Episode 2

Melanie felt utterly terrible; the look on her fiance's face was not one of joy, but more like he was about to pounce and tear at her throat.

"Your Majesty, was the prince aware of this arrangement? He seems exceedingly uncomfortable," she expressed to the queen.

"Darling, it's an agreement. He must marry a girl within his circle, with an unblemished reputation and you, my dear child," the queen took her cheeks in her hands and gave her a gentle kiss, "you, my dear, are the perfect girl."

Cecilia glared at the queen, cursing her endlessly in her mind.

"Can someone explain what the devil just happened? According to Hilda, you would be her son's wife and yet that brat..." Dora, Cecilia's mother, was suddenly pulled into the darkness.

"Madam, by order of the queen, you must leave the palace immediately," a royal guard escorted her to the exit.

"I want to see my daughter, lady Cecilia, she's my child, what's wrong with you people? You're fools..."

As she railed against the guards, Cecilia too was being removed by the queen's orders.

"I'm sorry lady Cecilia, you cannot stay here."

Prince Alejandro was powerless. His grandfather had warned him numerous times that if he didn’t desist from his extravagant lifestyle, he would be ousted from the royal lineage. He had to either accept the absurd engagement or be left on his own, without the wealth of the crown, and without a claim to the throne.

"The first dance is always reserved for Her Majesty, but on this occasion, it will be opened by His Highness, Prince Alejandro, and his newly announced fiancee, Lady Melanie Humpring."

The crowd bowed and cleared the way for the young couple.

The prince, a striking man with height, pale skin, bushy brown hair, blue eyes, and an Adonis physique; Melanie, by her own assessment, was just an ordinary girl with honey-colored eyes, curly hair, a very gentle smile with dimples in her cheeks, but she carried a few extra pounds, which were not well-regarded by society, particularly among the elite in Tulip Kingdom.

That evening, she had prepared herself with a wine-colored dress featuring golden accents, a bare back, and a slit running from her feet to her thigh. Her hair was swept up, adorned with jewels, and her makeup was light.

To any man, she was a dream. But to the prince, she was some sort of karmic retribution.

"Make sure you don't step on my shoes, can you at least dance?"

Melanie felt so humiliated. She had been trained for this her whole life; since birth, she had belonged to the crown. But it seemed she was not to the prince’s liking.

"I am sorry, Your Highness, I did not intend to bother you," she apologized, not really understanding why.

After the dance, which thankfully went well for Melanie, she went out to the palace gardens for air. The proximity to her fiance had made her shiver, be it from fear or something else unknown to her.

"The night is spectacular, don't you think, Lady Melanie?" greeted a handsome young man.

Lord Frederick Lindt, the Duke of Silvertone.

"Good evening, Your Excellency. It is a spectacular night indeed, though it's quite cold actually."

"This time of year is wonderful, our fields bloom with color, not to mention the harvest."

"We share similar tastes; I adore the spring, it feels like rebirth every day."

"As lovely as you are intelligent, Melanie Humpring. Who would've thought, being engaged to the prince, I will still remember my seventh-grade classmate and my loyal best friend," said Frederick, his voice tinged with nostalgia.

"We will always be friends, right?"

Frederick merely nodded.

They sat on a bench, each at opposite ends, in silence—a silence both were enjoying.

Back in the hall, the queen was irate with the prince, who was gallivanting with a group of women rather than with his fiancee.

"Tell that idiot to find Lady Melanie. It’s unacceptable that he can't even honor his engagement."

She commanded Hilda, who was biding her time to hold the queen accountable for the pre-arranged commitment to her cherished son.

"Your Majesty, Alejandro is furious. He wasn't expecting this and certainly not with that girl—she's a child, too plain for him, and doesn't meet royal standards."

The queen feigned a cough.

"Don't be foolish, Hilda. You weren't exactly up to standards either, let's be realistic, and yet here you are."

Poor Hilda, ever unsuccessful in dealing with her mother-in-law.

Alejandro sought out Melanie, directed by a servant to the path she took.

He stormed into the gardens, missing out on a better night at a city bar. He saw a pair deeply engaged in conversation at a distance.

"Ah, Lady Melanie Humpring and a favorite of Her Majesty having a tryst, how very inappropriate."

Melanie quickly stood and bowed her head in reverence.

The duke too rose, unfazed by fear or discomfort.

"Always an untimely, drunken prince. What do you want, Alejandro?" Frederick challenged loftily.

"Stay out of my affairs. You're a bastard, vying for my place, but you know what? You'll never be a Wilde. You're an orphan, a commoner whom Her Majesty took pity on, nothing more."

Melanie was at a loss, feeling her face and whole body flush with heat.

"And by the way, Lady Melanie, instead of marrying me, perhaps you should consider Duke Lindt. You’re both equally unattractive."

Stung, she tried to flee but her heel caught in the grass, sending her tumbling to the ground. Frederick, gently, helped her up—then the vile prince shoved him onto her while shouting...

"What an abominable sight! Lady Melanie couldn't wait to cavort with a man."

The bystanders in the garden began to draw near; the queen and others arrived as well.

"What has happened here?" inquired the king.

"Nothing, Your Majesty, other than your fine future princess getting ahead of herself with our beloved Duke Lindt."

Everyone murmured; Melanie's mother pulled her away by the waist.

"I never expected much from His Highness, but I never imagined he would go this far. My apologies, Your Majesty, but I'm taking my daughter before any more harm and slander are brought upon her," Lady Humpring signaled to her other daughters to leave.

Lord Humpring approached the king. "I must apologize, Your Majesty, but as you can see, the engagement is no longer viable. I am truly sorry."

"Lord Humpring, please wait. It's not in anyone's best interest for you to take Lady Melanie. People will gossip, and it'll impact her. Please, it's not what they think happened. Lady Melanie fell, and that juvenile, vulgar Alejandro knocked me over."

Thank goodness the guards and servants had removed most guests, with only those close to the family remaining.

"Please, everybody, the festivities have come to an end."

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