The Inherited Series Book 1: The Inherited

by Lily Burlington

  As it turns out, I was the only one that was there to see Leopold off in the morning. Whether the rest of his family was used to it, whether they were busy or just wanted to sleep in, I wasn’t sure. What I did know was, that if someone I was related to was going off to war camp, I would be saying goodbye.

  So Leopold stood there, all geared up, as I clung to him in my polka-dotted pajamas. M. Lefevre, who was taking him to the base, had gone to get the car, leaving us alone in the foyer.

  “Everything will be fine. I will be back in a few days, I promise,” Leopold assured, as he soothed my hair.

  “I know,” I said, pulling away.

  Leopold kissed my forehead and then looked me up and down. “You may not want to come outside though. There are photographers at the gate.”

  “Really? Wow, they are determined. Have fun, be safe,” I told him.

  Leopold smiled and put his aviators on and then left, just gone. I stood there a moment longer, watching the door.

  “Worried?” said a voice suddenly, making me jump. I turned quickly and found Governor Richard standing at the top of the stairs.

  “Sorry,” I said, hand over my racing heart. “I didn’t realize you were there.”

  The old man shrugged, “Quite the man, your prince. He will be fine you know, he practically grew up at the base.”

  “It’s just this feeling I have, I dunno. I’m sure it will be okay.”

  “I was actually hoping to talk to you, if that is okay, Princess,” Richard indicated over his shoulder, down the hall.

  “Absolutely,” I said, and climbed the stairs to meet him.

  “You know, Princess, that I have been in communications for years with France?” Richard said, looping my arm through his.

  “Oh, really?” I replied, trying to sound interested.

  He nodded. “I wish to make Arcadis free again, independent from France, just as Solis has done. You see, we are related. A long, long time ago, my family was a part of your family’s court. Distant relatives, but my family has always remembered and dreamt of the old days. Now that you are here, I think this will be much easier. The Arcadians will remember their old kings and queens and soon long for the same things I do. You will add that extra push that we need.”

  “Glad I can help,” I replied, still unsure about where this was headed.

  “The matter of your title will help as well. See, the accord states that the heirs of both countries should wed, but you do not have a title, a crown or a country. These are necessary to fulfill the conditions on the document. I am in discussion with France so that they will allow these things. It is in their best interest, after all, if they wish to keep their allegiances with Solis. The thing is, Princess, that if my plan works, you will become the leader of the Parliament of Arcadis.”

  I stopped dead in my tracks. “You’re kidding.”

  Richard laughed, and shook his head, “No, it is true.”

  "I can't rule a country!" I practically yelled.

  "Oh, but you can. You will have my help as well, as the help of the entire DuMont family. You would have been doing this with Leopold in the first place, should the two of you get married. You will be more of a figurehead, really."

  "But I have had no training!" I stuttered.

  Richard patted my hand and then began to lead me forward again. "Do not worry, Princess. These are all merely possibilities. My plan may not work at all, then we would be, as the Americans put it, 'screwed'."

  Richard took me through a pair of ornately carved wooden doors and into a room covered in paintings. There was a row of lavish benches running down the center.

  "This is part of the castle open to the public. It is a gallery of the portraits of all of the Kings and Queens of Solis and those they were able to rescue from Arcadis. I wanted to show you one in particular."

  We stopped in the middle of the hall in front of a painting that was probably about six feet tall and framed in gold. There was a man in a blue and white military uniform, sword at his waist. He was handsome with square features and dark hair. At first I thought that something was wrong with his eyes, until I realized that they were just painted different colors, the same colors as Leopold's. He was standing beside a beautiful woman, in an emerald gown, with a giant sapphire pendant at her neck and one on her ring finger. Her skin was pale, eyes were dark and she had beautiful black waves. Like him, she had a sword at her waist.

  "Who are they?" I asked, amazed.

  These are King Leopold of Solis and Princess Catherine of Arcadis," Richard replied.

  "You're kidding," I balked.

