Chapter 20: Ruined

At the masked ball

Two floors above Princess Zaria's guest room, her friend laid on the chest of a man she spent years dreaming about. With the secret mark she left on his tuxedo before the ball, it was easy to pick him out amongst multitudes. He had broken the masked ball rules by whispering to her to ask if she was Zaria and she had nodded. That was strangely how easy it was to keep him on her side the whole day. A simple nod granted her everything she ever wanted. She would have preferred him to fall head over heels in love with her like in her fantasies but baby steps. She was certain that he will love her once she was his queen.

She did not feel bad about the drastic steps she had taken to get him into her bed. A part of it was his fault. She spent years trying to get his attention. She spent weeks in his castle, flirting with him every chance she got but all he wanted was her goody two shoes friend.

Looking at the fast asleep handsome man on her bed, she could not help but play their passionate night over and over in her head. The sedative and aphrodisiac had started working a few minutes after she spiked his drink. Everyone was calling it a night when she led him to her room. He was so horny by the time they arrived he was literally tearing her gown apart.

Her heart pounded when he slightly turned towards her, his manhood brushing on her. He had roughly taken her, too rough for her first time but she had the drug to blame for that. Once she got over the pain, she enjoyed every round. She was not surprised by his hefty appetite, she heard all about it from those who had a pleasure of warming his bed. She always fantasised about how she would keep up with his every move, but she couldn't when he rode her until midnight before collapsing and drifting off to sleep.

"Your Queen I shall be," she murmured to herself.

A corridor away, Princess Catherine laid on the bed naked and utterly exhausted. The bloodstained sheets and throbbing pain between her legs told a story of her passionate night with the most handsome and powerful man she knew. Looking at the naked man stretched out next to her, her heart danced. He was gentle for her first time but the drug had taken over and he completely lost his control. She was fully lucid but lost her control with him. Not even the prostitute who coached her was even close in explaining how she would feel being with him. She had screamed, moaned and praised him exactly the way her kingdom's prostitute thought her. She saw and felt him loose his mind as she screamed louder. He had taken her so many times she lost count. Her body was so exhausted, she could not even lift her arm by the time the drug wore off and he drifted off to sleep. Eyes still heavy yet she could not sleep because of excitement. She will be the queen of the most advanced kingdom, her parents will be so proud of her.

Looking at the clock, it was almost time. She got off the bed and quietly unlocked the door before slipping back into bed and resting on his chest.

At exactly seven o'clock in the morning the knock sounded before the door was swung open and a fuming King Marius matched in with his wife behind him.

"Vincent of Tario, what is the meaning of this?" King Marius yelled angrily while his daughter and her bed mate sat up on the bed and rubbed their eyes.

Princess Cathrine was the first to react. She pulled the bed cover towards her to cover her nakedness before feigning surprise.

"Father? Mother? Wh…what are…are you doing here?" she asked while looking from her father to her mother.

"Shut up Catherine! You don't get to ask us questions!" King Marius bellowed. "Is this how we raised you? Jumping in bed with a man you are not wedded to?"

Princess Cathrine swallowed her saliva while looking at the man next to her. She hoped that he would come into her rescue but he just looked uninterested at all of them.

Queen Penelope's eyes landed on the blood stain on the sheets exposed when her daughter pulled the covers up to cover herself. "Catherine of Ranic, you lost your virtue!" she exclaimed, attracting her husband's attention to the unmistakable stain.

"Vincent?" King Marius turned his attention to the man who had not uttered a word since they walked in but he only gazed back at him.

"You know what this means, don't you?" King Marius asked angrily. "The rules are clear. You have to do right by my daughter and wed her," he added.

"I am afraid that is not possible," the calm voice said carelessly before getting off the bed and getting dressed.

"Vincent!" Princess Catherine exclaimed tears rolling down her cheeks. "I am ruined, no prince will wed me now," she added before weeping bitterly, giving an act of her life. They all knew that he would resist but a part of her hoped that her bedroom performance would have won him over. That he would proclaim his love for her. That they would be no need for the royal court to convene.

"You give me no choice but convene the royal court," King Marius responded angrily before commanding one of his men to gather all the monarchs.

King Marius' man hastily left the room to make the call to all the royal houses. He already had the numbers because all of it was planned. The whole thing made him sick to his stomach but no one disobeyed his king and lived.

Outside the royal ball venue, Princess Zaria was mounting into her carriage ready to head home when Princess Gwen approached her.

"Zaria. It's great to see you!"

Princess Zaria flashed the princess a smile. Besides being King Vincent's cousin, she had no issues with Princess Gwen. The two of them were once close. That was when King Vincent lost his throne and everyone had turned on him. Being the few on the outnumbered side had brought them together.

"You are here about your cousin," Princess Zaria said with a sigh. She really hated talking and hearing about her so called fiancé.

"I know that you have heard a lot about Vince. I assure you that none of it is true. He loves you, Zaria," Princess Gwen said in earnest.

Princess Zaria was not surprised by Princess Gwen's statement. She knew just how much she cared about her cousin. The princess reminded her of King Vincent's parents. As her godparents, they constantly visited her and showered her with a lot of gifts. They always told her how much their son was looking forward to their union. He would not come with them when they visited because of royal protocols. He was the prince and the heir to the throne at the time. It was never advisable for all royals to travel together in case an accident or assassination occurred. She had believed it for all her childhood and teenage years, but it was all lies and she would not be fooled again.

"I don't love him and I never will!" Princess Zaria snapped, the idea of loving that man making her stomach revolt, leaving a bitter taste on her mouth.

"Zaria," Princess Gwen called her former friend softly. "You don't mean that," she added.

She recalled clearly how much Princess Zaria cared about her cousin, but she also read her diary and knew how devastated and hurt she was by her cousin's betrayal.

"I mean every word. I will rather die than wed him. Tell him that," Princess Zaria responded angrily.

"You have been lied to Zaria. At least meet Vince and hear him out," Princess Gwen urged, making Princess Zaria laugh in disbelief. It seemed to her that Princess Gwen was blind to her cousin's atrocious acts.

"All the Kings and Queens are converging here this eve. I don't need to ever meet King Vincent. He is despicable!" the princess spat before closing the door of her carriage and instructing her driver to go.

Princess Gwen was left dumbfounded, wondering what her cousin had done to make Princess Zaria so angry. She discovered a few minutes later that the royal court will be convening soon because her cousin ruined both Princess Sarika and Princess Catherine and refusing to wed either of them.

She marched up to her carefree cousin, her eyes blazing at him. Her cousin was warned beforehand about the two princesses ploy to drug him. He had told her not to worry because he had everything under control but it was not so.

"You are an idiot, Vince!" she yelled at him. "You will lose Zaria and die alone!" she said angrily while her cousin grinned at her.

"I love you too Gwen," he teased, amused by her words.