Chapter 9 - wedding

"Nice to meet you, Stacy. I will keep what you said in mind. Too bad you can't watch me anymore and make me pay. I am off to the palace, to be a concubine. You will die in this shit hole. And as for Mabel, her life will be even worse." Patricia walked out the door. She felt good. Her plan was finally falling into place. She was one step closer to being a concubine of the crown prince.

***

Philip hurried to the palace through the secret entrance, and the first person he thought of seeing was his mother. He had to get used to being called by his real name again. In the palace, his identity was Edward, the crown prince.

He knew his mother would be taking a walk in the garden at this time. When he appeared in front of her, she was stunned. "What is this attire?"

He walked towards the queen and hugged her. "I miss you, mom."

"You are dressed like a servant. Let us go to my palace. You need to change. And you look so skinny. How do you take care of yourself when you are out of the palace?" she dragged him by his arm.

"Mother, I am no longer a child," he protested.

"Then act like one. Your attire looks horrible. No one must see you looking like this," she kept dragging him.

Edward sighed. He knew his mother would not give up. On reaching the palace, Queen Constance immediately called her maids to fetch her son some noble robes. When Edward was fully dressed, he sat with his mother, a lavish meal set before them.

He ate little. "I am full, Mother," he said.

"That won't do. You need some meat on those bones. Eat some more. Try the roast beef," his mother put some meat on his plate.

He ate reluctantly. "So, tell me why you were dressed like that when you returned?" She asked.

Edward wondered if he should tell her the truth.

"I am waiting, young man," she was frowning.

"Send the maids out first, Mom," he said.

Queen Constance gestured to the maids, and they walked out.

Edward lowered his voice, "Dad sent me on a secret mission. I have been living as a servant in the Minister of Rites' household."

Queen Constance gasped. "Minister Collins's household?"

Edward nodded.

"This is interesting. Tell me more." She grabbed a cup of juice and took a sip. Her eyes widened in anticipation.

Edward sighed and said, "This is not gossip, Mother. This is a secret mission I am telling you about, and you act like I am giving you cheap gossip."

Queen Constance put down her cup. "Do not take my attitude seriously. I am only trying to understand all you were saying. Tell me, how was it staying in Minister Collins's mansion?"

"I did as Dad asked and..." He wanted to explain, but she interrupted. "Was it great staying with Perry? The beautiful Perry. You know she is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, right?"

Edward sighed, "Mom, you knew all along I was at Minister Collins's house, right? You seem more interested in my view of Perry than you are about the mission. In fact, I can see that you do not care about the mission at all."

Queen Constance rolled her eyes.

"Since I was ten, I have always been out of the palace. I return at intervals to see you. You were always mad at Dad for not telling you my whereabouts. I guess you pressured him into telling you this time, right?"

"What is the point of hiding it?" she said. "Now, tell me everything. How is Perry's character? Is she as flawless as people say?"

"She is...okay. She is kind to people. She acts well in public. That's the summary of it all," he said.

"So, do you like her?" Queen Constance asked. "

She is not a bad person. But I am not in love with her. Who planned this marriage anyway?" He asked.

"Well, your dad and I thought...since you were already staying there, and Perry has a good reputation, maybe you would want to marry her. So we just wanted to make things easy for both of you," she explained.

She was his mother, so he was trying not to be disrespectful. "I guess the both of you could have asked my opinion first, right?"

"Oh dear! We did not know you had objections," she said, grabbing her napkin tightly.

"Maybe if you and Dad would have asked me about it, I would have given my opinion, right?" His question held a hint of sarcasm. "Instead, all I get is a message, and learn that a royal decree has been made to that effect. I am a bit suspicious. Mom, maybe you have your own romantic inclinations, but Dad never makes a move without thinking about it well. Do you think Dad has an agenda for this wedding?"

"I do not know about your father's intentions. But, I am embarrassed. I thought this would make you happy. Can we remedy the situation now?" She asked.

"The royal decree has already been made public. And renouncing the decree may cause confusion. Besides, I believe Dad has his reasons for this arrangement. I wonder what his plan is," he thought out loud.

***

The wedding day was here. All the nobles were gathered in the grand ballroom, awaiting the procession.

According to the Royal family's standard, the prince's main consort would stand with the prince side by side. The second wives would stand behind them. The concubines would kneel behind a screen, their faces veiled.

The concubine's were already in position, waiting for the prince and his wives.

Patricia was getting tired of kneeling. She crawled towards the exit and sneaked outside. She took off the veil and inhaled deeply.

This wedding rite felt too suffocating. Why were they made to kneel all through the ceremony and cover their faces with heavy clothing materials? She sat near the wall and enjoyed the fresh air.

Suddenly, she sighted Margaret a short distance away. Patricia got alarmed. What if Margaret saw her face and recognized her? She tried to turn away and cover her face. But, it was too late; Margaret had sighted Patricia.

Margaret's eyes widened in recognition. This was the servant girl who Mabel had accused of plotting to harm her. What was she doing here? Dressed in the attire of a royal concubine? Holding the royal veil? Was Mabel right about what she had said? How did a former servant in her uncle's mansion become the prince's concubine? Margaret ran towards Patricia, "Hey, you!"