  "No," Richard assured shaking his head. "This is why everyone is so amazed. You and Leopold are very similar to The Great King and Princess Catherine. You see, just like your Leopold, the King was a very dark and angry man. His country was in trouble, as France was planning to invade Arcadis, and he knew that Solis would be next. He was head of the army and was sent over to Arcadis by his brother, King Bellamy V, to make plans with King Charles. While Leopold was there, he and King Charles's sister, Princess Catherine, fell in love. Catherine was a charming and beautiful young girl with lots of spirit. She was trained in the army, along with her brother, so she was there to assist with the plans. The problem was that King Charles had planned to marry Catherine to the King of France to prevent the invasion.

  "To escape this fate, Catherine ran away with Leopold back to Solis. They were married in secret, the necklace a wedding gift from Leopold. When the King of France discovered this, he attacked Arcadis and vowed only to stop if Leopold and Catherine surrendered themselves. Leopold would not let Catherine go but she could not let her country be destroyed, so she snuck away. The King of France killed her at his feet and then continued on to Solis to hunt down Leopold. The invasion was halted though; Solis won the battle. Leopold mourned Catherine for the rest of his life."

  "That is so sad," I said, staring up at the painting.

  "Sad, but great. This is why Leopold is Leopold, it is the eyes. He will be King Leopold II if my plans are successful, and you Queen Catherine III. You already have him, Princess, just do not do anything to lose him." Richard pulled a black velvet bag from his pocket and pressed it into my hand. "Keep his heart safe, Princess," Richard said, as left me standing alone in the room.

  I fell back onto one of the benches and pulled my polka dotted knees up to my chest, my mind running over everything he had said. Carefully, I undid the tassel of the bag and shook the contents into my hand. A giant, tear shaped sapphire fell into my palm, a silver chain running after it.

  Chapter Nine

  "Je veux manger la pomme," said Mr. Arsnault, as he paced back and forth in front of me. "Est-ce que tu veux une pomme?"

  "Non, je n'ai pas faim," I replied almost automatically.

  "C'est quoi la nom du cheval d'Leopold?"

  "Jacqueline," I said flatly.

  M. Arsnault sighed. "Mademoiselle, I am supposed to be teaching you how to converse en francais. This is not possible if you only give one word answers. Qu'est que c'est la problem?"

  "Rien, rien," I said, trying to perk up. I sat up straight in my chair and looked down at the book of French verbs in front of me on the desk, "Je n'aime pas les chevaux."

  M. Arsnault ignored me, "He will be back soon, Mademoiselle. There is a meeting at the end of the week he must return for, and then you will have a break. This is important though."

  "I know. I just didn't realize how much there actually was going to be to learn, nor how much I was going to miss Leopold. Sorry, I'm just tired," I said, trying to shake myself out of the strange state I was in.

  "It is okay. We will finish for today. It is time for you to go and see Mme. DuBeche," my guard reminded me.

  I stood and slowly began to make my way to the yellow room that had essentially been turned into a giant personal store and closet for me since Leopold had left. Mme. DuBeche, the tailor, seamstress, and dressmaker extraordinaire had been commissioned to make all of the clothes I w
ould be needing if I ascended into the future role of Princess and Queen. The entire room was filled with me-sized mannequins wearing clothing for every occasion possible. Even remnants of hundred year old clothes, accessories, and jewelry my ancestors had worn had been located and brought to the yellow room for Mme. DuBeche to draw inspiration from. As a result of this, I spent an hour every morning with Mme. DuBeche and Phillipa, right after my daily French lesson, trying on the various styles and going over Etiquette.

  "Ummm, Phillipa?" I asked, after ten minutes of being wrestled into a very complicated device. "What is this exactly, and when on earth am I ever going to need it?"

  "Well, it is not finished yet, but you will be wearing it to the Governor's Ball next week. It is an annual event at which all of the members of Parliament will be present. Traditional dress is required, thus the hoop skirt and corset."

