Work Text
What a shame
Didn't wanna be the one that got away, yeah
Big mistake, broke the sweetest promise
That you never should have made
I'm here on the kitchen floor
You call, but I won't hear it
You said no one else, how could you do this, babe?
Olivia sat on the kitchen floor in her estate crying into her hands, reliving the night before. Just last night, Drake had kissed her under the fireworks and told her how much he loved her. Little did she know that he had been banging “miss perfect” just a few hours before, or that he would soon take a bullet for her.Drake pounded on the door she had locked behind her. “Let me in Liv! Let me talk to you!” He shouted through the door.“The time for talking is done, Drake. Your time ended when you fucked her at the Homecoming Ball.” Olivia was getting angry now. How dare he? How fucking dare he? After everything they shared. After everything he had made her feel.“Come on Liv! Are you going to throw everything we have away over some mistake? I’m sorry! Are you going to let our whole lives just disappear for your pride?” Drake was starting to get angry that Olivia wouldn’t at least talk to him.
What a waste
Taking down the pictures and the plans we made, yeah
And it's strange how your face doesn't look so innocent
Your secret has its consequence and that's on you, babe
I break down every time you call
We're a wreck, you're the wrecking ball
We said no one else, how could you do this, babe?
Olivia had heard enough. She wiped her tears and went to open the door. “Pride? You speak to me of pride? I’m a Nevrakis! I bathe in the blood of my enemies! You could never wound my pride. You betrayed me, Drake. Not only me, but Liam. Your best friend. You slept with his fiance at the Homecoming Ball. The ball that was celebrating their engagement. Honestly, I hope Liam dumps the trollop. You two deserve each other.” Olivia had traded her sadness for fury. *********************************************Earlier that morning……Liam arrived at Olivia’s estate to find Olivia almost frantic. “Where is Drake, Li? I haven’t heard from him all night.” Liam had never seen Olivia this upset and he wasn’t sure why it surprised him. He noticed that Olivia and Drake had gotten closer, hell, they had all noticed. They weren’t that subtle, or that good at sneaking off.“Calm down, Liv. Drake is Okay. He took a bullet to the shoulder, but Jessica got him out and took him to the safe house. She patched him up and they are on their way here. I told her that he might recover faster at your place.” Liv slowly nodded as she listened to Liam. She had to prepare her house to take care of Drake, not knowing what condition he was in. She was surprised when they arrived that he was up, walking around like nothing had happened. Olivia had never really liked Jessica, she had just walked into her life like she owned everything and demanded that people respect her. They had developed an uneasy friendship over the past few months however as they worked together to clear her name. Olivia figured that they should at least be amicable since she was going to marry Liam and stick around.“Hey Jess,” Olivia said as Jessica walked into the study. “Thank you for patching up Drake, he seems to be in good spirits.”“Well, he ought to be after the night we had. Maybe if I had kept him occupied in my room a little longer, this wouldn’t have happened.” Jessica had a knowing smirk on her face as she glared at Olivia.Olivia just stared at her in shock, trying to process what she just said. “What?” She barely managed to breathe out the word.“We can stop pretending to be friends now, Liv. My name is cleared, I got my king, and apparently I also got Drake. At least that’s what he told me last night as I made him moan my name over and over.”Olivia’s demeanor suddenly changed into the stone cold Nevrakis that she was. “Get out of my house.”“As you say, Dutchess Olivia.” Jessica turned and walked out of the study smiling and saying something quietly to King Liam on her way out. He just smiled and kissed her cheek, following her out to the waiting car.
Since you admitted it, I keep picturing
Her lips on your neck, I can't unsee it
I hate that because of you, I can't love you
Babe
“Tell me it isn’t true, Drake. Tell me that bitch was lying.” Olivia looked at Drake with pleading in her eyes, silently begging him to contradict her. “Did you really fuck her and then come right back to me like nothing happened?”Drake just looked down at his feet. “Yes, I did. It was a mistake. I don’t love her, Liv! I love you! I always have, I don’t know why I let her get to me.”“Get out Drake.” Olivia looked at him with the coldest expression he had ever seen, then took off into the kitchen, locking the door behind her.************************************************Now….Olivia looked at Drake on the other side of the kitchen door. “I told you to get out a long time ago.”“Olivia, I’ll go, but please don’t let this mistake, this one time thing, ruin what we have. It’ll kill me. I know I’m an asshole, but my life really is better with you in it.” Drake was fighting back his tears now, even as they began to fall.“You should have thought of that before you stabbed both me and Liam in the back. I don’t even know who you are anymore. I am going to go upstairs and take a bath. When I come down, you and all your belongings better be gone from my sight or I will take a trip to the armory and see what fun things I can find to mess up your other shoulder. And maybe both of your legs.”Olivia walked past Drake and up the stairs never looking back as she heard Drake gathering up his things and then heard the faint click of the front door. She was done playing nice.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The morning after Olivia kicked Drake out of her house, she knew what she needed to do. She had to talk to Constantine. The fact that the King himself was behind the scandal was never released to the public, but it was known to the small group of friends who had worked so hard to uncover the mystery. Now that Liam was King, it would be much easier to talk to Constantine alone. Olivia didn’t want to go to the palace and risk running into Jessica, so she extended an invitation to Constantine to visit her at Lithykos. To be honest, she was a little surprised when he accepted.
