To Know Love

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Derek’s Point of View

I slowly closed the door behind me and stared at my dreary room. There was no sign of life- everything had a dark color palette to it that made it feel like a prison cell. In a way it was.

I trudged my way over to my scruffy bed and flopped down, feeling defeated. I had never put in the effort to make friends with Bella, and I had almost succeeded tonight.

Almost.

I rolled over onto my back and stared at the dingy ceiling. I had no idea what was wrong with her. One minute, she would stop to hold my gaze, and the next, she would be grunting and grumbling at my every move. And then there was Sky, who I secretly disliked. I mean, she was a nice girl, but why did she have to tag along everywhere? It’s like Bella can’t go anywhere without her. I would have totally taken a grip on Bella while we were hugging if she hadn’t interrupted. Frustrated, I ran a hand through my hair.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, making me jolt up from my position. “Come in,” I sighed.

I saw a man’s head peek through the crack of the door. Stefan, my servant, nudged open the door with his foot, his hands occupied with a tray, and walked over to me.

“Sir, I have your glass of water for the night, and if you ever happen to need something, you know where to find me.” He said as he lowered the tray on my night stand. I noticed an envelope sticking out from his pocket fold.

“What’s that?” I asked pointing to the letter.

“Right, right.” He pulled out the envelope, looking grateful that I had reminded him. “This here is a message from Queen Lucille, all the way from Clarkington.” My mother. Go figures. “On the back it reads ‘immediate reply’ so it would most likely be best to start writing back.” Stefan snickered, knowing how urgent my mother can be sometimes. He handed to letter to me. I focused on the gold sealing.

“Thank you Stefan,” I muttered as he walked away.

“My pleasure, your highness,” and he closed the door behind him.

I sat staring at the envelope. On the back it showed location stamps from everywhere- Rhoneland, Cairoway, Wilkington, all the way to Analei. I pinched an edge of loose paper and ripped it open, letting the pieces fall to the ground. Slowly, I took hold of the paper inside and pulled it out. My eyes skimmed my mother’s familiar, lavish handwriting. “Derek,” I read.

“How are you? How is Analei? Did you make it safe?” I skimmed through the annoying questions until I had found what I was looking for.

“Have you eloped with Bella yet? I hope you listened to what we spoke about before you left for the summer. Time is running out. The kingdom has never been in more debt until now. Since your father left to deal with borderline disputes, our economy has reached an all time low. People are out of jobs and need to support their families. I would never have dreamed of betrothing you and Bella if my intentions weren’t for the good of our kingdom. I know you’ve both had your ‘separate ways,’ but that needs to end this summer. If not…I don’t know if our sovereignty will last much longer.” My eyes glided over the paper as the letter came to a closing.

“Please, Derek,” I could visualize her begging through her loops of her handwriting. “We need the money. We can’t wait another year for the wedding. Do whatever you can to reconcile with Bella-and fast.

Love,

Mother.”

I folded the letter and placed it on the sheets next to me. Getting up, I walked over to the desk I was provided with, and grabbed a sheet of paper from the top shelf as I began writing back. I rummaged through a dusty container until I had found an old pen. “Mother…”