It's about time I got this up. ^_^

Chapter 5

Diana gaped at the queen. Though the last two ladies gasped and whined jealously, Diana was horrified. She looked across the room and saw Lord Derrick was also shocked. Neither of them moved, neither wanted to move. The one other lord nudged him forward. Now that he was out of line, he had no choice but to walk up. The ladies hissed at her, saying something about embarrassment. Diana walked forward.

They met at the line of couples and looked at each other with a mix of disgust and shock. He held out his hands automatically. Diana stared at them. “I do not touch filth,” she whispered.

“Don’t embarrass me,” Derrick sneered back.

Diana’s eyes got smaller as she harshly set her hands in his. They were both furious. Diana couldn’t believe it. How could the queen do this to her? Was this punishment for not listening in class? If only she knew what myth the queen was talking about. Maybe this whole marriage would have been different.

No more names were called. Three people were not paired, including Lady Autumn. When the queen called for the parents to line up behind their sons and daughters, Diana looked desperately to her sister. Autumn stood silently with the second lady who was in tears. Autumn never cared. Diana wanted to punch her, tell her to cry. She is no longer a noble! Doesn’t she get it? They will no longer be together.

Her sister was gone when Lady Julia arrived. She smiled, but no tears of joy were visible. Her husband died years ago, so she stood alone. Diana looked to the queen who now stood behind a white-robed priest, her eyes held firmly on Diana. Diana didn’t pay attention to what the priest said. She was busy looking over her surroundings. Derrick’s father was not happy at all, but her mother seemed to have accepted the fact. Derrick’s fingers tightened around Diana’s. She glared at him.

“Pay attention,” he whispered through clenched teeth. Lord Alexander looked over at them curiously. Margaret’s head was bowed for the prayer.

Diana didn’t listen, but she did stop fussing over the situation. There was nothing they could do to stop the marriage. They were stuck. However, being the rebel that she was, she looked up at the king. Did he appreciate this?

The king’s cold grey-blue eyes were now held on her. Diana’s heart raced. He wouldn’t look anywhere else. Diana’s legs began to shake, her hands began to sweat—

“…You may kiss the bride.”

Diana let go of Derrick and stared at him with horror. Kiss him? What do they want from her? Derrick was not thrilled of it either, but there was no way he would be embarrassed in front of thousands of people, including his parents. They were the only ones hesitant on the kiss, the others were already glued together.

They leaned toward each other until finally their lips touched. Diana wanted to back away now, but Derrick didn’t allow it. As soon as the applause rang through the halls, he withdrew, taking a breath. Diana took a few breaths before she finally breathed easily.

The applause finally died and Lady Katherine spoke, “Enjoy yourselves, everyone. Food will be served in the Dining Room shortly.”

Applause rang once again. The other five couples hugged each other or walked away, engrossed in each other. Diana and Derrick let go of each other straight away, but their parents didn’t let either of them leave. The parents introduced each other before they started discussing their children’s future.

“Your daughter is most fortunate to be wed to my son,” Derrick’s father, Lord Damian, said in his drawl. “We are most favored by the king himself and are very wealthy. They will begin their life together most magnificently.”

Lady Julia nodded politely, but Diana noticed she really wasn’t pleased. If this was the father, what could the son be like?

“What do you have to offer to them?” Lord Damian continued, looking at Lady Julia with cold grey eyes, looking a lot like Derrick. Diana watched Lady Julia tremble. Diana was right in saying they didn’t know each other very well. Lady Julia didn’t know what to say.

“I offer my services,” she finally said, and rather pathetically. She didn’t sound like she could back up her words. “Whatever issues they have, I am willing to help them. I will—”

“That is all?” Lord Damian said, crossing his arms over his dark blue tunic. “You will not help them settle down in their new home? You leave all the work to me and my wife?”

“I said no such thing!” Lady Julia replied, looking hurt. “Is that not an issue that is in need of my services?”

“You mother is pathetic,” Derrick muttered in Diana’s ear. Diana silently agreed. However, she would not let his words hit her without Derrick paying for them. She looked to Derrick’s mother who only watched them bicker, her nose seeming to stick up in the air.

“Your mother is no different,” Diana whispered back.

“Listen, Diana—” Derrick growled, causing the bickering to stop and draw attention to them.

Diana smirked. “Not so bright, are you?”

Derrick’s lip curled as his father set a hand on his shoulder. Lady Julia was much more defensive, stepping between the two. She stared from Derrick to Lord Damian with shock, but she couldn’t say anything.

“Maybe the young couple should go congratulate their friends,” Lord Damian suggested, a thin eyebrow cocked.