“Your Highness, thank you for coming,” Olivia said as she poured Constantine a cup of tea in her study. “I want to talk to you about Jessica.” Constantine looked up from his tea slightly surprised.
“What would you like to know? You and your plucky band of misfits already figured out that I had the photos taken. Tariq has already made a statement. What more needs to be said?” He actually looked sad as he recounted the chain of events.
“I need to know why.” Olivia looked at him seriously. “Why work so hard to frame her and keep Liam from choosing her?”
Constantine looked resigned and nodded slightly, knowing he would eventually have to tell the story. “Very well. If you really must know I will tell you.”
It was early in the social season and Maxwell had just shown up with this naive waitress from New York. She was beautiful, charming, and despite evidence to the contrary, I liked her. I could tell that Liam loved her right away. I wasn’t all that concerned that she didn’t have courtly knowledge because that could be learned, and she was a fast learner. One night I was walking the halls in the palace because I couldn’t sleep and I heard her voice.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since New York. I was so excited when Maxwell said he was bringing me here and I knew I would get to see you again.” Jessica giggled. I just thought she was secretly meeting up with Liam, so I didn’t really care, but as I got closer, I could tell that the other voice was not Liam’s. I crept closer, trying to get a glimpse of who she was talking to without giving myself away, and I saw her talking to Tariq.
“So, I’m really going to be queen?” Jessica asked in amazement.
“Of course you are, Liam is practically eating out of your hand.” Tariq leaned down and kissed her and she gave a small smile.
“Mmmmm. I love it when you talk royalty,” Jessica kissed him again and then led him into her room.
“Looking back on it, I should have told Liam right away, but I knew he wouldn’t believe me without proof. When I saw them talking at Applewood, I knew he was probably going to go to her room again, so I hired a photographer to wait and see. I thought my plan had failed when Drake showed up and Jessica played the victim. The photographer managed to get some rather good shots before she left, however, so I still released the photos as I had planned.”
Olivia just stared at him as he told her about the unknown events of the social season. “So you didn’t want him to choose Jessica, you released the photos at a time guaranteeing he would chose someone else. Did you want him to choose Madeline?!”
“God No!” Constantine exclaimed. “I actually hoped he would choose you even though you were with Drake.” Olivia glared at him for that remark.
“Why didn’t you just take the photos to Liam when you got them?”
“I honestly didn’t think he would believe me. I wanted to release them in a public way so he couldn’t deny it.”
“That’s actually very clever of you,” Olivia admitted. “Well, what can we do now?”
Constantine looked over with a twinkle in his eye. “Do you want to conspire with me Dutchess Olivia?”
“I really want to take that bitch down. She had the nerve to seduce Drake. At the homecoming ball.” Olivia fought back tears, but she quickly regained her composure. “That, I cannot forgive. She has no idea who she is messing with.”
Constantine stood and placed his cup back on the tray. “I will do everything I can to help you, but right now, I must go. The Unity tour will leave in a few days and I have much work to do before we depart.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Olivia walked Constantine to the door and watched as the car took him down the drive. She had planning to do. It was still a while before the unity tour came to Lythikos, but she would be ready.
*******************
Constantine was true to his word and planned to pass all information he could dig up to Olivia. He had assumed that Tariq had gone back to Los Angeles after he made the statement, but there were rumors that he had been seen around the castle. With the recent assassination attempts and acts of terrorism, the thought that Tariq was still in Cordonia was troubling. Constantine had never trusted him, and with what he now knew about Jessica, the trusted him even less.
“Bastien, I know that you no longer work for me, but I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?” Constantine and Bastien were sitting together having a drink and talking about days past. When things were simple in Cordonia and people weren’t attacking the palace left and right.
“It would be my honor, Your Highness,” Bastien replied with no hesitation.
