The Future Queen

"You should see the Castle Garden, my lady. Its beauty is as exquisite as you," Rosalia boasted as they went on strolling down the Castle pathways.

"Well, that's surely stunning I suppose," Aisha grinned from ear to ear as she followed along. Her eyes continued to behold the beauty of the other parts of the Castle, which she hasn't seen during her first time there.

The King's Castle wasn't as hideous as she expected. Or was it because she went there at the darkest time of the night? Maybe that's why she hasn't seen how lively this place is, with the joyous laughter of the citizens and the harmonious sounds made by the animal live stocks?

Aisha's silky long tresses bobbed up and down as she kept looking around. She was busy looking at a stand when a man suddenly pointed to her with his forefinger.

"There, that's the female human that made the King banish us from the Castle," he angrily mentioned her to his wife.

The wife glared at her as if she was already stabbing her with just her stare. The other bystanders' attention was now caught.

"Wait, what do you mean? How can I be the cause of some families' expulsion? I don't even know you, people," Aisha thought with her eyebrows together as she drew near them.

Rosalia filled her in on the details. "I think they are the Gatekeepers that failed to examine the cart that you used in order to get away from here, my lady."

Aisha's bronze eyes widened as she recalled her stowaway plan while getting away from what she thought was her prison cell. She then gazed empathetically on the innocent man and woman who was affected by her reckless actions.

She wanted to apologize to them. But she didn't know if it would do any good. It seems that the King has already given an order to cast them out of the Castle.

"Don't worry about this. I will try and talk with the King about it. He will listen to me. We're a little close, you know," She smiled and bowed down to them with all sincerity.

However, the couple just sneered at her. "What can a mere woman like you do against the king's order? You should have stayed where you came from. No matter what you do, humans will never be tolerated in Gaea."

The wife nodded her head, and so did the other people who were eavesdropping at that moment.

All of them snickered at her. There were even murmuring negative remarks against her stay.

The previously fragrant air turned rancid as she felt the cold treatment of the Gaeans for her.

At that moment, she recalled how her family used to scoff at her whenever she does something to please them. They did not just ignore her for her accomplishments. They even criticize her for her efforts, saying that she wasn't good enough to do anything at all.

"Is that also my fate here in the afterlife?" Aisha sighed as she shrugged her shoulders.

She felt sad since she already decided to stay here. She thought that everything would work out fine, since the King seemed to like her to keep him company.

But this is worse. The people hate her.

"Let's just go back, my lady," Rosalia suggested, seeing the response of the people against her.

Aisha nodded her head. She wanted to reassure the couple who was sent away. But what they said was true. She is the reason why they were suffering.

They turned back and were about to leave when, to their surprise, someone was coming down to their area.

"Your Majesty!" All the people who were present at that moment kneeled to their feet. Aisha and Rosalia bowed down immediately.

It was King Leandro. He was followed by Lord Emilio and other royal attendants.

"I heard that the Gaeans in this side of the land were not very welcoming to their future Queen," King Leandro's authoritative voice bellowed throughout the area, making the people cower down in fear.

"Punish us with death, your Majesty!" They shouted in unison as they lowered their heads to the ground. But in the back of their minds, they started questioning, "Our future Queen?" They gazed at each other in puzzlement while kneeling down.

"Come now, Lady Asha. There are a lot of things that you need to prepare for our wedding," King Leandro added as he lifted his hand in a lofty manner.

The people seemed to understand that he was talking about her. With their surprised faces, they immediately turned to Aisha and bowed down to her. "Forgive us, Your Highness."

"Your Highness? Future Queen?" Aisha snapped out of her thoughts. She was also thinking about the same thing. She was glad that he wanted to save her face from being more embarrassed. "But is this forced marriage? He hadn't even consulted me about this yet!"

She gazed at the King who seemed to be unperturbed at her confusion. Aisha drew in a deep breath as she thought, "I could talk with him about that later. But I need to deal with this couple here, first."

Aisha stood up and made a formal bow to him again. "Apologies, your Majesty. But I would like to ask for your grace and mercy for these couples here. I believe they don't need to be sent away because it was my fault and not theirs. You should have punished me instead of them."

At her comment, the couple flailed their hands in the air. "Please forgive us for our impudence, your Highness. We should be the ones to take the blame. You should not lower down for mere peasants like us."

King Leandro spoke up regarding the issue. "Whether it was Lady Aisha or other people, ally or enemy, stolen goods or not, it is a Gatekeeper's duty to inspect every little detail of everything that is going in and out of the Castle for the safety of everyone. Thus, I will not revoke my command!" The King lifted his head in defiance.

"Rule over us with wisdom and strength, your Majesty!" Lord Emilio crossed his hand over his head, followed by the royal assistants, who also chorused the same thing.

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Responsibility is accepting that you are the cause and the solution of a matter.