Chương 45: Chapter 45: A Matter Of Great Tension

I retreated to my room and was completely surprised by Holly Larsen knocking on my door. I wiped my runny mascara from my cheeks and pulled up my nose, then took a deep breath and strode quickly to the entrance of my chamber. She was wearing a light summer dress in ice blue and pink plush slippers to match. "Martin said to me that you needed a girlfriend," she whispered. Should I be shocked that Martin told my weakness to others? No, now was not the right moment to reprimand him, I would do that later. I nodded and invited her in, after closing the door to the corridor I told her what had happened. Holly had set up camp on my bed and was listening to me sincerely, with her legs pulled into a cross-legged position and chewing on her blue nail polish. Inwardly I was relieved to see that she was biting her nail too. "Now I have a week, if that," I fell silent and grabbed another tissue. How many more tears could I shed? Holly was silent, I wasn't sure if she didn't know what to advise or just wanted me to talk. "Belle, I have something to confess to you...", Holly was silent waiting for me to make an effort for her to continue. I asked a questioning yes. "I was asked to be Nicola's wife," it was like an admission of guilt. Had she disappeared from company with the Queen for that reason? "Who came to you with this request?", I inquired, looking towards the balcony. The fir tree outside my window was glowing a dark green today. Holly's breathing was irregular: "It was Her Majesty Queen Alice. She said that they could take back Sweden and my crown, as they had one foot on the mainland with this alliance. I was at first flabbergasted, but little by little I considered it more and more." Though unintentional, Holly's words pained me. I now bit down on my nail as well, "Is it fixed now? Or just a figment of the Queen's imagination." My eyes looked to her and her posture had changed to one of shame. "I'm really sorry Belle, I don't want to hurt you, but I have to think of my parents too. Even though my country no longer exists, I still want to do everything I can to free my people from their clutches." I kept silent and decided that I had to live with this turn of events. Even if Nicolas loved me and wanted to marry me, I had never had a real chance to stand by his side. "I'll forgive you, just not so soon, I hope that's okay," my eyes were sad. I had hung my legs over the reading chair, those dangling down over the back. My buttocks sank into the soft seat. With my left hand I propped my head up. " "It's not fair." she whispered, single dark strands sliding over her shoulder and forming a V on her cleavage. I rose and asked her if she wanted to go for a walk with me. Even though I had been outside until just now, I needed a change of room. Holly agreed and we spent the rest of the afternoon at the lake. We played cricket on the lawn and had lake races with paper boats. Martin and Collin, Holly's bodyguard, were with us. I could tell little about Collin Mclean, he always wore his uniform, Martin took it off at times. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but he had a sense of humour. We chatted about the ducks on the water while Holly sat on the jetty with Martin, gazing into the distance. It was so light-hearted, it felt so sureall. "I have heard what the King is up to, I am very sorry Lady Woodstock, it is not fair to you. Nor to the staff of this palace, I have at least four people who have been dismissed, based on their background. I am at a loss for words," he confessed to me, leaning back against the tree trunk. Not only was he at a loss for words, so was I. I propped my head against my drawn-together knees, a slight breeze rising and swirling around my dress, its length swaying against the tufts of grass. Like the fabric of my robe, individual strands from her hairstyle had loosened and were dangling about. "I'll just enjoy this week more and then go back to my life as a maid, somehow I'm looking forward to normality," silently I added that I would have liked to stay here.

