The Unlikely Visitation

The Queen's Garden is probably the most beautiful place in the castle and it is also the biggest. It is located at left side of the castle and surrounded by its own wall and has trees and plants inside. The Queen's Garden has been our family's for generations, so most of its plants are really old.

As we went inside, Ronald then began his examination, while I was just amazed by looking at its beauty. I've never been here because, well, I've always been so busy but, I always look at it from the castle and always wishing to go here, and now that I am? It's just wow! And it's bigger than I thought! I can see trees with different sizes, plants having incomparable shapes and flowers with peculiar colors. Everything was beautiful.

After Ronald finished his work, we went inside the castle. He said that, as of now everything is fine. After that I went to bed.

"Penelope! The Queen is back!" Olivia said, the next day. I hurried to the throne and to see her.

"Your majesty! You are back? But why? I thought that you are making some agreement with the Rutherfords?" I asked her.

"Yes Penelope, but the king invited Duchess Matilda with Cousins Addison and Adrian for a visit. Tomorrow is gonna be their arrival and I want you to get dressed and be here tomorrow noon to welcome them."

"Of course your majesty"

What? Why are they coming? I hate them! Duchess Matilda Hale is my father's sister and She always acts like a Queen, being hash to everyone and bossing them around. While her son and daughter, the twins, Addison and Adrian are the most annoying people I ever met. They are a year younger than me so they always talked about boring things they read on books. They're always showing how smarter they are than me. It's really annoying! That night when the other maids were gone, I told Olivia how much I hated them.

Today, I spent the morning being dressed by my maids. They put a purple gown on me, braided my hair and put the crown on my head. After I was fully dressed, I went to the throne hall, sited on my throne and waited for their arrival. My mother was sitting on her throne at my left side. Neither one of us spoke while waiting. A few minutes later, they arrived.

"Your majesty" the three of them said while bowing down at us. Duchess Matilda is wearing a blue gown, Addison is wearing a beautiful yellow gown with a headdress on her head and Adrian is wearing some royal suit with the same color as his sister.

"Welcome to you Duchess Matilda, Lady Addison and Lord Adrian" mother said to them. Mother kissed their chicks and hugged them while I just smiled at them pretending to be happy seeing them again.

"Oh Penelope, you looked beautiful..." Duchess Matilda said to me whom I didn't believe, Duchess Matilda is too evil to say that.

"But, forgive me for saying this, that color, it doesn't suit you, you looked like a poor girl going to some cheap ball and your hair, it makes you look old!" I knew it! She is still evil!

We spent the afternoon talking about the happenings in each other's lives. But Duchess Matilda, on the other hand, keeps correcting my every move..

"Penelope dear, a princess should always walk with grace. People should see the elegance in you. People should know that you are a princess just by looking at you." She told me, while walking on the hallway.

"Penelope dear, a princess, should always talk in a formal way." She said while I was telling them a story that happened to me last year.

"Penelope dear, you should not move your head when turning around. Use your whole body, which is the proper way of turning or changing direction." She said when she called me from my back.

I hate her! She's insulting me in any way she could think of so, I was just acting to care and pretending to understand her lectures. She's even comparing me to her kids, saying..

"Penelope dear, you are a princess, you should act like one. Addison and Adrian are acting like a true royals, maybe you should act like them. They read a lot of books, you could try that as a start."

I am so mad at her right now, that I can feel my temper changing. I cannot believe it! She can't compare me to them because I will never wanna be anything like them! But I cannot let my temper defeat me. So again I just smiled!

Four days later, mother called me.

"Penelope, I called you to know that Duchess Matilda here is now going home..."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes darling, I know you'll miss me but I promised their father that I will only stay for four days" Duchess Matilda said.

Yes! I'm finally free! No more insults! No more lectures! I can breathe again!

"That is why you should take care of your cousin Addison and Adrian, make them entertained." My eyes opened widely as when my mother said that.

No! Not with them! I can't do it, I really can't...