Chapter 14: The queen and the crown princess I
29th of June, 23rd year of Edward V's reign
"Serena, please, don't take my words as a personal slight, but as Geoffrey's mother, I could not help but be concerned. It's been four years since the two of you got married and you know how supportive I have been. I have always treated you as my own daughter, so this have also been difficult for me. If Geoffrey were not the crown prince, then I would have just let matters be. However, he is who he is, and we are who we are. You, most of all, should understand why I have to bring this matter up again." queen Loretta, Geoffrey's mother, said compassionately.
If someone were to hear how the queen was explaining everything to her son's wife who still haven't successfully given birth to an heir after being married for four years, one would think that she was truly kind and has sincere affections for her daughter-in-law. Pity though, because her only audience was said daughter-in-law, and she knew better.
Serena furrowed her brows as she bit her lower lip. "Mother, I would never dare take offence, and I completely understand that you're just voicing your concern because you truly care about me and Geoffrey. You know that I always listen to you, and in fact, I do share the same sentiment. However, you know how Geoffrey is and how stubborn he could be. As soon as I try to mention anything about the possibility, he would have already shoot it down." She explained, as if she too was in a predicament as difficult as her mother-in-law and was completely helpless about it.
At this point, Queen Loretta simply wanted to tear Serena apart. If Serena's footing as crown princess wasn't so strong and popular that it would damage Geoffrey's reputation as the crown prince if she were to take matters in her own hands, then she wouldn't have to be in this pathetic situation in the first place.
From the very start, Serena was never her first choice as Geoffrey's crown princess. In fact, she was amidst her negotiation with Duke Argent Cross regarding the potential union of her son and his daughter, lady Annalys, when her hateful husband, king Edward V, suddenly meddled and destroyed her chosen match with a royal decree.
Fast forward 4 years later, the union between Geoffrey and Serena happened. And though initially reluctant, she began to accept it, even support it. Serena then was a satisfactory crown princess. She was the only daughter of one of the richest dukes in Windsor, she was popular to the masses, she loved Geoffrey and vice versa, and more importantly, she listened to her, the queen.
It all began when Serena, upon her suggestion, selected and accepted Annalys as her lady-in-waiting. Although her intention for doing so at that time was not pure, she decided not to pursue it because Serena pleased her, in fact, pleased her too much.
First, Serena made her proud as a mother-in-law. It was no secret that aside from personal grudges, she hated Floresca, the queen consort and second wife of her husband, for having too much sway in the upper crust of women's society. Even before she (Loretta) married Edward as his queen (her title as first wife, no consort word added), Floresca has already been the incognito leader of all the ladies in Windsor, and though years have already passed, she could not, try as she might, surpass her.
So, when Serena came along, took that seat from Floresca, and attributed her successes to her as the mother-in-law who taught her well, she felt gratified. Not because of the flattery since some of the methods Serena employed were also suggested by her, but because it stood as proof that if she were not a foreign princess from Alighierri, she could have done the same.
Second, Serena did everything she could to support Geoffrey's position. She endeared herself not only to the noblewomen, but to visually almost everyone in their kingdom. She would lead charity galas, write songs, visit the impoverished places, and even suggest reasonable solutions to alleviate poverty. Almost anything and everything she did were awe inspiring and everyone just loved her.
Admittedly, there was a period when she (Loretta) was afraid that Serena could eclipse Geoffrey. However, her worries were laid to rest because Serena, despite being in the limelight, would never forget to show everyone just how much she loved, adored, and trusted Geoffrey. Why was that important? Because given how much everyone loves her, they could not help but love who she loves.
It was true that before Serena, Geoffrey was already well-loved and had solid footing as crown prince. However, it was also undeniable that it was after Serena that his popularity soared to new heights. To her (Loretta), it was not an exaggeration to say that Serena hit the final nail on the second prince's faction's coffin. Because of her, they could never dare hope to ever rise against Geoffrey again.
Last, Serena never let her successes go into her head. From her lady-in-waiting to which parties she should and could attend, she listened to her and never openly went against her. Though there were times when they have differing opinions, Serena would still always listen first before sharing her thoughts which most of the time would convince her to change her mind because Serena was so reasonable that one would think she was right, and turns out, she would be right.
Another thing to note about Serena was that, in the process, she never made her feel embarrassed. Rather Serena would make her feel like she came out with the idea on her own. At first, she did not notice it, but after a while, with the numerous times it happened, she did. What can she say? Serena had a glib tongue.
Thus, at least up to the 3rd year of Geoffrey and Serena's marriage, it was also a honeymoon period for her and Serena. They had such a good relationship that one would think they were the real biological mother and daughter pair. It was such a shame though, because Serena did not come from her womb.
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TBC
Note: I had to write the date to show that this happened 2 days before Christopher and Hugo went to Suffox for Charlton. Also rather than using the gregorian calendar i decided to use the year of reign of the king so we dont stick too much with real history. Thank you!