Chapter 36

"You'll know when the time comes. Now, when we get to my home I forbid you from talking about your father, the castle, or anything else that is not fun. Let's get you settled in and then we hit the town for some fun," Margaret shook her shoulders showing that she was ready to have fun.

"Grandmother, are you trying to dance?" Amelia bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Isn't that what the youngsters are doing these days?" Margaret swore she did it just like the young women did.

"What youngsters are you talking about? Why on earth would they be shaking their shoulders? What parties have you been to, grandmother?" Amelia couldn't hold herself back anymore and started laughing.

It was funny to see her grandmother like this in private while she could be terrifying in front of others. If only those people could see Margaret like this. They might think she was possessed by something.

"I've been to countless parties and saw young girls like yourself shake their shoulders or probably their chest to catch the attention of boys. I am only keeping up with the trends dear. It is you who is out of the loop," Margaret laughed along with Amelia.

"I don't mind if that weird dance is what I am missing out on. Seriously grandmother, your ability to switch from serious to funny amazes me. Not what many would expect from the former queen," Amelia wiped a tear away.

"Well, I am not their grandmother. I can show my other side to you without being judged. That's the beauty of you being able to take a joke. Everyone is too serious and the slightest things hurt their feelings. It's honestly a bore," Margaret sighed.

There were hardly any entertaining people around her these days.

"That is true. Everyone is so uptight this time of the year. It's because it's time for those my age or a little older to find a partner so they act super serious. After that time passes, they'll be even more boring."

"I thought you were going to say they would become more entertaining," Margaret thought Amelia was going in a completely different direction.

"They'll be married so how can they have fun? Depending on the husband's status, women will have to act prim and proper to protect their husband's reputation. Start thinking about children. Marriage is certainly when we lose our youthful side which is why I wish to marry a coward."

"What?!" Margaret exclaimed. She always envisioned Amelia marrying a great man who would love and be able to protect her. Not some coward. What could a coward do for someone who wanted to become queen? "Absolutely not! I won't give my blessing."

"But you would give me your blessing to marry Killian Bune when he is our enemy? What kind of logic is that?" Amelia was confused by her grandmother's logic.

"You do not need a coward. You need a warrior-"

"I do not need a high and mighty man who would want to control me. I want someone who will do as I say without any objections. I only need someone who can sit quiet," Amelia said. She already had in mind what she was looking for.

"If you find the right man who you can wrap around your finger, you won't need a coward. Start looking in places you have always ignored. I understand your thought process but I do not think this is right," Margaret was against Amelia's choice.

"That is alright. I will consider your words as there is still time for me to find my future husband. Things might not work out as either of us would like. That is how the world works," Amelia said.

She knew Margaret was only looking out for her best interests and given Margaret's years of experience in the castle, her suggestions should not be ignored. Only the one about marrying Killian should be ignored.

"You were the one to say we should only talk about fun things and yet we ended up talking about my marriage. How about a bet to make sure we really don't talk about anything else. Outside of me buying the duke's land of course," Amelia proposed a game.

Her suggestion intrigued Margaret since she loved games. "What kind of game do you have in mind?"

"The first person who talks about anything regarding the castle will have to do anything the person asks of them. For me, I think the collection of diamonds you just purchased would suit me. So beautiful but too expensive for me to waste money on," Amelia could picture herself wearing the diamonds at parties.

Young ladies her age would be jealous.

"You have diamonds of your own Amelia," Margaret reminded her forgetful granddaughter. She spent a fortune on the diamonds and as much as she loved Amelia, she wasn't willing to give them up. It wouldn't matter anyway since she didn't plan to lose.

"None quite like the ones you just purchased. Do we have a deal?"

"Hold on Amelia. I have not stated what I would want when I win. When I win, I want you to consider Killian Bune as a potential marriage candidate. What do you think?" Margaret grinned.

"Grandmother! That man is our enemy. You have no idea what he is like." Amelia knew it was easy for her grandmother to recommend such a marriage since she did not have to stand face to face with Killian.

"Whoever said I did not know what he is like? I met the man before. Met him long before your father did. I'm not going to go into full detail since I would have to lose this game. Killian is not as bad as you think. He's much better than your father," said Margaret.

"You met him before? If you met him before and were able to talk with him without my father around, don't you think he would come to you again to talk about our two kingdoms? Oh no," Amelia rushed to look out the window at her grandmother's estate.