Chapter 11

• Noah
• "Where the heck is Mom?" My eyes were clouded in rage as I sighted Ruby fencing with herself at the back of the castle which was clouded with short grasses and sparse trees.
• "She's obviously inside. Probably addressing the servants on how to do better and you know the drill." Ruby spluttered, "What's with the look on your face? "
• "The look on my face?" I started, "Do I look mad?"
• "Yeah, kind of. Your face is scrunched up...."
• "Well I am angry. " I cut her off mid way, my hands in my pant pocket.
• "Care to vent on your dear sister?" Ruby winked.
• "Does a name Matilda ring a certain memory?" I shot a death glare at her. Her half opened mouth gave me the answer that I so much knew.
• "Oh shit. I was going to tell you after the blind date, actually. " she began to run her hand through her hair.
• "So you practically lied and fooled me." I pushed my shoulder upwards.
• "Noah-"
• "Don't!"
• I walked into the castle, ignoring the several men in white khaki who continually bowed, their head nearly kissing the floor.
• I spotted my Mother in the hallways, scolding a couple of maids while firmly gesticulating with her hands.
• She always did that when she was angry.
• I cleared my throat a little bit loudly and then she nodded, a cue for the maids to run.
• I sucked in a breath as my mother walked up to me, her right hand holding on the hem of her blue sequin dress.
• "Son?" she muttered.
• I chuckled lightly and then raised my head, "The merger, When were you going to tell me about it?"
• We stood neck deep in silence, the air was so brittle, it could snap, and if it didn't, I might. No-one spoke.
• "Noah-" she started with a calm sigh, her eyes showing anything other than panic.
• "Tell me it's not true." My voice came as a whisper, "Tell me you didn't set me up on an arranged marriage and then lie to me just to get me away from Boston so you can actualize your grand plan."
• "Noah...." she called out again, her posture spoke of a graceful self confidence, of one who was at peace.
• When frustration built up in my stomach and I thought I might explode like a cannon, I often took a deep breath. I wanted to vent, let it out, but I didn't want to say words I didn't mean. It was just so easy to be cruel and there wasn't a way to unsay words and take it back.
• "Tell me it's not true." My shaking hands grabbed her frail shoulders, "Tell me you didn't plan an arranged marriage behind my back. "
• I saw the corner of her lips twitch before it opened, "I didn't want it to happen this way."
• "Why did you make me attend a ball and a greenhouse party too?" Red tainted my eyes, "What was that all about?"
• "I wanted you to see how a ball works. You should know that since that is what your father would have wished and I was going to introduce her to you but you were too proactive and unbothered at the ball." she started with a heavy sigh, "Then I set up a blind date so you could meet her."
• "What about the merger?"
• "Noah." Her eyes were fixated on my face, "Our economy is dying."
• "And you need me to revive it by setting me up with a woman I don't love." I countered back, my fist hard and solid against a wall.
• "If I told you, you'll never agree," her tone turned thunderous as she moved closer to me, "You'll never understand me or your father, neither are you prepared to learn the politics of Midon. In a few months, there'd be fuel and food scarity, your father is too weak to take the reins of the throne and Arendelle wanted to help." she paused and took a deep breath, "What have you ever done for Midon? Aside from taking from it, you have refused to show responsibility as a Prince."
• My hands glided into my black hair as my head began to pound in anger and confusion. What the hell was my mother talking about?
• Even if Midon needed help, why did she have to rope me into it without asking? I never wanted to be a Prince, I was born into it. I enjoyed the privileges that came with it, several chefs and free clothing.
• "I have done nothing for Midon, I agree but why me? Why didn't you do the same for Ruby?" I yelled.
• "Are you really asking me that? Do you not understand what is going on?" My mother's voice was raised, almost to a high F kinda level.
• "No, I don't and there's no way I'm marrying that
• crazy woman who is only interested in exercising her power." I shot a non attractive smile at my mother and was rewarded with a death glare.
• "Now I understand why your father keeps his distance away from you." Her head bobbled up and down, "You're selfish, insensitive and at the same time, annoyingly clueless."
• "That's a great way to describe your son " I joined both palms together, giving her a mocking applause and when she tried to open her mouth, I cut her off.
• "Don't, Mom." I whispered, "Don't do it."
• And that was my final response to her for the rest of the afternoon. I walked briskly, angrily towards my chambers. I flunged the doors open, ignoring the help who asked if I wanted to eat.
• Food was my least worries, my anger made my belly full already. I placed a hand on my shaking legs, wanting to shake the anxiety off but I couldn't.
• I remembered that when I was a kid, I always told Eugene that I would never be involved in an arranged marriage and alas, here I was .
• Right in the middle of the dirt.
• *****
• Knocks came thrice, strong and loud, and so. The sound of the knocking was like the sound of a heartbeat, I was napping peacefully on the couch when I heard the door open on it's own.
• Who the heck decided to ruin my sleep?
• I opened my eyes slowly allowing them time to adjust to the blinding light coming from the door and. I lifted my frame up from the couch, my shoulders slanted across the head of the large blue couch.
