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Novelo Rectangle

We didn’t talk on the way to dinner, and it felt slightly awkward. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by that since I had just met him about twenty-four hours ago, but I thought the time spent together earlier would have alleviated some of the awkwardness. I reminded myself to give it time. When we arrived in the dining room, there were a few added faces at the table. I was introduced to two of Ethan’s cousins who had come to visit. They were twins, a boy and a girl, 16 years old. They were bickering when we walked in but once they saw Alexander, they stopped and were still. He seemed to have that effect on people. The female twin, introduced to me as Cybil, told me I was beautiful and then her brother looked at Ethan and said, “Looks like you got cheated out of something else!” Ethan spit the water he had just sipped from his glass across the table all over his father. The king did not look amused. Isabella looked horrified and admonished the offending twin. I learned his name was Caleb and that he was quite a handful. I liked him immediately. Alexander was quiet and I realized how hard some of this must be on him. He was basically an outsider who had come in and taken things away from people who had been here all along. I wondered what the future would hold. Would Alexander’s claim on the throne even be honored if his father died? What would that mean for me? The thought caused me considerable worry. If I were to marry Alexander and he were overthrown as king, I would be in an extremely vulnerable position. I thought it was something I should talk to Nicholas about. The rest of dinner was fairly uneventful. I thought I felt Isabella’s eyes on me several times, but when I would look at her, she always seemed occupied in conversation with someone else. Maybe I was imagining it. I found myself engaged in conversation with Ethan, Caleb and Cybil much more than I did with Alexander. He was quiet and tended not to join in. After dessert was served, the king excused himself and the twins wandered off to find something to do. They were apparently visiting for the week while Isabella’s sister was off on a trip. &nbsp;I was about to ask Alexander if he wanted to walk in the garden when he stood and said he was retiring for the evening. “I have some business to attend to and will see you for breakfast in the morning.” He kissed the back of my hand and left the room without a backward glance. Ethan rolled his eyes at Alexander’s back. I was left to wonder how to entertain myself for the rest of the evening. I looked up at Isabella and asked, “Is there a library in the castle where I might find something to read? It seems I’ll have some free time this evening.” She looked at me for a moment and said, “Ethan, why don’t you take Octavia for a walk in the garden and then show her the library since Alexander seems to be too busy to entertain his fiancé.” She seemed frustrated by Alexander’s behavior. Maybe she picked up on my frustration. I was surprised at the word fiancé, although I suppose that’s what I was. I guess I’d been hoping for a formal request for my hand when we had gotten to know each other. A ring wouldn’t hurt, either, but maybe I was being selfish. &nbsp; Ethan nodded at his mother and came to me, offering his arm. I stood and hooked my arm through his and he escorted me outside. I wondered how Alexander would feel about this, but since he had abandoned me, I didn’t really care. As we wandered through the garden, Ethan told me stories about growing up here and I got the sense that he loved his home. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him about Alexander, but I didn’t think it would be appropriate. I felt comfortable with him and had to admit I had a slight crush on him. I caught myself wishing I could feel this way with Alexander. He stopped walking and turned towards me, taking my hands in his. “So, Octavia. What do you think of Amorite so far?” His eyes looked into mine, as if he could get his answers from them without me having to say anything. I had to look away. “It’s beautiful from what I’ve seen so far. I loved riding this afternoon and seeing the flowers and streams. It’s peaceful. I’d love to go into some of the villages to get a feel for the kingdom at some point.” “Good. I’m glad you like it here. Hopefully as you spend more time here it will start to feel like home. I imagine Alexander not being so distant would help, but I wouldn’t count on that. He’s been here for a year now and I still feel like he’s a stranger.” He seemed disappointed rather than angry. “I imagine the situation has been hard on all of you. You went from being an only child and next in line to the throne to having an older brother who bumped you out of your spot. That couldn’t have been easy. Alexander had to leave the only family he had known to come here. He had to have been worried about the reception he would get. He’s a stranger here.” “Honestly, I’m probably not as disappointed