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࣪𓏲ּ ֶָ ✩◿𝓹𝓭𝓬◸ 🂱 ࣪𓏲ּ ֶָ
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR—
loud silence.

"Okay, it starts with all the guys, through out the week, writing love letters to the girls they're interested in." Vera rose her eyebrows as Fredrika explained to Sara the big fuss on this party that was to be hosted. "And then, they'll be-"

"It's so goddam stupid that only guys get to write though." Stella cut her off quickly.

"True." Vera agreed as she pointed at her with her fork.

"Sorry, but it's not our fault that they were a bit sexist back in the 1700s, right?" Fredrika said in return as she pulled her hair up.

"So, not much as changed?" Vera asked sarcastically, Felice laughed with a faint look of agreement.

"Nowadays, you can send to whoever you want. And then they're sent out anonymously-ish." Fredrika finished off her explanation to Sara, pulling her hair through the loop one more time.

"Yeah, but some guys send to practically everyone." Felice added in as she looked her way.

Vera exhaled loudly as she leaned back. "Love a good man-slut."

"Vera." Felice scolded her.

"What? I do!" she defended herself. "Also love non man-sluts as well, it depends."

"Vera." Felice repeated.

"And then, everything ends with a masquerade ball." Fredrika concluded her story to Sara, smiling in excitement. "And if you manage to find out who your secret admirer is, you attend the ball together."

"And you get to wear real dresses from 1700s, and wigs too." Stella pointed out as she nodded her head.

"Wigs give me acne though." Vera touched her forehead.

"When did you wear a wig?" Sara glanced at her.

"I shaved my hair once to try and get out of a interview I had with Erik. My Mom had a wig made from the hair I cut off, I had to wear it until it grew back at least to my shoulders." the blonde cringed at the terrible memory. "The wig is a no from me."

"We're gonna look like Marie Antoinette, for real." Fredrika laughed alongside Stella.

"But, she was decapitated." Sara stared.

"But..." Fredrika rolled her eyes. "Can everyone stop being so negative all the time? I don't get it."

"But what do you write in the letter?" Sara glanced at the girls.

Before she could answer, the chief walked in with a special dinner hidden under a shiny lid. "Princess Vera?"

She glanced up, a questionable look. "Mhm?"

"It's a special delivery." he set it down before her with a small bow. "Enjoy."

Before Vera could say anything else, he walked away and left the girls to huff and puff. "It's unfair you get to eat whatever you want. I wish I could order in."

"I didn't order in." Vera removed the lid, seeing a plain turkey sandwich on the inside with the sides cut off.

"It's only a sandwich?" Stella gave an odd look, that's when she saw Vera pick up a letter. "Oh! First bite of the season!"

"What's it say?" Felice smiled. "From Alexander? Henry?"

Vera unfolded the letter with her name on it, knowing the handwriting. A small went across her lips. "Crust removed, just as you like it. Love, your secret admirers."

"Two?!" Fredrika yelled, Stella nudged her.

Vera smiled as she put the letter in her bag and ate the sandwich like it was the best thing she'd ever had.

Vera stared at herself in her bedroom mirror. Not her bedroom at the dorms, but rather her bedroom at home. Today was her birthday, making her eighteen years old. Eighteen. The age that she could speak her mind, that she could tell the world whatever she wanted but would always be considered the princess. Her family could disown her if they wished, but Vera knew they never would due to how that would look on them.

"You look beautiful, darling." The Queen smiled, snapping Vera out of her thoughts as she saw her mother standing behind her. She kissed her on the forehead. "Guest are already beginning to show. You remember the Gillys, yes? The ones on the court."

"Sure." Vera offered her a smile, feeling her moms cold hand on her bare shoulder due to the dress she wore. "I'll be down soon."

"We can't wait to hear your speech." her kindness today did make Vera feel happy. Though, her mother could truly be kind. Vera knew she loved her, but love can be painful sometimes. And The Queen of Sweden had pained the Princess far more times then not.

She wouldn't forget that.

Axel. The fucking cheater.

"Vera." he smiled, walking across the living room to greet her with a drink in hand. "Happy birthday."

Vera didn't accept his hug, brushing it off like she needed to take a few steps away because her feet were getting cramped up sitting so still. Vera hated a lot of people, but she only wished Axel was on that list. She was so angry at him for cheating on her, but she wasn't sure she could ever truly hate him. While she adored Henry and Alexander to pieces, they hadn't known her the way Axel had. They were together for years, he saw sides of her that she didn't even know she had. She moved on fast because it was easy for her to stop loving him, but that lack of love never caused hate.

