The Choice

18

"Come in, Lady Madeline," Prince Carlos' voice called from inside the library. 

I took a deep breath before pushing the door open and the same feeling of awe washed over me. It was what I imagined heaven to look like, books covering every wall, the ceiling an amazing mural of clouds and cherubs. 

 "It's beautiful, isn't it?" It was only when I heard Prince Carlos speak that I remembered he was in the room. 

I was too mesmerized all I could do was nod. "How often do you use this place?" I ran my fingers along the worn leather spines of the books. 

"Every day," Prince Carlos replied. 

"What if we're caught? I mean, we're not doing anything wrong technically," I worry. My purpose was to not get kicked out in disgrace before The Cut. "But it is against the rules."

"Trust me Lady Madeline, no one comes in here but me," Prince Carlos was flipping thoughtfully through a book. 

"Why did you invite me here, Prince Carlos?" I asked. It was getting quite late and I was getting quite tired. Not of the library, though- I could stay up and marvel at the books for hours. 

"The truth is Lady Madeline, I think you're very much different than the rest of the Ladies. You're much smarter, for one," Prince Carlos said, closing the book shut. His green eyes met mine and I looked away immediately. 

"And how, may I ask, did you deduce that?" I asked, trying my best to sound bored. 

"You like books. I'm sure none of the other Ladies have opened up a book before. You also have an eye for art," Prince Carlos explained. 

"And this is important, why?" I tried to raise an eyebrow but failed woefully. 

"Instead of us being arch enemies, we could become acquaintances. Amancio has never cared much for books and it's quite refreshing to find someone who enjoys the art of reading." 

"So you're asking for us to become friends," I said. I couldn't believe it was happening. Prince Carlos, who I'd hated since I was 11 years old, was asking to become friends. It seemed very suspicious. "You don't remember, do you?" 

"Remember what?" Prince Carlos asked, quizzically. He didn't remember. 

I retold the story of our first encounter at the fair 7 years ago. How he brought tears to my eyes with just a few sentences. 

"Well, I definitely don't remember that, I'm sorry. I wasn't the nicest child," He said. 

I rolled my eyes, "You haven't been the nicest to me since the start of this competition. I just have one question, why do you have this... icy exterior?" 

His green eyes hardened and the old Prince Carlos was back. I wasn't planning on giving up my access to hundreds of books so easily.

"You know what? Forget I asked. What's your favorite book in here?" I asked. 

He looked taken aback, like he didn't expect me to ask that question. I guess when you're a Prince, no one really cares about your interests as much. 

Soon, his eyes had some sort of animation as he walked quickly to the other side of the library, before pulling out a book that looked older than I was. It had a torn leather cover and looked like it was going to fall apart at any moment. 

"It's called The Lion's Heart," Prince Carlos said. "It's the best thing I've ever read." 

Excited to see what the book held, I bit my lip in anticipation before he handed the book over to me. 

"You can read it," He says and my eyes widen. "And you can tell me what you think about Aeschylus. 

"Thank you," I breathed, staring at the threadbare book in my hands. Soon after, a yawn followed. 

"I should let you get some rest. Thank you for meeting me, Lady Madeline." 

"Thanks for the book, Prince Carlos," I replied. 

"Just Carlos is fine. I hear the Prince part of it too many times in one day," Prince Carlos rolled his eyes. 

"Only if you call me Madeline. I am not at all a Lady," I shot back, smiling. 

"Deal." 

"Deal." 

*** 

"Princess Barbara has requested for the lilac dress not the imperial purple," A voice speaks, just as I close the library door. I freeze. If I'm caught, I could be imprisoned- or worse, sent home to my evil mother and sister. 

I bunched up my skirts and ran, turning corner after corner, running in no particular direction until I reached a dark hallway, with little to no decoration. I sighed and muttered curses under my breath for I was lost once again. 

Why can't I just have a sense of direction?, I thought to myself. 

"Do you choose to speak? Or die?" A gruff, deep voice calls from a room just down the hall. 

Scared, yet curious I crept towards the room and peered inside. The first thing that hit me was the smell. It was repulsive- a mixture of blood, sweat and urine. 

The room was fairly dark, lit only by a single candle so it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. And when it did, I was horrified by what I saw. A shirtless man sat on a wooden chair, his hands bound behind his back. His face was bloody and so beaten up, he was hardly identifiable. Multiple knife wounds decorated his chest, all of them oozing with blood and pus. 

Another man appeared, this time dressed in a guard's uniform. "Who are the others?" 

When the man didn't talk, the guard sliced through his shoulder with a knife. I winced at the criminal's pained cry. Who was he? What could he have done that deserved such punishment? 

"You get to choose your destiny. Talk or die!" The guard yelled, probably spitting in the criminal's face. 

"Finish him off. We will get our information elsewhere," A voice I knew quite well. 

King Albert.

Petrified, I began to run. I had never imagined this side of court existed. Of course I didn't expect it to be all balls and tea parties but I wasn't expecting violent interrogations either. My heart threatened to beat out of my chest as I ran, desperately looking for a way back. 

What do you guys think of this chapter? What is King Albert up to? 

Sorry for the graphic descriptions lol.

Don't forget to vote, comment and share. The next 2 chapters will be uploaded tomorrow and hopefully once I finish writing the book (probably by today or tomorrow), I'll upload more. 

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