Lady Julia didn’t like the idea of Diana leaving with Derrick, but she stepped aside anyway. Diana and Derrick walked away, but in no way did they show their appreciation for each other. They made their way through the crowd and into the room where more people stood talking in small groups. Diana didn’t recognize anyone there, but did see one man eye them and whisper frantically with his companions.

“M’lord! M’lady!”

“He’s talking to us,” Diana muttered, looking casually aside.

Derrick made a sigh of irritation. He put a hand to his face. “You are completely embarrassing, you know that?” He looked up at the eager young man. “Let me do the talking.”

“You do the talking?” Diana retorted as Derrick made their way in front of him. The young jeweler noticed a disagreement and became nervous. “How did you suddenly become professional at everything?”

“I listened to my instructor,” Derrick snapped.

“Is that all you do? Listen in class?” Diana shrieked. Derrick glared at Diana, growing red in the face. “Can’t we do anything else but learn?”

“I suppose you proved that wrong,” Derrick said coldly. “Failing is also an option.”

“M’lady—” the young man said, cowering, but Diana didn’t listen.

“Listen to me, Derrick,” Diana said, taking his arm and turning him to face her. “If you know everything, tell me how the economy is doing? Are the people happy? Tell me!”

“Excuse us,” Derrick said carefully before escorting Diana through the room and onto the balcony. He closed the glass doors before saying coldly, “I would have been great if I married the princess. The people would have loved me!”

“The king thought the same thing, I’m sure,” Diana replied. “How can I be sure you’re telling the truth? If you are intent on saving these people, then save them! They need it now more than ever!”

“Why are you telling me this?” Derrick growled. Diana never heard him shout. “What do you expect me to do? I still live with my father! There’s nothing I can do!”

Diana studied him. “You looked into the economy? You know that the people are not happy?”

“I know that Gallium is threatening us,” Derrick said. “They are taking out people—”

“They’re not taking our people!” Diana shrieked. “Our people are leaving to join them!”

“Gallium wants you to think that, Diana,” Derrick said, his voice slowly lowering to his calm drawl. Diana took an involuntary step back when her name was spoken in that way. “Gallium has always been jealous of Tyroan. Now, we will go by the rings and call it a night, alright?”

“I know how to break up this marriage,” Diana said. Derrick’s brow furrowed, but he was interested in what she had to say. Diana smirked. “Go drown in the ocean.”

“Me?” Derrick said in disbelief. “Why should I drown? Why should you live?”

Diana couldn’t believe he took it seriously enough to ask those questions. “Well, obviously no one will save Tyroan, so I have to do it.”

“You? Save Tyroan?” Derrick smirked, crossing his arms across his chest. “And how do you plan to accomplish that?”

“If you lose heart, you lose all,” she said and walked into the palace.

Diana wanted more than anything to see Nana and tell her the horrific news. She sat next to Derrick at the dining table, awaiting the main entrée, whatever that was. Diana wished Lady Margaret was seated next to her, but someone else supposedly thought differently. She was seats away; there was no way they could talk.

Instead, she sat by Lady Julia, but the woman was not very interesting to talk to. She had hardly anything to say. Whenever Derrick muttered something inappropriate and Diana whispered something else in return, Lady Julia shushed them both, saying they shouldn’t talk unless they had a need to do so. Well, Diana sure had a need to talk, but not to Lady Julia or Derrick.

Strangely enough, however, Lady Katherine sat right next to Lady Julia. Once Lady Julia left to tell the cooks her steak was too well cooked, to relieve herself, or to speak with another noble about how her daughter was stuck with the devil, then Diana would complain to Her Majesty. She only had to wait, and patience was one thing she lacked.

Eventually, the food came. A servant came up and set Diana’s food in front of her and Derrick’s food in front of him. The lids were taken away from the trays to reveal steaming steak, mashed Kornal potatoes (yellow in color with spices added for flavor), green beans, and other foods. However, Diana was not so hungry. She stared at it before Derrick hissed at her, “Do not embarrass me again. Eat your food.”

“Why must I listen to you?” Diana whispered back. “I’m not your dog.”

“A bitch, more like. Eat,” Derrick said, taking a bite of his Kornal potatoes. Diana flushed as red as her curls. She was about to insult him back when Lady Julia stood up, complaining, “My steak is too tough. Excuse me while I talk to the cook.”

“We can send someone to take it back,” suggested someone who looked like the brunette that helped hold the door open as the procession began.

“No, I need to get up,” Lady Julia insisted. “I have been sitting all day.” She left before anyone could object. Diana saw, from the corner of her eye, servants either gaping at her or running up to her, asking how they could assist her.