“I was wondering, since I will be busy on the unity tour, if you could discreetly keep tabs on Dutchess Jessica? I would like to know what she does, who she talks to, I just can’t give up now on exposing her. I promised Dutchess Olivia I would provide her with information. She knows the whole story as well.”
Bastien knew what Jessica was, and what she was doing. He had no problem with this request. He knew about the photos and Tariq. “Of course, Your Highness. I will keep a eye on her,” Then he grinned and added, “for her protection.”
Constantine smiled at Bastien as they both raised their glasses in a toast.
******************
The unity tour turned out to be boring for the first few stops. Madeline’s house was never fun, and Penelope’s house was just 90% poodle talk. Jessica was sweet as always though, promising that Penelope could bring her annoying poodles if she came back to court. Penelope eventually agreed. And then there was the polo match.
Ugh
Jessica thought to herself,
Could polo be any more boring.
Jessica was on her way back to the house when she saw Drake about to head out.
“Hey you,” She said flirtatiously. “Where are you headed?”
“Fishing,” Drake replied. “Portavira has the best water in Cordonia, it would be a shame not to take advantage while we were here.”
“Do you want some company?” Jessica took a step closer to Drake, looking up at him.
“I actually prefer to fish alone, it’s much more peaceful that way.” Drake gave her a hard look and walked away.
“Well then, fuck you too, Walker.” Jessica muttered to herself as she walked inside to head to bed.
The next morning, everyone was gathered downstairs to leave when they got the news about the orchard at Applewood Manor. Jessica couldn’t believe it! Why would they burn the orchard? That was Cordonia’s major export. If these guys wanted to rule Cordonia, it would be better to not burn the place to the ground first. Regardless, it was pointless, irritating, and it caused a detour in their plans.
The next few days ended up being uneventful, Jessica put on a great show rallying the people that work in the orchard. She played with children and was generally loveable to all. She was nothing if not an accomplished actress. After Applewood, they averted an art crisis at Castelsarreillan.
Dear God,
Jessica thought,
Is everyone in this country always in crisis? Why is everything always falling apart?
It didn’t matter, they were on their way back to the palace for the costume ball, and that promised to be fun.
*******************
Bastien knocked on the door to Constantine’s study. “Please come in Bastien, would you like a drink?”
“No, thank you.” Bastien looked nervous. “Sir, I did some digging and found the information you requested on Dutchess Jessica. I have also seen her in a few compromising situations as of late.”
“Please Bastien, I have to know everything.” Constantine smiled at his old friend. The two men talked late into the night as Bastien revealed all that he had discovered about Jessica and who she truly was.
*******************
It was the night of the costume ball and everyone was in good form. Olivia looked around the room taking everyone in. Maxwell and his squid suit, Hana in her flowers, and Liam looking regal in traditional ceremonial garb. Olivia’s eyes went to the bar where she knew Drake would be, and sure enough, there he was dressed as a noble, in clothes borrowed from Liam. She couldn’t help but notice the way the overcoat hung perfectly across his broad shoulders. Just then, Jessica walked up to him and they began talking. Fury rose in Olivia as she was suddenly reminded of what they did, and what she lost. “I need to get out of here,” Olivia muttered to herself as she walked toward the back exit. As she crossed the room, the lights went out and there was a loud bang.
Oh no! Not again!
She thought. The lights came up just in time for her to see the armed gunman closing in on Liam and Constantine. “No!” Olivia cried drawing their attention. The gunman raised his pistol, took aim, and shot Constantine twice in the chest. Olivia ran to his side as Liam was kneeling down with his father’s head in his lap.
“I tried Olivia,” Constantine said as he looked up at her, “Please be careful.”
He looked over at Liam,”I love you son, and I only wanted the best for you.”
“It’s okay, Dad, I love you too.” Liam began to cry softly as his Father slipped away.
“What was he talking about?” Liam asked through his tears. “What did he mean, be careful?”
“I don’t know,” Olivia lied.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Since the morning after the homecoming ball, Drake had been suspicious of Jessica. Yes, part of it was his guilt for betraying Olivia, but mostly it was what Jessica said. He had been coming around the corner, about to join Olivia in the study when he heard them talking.
“We can stop pretending to be friends now, Liv. My name is cleared, I got my king, and apparently I also got Drake. At least that’s what he told me last night as I made him moan my name over and over.” Drake couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Not only did he realize that he was now in deep shit, but this didn’t fit at all with the character of his friend Jessica Knox. He felt that he had gotten to know her pretty well while she was here, and this just didn’t seem right. He waited in the hall until Jessica and Liam left and then went in to see Olivia.
