not- will not unite my people with that. If it comes to that. Like we really do need them, then I'll have Vincent's head, and rule the people myself. If Liam can't that is.

I stare at the candle longer, trying to calm the fucking madness of my own. It's a trick my dad taught me, that currently isn't going well. My dad... he was in my life for about 6 years. He was married into the royalty, he even took my mom's last name. It's a tradition for royal families.

He had lived the royal life for maybe 5 years before I was born. He always talked about how he hated the meetings, and the guards hovering over him. He hated it here. So he left. Just left me and mom, and Floravera one night. No one knows where he went, or why it was so abruptly.

We all believe it's because the stress became too great and he just couldn't take it, so he left one night. Mom believes he ran off to a tropical resort far far away, but knowing him. He didn't go that far, he was a guard before he met my mom. He knows how to hide, hunt, build, everything. I would bet my life that he is somewhere out in the dark forest just camped away in a secret hut that he built.

Sometimes I like to think he comes into town every now and then to get food, and maybe read a paper or something to check up on us. I wonder if he even knows that mom died.

I jump as someone knocks on my door. I quickly wipe my tears away and blow out my candle. "Come in!"

In walks my maid Leslie. "You are needed downstairs soon for your meeting." My eyes widen. As I turn to look outside. The sun had rised. I had sat here all night thinking so hard that I didn't get to sleep.

I rub the bridge between my nose. "I'll be down in a moment. I need to get dressed." She nods then leaves the room.

I get up and head to my bathroom. I'm going to have a good long shower to start this day off.

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I finally reach the bottom step. We need to get a pull shaft soon. Luckily that's what they're building in the east corridor next fall. My boots squeak along the floor as I make my way to the meeting room. I'm wearing a horse rider jacket, with a hard armor underneath. Then jeans that are stuffed into leather boots on my feet. I have warm fuzzy sucks in the boots so at least I'm comfortable in some way today.

Leslie walks out in front of me from a room downstairs. She jumps as she sees me, almost spilling her drink. "I'm sorry I didn't see you there." She apologizes to me... who scared her. I chuckle at that. Maybe it was actually funny, or I'm going insane from lack of sleep but watching my own maid apologize for being scared was hysterical.

She gave me a smile as I laughed then said "I was about to bring you some coffee your highness." You seemed like you needed some.

I nod. "Thank you. I do need it." She hands me the coffee and I take a sip of it.

She hands me a muffin as well. "This too. You need to eat this then after the meeting I will have breakfast sent to your room." I nod. She should be a butler not a maid. She walks away from me and I now hold the coffee and muffin as I walk to the meeting room.

I walk in and have a seat I sit at the top. Then others start filing in. Including Liam. I raise an eyebrow at him. "This is for higher royals. And also KettleVille doesn't show up to these anymore."

"Wow really I didn't know that." He says sarcastically. "I'm saving a seat for my dad." He sits beside me, all eyes in the room were on him.

"Your dad!?" Windsor questions in a panic.

"Yes he's on his way here. We still have a right to the royals right?" He turns to me. I nod.

"He's right. KettleVille never properly left the royals. They just went MIA for some years." I rub the bridge of my nose. On top of everything now Vincent is coming to this fucking meeting.

Liam raises an eyebrow at me, as if asking if I'm okay. I ignore him, he will not distract me anymore. "This can't happen! The Kelvicks are murderers!" Windsor yells.

Liam rolls his eyes at him, and is about to say something but is stopped by a gruff voice at the doorway. "Like you're any better." Everyone's eyes shoot to the door, a few gasp as they him. Vincent Kelvick, in the flesh.

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I'm sorry if my writing is bad on this one. I'm having trouble detailing what I'm thinking so it's kind of messy