  I looked down at the tiny girl from on top of the pedestal I was standing on. "So you are telling me that I have to wear this," I said, indicating the layers of boning and gossamer I was wrapped in, "For the whole night?"

  Phillipa nodded. These traditions were really starting to get old.

  "Am I going to have to dance because I can barely walk so I'm pretty sure the best you could get out of me would be a rhythmic head bob."

  "Your head bobbing will not be required for this event. This will just be cocktails, dinner, and the Prince's speech. It is merely a dinner for the Governors and their families and a reflection of the first half of the year."

  "Well, I'm not sure how much eating will get done seeing as I can't sit at a table, let alone breathe in this dress, but at least I won't have to dance."

  I was glad that Mme. DuBeche did not speak English right now. I didn't think she would have liked the fact that I was insulting her creation. Really, it was pretty, I'd give her that. There were off the shoulder sleeves that gathered at my elbows where they ended in fine dripping lace. The bodice did quite impressive things to my chest and the embroidered flowers and beads continued onto the gigantic skirt which trained behind me and down the pedestal. The entire thing was made of fine white lace. From the outside, it was stunning, but the inside was another matter. I was layered in petticoats under the hard piping that made up the skirt and the sharp boning of the corset dug into my hips and made my ribs ache. I could already tell that it was going to be a death trap in disguise and it wasn't even finished yet. Mme. DuBeche needed to add more fabric apparently because, despite the fact that the dress should have its own zip code, the skirt wasn't of satisfactory size yet.

  "Which is actually the perfect introduction to today's etiquette lesson," Phillipa clapped excitedly from the chair. Rose, who was seated next to Phillipa, rolled her eyes, probably upset she didn't get a death dress too.

  "Today you will be learning about the behind the scenes happenings that take place during a special event. This means: timing, quick changes, moving from place to place, and security."

  "As you have probably noticed, even with small events and outings, it is very important to stick to the strict schedule made for the event. All arrival times are set very specifically and the entire night's proceedings can be delayed if one of us is late."

  I nodded; only half paying attention. I had already figured this out, plus I was more concerned about Mme. DuBeche who was currently using a blade to trim fabric a little too close to my skin for comfort.

  "For larger events, there will also be costume changes and transportation times to work around as well. In the occurrence of a costume change that would take place at events such as weddings and Coronations, there will be a team and a room assigned to you who will be on standby to make the change as quickly and flawlessly as possible. If you need to be transported to a different location, there will also be a team put in place to make the transition possible."

  "So, we just have to know where to be and when to go at all times?" asked Rose, sounding a little skeptical.

  I was glad she asked. It was starting to sound a little complicated, especially since many of the events probably took place in old buildings or places I had never been before. I could definitely see myself getting lost and completely screwing the entire sacred schedule system up. I winced as I was stabbed by a pin. Mme. DuBeche apologized profusely.

  Phillipa smiled knowingly. "This is what brings me to the most important part: your security team. You have already had some dealings with them, but probably don't realize how much goes on behind the scenes, even for something as small as going out for coffee. Someone, in your case Cat, M. Arsnault, knows your entire schedule and your whereabouts at all times every day. They are in charge of not only your safety, but also transitioning you through every step of an event. They are connected to the event planner, the head of security, and the rest of the Guard at all times. Every member of the royal family has code names that are used over the communication system to make the others discreetly aware of your whereabouts. Leopold for example, is referred to as The Lion, Felip is The Eagle, Hector is The Bear and so on and so forth. For your information, Catherine, your codename is The Lamb, and Rose you are The Dove. Any questions?"

  I looked over to where M. Arsnault stood quietly in the corner, evaluating him. He was much more James Bond like than I had given him credit for. I winked at him quickly before turning back to Phillipa.

  "No? Alright, we are done for now then. Cat, get changed."

