The whole class stared in disbelief at the newbie, Natalia Kendall, who openly challenged the queen!
Unlike Bianca and the rest of the class, Mrs Sharon’s shock bordered largely on impression.
“It’s okay to disagree, Miss Kendall…” She tried to restore order when the whispers started again. “But could you enlighten us further to prove your point?”
Natalia could feel Nicky’s questioning gaze and Elva’s pleading look, as well as a number of pair of eyes on her.
But the timid princess didn’t care! The honor and dignity of her ancestry was on the line!
“True enough, the duo built Astheria from scratch and made her rear her head as proudly as a white stallion…. but falsely enough, Don Pablo Santiana didn’t deny or feed off on the toils of his partner, Don Grantino. Instead, it was the other way around!”
“Lord Grantino Rodriguez, seeing how powerful Astheria was growing by the day became a power hungry tyrant!” She snarled.
Gasps went round the class. Despite the drama, Natalia wasn’t disturbed even though her subconscious knew trouble wasn’t gonna be far away.
“Lord Grantino knew his friend was an upright and righteous man who had the interest of the people at heart. The tyrant saw him as a problem to his evil desires, so he slowly cut ties with him in order to become the supreme ruler himself.” She paused and glared at Bianca.
“So it was a backstabbing scenario!”
“To get him out of the way, Lord Grantino brainwashed the members of the council into laying a serious accusation against Lord Santiana but the people denied it since their voices was the basis of any judgement. This only angered the evil tyrant the more, making him search for other ways to get rid of his unsuspecting partner.”
“Finally, possessed by jealousy and blinded with fury, Lord Grantino sought after his life!” She stated.
The murmurings had reduced, but some began a livestream!
Was it even a school??
“Fortunately, Don Pablo found out on time and became alert. He lived like a stranger in his own home! He avoided his friend, who he still cared about like a plague. The hide and seek game eventually affected his rulership, and he decided to take action.”
“He gathered the philosophers, council heads and the people to settle the supremacy of power. At the end, a duel was decided to be held between the two rulers. The loser was mandated to be removed from power and banished for eternity so peace would reign.”
“The two rulers fought and Lord Pablo won. Fair and square! Lord Grantino left Astheria swearing to avenge his injustice. And ever since, no one heard of him again.”
“Emperor Santiana continued to lead his people in glory, justice and compassion alongside his new honorable counsel. Astheria grew tranquil and he died a peaceful death in his sleep, leaving his descendants to rule for all time to come.” Natalia concluded, leaving everyone dumbstruck.
Bianca’s glare was not only because the princess indirectly called her a dummy… No, she was mad because she’d also stolen her spotlight as well!
Something every model hated aside getting fat!
“Impressive, Miss Kendall.” Mrs. Sharon breathed. She was the first to find her voice.
“Your version was detailed. Almost every historian had laid down Bianca’s version of the documentation. But only a few had the whole truth. I’m really impressed.”
Despite the praise, Natalia was still burning within. She had no emotion on her face.
“But tell me, you seem to know a lot about Astheria’s history. How possible is that? Excuse me, but an average student don’t just pick up a book and make that much research about anything…. well in my class…. So, don’t tell me you just happened to stumble upon such amount of information?”
At this, the princess remembered getting a red sign from her subconscious earlier on. She blinked twice in silence.
Well, say hello to Miss. doomed!
***
Elva couldn’t say “we’re done for!” because it’ld be nothing compared to the manner in which Queen Fiona would skin her alive!
She knew Alexis was touchy, aggressive and sentimental about certain issues concerning her ancestry. But at least, she expected Natalia to have known better than to go nuclear!
After the history teacher ended, the students returned their gazes to the duo, expecting an answer. Elva looked at Natalia who was nervously rubbing her ear with a timid smile.
Then all of a sudden, the nervous princess giggled, laughed, chuckled, cackled, hiccupped, whatever!…. Which sounded like a dying horse!!
“Uhm… uh… well…. Not exactly… Kinda…. maybe because…. you know… you see, we move around a lot.” She nodded towards Elva’s direction.
‘Woah! Don’t drag me into this!’ Elva mentally shrieked and recoiled.
“So we hear a lot of stories and stuff… like that?” She lowered her eyes and wiped imaginary dust off her desk with both her hands.
“We? Are you both related in any way??” Mrs. Sharon was slightly stunned.
“No…”
“Yes…” The two girls instinctively chorused.
“I mean, not directly, but we’re best friends.” They muttered simultaneously again and noticed the class’s confused looks.
“We’re more like sisters because we live together.” They chorused again and finally giggled.
“Independently??” Mrs. Sharon raised her brows, a tinge of motherly concern etched in her pretty features.
They replied with a nod. And thankfully, before any more questions were asked, the bell went off signalling the end of period.
Elva let out the tensed breath she didn’t realize she was holding and scowled at Natalia who grinned nervously. Two more classes and they’ld be safe for the day.