"You look lovely." he offered her a smile, his hair longer then the last she'd seen him.

"Thanks." Vera rubbed her arms, looking around in hopes of finding someone worth escaping to. She wished Willie would hurry with Henry or Alexander would get dropped off soon. "Didn't bring a date?"

"We were never together." he shook his head. Like her, Axel knew no one that knew her like Vera. Not even Cynthia. He knew cheating was wrong, and he knew he fucked up, but that didn't mean he stopped having feeling for Vera. She was his number one, he just didn't know how to handle no longer seeing her daily. "I never was able to apologize to you for it."

"I don't want an apology." she took a drink from a server that passed, sipping it. Axel expected to see her red lipstick stain the glass, but that hadn't been the case due to the stain the expensive tube caused. "I want you to walk away from me and never attempt to speak to me again."

"If that's what he want." he nodded his head. "But, I am sorry. You don't have to forgive me, but I want you to know it."

"I appreciate it." Vera leaned in and hugged him. He was taken back, but he should have known better then to trust her kindness. He should have known she was gonna jab her fingers into his rib cage, shooting a pain through his body. "And I want you to know how badly you don't deserve forgiveness."

The pain she put him in caused him to wish it back on her. "You're the devil."

"And don't you forget it." she smiled, releasing her fingers as the pain narrowed in Axel. To the public eye, they'd only shared a mutual hug.

"Vera." Alexander's voice caught her attention as he walked through the front door, a present in hand as his entire smile lit up the entire room. He was good like that, a sunshine boy that could turn your midnight rain into snow on the beach. At least, that's how he'd been for Vera and Henry. "Happy Birthday!"

"I'm so happy you came." she hugged him, without inflicting any sort of pain as she had to Axel. Never Alexander. Even if he'd ever made her mad or destroyed her somehow, Vera couldn't imagine genuinely wanting to hurt him the way she had others. He was too gentle, too fragile. "I know it's pretty intimidating here."

"Very." he agreed with her. "But, it's worth it. Where's Henry?"

"Willie went to get him." Vera smiled, walking toward the window to sneakingly glance outside. "After my speech, I just need to you to go whatever I do."

He was lost, no one had known what she had planned. Not even Vera knew completely, but she knew she wanted to get the boys out of there as soon as possible.

"What-" he began.

"My lovers." Henry's voice made them both look right in sync, seeing him walking over with wide and open arms. "Woah, both of you look mighty fine."

"Shh." Vera reddened, getting wrapped into the hug as he pulled either of them into his arms.

"Right, shh." he agreed. "Secretive. It's kinda hot."

"Henry." Alexander scolded him with a flushed face, though secretly thinking the same thing. Vera did too.

Wilhem gave his sister a look from across the room, letting her knew he would cover for her for a little bit.

"Come on." Vera whispered, sneaking off when her brother found a way to get the attention turned entirely onto him. The boys followed Vera through her long house, having their hands clasped when they circled the hallway. She then ran, dragging them with her as laughter echoed all through the narrow hallway, the painting on the walls watching the trio round one more corner to be sealed away from the world.

Vera cupped Henry's face and pulled him into a kiss as she pushed his back against the wall, her hand pulling Alexander in closer to turn her head and meet his lips after a second. When she did it, he melted away into her lips as Henry took her tilted head as the opportunity to kiss Vera's neck. She hummed in satisfaction into Alexander's mouth, making his knees buckle just slightly. When Henry made it close to the right side of Vera's neck, the side where she'd been kissing Alexander, he moved his head to kiss him this time. Vera shut her eyes.

"Vera!" she heard her mother yell for her. "Your guest are expecting a birthday speech soon."

Henry and Alexander panicked. "Should we hide?"

Vera took both their hands, walking down the hallway toward her mother where the queen stared in disbelief at her daughter. The Princess of Sweden.

"Sure thing, Mom." Vera smiled as she passed, dragging the boys when Alexander tried his hardest to give a respectable bow in the process of being drug away. The queen was left stunned for a moment before realizing what she'd just sent Vera off to do, striking fear through her body as she hurried back toward the ball room just as Vera had taken the mic.

"Hello. Thank you all for attending my birthday, it truly means so much to me." Vera smiled at her guest, her mother hurrying to Wilhem and encouraging to get Vera down. "I see so many faces I know. My brother, my father, my cheating ex boyfriend and his mother that defended it!"