  In the last two weeks that Leopold had been gone, my life had entered some form of stasis. I was in lessons, all day, every day, and saw only the same few people again and again, with no change or alteration. Everything was stagnant with no hint of excitement. I hadn't been off the property or done anything but practice endless verbs and titles and names. I could recite both the Solisian and Arcadis national anthems, name all the Kings and Queens in my ancestry and how they died, and tell you on which occasion it was appropriate for one to wear a crown versus a tiara, but I didn't have the faintest idea what was going on in the outside world. It was endless, mind numbing, and draining. What worried me more than the frustration and cabin fever though, was how much I was beginning to ache from being separated from Leopold for so long. I was sure that couldn't be healthy.

  "Wait, wait, wait, that guy did what?" I asked in disbelief as I stared up at a photo of an obese man in a pair of tight, white pantaloons.

  "He is your great, great, great, great cousin, twice removed, Thomas Archambeaux the Earl of Gratin and he ate an entire flock of sheep," replied Governor Richard with a slight humor in his voice.

  "Why?" I asked disgusted. Then I added, "Wait, a whole flock, all at once?"

  "I presume he would have saved many of them or had a banquet, but that was the law. Anyone who stole had their property taken away from them. This man just happened to only own a flock of sheep that were kept as livestock."

  We moved on to the next painting. This was how history lessons went. I would get a tour of some part of the castle or be shown maps or painting or photos and told about the people and things in them. Today was Arcadian history taught by Governor Richard.

  "How about this one?" the old man asked me.

  "Sylvain Turcotte, Duke of Jatel. He lost his right eye in the Battle of the Plains of Harmondel," I recited dutifully.

  "Correct," said the Governor ginning, "But can you tell me where he is standing?"

  I stared at the painting, trying to evaluate another one of the rooms that another one of my war obsessed, long haired, relatives was standing in. It didn't look like any part of the DuMont Castle I had seen. A nervous feeling grew in the pit of my stomach as a thought, which I hadn't thought about until now, occurred to me. "Do I have a castle?"

  "As a matter of fact, the SinClaire family does have a castle," confirmed Richard. "That painting shows the Duke in the Hall which was named after him."

  "It's still there?" I demanded, still more focused on the fact that I apparently owned an entire palace I wasn't aware of. "I thought it would have been destroyed or ransacked or some
thing between all the wars and stuff."

  "There were some damages over the years, yes, but the foundations are centuries old, nearly unchangeable. Many of the furnishings and artifacts were placed into protection before the war so they were well preserved. That is how we have all of your dresses. The castle was used as a house for the French Royal Family who maintained and restored the castle. Marie Antoinette and Napoleon Bonaparte were both big fans of the estate and made the castle their own with grand additions and gardens. As you can imagine, it is truly stunning. Today, it is primarily used as a museum, but also a meeting place for politicians from around the globe. As soon as you ascend to the throne however, it will be known as your permanent residence."

  I stared him, not comprehending the fact that I owned a medieval castle that I was supposed to take weekend trips to when I got bored of this castle.

  "Many of the other historical estates on your property have been modernized as well and are fully prepared for you whenever necessary," he spoke quickly, as if I had been more concerned about the not-so-limited living arrangements that could soon be mine.

  "If you look over here, Princesse," Governor Richard said, directing me to a glass case which had blue prints on display, "These are maps of the SinClaire castle and grounds."

  I looked down at all the interconnecting boxes, all representing different rooms, galleries, and courtyards. There were photos of grand ballrooms encased in gold, hallways lined with marble statues, Persian carpets, silk curtains, and acres of lush gardens. To say the least, the whole idea seemed absolutely ridiculous and overwhelming.

  "I would like to take you to see your castle someday, Princesse, so you can see your country and your people," the Governor continued and then frowned, looking at me. "Are you alright, Princesse? You look very pale."

  I nodded absently.

  "Well, we will continue tomorrow, enjoy your next lesson. I believe it is dance, yes?" Richard looked worriedly to M. Arsnault when I didn't answer. My guard came over to my side and placed his hand on my back, gently leading me out of the gallery.