• "You should have waited for me to tell you to actually come in." A small smile danced around my lips as my limbs moved on it's own accord and embraced my closest friend, James.
• He was Gordon's son and by destiny or fate like seers call it, he became my companion. He had been serving in the military for years and now he was a officer. Our friendship began from petty fights to late night conversations and then friendly arguments about who was more muscular or handsome.
• My mother hated the fact that I barely had any friends as royalty and sometimes I could foresee the way she looked at James, like a peasant.
• My mother didn't have to say it but her eye language,the way she made little or no conversation to even know James and the way she was quick on sending him off to his father in the royal kitchen.
• "That would take ages." James replied with a light chuckle. I noticed his voice was now thicker and the muscles around his hands were more prominent and the veins around his skin popped so brightly.
• "Military looks great on you." I moved closer to him, touching and accessing his biceps, "Damn!"
• "You say that almost every year." James responded again, "The military is just pure work and work. But you wouldn't understand that, Prince Noah." he mocked.
• "I have no interest in all that. You know that." I countered back.
• A huge silence hung up between us and I felt the air in the room become a little tense.
• "Last week, the amoury that was supposed to be supplied was halved and now everyone is careful on not wasting a bullet." James finally spoke as he slowly sat on the couch.
• "Why?"
• "I asked my boss and he said that there was no money." James responded.
• I was beginning to think that what my mother was trying to imply was more and far more serious than I ever imagined.
• "Even food supplies, we ration them now." James raised up a shoulder and shot a glance at me, "What is wrong with Midon? We are-"
• "The economy is dying so fast." I completed, my voice, shaky as the wind.
• James let out a deep breath, "Did you also hear that there is a fuel crisis and the North sea that produces the bulk of the fuel we use, is drying up?"
• "No, I didn't." I promptly responded, "I didn't wait to hear all the details. I was too...mad at my mom for setting me up on an arranged marriage."
• "An arranged marriage?" James replied, his facial expression fathoming shock and confusion.
• "Yeah, My mother lied and set me up with the Duchess of Arendelle." I reached out for an untouched plate of grapes.
• "Arendelle?" James quizzed as he picked up a grape with a toothpick buried in it, "That town is blessed with oil, food and so many resources."
• "Oh, so I'm the sacrificial lamb for Midon." I chuckled bitterly as tears welled up in my eyes.
• "And have you met that Duchess?" James continued to question.
• My incisor teeth grazed my upper lip as I stared at James.
• "She's one hell of a crazy person." I finally said and began to recount what went down at the bakery, leaving no detail behind.
• "S-So she almost revealed her identity just because a woman could not serve her with a right hand...due to some circumstances and because she spoke?" James asked with a brow raised.
• "Yep and you know what, she never apologized for what she did to those workers and she even invited me to a hotel."
• "-..a royal scandal." James's eyes crinkled at the corners and peals of laughter burst from deep within him. His laugh was contagious, and sounded more like an evil cackle than an expression of amusement and that made me laugh as well.
• "I would never do that to that girl no matter what." My stomach had began to hurt from all the laughter as I settled on the comfort of the red rug.
• "Will you marry her?"
• I hissed, "Of course not, why would I ruin my future and marry Matilda, a woman that I don't love. I barely even know how she looks like except for her eyes. "
• "You never tried to like her." James playfully slapped the back of my head.
• "My heart refused her." I countered back.
• "The entire future of Midon depends solely on that merger and you are confident that you won't marry the "crazy woman"?" James asked again.
• "I'm totally confident that I won't go down on a knee for that woman." I felt a lump crowd my throat, "And I'm sure there would be a miracle to save Midon."
• "You mean, another Duchess?" James playfully mocked.
• "Why do you get silly with age?" I taunted.
• "You can't ascend the throne without a woman by your side." James retorted again while munching grapes.
• I swallowed a globe of saliva and my hands grabbed a silverware plate and threw it at a far corner of the room.
• "Who made that law?" My hands roamed around my face, stopping it's endless journey on my forehead.
• "Your great great and great grandfather." James whispered in my ear.
• "Shit." I muttered and briskly rose up on my feet. I walked around the room, conflicted, agonized with everything. Why the hell did I decide to leave Boston?
• Maybe I should have turned rebellious like Rose.
• I had no choice in my birth, I just had to born as a Prince and an only son. Now I had no fucking choice in the woman I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with. My entire life, aspirations are all going to crumble the moment I marry Matilda.
• My heart began to race and my lips remained sealed but my thoughts were endless.
• "Care for a horse race to burn out the frustration?" James offered and with my hands above my head, I nodded in affirmation.
• I needed to clear my head and maybe a horse race might do the trick and then I would have to think about what next to do. As we walked side by side towards the large field behind the castle where several horses perched down to eat grasses, I felt something was amiss and off.
• I looked at my wrist and then, again I looked again.
• Where the hell was the watch that I wore in the morning?
• My mind was still jumbled even when my hands were tightly coiled around the rope on which my horse was fastened to, until I realized that I left it at the damn bakery.
• Oh shit.