Prince Lucas was pacing the royal garden restlessly. He just kept going forward and backwards. He was angry at his parents for proceeding with the marriage arrangement that he had clearly told them that he didn't want to have anything to do with. How was he supposed to live peacefully with a stranger as husband and wife. He paused at the thought of that, and he scoffed.
" Unbelievable," he murmured to himself.
After a few minutes of silence and peace in the serene garden, his temper had cooled down.
He stood, dipped his hands in the pockets of his robe striking a manly pose, and just stared at the horizon of flower heads of varying enchanting colours and shapes.
The royal garden of Vandamore is truly one place to seek peace. There were the hibiscus, roses, morning glories, daffodils, tulips, dandelions, daisies, orchids, and peonies, which were planted in a symmetrical order that gave them a patterned sort of beauty. The rays of the sun splayed on the colourful petals seemed to have a pleasant effect on Prince Lucas. He smiled.
" Isn't it annoying to be forced to do something you don't want to do against your will??"
"Yeah, I know, right?" a voice replied from behind. He quickly turned around to see who it was. It was Samantha. He could hardly tell who she was since he wasn't paying much attention to anyone in the hall.
" Uhm..." lucas started, " do i know y.." Then his eyes widened in recognition. " My lady, forgive my manners. I didn't realize who you were on time.
" Oh please," Sam waved in dismissal, " It's fine." Then she lowered her voice and said, " Anyone hardly recognises me as a princess, anyways. "
A moment of awkward silence stretched between them. They both just stood there and stared at the flowers. Then Sam broke the silence. " Beautiful, aren't they?"
" Yes," lucas groaned. " Sometimes, I wonder how something as beautiful as this could exist in a world as cruel as ours."
" I understand what you're saying."
( in her mind) ' should I tell him? No, I shouldn't tell him. it's nine of my business. arrggh. Sam, come on. If I tell him it's helping Rosella and he.....'
" Are you okay, Princess?" lucas asked when he noticed Sam in deep thoughts.
" What?" Sam asked.
" You look disturbed. Is anything the matter?"
' Just tell him the truth'.
Then Sam bit her lower lips and said, " When I was a kid, I thought life would be so easy because my parents loved me so much. They gave me everything. I was well taken care of, I was living, and it was so good. I probably thought or wished things would remain that way. Not until I started losing them all one after the other. That was when I knew that life was no bed of roses. " she sniffed in sadness.
Lucas felt sorry for her. He knew the story of the Late Queen Lana of Vandamore's death, but he didn't think much of it at the time.
" In life, you have to learn to live without any form of support. You learn to live out of your comfort zones. Royals like us always do things for the sake of others. We've never done what we actually wanted. However, sometimes, I wonder how good I would feel if I was allowed to do that one thing I lived doing the most. "
" Heavens," Lucas murmured .
" Oh," Sam gasped softly, " I'm sorry. I said so much without knowing. I...."
"No, no, no, it's okay," then he smiled and looked at her in the eyes. " You arr right, I should probably follow your advice. I'll make my own decisions myself." He paused for a while before asking, " But why?"
" What?"
" I mean, why? Why did you decide to do this for me. I meant I was kind of expecting you to trash me with your words for making your sister, Rosella, feel that way."
" Well, what could i say? She uhm....." She sighed, "... she also doesn't want this marriage. " she immediately covered her mouth with her palms when she realised what she just did.
" What? Are you being serious"
' Well, the beans have been spilt. There's no point in hiding it anymore.'
" All Rosella ever wanted is to make her mother, the great queen Alexandra of vandamore," she said with a boring tone, ".... happy and proud of her. She...." she was cut off when Queen Sally showed up out of nowhere.
" Lucas! Thank goodness. I had searched all over for you. You had ne worried, she wished up to both of them.
" Mother," Lucas responded.
Sam curtsied, " Your Majesty." Queen Salky only spared Sam a glance and nodded in response. Then she faced her business, Lucas.
" Your Father is so mad at you. How could you walk out in front of your fiancée and mother-in-law just like that? "
" She's not my fiancée, Mother,"
Samantha noticed the tension, so she decided to excuse herself.
" Excuse me." She curtsied gain and began to leave.
Lucas tried to stop her, but Queen Sally pulled him." And where do you think you're going, Lucas.You caused a ruse in there and instead of you to find a way to fix your mess, you're here making friends with an outcast".
" What do you mean by outcast? Samantha is a princess, not an outcast. She's one of Vandamore's"
Queen Sally sighed and only told him, Let's just go back in"
Prince Lucas surrendered and went back in with his mother.
However one thing was stuck to his brain, one name.
Samantha.