Chapter fourteen

Maisy

"So you're one of them?"

Conrad gave me a hurt expression before giving a mature answer.

"We all have our flaws but my family...we have more than most people do."

He was right. Mine might be the fact that I was too trusting. The fact that I was betrayed by someone who I thought cared struck anew. I really wanted to cry but I swore not to look weak in front of anyone but It was just show, I wasn't strong and no matter how much I tried, I could never need someone else.

"Have you ever been hurt?" I asked, not even sure why I blurted that out.

"Yes." He replied, giving all his attention to me.

"Did you let them go? Did you ever forgive them?"

He paused, "You aren't me so I can't say."

I wiped away the drops that slipped past my walls before saying,

"What would you do if everyone lied to you and you feel broken beyond repair? I feel like the whole world has concealed a part of life I never knew existed and...I don't know, It's all just coming at once."

"I think it's okay to be hurt but how you take it matters very much." He said, "The world hurt me once in the past but you have to make that world yours."

Conrad called on a steward and he picked a cup of wine for me.

"It helps." He assured, pushing the cup into my hands before taking his.

I looked down into the contents. All I could see was my reflection. The imperfect and weak me that everyone threw around. I shut my eyes and gobbled the content down, draining even the last drop.

"Wow. It must really hurt." He commented.

It did and I wanted to drown the pain, to put it all behind me.

"How do you dominate the world?" I hiccupped.

The wine was beginning to have its effect and I felt dizzy.

"Set the spirits free."

That didn't make sense. He wasn't my life coach but I expected him to say what I wanted.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, there is something terribly satisfying you want to do to those who cause you pain. It's an inborn part of us. Revenge!"

That would be satisfying but I wasn't in control. I wasn't a rebel and didn't want to be.

"Why don't you stay in the castle since you're Eric's brother?" I changed the subject.

"Stepbrother." He corrected.

Now I got it. He was illegitimate.

"How does it feel?" I inquired.

"It used to hurt hearing the only title I got was illegitimate. I was reminded everywhere I went but I rose past that."

The Clarke's were fucked up, That I knew already but I didn't expect them to be cruel to one of their own.

"That's sad." I empathized, "I feel like you were sent here just for me."

"The feeling is mutual Maisy." He winked and walked away, abruptly ending our conversation.

Our meeting was fated by the heavens. I called the steward back and requested another cup of wine. I needed to be intoxicated to unveil my darkest thoughts.

One thing Conrad had blessed me with was Revenge. My burning desire for my pound of flesh intensified. It might be the wine or maybe it was just waiting for the right time to spill out but I said it.

I'll make you cower Eric.

***

Lucy

I took the fifth shot but it wasn't enough to drown the rage.

Grandfather was throwing away his hard work, our hardworking into the hands of the Clarkes. The one thing they were good at was squandering what was mounted on their path. They left every green pasture desolate when they crossed paths and that wasn't the painful part. The most hurtful part of it all was he was giving it all to Maisy.

I had to deal with Tatia until her fortunate death and just when I thought the stars had aligned for me, Maisy showed up, To take everything and drop them into the 'grabby much' hands of Prince Eric.

This was Royal Fuckery!

I wanted the inheritance more than anything in the world. I had worked my butts off since Tatia's death to impress grandfather but as it was he was an ungrateful soul. I squeezed hard on the metal cup I was holding, making it lose its original structure.

"Ahhhh!" I yelled and sent the cup flying.

It drops at the feet of someone. This certain someone was wearing Ruby red leather shoes too expensive to have cheap alcohol drop on them.

"Thank you so much, Luciana." Sara mocked.

I ignored her and collapsed on the table.

"What do you want Sara?"

"I just want us to talk, Like old times."

"You mean until you betrayed me by bedding my ex Swain."

Remembering the hurt Sara had caused me made me want to kill her just there but I was better than that and she wasn't my main priority right now.

"Let's forget Shawn. He wasn't good for you anyway. We have to stay in the present."

"Yeah..." I scoffed, "What do you want?"

"To discuss a common enemy."

I followed where her eyes went to. They went right to Maisy who like me was having shots too many.

"What about her?" I inquired, listening partially.

"We all hate her Lucy. She's stopping you from getting the inheritance you deserve and she's trapping Eric along with her."

I got my part well but the part about Eric being trapped was unheard of. I knew for a fact that Sara was obsessed with boyish Eric and everything hit the rocks when they had an accidental romp. She wouldn't get over the fact that Eric was just being a monster then and used her to satisfy his pain after losing Tatia.

I was about to give her a befitting reply but then an idea stuck on.

Forget working together to defeat the common enemy! This idea was gold. I would have it all, both Eric and the throne. After all, what Lucy Quinn wants, she gets!

***

Maisy

The restless feeling I had when I felt when I believed I was being watched returned. It gave me goosebumps.

I peered around to understand why I felt this way but no one had sent their watchful eyes in my direction.

The voices returned making my head throb. I bracer myself for whatever ghostly event was going to happen next and I wasn't wrong.

My half-empty cup toppled over. The liquid slowly left the cup which made me squirm. The juice slithered on the table, another attempt of someone from the other realm trying to tell me something.

The movement stopped when the words in wine spelled out 'outside'. I listened to what the voices had to say and left the party.

The guards Eric had put in charge of me followed me, The spirits informed me.

I didn't care if they followed me, as long as they did not stop me. I got to the main entrance where palace guards were fortified to prevent anyone who was not invited from entering. I couldn't go to the gates, they would try to stop me so I stood where I was and examined my surroundings.

Minutes later, I questioned if I heard anything at all or if they were just hallucinations.

A guard approached me.

"Your Majesty, Why are you here?"

I ignored his question and waited for what was to come.

"Turn around." The voices stated.

I did. Their statement led me facing the main gates again waiting for whatever was coming.

I didn't know if it was something evil or good that was on its way but I wouldn't know if I didn't play along. It felt like I was a pawn to a spirit with unfinished business.

A ruckus at the main gate returned my focus. I strained my head to see what was going on.

The guards were arguing with a man, they didn't want him inside but he kept on insisting he was Blueblood.

That man was my father.