' I can't let my efforts go to waste'-----" How is her attitude towards you?", asked Gabriella.Helena laughed." Not good. I have a feeling that she might try to do something to get me kicked out of the royal palace", replied Helena." Not on my watch", said Gabriella.Helena smiled and hugged her. On the outside, a palace is a place full of every luxury you could dream of but in reality, it's a lion's den. If you don't watch your back at all times, your enemies will take you down. In other words, living in the royal palace requires intelligence above all. Having someone powerful backing you and supporting you can help you survive in the palace.There was a knock and Helena went to open the door and saw her mother Lady Anne walk in. Lady Anne was wearing a solid pink knee-length long sleeve dress with a white ankle-length coat over it." Greetings your highness Princess Gabriella", Lady Anne greeted Gabriella with a bow." Greetings Lady Anne. Why are you here so late at night? Is
" I repeat, you are to be married to Prince Myles as soon as possible", said Emperor Nicholas." But why?!", asked Gabriella." Recently there have been too many assassination attempts on the royal family. We suspect that it has something to do with the Quinn clan. We need the help of the grand mage that is currently living in Gwacary. But as you know, the Quinn clan has ties with Queen Camilla. Queen Camilla has been doubling her efforts to make her son the Crown prince. Her men are checking every single letter and gift sent to the palace. So, it is almost impossible for us to contact the grand mage who is living in the royal palace of Gwacary", Emperor Nicholas explained." What does this have to do with me?", Gabriella asked." I want you to go to Gwacary, talk to the grand mage, keep an eye on Queen Camilla and her supporters, help Myles to become the King of Gwacary, and help us deal with the Quinn clan for once and all", said Emperor Nicholas." Why me? Why not a daughter of a n
" How did she take it?", asked Empress Jane.Emperor Nicholas sighed and looked up at Empress Jane. Empress Jane looked out the window and sighed as well.Both of them knew that there was a one in a million chance of Gabriella agreeing to do this but they still decided to try it. Now they needed another way to reach the grand mage without alerting anyone.----At Lilac's and Lavender's" What's wrong with marrying him? From what I saw during the last visit, he seems to be a decent guy. Don't tell me! That was all an...act?"Loralye went on and on and she made cocktails at the bar and slid it towards the customers. Her bright aqua blue hair was tied up in a bun with a huge claw hair clip." No. It's just that...I feel like I'm using him", said Gabriella." Why is that?", asked Loralye." I'm just using him to make myself less suspicious in Gwacary and to get in contact with the grand mage. I just...I just feel guilty", replied Gabriella." He also needs your help to become the king of
" How much did she drink?"" Two bottles of wine"" All by herself?!"Loralye nodded and helped Helena bring Gabriella outside. When they went outside the private room, they saw Myles standing in front of them. He was clad in a pair of black pants and a beige turtle sweater. He extended his hands." Give her to me", he said.Loralye and Helena seemed hesitant." There is a customer demanding a refund--"Loralye immediately left to check out what happened, leaving Helena to carry Gabriella all by herself. Helena was struggling. Finally, she sighed and let Myles Gabriella princess carry her. Meanwhile, she kept an eye on Myles as she called for a car.But when they went outside of Lilac's and Lavender's, Myles's car was parked there. He gently placed Gabriella in the back seat and put a blanket on her. Helena got into the back seat with let Gabriella rest her head on her shoulder as Myles sat in the driver's seat and drove to the palace.----At the Dalton manor." Did you find the chil
Myles walked to the queen-sized bed with soft pink sheets and placed Gabriella under the sheets and turned to leave but just then Gabriella pulled him to the bed. Since he was not suspecting this, Myles fell onto the bed and his lips brushed past Gabriella's.Helena who saw all this was frozen in shock. She didn't know what to do or say. She just stared at the scene in front of her with her eyes wide open.Myles quickly got up and stepped back. He tripped and landed on the floor. He touched his lips and in the corner of his eyes, he saw Helena staring so he quickly stood up and ran out of the room.Helena was surprised but what happened but she snapped out of it and helped Gabriella change into more comfortable clothes. She took off Gabriella's jewelry and placed it in the jewelry drawers.She put out the lights and walked out of the room. She saw a middle-aged man with grey hair and deep black eyes. He was wearing the butler's uniform of the Dalton family." Greetings Lady Helena", s
Lady Anne hesitated for a moment before she took the envelope. She read it and felt confused." Why does he want to meet us?", asked Lady Anne." I don't know", Helena replied.There was silence." Should we...meet him?", asked Helena." There is no reason not to", Lady Anne replied.----When Gabriella woke up later that day, she felt like her head was split open. She rubbed her temples as she got out of bed and stretched her body. When she was at the full-length mirror, she stopped.' Why am I wearing pajamas? Wasn't I just at Lilac's and Lavender's drinking?'She looked around and sighed in relief when she realized that it was indeed her room.' Who took me home? Was it Helena?'' No, I felt someone carry me as if I was a newborn baby. Helena can't carry me like that'' Who was it then?'Just then Gabriella's stomach growled in hunger.' Nevermind, I will figure it out after I eat something. It's almost time for dinner'Gabriella took a bath and walked out of the bathroom, drying h
" Oh", exclaimed Gabriella.Soon the food was served and everyone was eating. The dining hall was so quiet that you could hear the sound of the forks, knives, and spoons making contact with the plates and bowls." When is the Dalton family coming over to discuss the arrangements for the wedding?", asked Emperor Nicholas." They are coming over this weekend", Max replied." Mhm...how are the preparations coming along?", asked Emperor Nicholas." It is going great", Beatrice replied.' I can see that. Even a whole tube of concealer can't hide your dark circles'Gabriella thought." Good. As I have been saying, the wedding must be a grand affair. Everything must be perfect", said Emperor Nicholas." Of course, I will make sure that everything is perfect", said Beatrice with a smile.From the corner of her eyes, Gabriella saw Empress Jane rolling her eyes.' I know that mother doesn't like Beatrice. But couldn't she make it less obvious?'----Meanwhile, at Lilac's and Lavender's.Lady An
" Indeed, you are not easy to fool", Sir James said. " Of course. Anyone with an IQ over 80 can guess your intentions", Lady Anne scoffed. " The real reason I wanted to meet you--", Sir James took out the files Edwin had given to him. He stared at Lady Anne for a few seconds before handing the files to her " The reason is to show you this", Sir James said. Lady Anne hesitated before she took the file. She glanced at Sir James and then looked inside the file. Her eyes widened as she began to flip through it faster and faster. While Lady Anne was reading the file, Sir James poured a cup of tea for himself. He was trying to cool down the tea when Lady Anne suddenly slammed the file against the table. " Sir James, are you lying to me?!", Lady Anne asked angrily. " I'm not lying", Sir James replied calmly. " How could she be your daughter?! She is my daughter!", Lady Anne yelled. " Just as the pictures show, Lady Rose switched your child with hers. She didn't stop there. She switche