They turned to pack their things but caught Bianca staring at them with an emotionless look, which gave the royal assistant silent creeps…
***
“That was one hell of a class!” Nicky gushed, walking down the hallway to their lockers.
“I couldn’t believe that at least one student showed interest in history like me.” She squealed and they smiled.
“You know, I’m starting to wonder if these stares never end.” Natalia bit her lip and looked away. Nicky glanced around.
“Just ignore them. It’ll die down after they pick on someone else.” She said and Elva scoffed.
“Hey, what happened between you and Jeff?” Natalia suddenly remembered and asked. They were at their locker switching books. Surprisingly, Nicky’s was two lockers away.
“Wh… what do you mean?” She stuttered and focused on her mission.
“Uh-hun!” Elva blurted triumphantly like one who had solved a world-class problem. “You know exactly what she means, don’t ya?” She teased, leaning on the locker next to hers.
“I… I don’t know anything!… whatever you’re saying.” She rushed ahead of them. They chuckled and caught up.
“You like him!” Elva accused, putting an arm around her. Natalia nodded and nudged her too.
“Okay, fine!” She helplessly pouted. “I do.”
“Well, why haven’t you told him? Left to me, I think he has something for you too.” Elva, the sudden love guru, said and Nicky scoffed, ignoring her last sentence. She didn’t want to raise her hopes.
“It’s not that simple. He’s into someone else.” She pursed her lips. This stopped the love guru and her fast learning, silent apprentice.
“Oh. I’m sorry about your unrequited love.”
“You can say that again. Well, this is Ecoms class. I’ll see you guys later. Be careful!” She hugged them and walked away to her class…
***
Hours later, their first day in a normal school was over. Everyone walked out of their last class, including the girls.
“Nat, I’m taking a quick stop at the restroom. Meet you outside in a bit?” Elva informed.
“Okay. I’m gonna head over to Mrs. Sharon’s. I wanna apologize for today. I feel guilty for delaying the class.” Natalia pouted.
“Stay safe.” Elva worried as she walked away.
“You too!”
Meanwhile, Ricky Winterfield skipped the rest of his classes. He needed the distance and silence to calm his nerves. Ricky didn’t want to cross paths with her. It’d felt impossible, because she seemed to be almost everywhere!
The bell went off and he headed to the parking lot through a different exit. Suddenly, out of nowhere, some weird girl with ginger brown hair and cheap baggy clothes rushed out of a corridor and bumped into him, making his phone fall off alongside her humongous glasses.
Ricky cringed.
“Are you simply clumsy or does poverty messes with your brain as well?!” He snapped without thinking, his sour mood worsening his attitude.
“I’m so sorry!” The girl sniffed and fell on her knees, using both her hands to trace her cracked glasses.
Ricky suddenly felt guilty.
“After so much time, you’re still an egocentric bastard!” The voice he could recognize from any where in the world viciously seethed behind him.
Ricky slowly turned and stared at the one person he would’ve sacrificed his world for at one time in his life.
The glass weirdo found her glasses and remained frozen, staring at the both of them…
***
Natalia was frustrated!
The princess had been trying to locate Mrs. Sharon’s office with the help of the school map but ended up getting lost instead!
Feeling it bubbling, she shrieked out and tossed it away in annoyance! Her tears, threatening to fall.
However, a moment later, Natalia figured that the surveillance cameras installed around the building could implicate her for littering school grounds! She pouted and picked it up again, spread it across her face and walked to wherever it led her.
Where was the ‘five-star’ assistant when she needed her??
A lot of students had gone home and most of the corridors were silent. Natalia walked on, not realizing she’d left the hallway and was near the stairs until she stumbled and fell over!
She screamed and closed her eyes, expecting to crash land anytime soon but it never came. Instead, a pair of arms grabbed her in time and twirled her out from danger.
The school map floated off somewhere as her ponytail flew free, fluttering with the wind.
Natalia unconsciously held on tightly and didn’t let go.
When the frightened princess felt she could stand alone, she gently opened her eyes and looked up, slightly brushing lips with his…
***
It’d been slightly over a month since Queen Fiona’s precious pearl left. The Queen missed her granddaughter so much, but her decision was for the best.
She wanted the princess to experience life the rough way so when she was fully an Empress, she’ld be strong enough to overcome any situation.
The enemies were closer than ever, gaining strength. She knew. They wanted the throne. She also knew. But they weren’t going to succeed! She swore.
The Queen’s health was gradually getting worse. These foes were moving their pawns forward. They’d tried with her son and his wife and succeeded. And now, they were trying with hers.
She chuckled calmly.
The Queen had to make sure Alexis was safe. As the only heir left of the Santiana’s lineage, her safety was top priority.
Keeping her granddaughter safe, was this grandmother’s sole priority.
A knock sounded on the door and her personal aide, Lady Rosa, came in with her medication and noon tea…
Chapter 14