Husband With Benefits
Chapter 199: A Fiancé

Chapter 199: A Fiancé

Eleanora’s eyes narrowed at the mention of a fiancé. She leaned back in her chair, an incredulous expression on her face.

"Fiancé?" she repeated, her tone laced with disbelief. "I don’t remember meeting any fiancé. Have you found me a phantom to marry, Queen Rosalind?"

Queen Rosalind sighed, exchanging an exasperated glance with Lady Cordelia. "Eleanora, don’t be difficult. You are engaged to Prince Augustus. I believe I have already made you aware of that! This is a significant alliance for the kingdom. This union will strengthen our ties, and you should consider the responsibility it entails."

"Yes. Yes And I’ve asked you multiple times where this prince is." Her lips curled into a mocking smile as she continued "Responsibility? You mean I can’t wear ripped jeans to the royal wedding? What a tragedy that would be."

Queen Rosalind’s patience wore thin. "Eleanora, enough! This is not a joke. You will meet Prince Augustus with the respect and decorum befitting a princess. Any misstep and there will be consequences."

Eleanora leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with defiance. "Consequences? What are you going to do, take away my pop tarts? Ground me from the kingdom? I’m shaking in my non-royal, rebellious boots."

The queen’s face flushed with anger. "You will adhere to tradition and protocol. This is not negotiable."

"Let me get this straight. My mother and sister passed away about eighteen months ago. And then I returned to Estana and fell in love with this phantom prince who fell in love back. After which all of you immediately declared us engaged. And then I went and fell into the ocean because of an accident of course and the man that I am so in love with disappeared for months on end? Are we talking about that fiance? I don’t need a man like him, Queen Rosalind. You can tell him that he need not come."

While the Queen glared angrily at the impudent girl and Cordelia tried to think of a way to diffuse the tension, Evangeline burst out angrily," Grandmother! I’ve already told you that she is not worthy of Augustus. I don’t know what he saw in her. Please call off this engagement."

Eleanora directed a look at Evangeline, realizing that the girl was probably in love with this Prince Whatever his name was. Ooohh. That was interesting. No wonder the girl always glared at her when she entered a room. Falling for your brother-in-law-to-be... Classic.

Well since Evangeline liked him, Eleanora decided that she would definitely check him out. Maybe she’d really fallen for this paragon of virtue. With a shrug, Eleanora directed a challenging glance at Evangeline and slowly agreed,"Fine fine. Stop frowning so much, Queen Rosalind. Your Botox will stop working. I already received your message about the date, and I’ll be on my best behaviour."

Evangeline looked as if she wanted to speak something but was quickly silenced by her mother who sent her a warning glance.

Queen Rosalind stared at Eleanora with narrowed eyes, trying to see if she was really being serious. Seeing that the woman was not trying to pull a prank, Queen Rosalind nodded and answered," My maid will be the chaperone for the two of you tonight. Prince Augustus will be here at Seven sharp and my maid will be here at 6.30. You will learn to respect your position, Eleanora. Do not forget who you are."

Eleanora nodded serenely and waved the three women goodbye before making a face at them. Chaperone. More like the woman would be there to keep an eye on her. Never forget who you are... What a thing to say to someone who had no memory of who she was before an accident took it all away. And the woman they seemed to want her to become made her cringe and want to rebel.

Maybe that is how she was. Rebellious and independent.

Eleanora sighed. She really did need to find a way to get out of this place. Even though she was the princess here, she felt more like a prisoner. There was someone keeping an eye on her twenty-four-seven. She was not allowed to go anywhere alone. And then there were her dreams...

She wandered through the vast halls of the mansion, her mind tangled in a web of confusion, feeling like a listless ghost. The weight of her royal responsibilities felt suffocating, and the impending meeting with this mysterious Prince Augustus added another layer of discomfort. As she strolled, the grandeur of the mansion seemed to close in around her, echoing with the whispers of her own unease.

She meandered out of the house, wanting... needing to escape. Quietly, she walked to the huge garden outside, the place that she considered her haven. Her therapist repeatedly told her that she needed to let go of the past memories which had been erased. It was a good thing she did not remember how her parents doted on her. This way she would not miss them too much.

But Eleanora had a secret that she had kept hidden, even from the therapist. That it was not her parents she saw in her dreams each night. It was someone else. Someone who confessed his love to her in a hushed whisper, his voice like music to her ears. She wanted to believe that this man was a figment of her imagination, but she knew he was not. The tattoo over her heart was proof of that. Even now, she could feel a flutter over there, as if he had just kissed her.

And yet every time she tried to think of him like this, in her waking moments, her head threatened to burst with pain. Every time he whispered those words in her dreams, all she saw was blood covering her hands. She’d already lost her memories but she felt as if she was losing her mind.

She would meet this fiancé of hers tonight. And she was scared and yet she was hopeful. She feared that Augustus was the man she dreamt of and she feared that he wasn’t the man of her dreams.

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