Chapter 7 Getting married tomorrow
Zamira decided that she was going to be staying indoors since she overheard the conversations between her parents concerning her marriage. What was the need of going out when nothing seemed to give her joy? Her loneliness was like tiny drops of ice on her skin; so soothing but yet so disturbing. She decided to ignore the odd feeling that she was battling inside of her and just take life the way it was.
The maidens would present her food for her inside her room and she was always grateful that her bathroom was inside her room and she had no reason to go outside whatsoever. Mira stood by the side of her window looking outside her father's huge compound. As usual, the birds played around the fountain and the atmosphere was looking humid as it was that time of the year -- the rainy season. Aside from all these, there was just something that was seemingly off about the day -- she watched as the servants carried loads and loads of properties into a big truck and she wondered if her father was trying to hold another feast.
That was the typical way her father was. The last feast they held was to celebrate his birthday and not long after, it seemed as though another feast was about to take place, but for what exactly? Maybe she was wrong about it but she just knew that it wasn't so much of a normal occurrence.
A knock soon came on her door and she knew at that instant that it was her mother. She had already mastered the way her parents knocked and she could easily differentiate between the servants' knocking style and her parents knocking style. Silly her, how she wished she could master the way of escaping the palace and her supposed marriage instead of mastering how her parents knocked on her door.
Mira turned away from the window and went to open the door. Without saying a word to her mother, she went to sit on her bed, looking straight forward and avoiding eye contact with her.
Margaret stared at her daughter for a few seconds before sitting beside her on the bed. She already understood how upset she was and how she must have been hating on her and then she said to her.
"I know how difficult it is for you right now. I know that you'd be doubting if I am truly your mother. I bet you'd be asking yourself, what sort of mother gives her daughter away to marry an old man? What sort of mother wants to use her daughter to save her kingdom? She isn't a good mother." Margaret turned to stare at Mira who didn't seem to be concerned by what she was saying. "I am not a bad mother, Mira, and I am not trying to use you for any reason. But..." She paused and that was the moment that Mira turned to look at her.
"But what?" Mira asked in a low tone.
"You have to do the needful. You are the only child and the heiress to the Havilla kingdom. If you don't save your land, it will be taken away from you and given to another. Would you like that, Mira? Would you like to see your own people and your parents under the rulership of another? Is that what you want, Zamira?"
Mira derided her words and then said to her. "Now it seems as though you are trying to manipulate me. You just called me the heiress of this kingdom and yet you want to get me to marry an old repugnant king. How am I supposed to rule my kingdom when I will be married to King Alvarez? How am I supposed to assume the throne when I will be sitting pretty as the 6th wife of a belly drooling king?! Listen to yourself, mother. You and I know that it isn't possible." Her voice broke as she spoke and it took her a lot to fight off the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes.
"It is, Mira! It is very possible! All you need to do is to marry him and the rest of it isn't going to become an issue. You have no choice. We have no choice. This kingdom doesn't have a choice as well. You are going to marry King Alvarez and save your family and kingdom the shame of becoming a colony and subordinate to another kingdom. We have always been great and we will remain that way." Whenever Margaret spoke like this, Mira knew that there was nothing that she would say to change her mind. Then Margaret stood to her feet, her palms crossed over each other on her stomach. "I am actually here for a different reason. You'll be getting married tomorrow so get ready."
At that moment, it felt as though the World stood still and became void. Did she hear correctly or was her mother just teasing her? Mira felt as though she was glued to the bed on which she sat on. That news... That news was the least thing that she expected to hear.
"W - what? W... Wha... what are you talking about, mother?" Mira's eyes widened in shock and her ears itched to hear the opposite of what she heard her mother say.
Margaret straightened herself and replied to her. "You didn't hear the wrong thing, my dear. You'll be getting married tomorrow and the wedding isn't going to happen here. Prior to this time, Alvarez had already planned the wedding and as your husband to be you are to follow his lead. He doesn't want the wedding to happen here. He wants it at his hotel, Hotel Alvarez." She answered her coldly.
"What?!" It seemed like a joke to Mira but she knew that her mother was telling her the truth. "Is that why?..." Her index finger pointed towards the window and Margaret knew that she must have been referring to the servants.
"Yes. They are getting prepared for your big day tomorrow. The thing is that Alvarez has made it so easy for us that we don't have to stress about your wedding. All he wants is our presence, especially yours. So my dear..." She gently held up her chin, "Get ready for your big day tomorrow. Sleep early and have enough rest so that tomorrow, you'll be able to do what brides do." Margaret then walked towards the door. As she held the knob to open it she paused as though she remembered something and then she turned back to look at Mira who was sitting devastatingly on her bed. "One more thing, Mira. Don't even think of running away because there is no escape route for you and if you succeed in running away, I assure you that you will be found." She gave a faint smile before turning and leaving the room completely.