Chapter 177: Curse my forgetfulness

"Eleanor De la Rue..." She mentioned my full name. My heart sank in excitement. At least someone recognised me here. Her voice was like kisses from butterflies on my cheeks, soothing and calming to the heart.

"Yes...that's me...." I confirmed.

"You're the one who's seeing the man that painted my sister's portrait...." She gestured at me. British English everywhere.

"Adam. Adam Jenner....."

"Yes.....oh..my bad... apologies...." She smiled and bowed before me.

"No worries... please don't do that....is your sister home? I really need to talk to her....." I broke the news and she slammed her forehead in frustration.

"Oh. Where are my manners? Curse my forgetfulness....." She let out a cry and ordered the guards to open the gate for me. I eyed them and it felt like I'd slapped them across the face.

"Let her in...." She said in a stern but tough voice. Soft yet very demanding from the inside. At once, the gate was opened and I stepped in.

"Prudence.... right?" I asked. All through the while I was wondering where I'd seen that face before. Of course she was the princess of Buckingham but she didn't have her life on display and it was difficult to actually get a glimpse. Adam showed me the picture he took with the royal family and I recognised her face from there. She was prudence, younger sister to Iridessa simply addressed as Ria. Unlike her sister, Prudence was betrothed to the Grand Duke's eldest son, Prince Ernst Dornatus of Hesse.

"Princess Prudence..." The maid standing next to her and holding the umbrella hissed at me. I looked at her confused and then turned back to Prudence who only smiled at me.

"...am I supposed to cursty or...."

"It really isn't necessary....." She raised her hand in a dismissive gesture. Thankfully, she had manners. Why wasn't her sister like her??

"I appreciate your gesture, milady.....I would really love to talk to your sister....is she around..???.." I asked politely. She'd been kind to me and I'd be kind to her too. Before she could reply, my peripheral sight caught a glimpse of something that looked like Iridessa. She was walking down the massive stairs that led into the palace and heading towards the garden. Just like her sister, she also had a team of people around her as if she was a light they were shielding lest if goes off.

I turned all my attention to her and ran. I ran towards her and stopped just about the minute she noticed my presence. She stood in her shoes and looked at me and suddenly added in a scornfully, mocking grin. I felt naked with her eyes penetrating through me. So much of a princess if you ask me.

"Ms. Eleanor....what a pleasant surprise....." She beckoned her maids to stop as she walked towards me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The nerve of it; with no small hint of irony dolloped in it.

"It sure is....." I agreed while folding my hands below my chest. She looked at me head to toe and back as if looking at a piece of filth.

"Lose the maniacs.... I need to talk to you in private....." I demanded pointing at the entire community standing behind her. She let out a chuckle and copied my move. She also folded her arms beneath her bust and beautiful strands of her dress hand loosely.

"Am afraid I cannot grant you that wish. If you have anything you would like to communicate to me, do so now...or forever hold your grace. Am scheduled to go for leisurely walk and if am being polite, you're delaying me....." She raised her hand at me in a way that made her look like my mistress. So cheap.

"Very well..." I wrang my sleeves to my elbow and landed my hands on my hips looking at her. "How long has it been....?? You and my Adam...how long has it been huh? Princess... " I growled the last part through my teeth and she momentarily recoiled. Every motion of hers was setting me ablaze, angering me to my most peak.

She laughed the moment I asked, as though I'd cracked a joke. I narrowed my eyes at her with my eyebrows furrowed in displeasure. She was getting in my nerves I clenched my fists and and gritted my teeth.

"If I had perceived you'd only waste my time then I would not bother entertaining you. Right now, I regret not going butterfly hunting....and stopping here instead..." She hissed and turned around to leave but I grabbed her wrist. Her gaze proved to me that I caught her off guard. Her army ran to her seeking to intervene but she never granted then the chance. She was scared of being embarrassed right in front of them.

I could understand. The most respected princess was having an affair with another woman's man coaxing him into her shadow under the pretense of him having to pain her portrait. Disgusting!

"Would you by all means release my hand!! How dare you even touch me??." She demanded and questioned but I didn't bow down.

"I asked a question and I deserve an answer. For how long????" I roared like a lioness protecting her cubs.

