ADVENTURES OF THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS : CHAPTER 141 – 150
By Mide L.
(~•HELLO,MY BEAUTY•~)
“You have just two options. You can either marry Prince Henry, and spare Elara’s life…or you can refuse, and Elara will suffer the consequences. The choice is yours”
Katharina kept quiet, unable to say anything again.
“Take her away,she’s not ready” King Ryker said and as the guards made to take Elara away, Katharina’s inner turmoil boiled over. She couldn’t let them hurt her, couldn’t let her father win.
“Wait!” she said, her voice echoing through the throne room.
The guards paused, looking back at her and King Ryker raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
“Go on, Katharina. Tell me you’ve come to your senses”
Katharina took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew what she had to do, knew what she had to say.
“I won’t marry Prince Henry” she declared.
“I won’t betray myself, my heart, or my friend. I’d rather face the consequences than give in to your demands”
Elara, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
“Your Highness, please…don’t do this for me”
“You’re not just a maid, Elara. You’re my friend, like my sister. And I won’t let them hurt you”.
The room fell silent, the only sound was the soft gasp of the courtiers and the guards. King Ryker’s face darkened, looking angry.
“Foolish girl” he spat.
“You’ll regret this decision. Guards, take her away”
“Elara, don’t worry! Nothing will happen to you, I promise!” she cried out.
Elara’s terrified eyes met Katharina’s, and she tried to speak, but the guards silenced her with a rough jerk of their arms.
“Empty promises, Katharina. You’re in no position to make promises. You’re nothing but a rebellious child, defying my authority at every turn”
“I’ll find a way to save her, Father. I’ll find a way to stop you”
King Ryker laughed, the sound cold and mirthless.
“You’re no match for me, Katharina. I am the king, and I will crush you and your insolence. Take her away” he spat, gesturing to the guards.
“I’ll save you, I swear it!” But her words were lost in the distance as Elara was dragged from the throne room back to the dungeon.
Katharina stormed out of the throne room and as she turned a corner, she collided with a figure standing in the corridor.
Katharina looked up only to see Calantha staring back at her in shock.
Calantha’s eyes widened, and she gasped.
“You are really back!” Her voice trembled, and she took a step back, as if unsure what to do.
Katharina eyes filled with tears as she stared at her sister. She had missed Calantha so much.
“Will you just stand there? Won’t you even hug me?”
Calantha hugged her tightly before backing back.
“I’m so sorry, Calantha” Katharina whispered, tears streaming down her face.
“I was so wrong to leave without saying goodbye,I just can’t allow dad to marry me off to someone I don’t love just because of his selfish needs”
“I’m just glad you’re back, Katharina. I’ve missed you so much”
Katharina smiled.
“What of mother?”
“She’s not in the palace right now,she visited a friend of hers” Calantha replied as they walked side by side.
“I’ve really missed this place,like a lot. Wait have you heard from Dominic yet?” Katharina asked and Calantha smiled.
“He’s back. Father found a way to bring him back here”
“Really? Where is he? I want to see him please”
“He’s also not at the palace presently. Katharina I need to tell you something and please promise you won’t get mad” Calantha said as they finally got to the front of her room.
“What’s that?”
“Let’s go in first” She said and they went into her chamber.
“I love Prince Henry” Calantha blurted out and Katharina eyes widened a bit.
“Yes I do. I’ve always been crushing on him and I was totally jealous of you when dad said you are going to get married to him. I wasn’t happy that night”
“Oh”
“To be honest I was very happy you ran away because that means you won’t get married to him anymore”
“I never knew that but trust me I’m not mad at you if you were thinking I was going to be mad”
“But you might be mad at this…I kinda found out Elara helped you to escape and I implicated her,I told dad about it and she was put in the dungeon. I shouldn’t have right?”
“Calantha, why would you do that?” she asked.
“I was jealous, Katharina. I didn’t think it through. I didn’t mean for Elara to get hurt”
“But why will you be jealous?”
