It Was All a Mistake (A Selection Fanfiction)

Chapter 29: Confessions

Marabelle's PoV:

I have thought about the talk I had with the King. Currently, I am still quite shaken by our conversation. Should I trust him? He gives me plenty of reasons to not. I decide to walk out into the Silvercrest Garden to calm down. After putting on an orange dress, I go outside.

I find a bench to sit on, and cross my legs. Then, I pull out a book and pretend to be deeply interested in it, even though I'm not. My eyes wander around me, taking in the surroundings. Roses dot the stone path, and a stone birdbath is set in the center. Fluffy green moss cascades down the sides of the birdbath, and shiny pebbles glisten in the water. "Must be a bird's paradise," I mumble.

"Betcha you're right," an airy voice chimes. I peer over my shoulder to see Brianna. Her brown hair is down and there is a tiny side braid. She's wearing a light pink high-low gown and it's made of soft chiffon. She notices me staring, and blushes, playing with the fabric. "Hello," I snap. "What do you want?" I cross my arms over each other. "Nothing," she assures me, and smiles... genuinely. I nod and look down at my book. "I know you're not actually reading, Mara. Trust me... I do that too" she places a hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off. "Don't touch me," I blurt. Her eyes harden for a split second, but soften. "You're scared," she says smoothly.

"WHAT?!"

"You're scared."

"No I'm not!"

"Why do you keep defending yourself then?"

Her angelic voice annoyed me, and slowly chipped away at my confidence. I shake it off and give her a menacing glare. "I am not scared," I say, deliberately pronouncing each and every word. "You're scared of losing, disappointing your family, the fans... you're scared of letting go of your past... Mara... I understand... I've been through what you are in right now," she explains, and painfully... she's right. My family wants me to win so badly... but not for love... for the crown. All they care about is being royal. And... and I'm afraid to tell them that I disagree with their beliefs. I do like the prince... but not enough to fight with my parents and relatives.

I look up to see Brianna studying me closely. Her eyes reflect compassion, and her face is gentle despite me arguing with her. I can trust her, I think to myself. I spill out everything that I know, from my family, to the talk with the King, to the reason why I act so... shockingly. "I-I act inappropriately cause my mother and father told me that I needed to be outrageous and that boys were attracted to those kinds of girls. They practically drilled that into my brain, and they still do. The only letters that I get from my parents are ones that remind me of how much pressure I'm under. They don't know that I cave under this kind of stress. They've already made it hard enough for me... but they decide to make it harder," I confess. Bree's face is speechless. Her eyebrows are up, her eyes questioning me. When she sees me though, she knows I'm not lying.

"I'm sorry, Mara, I mean... I knew about you being scared... but I didn't know the details and the King's conversation with you," she pats my shoulder and hugs me. "May I sit?" she asks politely, gesturing to the bench. "Sure," I move and she places her body next to mine. "Y'know... you don't have to go out with the deal you made with his Royal Majesty," she starts. "I guess so..." I furrow my eyebrows, thinking. "But I think I should give him a hard time," I conclude, "I mean... he deserves it," I shrug. She laughs and nods. "I completely agree!"

"I'm glad that we're friends," I admit. She's quiet for a moment, but then responds...

"I'm glad that we're friends too."