How long have you been eyeing him to the point of trapping him into your web under the pretense of him coming to paint your portrait...?? Rose and Jack? Huh? What were you wearing? Sea of stars?? The Touissant? Better yet the heart of the ocean too??"

"You vile woman!!! You dare show your face before me with such disgusting thoughts, How dare you????" She screeched like a harpy and lashed out her hand smacking into the side of my face. Dazed, I blocked her hand and decided to follow her lead. She throws hands at me, I give her what she asked for. I returned the gesture and tightened my slap on her soft silky skin. Her crown flew into the garden loosening her brown hair which waved in the air as though blown through a fan.

Without giving her a chance to breathe, I rammed her up against the wall with all the strength I could master. I pounced to her like a bristling cat, clawing her face: "Now will you reply?? For how long???"

Suddenly, a million arms crawled all over my body paralysing me. I felt a heavy weight draw me drown to the ground and pressing my face against the rough floor. Too young to know what was going on, I was engrossed in a mixture of feelings. Confusion. Pain. Terror.

"Please.... release her at once!" The spiky nerve wrecking voice of Iridessa echoed all over the place. I see she was trying to be a hero.

"But your highness....she tried to hurt you...."

"Not tried. She did hurt me.....but even so, let her go....." She demanded and they let me go. I felt peaceful after they did. These people would kill me.

I got up and dusted myself facing her. I had a few bruises on my cheek but I didn't care. A lemom-honey face mask would do the trick. I wanted to settle my score with her for once and for all. My eyes wondered in the crowd looking for a familiar set of eyes and paused after I met just the almond shaped ones.

She was looking fiercely at me, breathing hard. My fingers were printed on her cheeks and it'd gotten swollen. I gave her quiet a slap, didn't I? I wasn't proud of it. Violence wasn't my name. I was Eleanor.

"At least am loved...." She whispered loudly,"At least am wanted by him...." This cunning fox. She still did not show any weakness. She was firm with her decision of clinging to Adam and I wondered what gave her confidence like that. She looked at me with a smug, secure sneer on her face.

"Are you insane? Adam is in love with me... he'll never do that. You spiked his drink or something to make him think he's falling for you.....why? So he'd bleed himself dry for you? Listen princess, if you're tired of your monarchy...resign...it's allowed. Don't die pretty, it'll do you a huge mess...." I hissed, words flooding out of my mouth like a Syphon. Why wouldn't she understand that Adam was made for me? I was his Eve, not her.

"Then explain this....." She took her glove off showing a ruby red ring. My heart ached the moment I recognized it. A tri-stone ruby engagement ring on a yellow gold band. I walked closer to her and held her hand in mine examining it. I harshly took it off and widened my eyes, narrowing them for a closer look. It was slightly altered. The two smaller stones on either side of the center ruby where replaced with diamonds, which brought out the shine of the gold band, as well as the intensity of the red gemstone. It was a breathtaking engagement ring of which anyone would be envious.

"You....you're lying....." I wept. I tossed the ring back at her and squatted with my face buried in my hands. She was lying. Adam would never do that. He knew very well how much I wanted a ruby red ring. He understood. He even looked for it and found it. It was simple but very expensive. He would certainly never hurt me like this.

"From having undergone aristocratic training, where I learned horsemanship and the management of weapons to being qualified to be called a gentry: I tolerated your rudeness, your slap and your vile behaviour. You assaulted me right in my house and humiliated me in front of my staff. You printed your hand on my face and it hurts like hell yet am very quiet. You mounted very nasty and disgusting allegations against me and am shocked by how devilish your mind is. Considering all these.... sweetheart, lying is the least of things I'd do to you right now....." She smiled as a tear fell off from the corner of her eye.

"Trust me you ain't seen anything yet...." I said in my defense.

"If Adam is as great as you praise him? If he loved you as much as he did.....why did he choose me?? Miss Eleanor....some advice. Before you point fingers at others, please stop and assess yourself first. If you think you're so great....then why is Adam coming after me??? WHY!!!!"

I was almost ready to shout at her but hearing her say that made me stop in an instant. I blinked back my tears and tried to swallow a lump in my throat that was as a paracetamol tablet. I felt rage tearing at my lungs and suffocating me; plucking at my nerves until I wanted to scream in pain. But I chose the higher road and decided to not utter a word because it was then that I realised, I was looking for the right answers in a wrong book.