The Prince’s Unwilling Lover(6)
“What?” Macee said. “This must be some kind of sick joke.”
“How did this happen?” Francesca asked. The two stared at their parents waiting for an answer. They were not sure that they had heard correctly.
“For the life of me I cannot understand it either but the prince was clear,” Mrs LeBlanc said.
“Macee is as good as Francesca. It does not matter who the prince wants,” the Colonel added, but his wife and Francesca looked at him as if he was insane.
“But he hasn’t met me.” Macee was struggling to understand when the prince had seen her to even like her.
“The other day when he was here.”
“When she was that unkempt?” Francesca was in disbelief. Her mother looked at her with the same facial expression.
“Well, tell him to take it back, I will not marry him.” Macee dismissed herself from the table. That was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard and her mother said plenty.
Macee stormed into her room. She had to call Liane and let her know what was happening. She was in too much shock and had to share it with her older sister. Macee flipped open her laptop and called her sister on Skype. As soon as Liane answered, Macee dived right into the conversation and told her what had happened.
“Annie, it's not funny,” Macee complained when her sister surprised her by laughing.
“I am sorry, sweetheart, but it is kind of funny. You are the one who never wanted to have anything to do with the royal family or go out with us to those public events. Now you are the one who is going to be the future queen-” before Liane finished speaking, Macee cut her off.
“I will not be the queen.” Liane laughed. “This is not right; I do not want to marry him or anyone for that matter! I am not ready. This must be some kind of sick joke.”
“Macee, it's not hard to believe that he found you attractive.”
“Annie, those were not the words he used.”
“No, but he still chose you, it's not surprising.”
Macee raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? We could not be more different than a fish and a bear.”
Liane burst out laughing. “What kind of a contrast is that?”
Macee smiled. “Well it makes sense. A fish and a bear are not even of the same species.”
The two of them talked and laughed for a while. They both felt bad for Francesca, as she was the one who really wanted that kind of lifestyle. Liane simply wanted someone she was in love with while Macee was not even thinking about marriage. Macee asked Liane if she had told Jean Pierre about the baby, but she shook her head. She had not told him yet and the last time she spoke to her mother, she had questioned her about the identity of the baby's father.
Macee agreed with Liane that it was best to keep that a secret for as long as they could or at least until the Crown Prince was married. Maybe then, the royal family would be a little more forgiving if the prince was happy.
* * *
It had been a few days since the prince had announced that he wanted to marry Macee instead of Francesca. Macee avoided speaking about it, as she felt that she had said all she needed to about the matter. Francesca was sour about it but she tried to handle it with grace. She chose not to speak about the matter as she was convinced that it was never going to happen.
Macee freaked out when she returned home to find her mother invading her room. There were shopping bags on the floor and her clothes were being tossed out of the closet and onto the floor. “Mother, what is the meaning of this?” Macee demanded, as soon as she walked into her bedroom.
“You do not possess any decent clothes,” her mother replied as she continued to throw her clothes out of the closet. Macee's jaw dropped. The nightmare had begun.
“Stop it! These are my clothes!” Macee cried out in fury.
“You need to change how you dress. You start your classes tonight,” her mother spoke calmly as if she was not doing anything wrong. This annoyed Macee further.
“No mother, I already refused the proposal. I will not take any classes or change my clothes.”
Her mother threw everything she was holding on the floor and turned around to face Macee. “Do you think I want this either?” This time she changed her tone. She was annoyed with Macee and the prince for choosing her.
“I know you do not but for different reasons. I am a disgrace to you and the family,” Macee said flatly.
“Macee, I never said that.”
“But you do, mother, every time you speak to me. So since I am such a disappointment, please return to the palace and ask the crown prince to reconsider.”