Chapter 4: Royal Absence.

"Our first and last love is self-love." ~ Christian Nestell.

-

"Are you in your right mind, Lucia ?" Khris bawled at Lucia who was startled.

"What do you mean ?" She acted oblivious.

"I saw you.." His voice became as low as a whisper. "With the Prince at the river." They were both silent, Lucia didn't know what to say except. "Don't tell anyone." Lucia abjured.

"This isn't right." Khris said pacing back and fourth around the small cramped kitchen. Aunt Gloria and Kyra had gone out to their church duties with the society women. They most probably discussed issues on how to teach teenage girls on how to be young women who could be presentable to the royals and their husbands. They had tea and gossiped about one another. It was not Lucia's scene even if it was her aunt would not allow her to join them. Her Aunt was part of the middle class society/bourgeois. She got invited to many social events especially the ones at the palace. She hoped Kyra and the Prince would one day be united together.

"I know." Lucia replied with a frown as she continued to wash the mountain of dishes they had left for her. Khristian was of course helping her by wiping the washed dishes and placing them in their rightful places in the cabinet.

"Does he intend to marry you or make it official ?" Khris questioned.

"I don't know, we haven't spoken about it. Khris just stop, i do not want to think about it." She said wistfully continuing to wash her dishes.

"I heard some men talking at the factory." Khris said cheerlessly with the dish towel in hand. Khris worked at a local factory up north. Most of the young men in Acamas either worked at the factory or they were farmers or they worked in the palace. "Princess Amelia has been invited to the palace, she is due to visit." The glass Lucia was holding immediately slipped from her hand, atleast her aunt wasn't there to witness this plus she could always replace it thanks to her Prince. Her heart whimpered, was this the reason why Alexius had not showed up at the river the day before. She went there expectedly hoping to tell him that she had loved the first chapter of the picture of Dorian Gray. That Basil's obsession with Dorian Gray baffled her and that Lord Henry was a very cynical but interesting character... she was yet to read about Sybil Vane is the fourth chapter, it would certainly give her answers as to why Alexius had said what he said. It would also make her blood run cold thinking about Sybil death and their similarities. She waited and waited for the Prince at their usual place, at first she thought he had been running late, he was a busy man, an important man, a man with duties and principles to follow unlike her. He couldn't just bend the rules for a nobody like Lucia.

"Is that so ?" She sighed feeling frustrated, the smell of garlic made her nauseous.. she couldn't stand it.

"I'm just looking out for you, Lucy. You know, you are the little sister I never had." He cleaned up the broken glass for her. Lucia felt dizzy and nauseous, she always felt this way when her period was approaching. She gripped onto the kitchen counter, Khris noticed her uneasiness and helped her.

"Are you well ?" Khris asked, she nodded.

"I'm just exhausted, that's all." She gave him a small smile but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She knew she had to prepare, supper before Kyra and Aunt Gloria arrived. Khris didn't bother her about it.

-

A month.

A month had been how long she had not seen Alexius.

A month had been how long she had not seen her period.

A month had been how long she had went to the river every single day hoping Alexius would show up but he never did. A part of her felt used, a part of her made excuses for him. He was busy, Princess Amelia was around. She wondered if he whispered the same sweet nothings in her ear as he pleasured her. She wondered if he even thought about her. she wondered if all those few weeks they spent together were just a dream, it must have been a dream.. if it was a dream then why was her period not here, then why could she still feel his touch all over her skin even when he wasn't around.

She hardly ate nowadays, every morning she regurgitated everything she had eaten the night before. She tried hiding it from her aunt, hiding it from Kyra. She was always feeling sleepy, she couldn't do her chores properly at first she told her aunt it was period pains. Now she couldn't keep lying to her aunt, she was running out of lies. Everything seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks when Khris asked why she was acting like a pregnant woman ? They were both laughing at first until it died out and it remained silent.

Was she pregnant ? no she couldn't be.

Lucia had just turned twenty last September. It couldn't be-

Ofcause that was the right age to marry and have kids in the city of Acamas but Lucia wanted to be different. She wanted to travel to all the places Alexius had told her about. She wanted to eat Sushi in Japan, she wanted to feel the African sun on her skin, she wanted to have a taste of tacos in Mexico, She wanted to have hotdogs in the city Centre of New york, She wanted to go skiing the cold weather of Alaska, She wanted to travel. There was so much she wanted to do. She wanted to leave this small town of Acamas. Her life wasn't here, this place was ancient, old and uncivilized in terms of allowing women to do whatever they wanted. Uncivilized in terms of gender equality.

Would Alexius want the child ? maybe she was just jumping into conclusions. This was her period messing with her. It wasn't the first time she had missed her period in the past.

The only difference was this time she was sexual active so she had every right to be worried.

What would she do ?

Who would she tell ?

Was she ready to be a mother ?