about the whole next in line thing as people think I should be. It’s a lot of responsibility and I don’t know if I really want to be king. I want to serve the people of the kingdom, but I can think of other ways to do that without having to make sacrifices and taking on all that stress. The biggest disadvantage I see so far is that he gets to marry you and I just have to settle for brother-in-law.” He smiled and waited for my reaction. I played it off like he meant it as a joke. I wasn’t sure it was, but it felt like the safest option. “How would you know it’s a disadvantage? Maybe I’m a dried-up old shrew who would do nothing but nag and make your life miserable.” He laughed, dropped one of my hands and spun me around with the other hand. “That’s how I know it’s a disadvantage. You didn’t miss a beat. You’re smart, beautiful, and from what the stable hands say, you know how to speak your mind! All those qualities are things I want in a woman.” “The stable hands? What did they say?” I was worried that gossip had started and traveled so fast. “Just that you were giving Mr. Nicholas a piece of your mind and didn’t back down when Alexander questioned you.” “Oh, you heard about that?” I could feel my cheeks heating up with embarrassment. “I did, and I’m glad to see that you aren’t like many of the other royal women who only care about dresses and parties. My mother is a very intelligent woman and I have always known I wanted a partner and not just a pretty woman to drape on my arm. You aren’t afraid to speak your mind. I like that. It’s one of the reasons I’m still single. I can’t find someone who captures my attention. I would ask if you had a sister, but you said at dinner that you are an only child.” I was impressed that he had remembered. “A man who pays attention to dinner conversation. Now, that’s impressive!” I was growing fond of Ethan. I tried to tell myself it was just sisterly affection, but I was going to have to be careful. We were laughing together when Alexander came over. He didn’t look happy about the situation at all. “Octavia, what is the meaning of this? Why are you in the gardens at this hour with my brother, unattended?” Ethan and I stopped laughing and Ethan said, “Mother suggested I take Octavia for a walk in the gardens and then show her to the library so she could find some books to read. Nothing more than that. I’m sure she would have suggested you do the same if you hadn’t said you were going to retire for the night like an old man.” “She did, did she? Well, I’m here now so I’ll show Octavia to the library.” He glared at Ethan, and I imagine the old man comment had not been received well. Ethan bowed his head and I almost thought he might be hiding a smile, but he managed a straight face and said, “I’ll be headed in then to see what trouble I can find. Have a good night, Octavia, Alexander.” “Goodnight, Ethan.” Before I had gotten the words out, Alexander had taken my hand and was leading me quickly towards the house, leaving Ethan to watch as we walked away. I pulled Alexander to a stop and waited until he looked at me. “Is there an issue here that we need to talk about?” As he looked at me, I saw emotions pass through his eyes and waited to see which one would prevail. Would it be anger, jealousy, confusion, or frustration? They all looked like possibilities based on what I was seeing in his eyes. He took a deep breath and appeared to collect his thoughts. I had a feeling that what he said next would give me a very good indication of how our relationship would go. I waited patiently. “I don’t know who you think you are, parading around the castle grounds with my brother, giggling and acting like a lovesick schoolgirl!” Disappointment and anger flooded through me at his words, and I felt the heat rushing to my face. “Seriously? That’s what you say to me after abandoning me two nights in a row? You’re right about one thing, I shouldn’t have been out here with Ethan because it should’ve been you making time to walk me through the gardens and showing me the library, but you had more important things to do!” I started to walk away from him towards the castle, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. “How dare you speak to me like that! I ought to have you locked in your rooms until you can learn to show me some respect!” His eyes were dark, and I was getting nervous. His hand was tight on my arm, and I had to admit I had probably overstepped. This was his kingdom, and I was a woman. Even as a princess, I was supposed to be obedient. I had been spoiled back home and was given a lot of freedom to express my opinions and make my own decisions. He didn’t have to do that here. I considered my options. I could back down and risk the expectation of subservience, or I could stand my ground and face the consequences. I have never been one to go with the easier, safer options. I looked up into his eyes, hoping I could break through to him. “Respect is earned, My Lord. I can assure you, I meant no disrespect to you, but I won’t be locked away or sit