A gasp fell over the crowd as Vera laughed into the mic, Henry recorded her so the world would be able to see what the princess was choosing to do now that she'd been of age.

"And my mother." Vera smiled as she stared as her Mom, the ballroom completely silent. The Queen gave up, there was no stopping her unhinged daughter this time. Not anymore, Vera had cut the string she'd had on her. "I love my mother so much, did you all know that? I truly do. She is a woman in royalty, she speaks for everyone and does right by so many people. I can admit that, I admire her as a person. I truly do."

There'd been a catch, there always was with her.

"But, I don't know if I admire her as a mother." Vera pretended to think as she looked over the stage, ignoring the guards as they attempted to get her off the stage that was prepared for her. Henry phone scaring them into backing off due to how the internet would react to them trying to yank the princess away from her rights of speech. "I'm not sure i'd want to raise my future kids, if I decide to have them, or maybe i'll end the bloodline here, who knows? I don't want my kids to have a mother like mine. I don't think i'd want to make them strict diet's to follow and be raised into thinking she needed to be silenced because her brothers position in the royal family is more important."

That caused a chatter to spread, this time not dedicated to Vera.

"Everyone's been asking me how excited I am to be eighteen. How my roles as the princess will become greater, stronger, how i'll be moved up more. It sounds great, truly. I can't wait to sit in on a meeting and finally get to speak my rights as the Princess of Sweden, and no longer be silenced by The Queen in fear of someone humiliating her." the mic screeched just slightly as she stared as her mother in betrayal, anger, but most of all pain. "I like being the royal families own little screw up. The one they're ashamed off, the one they wished they didn't claim. I like it, and I can't wait to see everyone face when I put my two sense into something. Because that's my right now, it's my own. And I owe it all to you, Mother. Thank you for making me who I am today."

She stared at her as silence took over, a smile spreading across her face one more time. "So, when I have birthday sex with not one, but both of my boyfriend tonight, i'll be sure to be extra thankful for The Queen, because being pushed into a secret relationship due to her wishes is pretty hot."

She dropped the mic as it screeched, grasping Alexander and Henry's hands to pull them away from the crowd and to the getaway car in the front. No punishment to follow, because the Queen no longer had control over her. All she could do would be to disown Vera and cut ties with her, no longer having her a seat in the council anymore. But, based on the video Henry's posted in the process of watching Alexander unzip the back of her dress, she would be booed and hated more then the public would began to. Vera was an adult now, she could do whatever she wanted as her adult rights read.

Wilhem clapped for his sister in the silent room.

•

kylie speaks

FAVORITE CHAPTER BY
FAR!!!!

"Okej, det börjar med alla killar, genom veckan och skriver kärleksbrev till flickorna de är intresserade av." Vera steg ögonbrynen när Fredrika förklarade Sara det stora väsen på detta parti som skulle vara värd. "Och då kommer de att vara-"

"Det är så dumt dumt att bara killar får skriva." Stella avbröt henne snabbt.

"Sann." Vera gick med när hon pekade på henne med sin gaffel.

"Tyvärr, men det är inte vårt fel att de var lite sexistiska redan på 1700-talet, eller hur?" Fredrika sa i gengäld när hon drog upp håret.

"Så, inte så mycket som förändrat?" Vera frågade sarkastiskt, Felice skrattade med en svag look av överenskommelse.

"Numera kan du skicka till vem du vill. Och sedan skickas de ut anonymt." Fredrika avslutade sin förklaring till Sara och drog håret genom slingan en gång till.

"Ja, men vissa killar skickar till praktiskt taget alla." Felice lade till när hon såg ut.

Vera andade ut högt när hon lutade sig tillbaka. "Älska en bra man-slampa."

"Vera." Felice skällde ut henne.

"Vad? Jag gör!" hon försvarade sig själv. "Även älskar icke-man-sluts också, det beror."

"Vera." Felice upprepade.

"Och då slutar allt med en maskeradboll." Fredrika avslutade sin berättelse till Sara och ler i spänning. "Och om du lyckas ta reda på vem din hemliga beundrare är, deltar du bollen tillsammans."

"Och du får bära riktiga klänningar från 1700-talet och peruker också." Stella påpekade när hon nickade med huvudet.

"Svin ger mig akne dock." Vera rörde pannan.