“Elara is so loyal to you, imagine her helping you to escape not minding the consequences if father finds out. You are lucky to have her,none of my personal maids were that loyal to me” Calantha said, tears welling up in her eyes. I’m so sorry. I was wrong to implicate her. Can you ever forgive me?”
“It’s okay, Calantha. But you need to help me save Elara”
Calantha nodded vigorously.
“I will, Katharina. I promise. We’ll find a way to get her out of the dungeon and keep her safe. Dominic has asked me about it before but I didn’t agree to it”
“Father is still bent on me marrying Prince Henry”
“But why? Why must you marry him?”
“I don’t know too”
“That man is such an headache” Calantha groaned.
ADVENTURES OF THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS : CHAPTER 141 – 150
TWO HOURS LATER, THE ROYAL DINNING ROOM*
The table was filled with the delicious aroma of roasted meats and steaming vegetables. King Ryker, Queen Lirian, Katharina, Dominic, and Calantha sat around the table, their faces lit by the soft glow of candles.
“Prince Henry is coming here tomorrow with King Edward and Queen Rachel. I want you to be on your best behavior. No outbursts, no disobedience. You will show them the respect and courtesy due to their station”
Dominic who was seated beside her, placed a reassuring hand on her arm. Calantha, across from her, looked worried, while Queen Lirian seemed oblivious to the atmosphere, sipping her wine with a nonchalant look.
“I expect you to make a good impression, Katharina” King Ryker continued.
“Prince Henry’s family is influential, and I will not have you jeopardizing our alliance with them. You won’t be able to run away like you did last time, Katharina. This time, you will do as you’re told”
“Father, I never agreed to marry Prince Henry” Katharina protested, but King Ryker ignored her.
“Tomorrow night is your welcome party. Get prepared for that. You will make a good impression, and you will show Prince Henry’s family the respect due to them”He said and then he pushed back his chair and stood, his presence commanding attention.
“I expect you all to be on your best behavior tomorrow night. We will not be embarrassed in front of our guests”
“Is there more to this thing,why is he so bent on me getting married to him?” Katharina asked.
“I don’t even know myself,all I know is that my baby girl is back” Queen Lirian and Katharina smiled.
“She’s looking prettier,tell us about New York” Dominic asked and Katharina blushed.
“As funny as it is, I’m engaged!” Katharina squealed showing off her ring.
“I’ve been meaning to ask that since though, who’s the lucky man?” Calantha asked.
“You guys still remember Marky right?”
“Don’t tell me it’s what I am thinking” Dominic said with wide eyes.
“It’s what you are thinking,it’s Marcus. I met him there at New York,I didn’t know it was him at first though”
“Wow!”Calantha exclaimed.
“Does it knows that your father is responsible for his dad’s death and also the one who captured his mum?” Queen Lirian asked and Katharina face fell.
She hadn’t told Marcus about her father’s role in his family’s tragedy. How could she?
“No, Mother, he doesn’t know” Katharina admitted, feeling guilty.
“You will have to tell him about this sooner or later” Dominic said.
“Will I even see him again? I’m sure he’s combing all the whole of NewYork for me right now. Getting out of here will be harder than the last time”
“You will see him again, I’m sure of that”
The rest of the dinner was filled with silence, punctuated by occasional small talk. Katharina was feeling uneasy , knowing that she had to face Prince Henry and his family tomorrow.
Dinner finally ended and everyone returned back to their respective chambers.
Katharina entered her chamber and as she made to pull off her dress, she felt someone was in the room with her.
She looked around, but the room was dimly lit, and she couldn’t see anyone. She shrugged it off and she began to change into her nightgown.
But as she lifted her hair to undo the clasp, a familiar scent hit her nostrils. It was a scent she knew all too well, a scent that made her heart skip a beat.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her by the waist and pinned her to the wall. Katharina’s heart raced as she tried to struggle, but the grip was too strong.
“Hello, my beauty” a low, husky voice whispered in her ear.
ADVENTURES OF THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS : CHAPTER 141 – 150
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