Under the Roses

Chapter 2

I let the soft, delicate material run through my scrubbed-clean fingers as I sat on the bed, a servant that insisted on helping me kneeling at my feet and putting on my shoes. Still unsure what to make of the situation, I looked to Giles, who stood by the doorway.

"Are you sure about this? Me wearing this dress?"

"Pay it no worry. It is yours to keep." But it looks so expensive. . . I bet my entire wardrobe isn't even worth half of this.

"I couldn't."

"Miss Adelaine, the purpose of gifts is for them to be accepted." He said my name the same way that Captain Alyn had, as if it varied on the person's upbringing: in the palace, where they probably wanted it to sound refined, rather than from the town, where everyone pronounced it "Ad-a-lyn".

Upon seeing his terse smile I gave up and directed my gaze to my lap, my hands still folding over and smoothening the fabric. At this rate, it seemed I would never find the flower, even if it did exist. I couldn't bear the thought of letting down Marie. It was one simple wish, and I hadn't even been able to do that. How in the world could I even trust myself to fulfill my word after this?

A small sigh escaped my lips, and not a moment after, a hand wrapped around my torso and straightened my posture.

"Sit up tall. And mind the sighs; they aren't becoming." I was about to protest that he really didn't have a right to correct my life at that moment when his next words stopped me dead in my tracks.

"You are the princess elect, after all." If I'd had tea in my mouth I would've spat it out right onto the lush carpet.

"It's not very nice to play jokes on people," I finally told him. He smiled.

"As of this moment, you have been chosen as the princess elect by me." My mind went blank. All I wanted was a flower!

I managed to stammer out, "Certainly there must be better options than me." He shrugged.

"I believe I have made the right choice. Now, there's much we need to do, so we must hurry."

I can say firsthand what it feels like to have an entire room full of women glaring at you moments after being told that they were not going to be the princess: grateful that all the silverware had been cleared off the tables. I found myself being propelled by Giles' hand through the maze of corridors that was the palace, being introduced to various officials and still wondering what exactly was going on. Through the confusion, all I'd managed to comprehend was that I was to address Giles by his title of chamberlain only for official occasions, as well as everyone else, and that my sighs were extremely excessive. Well, if he tutored a whole village of children he would have a lot to sigh about too.

He had just led me into the main hallway that branched off the foyer with the grand staircase behind us, and answered my unspoken question, a little smugly, that his decision was irreversible, since the king's condition required the advisor to be responsible for choosing and tutoring the princess elect.

"So there's no going back?" I didn't know what I wanted the answer to be.

"Essentially." I'd just remembered to suppress my sigh when a familiar figure came into view at the other end of the hall. It seemed he spotted me at the same time, for he immediately headed towards us. I was relieved to see a familiar and semi-friendly face.