Free Web NovelChapter 169: Party (1)
"What is on your mind?" Madilyn asked Luke from where she sat watching the maids get him dressed. "The party shall be a hit like it always is."
"I don’t have doubts the party shall be well. Have you gotten a response from Scarlet or the man they say has been by her side?" Luke questioned. Scarlet was the main guest as he had something special prepared for her today.
"I have not gotten a response but she knows she has to show up. Jack is coming so part of your plan is well on the way. I still think you should have invited your sister- Alana," Madilyn quickly corrected herself because of Luke’s glare. "Once you had her back in the palace, you could have made her stay. You are the king and your word is law."
"Alana will come back into the palace at some point. She cannot spend the rest of her life leeching off of Scarlet. She’ll feel too guilty to do that and when she does return, I shall marry her off as planned. It would go faster if you would reach her," Luke suggested.
Madilyn was the one who played nice with Alana. Alana might believe the queen wanted the best for her and return without him needing to do anything.
Madilyn didn’t see that plan working since she wasn’t close to Alana. Why should she have wasted time getting close to one of Luke’s siblings that he did not care for? "I will try my best. Now, about the queen’s garden. Have you thought about removing your great-grandmother’s statue and putting mine?"
"Don’t be ridiculous," Luke replied, annoyed that she was still on this. "It is not to be replaced. Find something else to do with your time."
"Right," Madilyn said, disappointed that he did not want to fulfil her simple request. "I shall look out for Jack and the woman he is with. Then bring them to you when Scarlet arrives."
"Madilyn, do not let this spoil our relationship. What you are asking is something that I cannot allow and you know that it places me in a difficult position. Think of something else and I will give you," Luke said, wanting to avoid a fight.
"Then, how about the queen’s heart that Scarlet has? That necklace belongs to me," Madilyn said, fuming over the memory of it around Scarlet’s neck.
Luke didn’t want to hear about the necklace just as he didn’t want to hear about a statue. "You know that I cannot rip it from her and hand it to you. Nor can I put an order that she returns something that was given away a long time ago."
Madilyn had plenty of necklaces. Why couldn’t she just pick one and give it a fancy name? It would become special simply from the fact it was worn by a queen. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
"Leave us," Madilyn ordered the maids in the room. Men would never understand so she had to teach him. "That necklace is important to your family. It doesn’t matter that the queen it once belonged to gave it away. If Scarlet cared about us, she would return it. Why do you think she wears it around us?"
Madilyn had long thought that Scarlet had been trying to upset them by wearing it.
"They have already said that if we want it, we would have to buy it and I can’t just throw away that kind of money on a necklace. There have already been questions about how much we spend. Be without it and make one of your necklaces special. Do not try to compete with her,’ Luke advised Madilyn.
Madilyn smiled, but there was a bitterness behind it. "Because I would lose? Have you no faith in your queen? I do not want to compete with Scarlet. I only want what is rightfully mine. I help you with all your plans but you-"
"Madilyn," Luke said, silencing her beginning to an argument. "We have guests to entertain and I am not in the mood to hear you speak about a necklace that did not belong to you. My mother never once asked for it and neither did my sisters. So, how do you think it sounds for you to walk around demanding that you get it?"
Luke did one last look at his attire in the mirror and then turned around to face Madilyn. "We have more important things to focus on so please, stop telling me about useless things. Are you ready?" Luke questioned, picking up her hand to kiss it.
Madilyn wasn’t in the mood to be near him but they had to walk together to go to the party. "Yes. Forgive me for not thinking."
"Don’t say it like that. Allow me to make it up to you when the party’s over. You will get to enjoy seeing Scarlet meet with her ex-husband. Am I on your good side for now?" Luke asked, kissing her hand once more to sway her.
Madilyn smiled as she couldn’t stay angry at him for long. There was a good show to watch today. "Let us go."
Madilyn had been awaiting the party to see what Luke had planned. They had to push it back once but now it was finally here. She hoped that Scarlet would show up so she could witness what everyone spoke about.
When Madilyn entered the garden where the party was held, she looked around for Jack and Beth since it was her duty to bring the two to Luke. They weren’t around yet despite Madilyn and Luke arriving later than the time they had put on the invitations.
"King Luke," Hank greeted the king, approaching the couple with Layla on his arm. "Thank you for the invitation. My son had been looking forward to another event in the palace so this was good timing. Isn’t it Victor?"
Victor went to his father’s side to greet the royal couple. What his father said was made up but he knew not to point that out now. "It is. Thank you for the invitation."
Victor didn’t want to be at this party. He had a little over an hour before he was to meet with the woman Marlene who was close to Noelle. After a struggle to reach her, he could not miss a meeting with her but his parents would not take no for an answer concerning this party.
"Victor seems to be much better these days. You are normally bedridden. Is your other son not joining you?" Luke asked.
"No," Layla answered in place of Hank. "If you would please excuse my rudeness, has a suitor been decided for Princess Alana? You see, Victor is finally thinking of marriage and I think the two would make a good pair."
"Mother!" Victor exclaimed. He said that he would take care of finding his wife so why was she bringing this up now? "Please excuse my mother."
"No. I like that she knows what she wants for you and she is going after it. You should appreciate that she is thinking of you. I think a marriage between the two would be good,’ Luke answered, seriously considering it.
Thanks to Alana leaving with Scarlet, the marriage arrangement he prepared ended as the man in question did not want to wait. Luke knew that the Kingsleys were hard to put up with at times so Alana was well-suited to join them. Alana would be stuck with a mother-in-law who liked to run her son’s life and would certainly keep Alana quiet.
