“Phew! That was nice,” Celia exclaimed with a satisfied smile, while she wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. Lora, on the other hand, seemed less enthusiastic. Puffing, she sat down on a bench and just rolled her eyes. “Why can’t you embroider or read like other young women?”
Smiling, she also wiped the sweat off her maid. “Because otherwise my father would think of unpleasant tasks for me. But if I take care of the roses, I can at least enjoy the sight of them.”
“And get injuries in the process,” added Lora and grabbed Celia’s hand to look at the scratches. “I’ll take care of that before dinner,” she sighed, annoyed.
“Dinner? Is it already that late?”
Lora took a simple pocket watch out of her apron and demonstratively held it out to Celia.
Indeed. Time for their gallows meal. Surely her father would now demand her answer. But she was still very reluctant since she didn’t want him to win.
“Is there a way to skip the meal? she asked Lora innocently.
“You are healthy, so I see no reason for it”, she replied with a stern look on her face.
“Yes, but you could …”
“Very healthy.”
Damn.
Celine cleared her throat slightly. “Well, then I should change my clothes first.”
They went back to her room so that Lora could take care of her scratches and new clothes. Actually Celia had hoped that her maid would buy her some time, but unfortunately she didn’t do her this favor.
When she got to the dining room, she saw that her father was already sitting in his seat and swallowed hard. ” Good evening, Father,” she greeted him politely. Her father just waved her off, as always, and told her to sit down.
The soup was served and still her father was silent. Wouldn’t he even ask her about her decision?
The main course was brought soon afterwards and her father still hadn’t said a word on the subject she feared so much. She even thought he might give her some time, when he opened his mouth after all. “You worked in the rose garden again?”
“Yes, Father. The weather was good today.” This was weird, he never asked her about the rose garden.
Nodding, he put his fork and knife aside and looked directly at her. “From tomorrow on you will stay in your room and embroider, or whatever young women do. A future Queen shouldn’t have scars on her hands.”
Celia almost dropped the cutlery. Future Queen? No wonder he hadn’t asked her about her decision. Why ask about your choice when you never really had one to begin with.
She clenched her fists, but otherwise remained calm.
Her father didn’t seem to like it though. “Why don’t you answer me?” He asked, slightly angry.
“I’ll stay in my room from tomorrow,” she finally answered, her voice sounding pressed.
Her father was now satisfied and continued to eat. But Celia wouldn’t make it that easy for him. “l assume, should I choose one of the other gentlemen, I can certainly work with the roses again.” Celia had purposely not phrased it as a question. He should know that she took it for granted and that nothing had been decided yet.
In fact, she hadn’t missed the impact of her words. The count paused in the middle of his movement and narrowed his eyes menacingly. “Have you already looked at the men?”
She nodded. “Of course, after all, it’s the men that Father personally selected for me. A very nice selection. Were there actually any other applications to our house, or were these the only ones?”
“A woman who rejects the Prince’s proposal has only a bad chance of receiving a good proposal. The men were from a matchmaking place for … special cases. So if you still want to reject the Proposal of the Crown Prince, you too will be one of those cases.”
Of course, Celia had expected it. Her father was not really wrong in rejecting a proposal from the royal family, it did in fact lead to less interest from the gentlemen. While it was not considered an insult, many feared marrying a woman who was also once the love interest of a member of the royal family. Could one possibly attract their anger.
However, Celia also knew that her father would try everything to hold back the news of her rejection for as long as possible. He could not endure this disgrace. So there had to be other proposals to choose from. She just had to get them into her hands. “If I could find someone else who had no problem …”
Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound and Celia startled. Her father had taken his crystal glass and threw it just past her on the wall. “You either take one of the three men or the Crown Prince! Do you understand me once and for all!”
Celia was trembling all over. She wasn’t able to utter a word and could only nod, while she had turned her gaze downwards in fear.
“Hahhh, I’ve lost my appetite. Pick up the broken pieces before you go to your room.” With that, her father left the room.
Since her hands were still shaking, Celia pressed them down on her lap. After she felt the shaking subsided, she began to pick up the broken pieces on the floor. Tears ran down her cheeks again and again, which she just wiped away with her sleeve.
She handed the broken pieces over to one of the maids and then went back to her room with Lora. At least this time her maid was silent instead of making any comments.
“I would like a cup of tea,” she informed her maid and she left the room straight away.
Exhausted, Celia let herself fall on the small sofa and briefly closed her eyes. When she lifted her eyelids again, her eyes fell on the folder which she had thrown away so carelessly in the morning.
What do I have to lose? So she got up again and took the folder to the sofa.
Sighing, she opened the folder and slammed it shut again, only to open it again shortly afterwards. She wasn’t dreaming. what she was seeing was absolutely real and possibly the salvation she had hoped for.
