II

It was the King.

"Already leaving?" He asked me, with a light smile on his face which was almost unseen by the lack of lighting. He was followed by 3 guards who were following his every move.

"Yes, I am slightly tired after the trip." I said politely, not wanting to insult the King of France. He studied my face for a while and nodded his head.

"Of course. Have a goodnight, Your Grace." He spoke, he still wasn't walking away, he was still waiting for an answer from me. I gave him a smile.

"The same for you, Your Majesty." I said, he gave me a smile before the both of us walked away.

After a few minutes of walking I was lost. The castle is huge, I walked past multiple staircases, and thousands of doors. I first thought that I was walking in circles but now I start to doubt that. At the end of the hall I see that a door is guarded by five guards and the door handles are made of gold.

I've reached the Royal suits.

As I want to walk further to the door I see that I reached a dead end.

And as I want to walk back I realize that I can ask the guards for help.

"Excuse me, might I ask where the East wing is?" I asked one of the guards, he studied me up and down and then nodded.

He started walking and I followed him, as I looked back I saw that this guard was replaced. We passed millions of doors it seemed. In a few minutes I recognised the door and my guards who were already standing in front of the door opened it. When I wanted to turn around to thank the guard he was already gone.

Nevermind then.

I walked back into the yet-unfamiliar room and asked some maids to prepare a bath for me. After I changed into my velvet red with golden embellishments robe and stood in the balcony enjoying the cold fresh breeze from the night. I watched some people walking into the Royal gardens and the few bonfires that lit the gardens. What a wonderful life royals have.

"Your Grace, your bath is prepared." A maid suddenly said as I was frozen into my own thoughts. I turned to her and gave her a weak smile and a nod. She left and I went after her.

Now I was alone and asked the guards to not allow anyone into my room, I took off my robe and sank into the warm water. The lavender scent quickly filled the room and I enjoyed the silence.

After a while I walked out of the bath and changed into my night robe and covered myself with my sheets, as I laid down I heard the door open.

"Queen Charlotte Lola Valois." My guard said. As I heard the name I quickly sat up and turned to the door where indeed the Queen was walking.

What is happening?

"Your Maj-"

"What were you doing at my husband's chambers?" She interrupted me and -almost- shouted at me. She walked closer to the bed and showed some gesture with her hands, which made the guards leave the room and close the door, leaving me alone with the almighty Queen of France.

"Your Majesty, I have not been in the King's chambers." I said, not showing any fear, only confusion. I'm not scared of her, even though I know what she can do, but she has no power without the King. She looked at me in disbelief and let out a scoff. I cocked my head and gave her a serious look. She walked even closer to me if that's possible.

"Then why did one of the guards say that Lady Victoria Bordeaux was at the King's chambers." She spoke and spit left her mouth. I stepped out of the bed and even though she was taller than me in her heels I looked her straight in the eye.

"You must've misunderstood Your Majesty." I said, she raised her eyebrows and squeezed my arm, that would definitely be a bruise, but I didn't retrieve it. I just let her squeeze my arm and give her the same look without showing any pain. I've felt worse.

Why does everybody judge before even knowing the entire story?

"What is there to misunderstand? Isaac and I are in a marriage. He is not available." She shouted in my face. The woman was still squeezing in my arm and I am surprised about her strength.

"Not to insult you, Your Majesty, but I don't think you can call that a marriage." I spat in her face. I should remember her position, and still I was screaming in her face. I knew that royals always married for their wealth and position.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

"What does that mean?" She screamed in my face and I saw the anger in her eyes. She probably loves him, I mean which woman would not? But it was obvious that her husband thought very differently about that.

"It means that husband and wife share chambers and have a loving relationship. Unlike yours." Someone needs to tell her this, I mean maybe I am overreacting but I am right. She needs to understand.

"How does someone like you know that my husband and I don't share chambers and don't love each other?" She seemed a bit calmer and was seriously curious about my answer. But first, excuse me? 'Someone like you' what is that supposed to mean?

Is this woman serious?

"Because you just said 'what were you doing at my husband's chambers' so not yours. I think that answers both questions." That hit a spot in her, she immediately released my arm and stepped a few steps back and walked towards the door, before she opened the door she gave me a dirty look.

"If you dare to come close to my husband there will be consequences, you have no idea what I'm capable of, Lady Victoria." Those were her last words.

My maids just woke me and I'm now preparing for breakfast. I'm still confused about what happened with the Queen, after a few moments I'm going to face her once more. Now that I woke up, I think that I might should've handled the situation differently but she needed to know how people -well, I- think about this.

As my maids finish the last details of my hair I'm walking to the diner room being escorted by a guard. I still can't put my mind into the fact that there are people who live here, with all these luxurious things, I could get used to this very quickly.

As we reach the door, guards open it and I walk inside the room, the table is almost filled. Some people from yesterday's feast are sitting at the table and my brother and of course the Queen.

Where is the King?

As I bow I sit down next to some diplomats and in front of my brother, at one side of the head of the table sits the Queen and now walking in the King sits down on the other side.

"Good Morning guests, I want to thank you all for yesterday's congratulations." The King spoke and everyone gave a nod.

"Please eat." He said and immediately everybody was eating their stomachs full, before I knew it plates were empty and refilled by the nearby standing maids. I ate some grapes, bread and one strawberry.

Everyone was talking with each other and my brother kicked me under the table and I asked him a question before I would kick him back. He nodded in the Queen's direction and saw her glaring daggers at me. "I will tell you later." I said and kept on eating my green grapes.

After dinner ended and everyone left, me, James, the Queen and King remained in the room. We're going to plan the strategies for the Germans.

I don't understand why this matter should be so complicated as the Queen was born in Germany, her brother is Friedrich, the King of Germany.

"Shall we begin with the meeting?" The King asked. James nodded and I did too. The maids took our plates away and when the King stood up we did too.

We followed the King into one of his chambers and we all sat down. The room was filled with maps that hung on the wall and rested on the table. There were candles lit and the window was open making light shine through it.

"So if I understand correctly this matter it's very dangerous, if we do one thing wrong the entire thing could explode." The King began. This was my thing, I knew everything about strategics and how to deal with these situations just as my brother said.

"That's true." I said. But everyone in the room could sense the 'but'.

"But it also depends on how they want us to react to this threat. If they want us to fight first they know that they can reach us with simple rumors. Just like Your Majesty said. We need to wait and if they don't fight but do start tensions, even here in France then we need to do something first." I said. Immediately I thought that I might be speaking too much and should let them figure these things out. But instead of that my brother grinned at me and the King gave a little smirk.

"You're absolutely right, Your Grace." The King said, I gave him a little smile. It made my face heat up.

'He's unavailable' The words keep echoing in the back of my head.

"It's my duty, Your Majesty." I said nicely before I continued speaking about strategics and other plans for this might-upcoming-war.