Chapter 7

Agnes wasn't around and their mother was late.

"Leave our house and stop coming here, else I will report you to his majesty for blackmail!" Caleb warns him and Juliet feels sorry for the old man.

She walks to him and Caleb keeps screaming at her, "Stay away from him Juliet," but she ignores her younger brother warning and walk to the old man to help him stand up.

"Thank you my daughter. You look so much like Elora's younger sister Avery in her younger days. Whenever I see you, it reminds me of her and how much I hurt your mother. Please help me talk to her to forgive me. I never mean to hurt her. Tell her that her sister is alive and fine and she left to the forbidden kingdom."

"Okay" Juliet helps him stand up and he holds his walking stick and leaves their compound.

"Did you believe anything that old man says?" Caleb ask her approaching her after the elderly man left.

"I don't know, maybe we should ask mother about him?."

"Hmm" Caleb stares away and walk back to sweep the remaining dirty while Juliet walk back into their old house to see her mother, keeping down her water pot.

Most of the elderly people that sees her, normally mentioned of her mother's sister, "Avery" and her mother had told her she doesn't know where her younger sister is.

Is it possible that she's her mother sister's daughter. Whereas her mother told her that she found her in the forest

She sigh and walk to meet her mother crying as she sit on the only couch in their room.

"Mother" she approach her mother and cuddles up with her.

"Is okay stop crying" She says as she doesn't really understand what the old man wants from her mother.

He keeps asking her to forgive him and if Caleb is his son.

She feels pity for the old man too.

"Juliet, have you gone to fetch the water?" Mrs Elora ask.

"No mom. I will soon go out to fetch it."

Lady Elora stares to Juliet face.

She looks so matured now and seeing her she feels her younger sister is still very much alive.

"Okay, go and fetch the water first, then you come back on time and prepare what we will eat."

"Mom, we don't have enough food stuff, what will I prepare?."

"Cook the rice like that."

"No mother" Juliet frowns and stands up.

"I cannot eat it if we cook it like that" she frowns.

"Then what do you have me to do. I don't have money and you know this. I cannot go out to the farms either."

"Then let me go and work."

"No!" Lady Elora deadpans.

"What kind of work do you want to do?, Who will even employ you, knowing you're more beautiful that their household daughter?."

"Mother!" She frowns and her face turns red immediately in embarrassment.

"I will still go out to look for a job" she says.

"No.. Juliet."

"Then how do we survive?. You keep saying no. You don't want to accept Chief Kevin to help us and now.."

"Enough Juliet!" Lady Elora shouts at her and calms and Juliet face turns redder and she stands up and runs out.

Caleb want to step in and she runs out pushing him away as she rush out and run away.

"Where's she running too mother?" Caleb ask.

"I don't know. Go after your sister and make sure she's fine."

"Okay," Caleb rush out and run out to find her but he doesn't see her.

Juliet wipes her tears as she has ran farther away from home, wanting to look for her real mother.

She want to go out to work but her mother refused.

She approach a river and sees some people coming from the other side with their water pot and they stop and stare to her surprisingly like one who has seen a ghost.

Some of the water pot falls down and some screams"Whose that?!" Pointing towards her.

She has ran farther away from home and doesn't even know her way back.

Fear grips her and she remember Chief Kevin had told her that her mother's sister had gone to the forbidden kingdom.

"The forbidden kingdom" She says and turns not knowing the way back to her mother's house again, she ran back to their village and any one she sees, she ask them for directions to the palace.

She believes if she can find the Greenwoods royal palace of then she will know the way back to her home.

She finally get to the palace and stands in front of it, staring at the magnificent mansion and imagining she's the princess of the palace.

She smiles to herself, not knowing that someone stands outside of the royal palace with his personal assistant staring to her as she dances and act dreamy.

He's mesmerized by her beautiful looks and wants to catch her and claim her.

He stares away and back to his assistant as he sees her leaving.

"My Prince, the White lilly kingdom are beginning to cut some part of our lands in the territorial boarders claiming it to be theirs and beginning to build their houses on it" His personal assistant informs him.

"And what did father say about this?."

"Nothing my prince. He's not interested and only interested in the upcoming royal marriage between you and Chief Austin Tristan daughter, Hazel Tristan."

"Hmm, that witch's daughter" His brows furrows.

"Why will father want me to marry the priestess daughter. No I cannot," He turns and walk back into the palace as the night is already fallen while Juliet walks back home to her mother's house.

She sees her brother standing outside and he rush to meet her.

"Where have you been, you got us all worried?" Caleb ask.

"Am sorry, am here now" She respond as she feels more better after dreamy of working in palace or becoming a princess.

"You should go in and apologise to mother" Caleb insist.

"Okay," She walk passes him and push their entrance door open as the night already approaches.

Her mother immediately stands up from the couch and hugs her.

"Juliet, you go me worried."

"Am sorry mother" She apologise and her mother continues to hug tight.

"Don't dare to run away from me next time. I cannot lose Avery and still loose you too, okay. Fine you can go out and look for a job but in the near by lands and market areas. Don't wander far away from here."

"Okay mother," she reply as a beautiful smile curves on her pretty face.

"How about Chief Kevin, won't you forgive him?" Juliet ask again and her mother turns and stare away from her and she sigh "No."

***

Prince Peter Elliott walks back into the royal mansion to find his mother.

First he cannot accept the upcoming engagement ceremony but his family has gone behind his back sending gifts and making arrangements for the upcoming ceremony, claiming Chief Austin Tristan daughter, Hazel Tristan is well behaved and Chief Austin family is highly notable.

His three sisters walks up to meet him as soon as he steps into the grand hall, the maids and servants bows their heads lower to excuse him.

"Brother, the engagement is only in a week time" His younger sister Beauty says.

"Yes Brother, Hazel is very beautiful and very fair in complexion too" His second sister Blessing says.

And his third sister only smiles as she's still a small princess and his mother has her at a much older age.

He stares to Princess Beauty and Blessing.

They're both fair and twins and he speaks go them.

"Where's mother?."

"Upstairs in her chamber. Brother ain't you saying anything about what I said?" Princess Beauty teased him.

"No" He stare away from them and walk passed them going thru the stairs and up to his mother's chamber to see her.

His father is getting older and like usual doesn't get involved and he walks back upstairs to meet his mother and to see her related to the upcoming engagement ceremony.

The guards stationed guarding the second floor bows as they see him approaching.

He knocks in front of her door and open of her maids open and push the door wider open for him to go inside as she bows her head lower.

He stare away from her and walk into the chamber to find his mother, she has about six maids in her chamber and she's scolding and reprimanding one of them.

"Tell me Benedict, who got you pregnant?."

The maid shakes and refuse to speak and she raise her cane up to flog her.

"Mother!" He calls to her and she stops and stares to him.

"Welcome son. You're here" She drops the cane and walk up to meet him.

"What's going on here mom?" He ask as he stare to the young maid kneeling on the floor and crying.

"This useless maid want to bring shame to the royal house and got pregnant, knowing a servant to the royal family isn't allowed to get pregnant."

"Then why not send her away?" Peter question as he stare back to the dark looking maid

"You're right. Guards!" His mother, Queen Charlotte Elliott calls out to the stationed guards standing outside her chamber.