“M’lady,” Diana said, with a polite nod. She felt the king’s eyes snap to her. Lady Katherine looked up at Diana with a gentle smile, but Diana noticed her lips were tightened. Diana knew when someone was biting their lip—she bit her lip too. “I wish to speak with you about this evening.”

“Ah, yes,” Lady Katherine said and took a drink of her wine. “You two make a wonderful couple.”

“I would like to know what drove you to make this decision?” Diana insisted. She felt Derrick’s glare on the back of her head. He muttered her name warningly, but she didn’t listen. “Why would you think that we would live peacefully together?”

Lady Katherine frowned, her eyes on the king. The king finally took his eyes off Diana and looked to his neighbor, Advisor Kole, a much older man with dark gray hair and wrinkles at the corner of his eyes. His beady eyes were most welcoming but his low growl sent chills down one’s spine.

“Anything is possible,” the queen replied, looking to her food and cutting a piece of steak.

Diana sighed, and returned to her food as Lady Julia reappeared. She said she talked to the chef and he would bring up her steak in a moment.

“Would you drop it?” Derrick snarled, eating as if he wasn’t saying anything at all.

Diana scowled but didn’t speak to him. She took a few bites before she started fidgeting again. She looked down the table for Lady Margaret, hoping to make eye contact, but all she could see was the brown hair in the back. Diana made a sigh of exaggeration. How could one person be so engrossed with another? It made Diana sick.

“Lady Diana.”

Diana looked up from her food into the cold eyes of Derrick’s father, Lord Damian. Diana looked from Derrick, who was also interested in what his father had to say, to Lord Damian, wondering what he would want from her. The lord’s cold gray eyes settled on the young couple in front of him, his composure kept calm. Diana’s eyes naturally glared at him. He was someone to watch out for.

“Your mother and I have been discussing,” Lord Damian continued. Lady Julia stopped eating and looked up at the lord as well. The queen did not move, but she didn’t seem to eat very much. The king looked up interestedly in his friend’s words. “You will leave tomorrow morning—”

“In the morning?” Lady Julia cut in. “I thought we agreed they could stay a while longer to say their farewells?”

“We have too much to accomplish and no time to waste,” Lord Damian stated, taking a sip of wine from his silver goblet.

“We have—”

“M’lady,” said the stern voice of Advisor Kole. Diana noticed the king’s eyes were still on her. She felt very uncomfortable under his cold gaze. She forced herself to ignore the king and looked at the older man next to him. Lady Julia and Lord Damian both looked at Advisor Kole as well, Lady Julia turning bright red. “M’lady, your pathetic excuses do nothing to convince either m’lord or His Majesty.”

Lady Julia turned white and looked to the queen. Diana cocked an eyebrow, wondering why Lady Julia always turned to the queen when she had nothing to say. Lady Katherine kept staring at her food, pretending to eat when she was really eavesdropping.

“M’lady,” Lady Julia insisted, “you must have a say in this. Diana will never see her friends again!”

The queen looked up at the king before looking to Julia. The king finally looked away from Diana, but was now staring at Lady Katherine and Lady Julia. “I am sorry to say that I cannot involve myself in such affairs.”

“Yes, you can,” Lady Julia replied, raising her voice. Diana saw Advisor Kole’s brow furrow. The king made no move, and neither did the queen. “Let Diana—”

“Lady Julia,” the queen said, wiping her mouth on her handkerchief, “if you cannot convince Lord Damian to let her stay a while longer, then you will have to go with his plan. She is not my daughter to make decisions for. I only do what I am able to do.” Lady Julia gaped at her. Lady Katherine gave one last look to the king before returning to her meal.

Lady Julia looked at Lord Damian, speechless. Lord Damian’s face said victory in every wrinkle and pore, yet he remained calm as he ever did. “Fine,” Lady Julia said with a hopeless sigh, “they will leave tomorrow—”

“—before sunrise,” Lord Damian finished.

Lady Julia turned red again. “That is taking it too far, Damian!” she snapped.

“Do you have a better plan?” he asked calmly. “It surely cannot be after breakfast. Everyone else leaves after breakfast. I want to beat the rush.”

Lady Julia flushed deeper, but didn’t reply. Lady Diana didn’t know who to support: Lady Julia or Lord Damian. Lord Damian is Derrick’s father and definitely not one she would support, but Lady Julia is pathetic. It was embarrassing to call her mother.

“Wonderful,” Lord Damian said, setting his silverware on his clean plate. “We will leave tomorrow morning. I expect you to be ready by then,” he said coldly to Diana. “I will send one of my servants to fetch you. Do not be late. We will not wait for you.”

Diana’s eyes grew small as she glared at Lord Damian. “I will be waiting for you,” she said, stabbing her last piece of steak fiercely. No one said another word on the topic.