The Rival Queen

Chapter 17| A Me I Want To Forget

"Excuse me ?" I blinked as her jolly voice turned into a laugh.

"It was really quite obvious that even I thought you wouldn't be surprised about this news" she said while biting another of mother's chocolate muffins. I stared at her, in disbelief, of what she just said.

"If you won't believe me, look at the faction count you have gathered in just three weeks" she said. The man grumbled something incoherent, to which the queen answered with a steely glare. The young man sighed, almost unaffected, before taking a file from his case.

He looked at the file once more before giving it to me (albeit reluctantly).

I opened the fuel and immediately did pictures fell onto my lap. Each one were a group of people who openly supports me and doing actions to show so. Papers that remained stacked on the file were positive comments from the people themselves.

My eyes widen at the sight and my mother went to my side to see what made my eyes grew larger. Her eyes too went wide as she read the comments for me. I looked at the queen, who was now sipping her cup of tea.

"I haven't done anything" I whispered. The man and his master looked at each other before a stack of newspapers found itself on top of my already occupied lap. I looked over the bold headlines.

SAVIOR OF FOUR ORPHANS, A HEIRESS ?

As I remember when that event was actually published into the newspaper, a servant whispered something to my mother's ear that somehow caused her countenance to fall from emotion. I looked at the woman known as my mother worriedly before going back to the topic at hand.

"This doesn't prove that I am qualified to become this country's leader !" I said a bit too loudly. Looking at the queen dowager with forced calmness, I tried to lighten the tone of my voice, "I don't even have the slightest clue why you came to me when there are more important qualifiers who can be your apprentice.."

I clenched my fists, my inferiority-complex self suddenly unraveling. Right now, I wasn't the Rein Aurelia who was strong, a hero and a possible candidate to become a leader. I'm the me of my past life, of the past I want to forget, the Arabella Walden I know and want to erase from my conscious.

The dowager looked at me one last time before handing me a royal crested letter.

"I will be waiting back at the palace for your positive response in one month's time, thank you and goodbye" she stood up and slid her chair back to its original place. I looked at the open door the queen dowager used to leave before storming back to my room. Slamming my door shut, I was about to break down when the man who was with the queen earlier stood from my sofa and looked at me with amusement. I began glaring at the man as the response to his expression.

"What do you want ?" I spatted. He looked shocked for a moment before composing himself.

"Aren't you being too rude to your elderly lately ?" He countered. I looked at with deadpan expression before composing myself like he did.

"So sir 'I don't know the name but whatever', what brings you here in my room without my prior permission ?" I said to him. I had enough events happening to me today that I have to force myself to want to stay in my 'Rein Aurelia' facade. He smiled. When I finally thought he was about to leave, he suddenly disappeared from my sight. Surprised, the man suddenly appeared behind my back and pointed a dagger at my neck.

"Your not from here, are you ?" He whispered. As I tried to free myself with little force my body has, the dagger came closer and closer before finally, it reached to surface of my neck.

"Say bye-da-bye, little que-" "AHHHHHHHH !"

The voice of my mother resonated throughout the Aurelia Summerhouse.