Collin stood up and patted dirt off his trousers, then he reached out to my peripheral vision in an inviting manner and smiled kindly down at me: "Come on, let's have some fun." I smiled back too and let him help me up. Together we wandered out onto the jetty to join the others. "Belle, how do you feel about ball games or tag?", Holly greeted me with glee. I laughed and pointed out that I detested tag and would rather play ball. It creaked under our feet, which should have given me pause for thought at that moment. The wind was driving the water into waves and they sloshed against the pillars. Despite the sudden change in weather, we lined up in a square and clasped our hands behind our backs. Holly held the ball in her hands, explaining that it was one of the few things from her homeland. It was made of tanned sheepskin. As I had mentioned before, the skin was made from cells, in about the middle was an emblem branded on the stand familjen Larsen. "So, we are now playing a watered-down form of bakpärk. The ball may only be hit with the hands and kicked with the foot. Normally more players are needed, but it doesn't matter. It is only not allowed to come to a standstill. The last one to touch the ball and it lies down loses. Rolling for 5 seconds is allowed. " We all nodded and I focused completely on the ball. When it came to team sports, I was extremely ambitious. The kids from my neighbourhood and I would gather on Saturdays and play butterfly ball, it was a game from my mother's home country. It was similar to Bakpärk. Sometimes we played a combination of different cultures. It was actually one of my fondest memories of home, the place where I grew up. "On your mark..., get set, go!" the former Princess of Sweden shouted and took a big swing. Immediately, adrenaline shot through me and my fighting spirit was aroused. Alternating blows and thrusts followed, and I didn't care if I behaved in a less than ladylike manner. Neither of them noticed that we were moving close to the shore, so I didn't either. I was just about to strike the next blow when I lost my footing and splashed into the water. It was freezing cold and I let out a scream. "Belle!" someone shouted at me and also threw themselves into the cold tide. Fortunately, the water wasn't particularly deep, at least not here. My clothes were soaked and I opened my eyes. My bodyguard was on top of me, our faces were very close, I could feel his breathing and mine. "Why did you do that?", I breathed. He fell silent and brushed a strand behind my ear, "I would take a bullet for you too, you are important to me." Was it just an intention that made me blush? My chest rose and fell faster. i looked into his eyes and heard it crackle between us. "Martin..., I...," I whispered. I don't know what would have happened if we hadn't been interrupted. Collin had hurried to the palace to bring towels. Martin and I were caught up in reality and turned away from each other in shame. Had I recognised a blush on his carriages as well? My emotions were on a rollercoaster as I stepped out onto the lawn with the sticky dress and the wetness running down my legs in lines. Holly, wrapped me in a towel and whispered in my ear, "What was that about?" I replied that I had no idea. Collin instructed that we ladies could go ahead or we would catch a cold.

Collin reluctantly handed the towel to his superior: "What were you thinking Hasenberg, she belongs to the prince." Martin got out of the water with a groan and dabbed at individual drops in his hair. He had been through far worse with his body, water would not harm him. Silently, he emptied the contents of his boots. "She's not the prince's, Mclean, and she'll be free in a week," Martin made no secret of the fact that he had fallen head over heels in love with Maybelle Juliette Woodstock. Almost everyone on the train knew it. Collin cleared his throat, "The Prince will kill you if he finds out." Now Martin emptied the second boot, "Even if he does, I'll be sacked anyway. There is nothing more this family can do to me. I won't even get a proper severance package, I'll be lucky if I get employed anywhere at all." Secretly, Martin was glad Belle couldn't marry Nicolas. Ever since that day in the park when he discovered her, he had been smitten. This week he had been given home leave and was visiting his family. They made their way back to the garden entrance where they will then enter the servants' quarters. "Even if she, leaves the casting, who can guarantee you that she will choose you? What's more, you're far too old for her." Martin swallowed, yes it was true, there were almost 10 years separating them. But he couldn't have imagined this tension between them, she had this sparkle in her eyes that resembled his to a hair. "Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but I can't imagine life without her," he sighed, taking larger steps now. Collin could understand his superior and friend, but there were sometimes people with whom there was no happy ending. Like with the love of his life, who just got shot. "I will miss you, Hasenberg," Collin continued the conversation. Martin was also pained that it ended so abruptly. He hugged his mate, who had become like a little brother to him.

It was night now, again and again Martin Hasenberg's thoughts wandered to Belle's perfect body, which stood out thanks to the fabric, like a sculpted statue. He had never had her so close to him before. Her face, her eyes were so enchanting, he wished the circumstances were different. He would have been too happy to indulge his passion and give her the passion she deserved. Hopefully, she had not noticed his red cheeks and the greed in his eyes, he thought. Yes, he would move mountains for her.

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