"När bär du en peruk?" Sara tittade på henne.

"Jag rakade håret en gång för att försöka komma ur en intervju jag hade med Erik. Min mamma hade en peruk tillverkad av håret jag klippte av, jag var tvungen att bära den tills den växte åtminstone tillbaka till mina axlar. "Blondinen krängde i det fruktansvärda minnet. "Viggen är ett nej från mig."

"Vi kommer att se ut som Marie Antoinette, på riktigt." Fredrika skrattade tillsammans med Stella.

"Men hon blev halshuggen." Sara stirrade.

"Men..." Fredrika rullade ögonen. "Kan alla sluta vara så negativa hela tiden? Jag förstår det inte."

"Men vad skriver du i brevet?" Sara tittade på flickorna.

Innan hon kunde svara, gick chefen in med en speciell middag gömd under ett glänsande lock. "Princess Vera?"

Hon tittade upp, en tveksam look. "Mhm?"

"Det är en speciell leverans." han satte ner det inför henne med en liten båge. "Njut av."

Innan Vera kunde säga något annat, gick han bort och lämnade flickorna att knuffa och puffa. "Det är orättvist att du får äta vad du vill. Jag önskar att jag kunde beställa."

"Jag beställde inte in." Vera tog bort locket och såg en vanlig kalkonsmörgås på insidan med sidorna avskuren.

"Det är bara en smörgås?" Stella såg en udda blick, det var när hon såg Vera hämta ett brev. "Åh! Säsongens första bett!"

"Vad står det?" Felice log. "Från Alexander? Henry?"

Vera utvecklade brevet med sitt namn på det och kände till handskrivningen. En liten gick över hennes läppar. "Krustet tas bort, precis som du vill. Kärlek, dina hemliga beundrare."

"Två?!" Fredrika skrek, Stella knuffade henne.

Vera log när hon satte brevet i väskan och åt smörgåsen som om det var det bästa hon någonsin hade haft.

Vera stirrade på sig själv i sovrumspegeln. Inte hennes sovrum i sovsalarna, utan snarare hennes sovrum hemma. Idag var hennes födelsedag, vilket gjorde henne arton år gammal. Arton. Den ålder som hon kunde tala sitt sinne, att hon kunde berätta för världen vad hon ville men alltid skulle betraktas som prinsessan. Hennes familj kunde förneka henne om de ville, men Vera visste att de aldrig skulle göra på grund av hur det skulle se ut på dem.

"Du ser vacker ut, älskling." Drottningen log och knäppte Vera ur sina tankar när hon såg sin mamma stå bakom henne. Hon kysste henne på pannan. "Gästen börjar redan visa. Kommer du ihåg Gillys, ja? De på domstolen."

"Säker." Vera erbjöd henne ett leende och kände att hennes mammor kalla handen på hennes nakna axel på grund av klänningen hon bar. "Jag kommer snart nere."

"Vi kan inte vänta med att höra ditt tal." hennes vänlighet idag fick Vera att känna sig lycklig. Men hennes mamma kan verkligen vara snäll. Vera visste att hon älskade henne, men kärlek kan vara smärtsam ibland. Och Sveriges drottning hade smärtat prinsessan mycket fler gånger än inte.

Hon skulle inte glömma det.

Axel. Den jävla fuskaren.

"Vera." log han och gick över vardagsrummet för att hälsa henne med en drink i handen. "Grattis på födelsedagen."

Vera accepterade inte sin kram, borste av den som om hon behövde ta några steg bort eftersom hennes fötter blev trånga upp och satt så stilla. Vera hatade många människor, men hon önskade bara att Axel var på den listan. Hon var så arg på honom för att ha fuskat henne, men hon var inte säker på att hon någonsin verkligen kunde hata honom. Medan hon älskade Henry och Alexander i stycken, hade de inte känt henne som Axel hade. De var tillsammans i flera år, han såg sidor av henne som hon inte ens visste att hon hade. Hon fortsatte snabbt eftersom det var lätt för henne att sluta älska honom, men den bristen på kärlek orsakade aldrig hat.

"Du ser vacker ut." han erbjöd henne ett leende, håret längre än det sista hon hade sett honom.

"Tack." Vera gnuggade armarna och tittade omkring i hopp om att hitta någon som är värd att fly till. Hon önskade att Willie skulle skynda sig med Henry eller att Alexander snart skulle släppas. "Har du inte ett datum?"

"Vi var aldrig tillsammans." han