quietly in a corner. I like to be busy, to have a purpose, and to share my opinions. I like to spend time with people. That’s who I am.”He didn’t look away and the anger seemed to fade from his eyes. I couldn’t read the look he was giving me, but his hand loosened from around my arm, and then he let it go. I started to turn away. “Octavia,” he started, and I turned back towards him, “I apologize for my harsh words. Let’s walk together to the library.” It wasn’t much, but it was a start. He didn’t look sorry, but he’d said the words. I’d give him a chance. He held out his arm and I took it. We walked in silence to the castle, and he opened the door for me. More silence through the corridors until we arrived at the library. It was a beautiful room with every wall covered in books from floor to ceiling. The fireplace was lit and there was a comfortable looking oversized chair calling my name. I could see myself spending a lot of time here. I realized Alexander was watching me take in the room. “Thank you for escorting me. If you’ll just have the guards let Lara know where I am, she can come to take me back to my room.” I was trying to be polite despite still being angry. He looked at me and I thought he might offer to stay and keep me company, but he just nodded and left the room. I fought the urge to throw something at his retreating back and call him a nasty name. I couldn’t understand him at all! I took a deep breath to calm myself. This was still new. I had to be patient. Unfortunately, patience was not really one of my virtues. I sighed and started looking around the room for something to read. I had found a few books to take back to my room with me when Lara came into the room. “I’m here to escort you to your room, Lady Octavia.” I smiled, “Lara, really?” Her eyes lit up and she smiled, “I know, I know, but someone might be nearby, and I don’t want to get you in more trouble for being too familiar with the help.” “Ugh!” I rolled my eyes. “You heard that I got in trouble already? I guess I was wrong about there not being any gossip happening. Let’s walk and you can tell me what you heard.” Most of what she heard was an accurate description of the argument with Nicholas by the stables and the incident with Alexander just now in the garden. That one traveled quickly, we had barely made it back and she had already heard. I would have to be more careful. It really would be bad for Alexander if I didn’t appear to respect him. I made a mental note to talk to him about it. I asked if she had heard anything about the relationship between Isabella and Alexander. “I haven’t really heard anything about that, but I have heard some of the servants arguing about who has to serve Alexander. Apparently, he’s not friendly with them whereas Ethan treats them like family. I have never heard them say Alexander is mean or rude to them, they just feel he isn’t friendly. They are also wary of his valet.” “Well, that’s almost to be expected since Ethan grew up here, isn’t it?” I felt the need to defend Alexander. Maybe it’s because I was new here and hadn’t grown up here either. We did have that in common. “Has Nicholas mentioned any concerns to you about anything?” “I haven’t really seen him. He’s been so busy training and working with the guards here. He did tell me last time I saw him that Amorite has more guards and soldiers that Stuvaria has and that an alliance between the two kingdoms would really be beneficial to Amorite.” “More pressure for me to make this work with Alexander. I can’t fail, Lara.” “Octavia, I hope you don’t mind me speaking my mind, but you can’t make this work all by yourself. Alexander has to do his part.” “I appreciate the thought, Lara, but all Alexander has to do is marry me. He doesn’t have to love me or be faithful to me. He doesn't even have to acknowledge my existence except to try for an heir. He doesn’t even have to be nice to me. I’m hoping that he will come to care for me, but at this point, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.” “Oh, Octavia, I won’t be able to sit by and watch if you are unhappy.” She looked distressed and had to admit, I was feeling it too. “I’m going to take it day by day. I have you and Nicholas, and I can handle it. I’ll make some friends in Amorite and find a way to make myself useful, and whatever happens, we’ll find ways to happiness.” I hoped I sounded convincing, but I didn’t feel it. As I lay in bed that night, I again heard footsteps outside my door and the door opening. I knew there was a guard posted outside the door, so it had to be a member of the household opening the door. I pretended to sleep and whoever it was stayed there for a few minutes and then the door closed. I heard another door close nearby. Maybe I would gather the courage to ask Alexander if it was him, but if it wasn’t, it might get someone else in trouble. I fell asleep mulling over the issue.&nbsp;

Octavia's Obligation

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Lee Tomassini

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