The Queen (Book 2)

Chapter 18

"Good morning, Mom!" Bati ko sa aking ina ng maabutan ko siya sa throne room.

She gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "Ready?" nginitian ko siya at nagpaalam na nang makita ko si Kuya Jerry.

Today is Scarabaegarian Day, the day I officially abdicate my throne. And if that isn't exciting enough, Astrid and I have to ride our horses and light the ceremonial torch together.

I'm super excited about the fiesta-like celebrations, which promise a ton of fun and chaos. It's basically a royal carnival with way too many activities.

But, I'm terrified I might screw everything up.

"Congrats," Astrid said, his baritone voice resonating through the room. I turned to face him.

"Congrats to you too," I replied, giving him a smile before bolting out of the room to join my parents on stage. I'm pretty sure Astrid will be following shortly to join his folks, just like I'm about to.

After the official program, there's a private celebration in the Northern Kingdom with all the parliaments and their families.

I plan to head back to the South Kingdom first to change and get ready for the dinner party. No way am I going to this event in my royal getup.

"Mom, seriously, I don't want to do this," pekeng ngiti kong pahayag sa nanay ko habang nasa harap namin ang aking ama at nakikipag kamay sa isang member ng parliaments.

The parliament members are basically high-ranking government officials, and they're all referred to as 'Lords' in our country.

"You shouldn't be surprised, sweetie. It's all part of the job, right?" She said, kissing my cheek again before Dad called us over. Pahilihim naman akong napairap.

Just like every other day, I'll be meeting their fucking childrens- scratch that, i will meet some of the parliaments eligible bachelor son's. And i'm not enjoying this knowing that i have to choose again someone to fucking marry me.

Theo is still in the running, and I'm trying to get to know him better before I even think about adding any new names to my list of suitors.

Nangangalay akong umupo sa table namin while my parents continued their social butterfly routine.

I desperately needed to escape. I was seriously considering faking an illness just to sneak away. I needed to get to Bian, and fast. Maybe I could 'suddenly' fall ill to make my escape easier.

"Your Majesty?" I looked up to see a familiar face, Harper, Astrid's best friend from Jay's bachelor party.

"Harper?" hindi ko siguradong tanong sa kanya. What's he doing here?

"You okay, Your Royal Highness?" he asked politely, taking a seat beside me.

"Just Kali," I corrected. The whole 'Your Royal Highness' thing felt a bit too formal.

"Nice to finally meet you! I was really looking forward. Since nung nandito ka pa ay nasa Europe pa ako, kaya walang akong chance na mameet ka personally." He looked genuinely pleased.

I smiled back. "How long have you and Astrid been friends?" I asked, curious. They seemed super close.

"Since we were seven," he replied casually. Wow, they've been pals forever.

Harper immediately signaled a waiter with a tray of wine. I thought it was for him, but he handed me a glass too.

I gave him a weak smile as he passed me the wine. Oh great, just what I needed.

I'm not a fan of wine, it tastes like fermented disappointment, that feeling aged like a fine wine, and I usually end up spitting it out.

"Cheers?" Harper suggested, raising his glass.