After Olivia kicked him out, he went back to the palace and decided that he would keep a close eye on her throughout the unity tour. He just knew that something was wrong. There is no way that the Knox he knew would say those things to Olivia.
Would she?
Jessica acted out of character the entire trip. She seemed uninterested in the politics of courtly life, but he guessed he could understand that. She kept sneaking off at weird hours and suddenly popping back up with no one knowing where she had gone. He tried to talk to Liam about it, but Liam said she was probably just excited, and she was a “free spirit”. He wouldn’t believe anything was going on unless he was presented with proof. The one thing that really bothered Drake was how she acted at Applewood after the orchard was burned. She put on a show of being pissed at the terrorists and wanting Cordonians to fight, but he could tell that underneath, she was annoyed that they had to detour from the unity tour. Drake was the king of hiding annoyance, he could definitely sense it in others. Nothing exciting happened, however, until the Costume Gala. Drake thought Jessica seemed nervous.
Why?
If anyone should be nervous it was him in this ridiculous outfit he had borrowed from Liam. It didn’t really matter though, he was going to spend all night at the bar. He had seen Olivia come in wearing her ridiculously see through red dress that made him want to drag her out of the ballroom and down the hall to Liam’s study. He had lost track of how much action Liam’s poor desk had seen from them over the years, but that was in the past. Olivia had not so much as looked at him since she found out about him and Knox, and he knew she was right. He deserved her wrath. He was lost in thought when Jessica was suddenly at his side asking him to dance.
“Come on Drake. I know you know how, come show off those fancy clothes you are wearing.” She gave him a playful smile and he felt himself begin to relax despite his suspicions.
“Oh what the hell, Knox, fine.” Drake had just started to get up and go with her when the lights had gone out and the assassin came in and shot Constantine.
In the weeks following Constantine’s death, the whole feeling inside the palace changed. There was a deep feeling of sadness that would not ease. Constantine was a well respected and loved King, and the people of Cordonia, and inside the palace mourned his loss deeply. After the funeral, the unity tour continued to Lithykos. It was decided to continue the tour in spite of events. If ever there was a time that Cordonia needed to be united, it was now.
Well, at least I can see Olivia.
Thought Drake.
Maybe I can tell her my suspicions and at least get her to help me figure out what is going on.
They arrived at Lythikos in good spirits and ready to at least try to have a little fun at the ball. It had been awhile since they had had anything close to fun, and the group needed to relax. They were all standing around talking when Justin surprised everyone by reappearing.
“Justin! You’re alive!” Drake said as he clapped him on the shoulder.
“Oh, yeah. It would take more than a bullet to stop me, I have ambitions.” Justin said flatly.
The group all took their turns congratulating Justin on not being dead, when Drake had an idea. Olivia had told him once that there was a corner of the armory where you could hear conversations in the ballroom that took place by where the dessert table was set up. He thought this would be a perfect opportunity to sneak down there and hear what he could hear. He wanted as much evidence as possible before he tried to talk to Olivia.
**********************
Olivia watched the group talking to Justin and thought that this was as good of a time as any to sneak away. She fully intended to use her special spot in the armory to spy on those in attendance. Especially Jessica. She just had to go down there and wait until someone decided they wanted desert. She stopped short when she entered the armory.
“What are
you
doing here?” She said coldly to Drake when she saw him standing in the corner of her armory.
Drake looked up in surprise, not having heard her enter. “Uh. Olivia. Oh...um...hi.” Drake stammered awkwardly. “I was down here to listen, I think something is up with Jessica and I wanted to try and find out what.”
“I already know that there is something going on with Jessica, as is evident by the fact she is a cunt.” Drake looked at her, shock evident on his face. “Oh please, you have heard me say way worse things than that. I am here to listen too.” She moved up closer to Drake as they hear Jessica’s familiar voice.
“We need a plan, Justin. I need you back as my press secretary. You know you are the only one that can fulfill your end of the bargain.” Jessica said in a whispered tone. “You know what you promised me. Here, take this. You know what you need to do.”
“Yes, Jessica, I know.”
“Well that wasn’t suspicious at all.” Drake said as he looked over at Olivia.
“Alright Drake, spill it. What do you know?” Olivia looked at him questioningly. Even though she was still pissed, she figured that Drake would be the perfect person to gather information behind enemy lines.
“I don’t know much, Liv. I came down here to try to get some information before I came to you for help.”
“Came to me? You wanted my help?” She looked at him curiously.
“Of course. There is no one more ruthless than you when it comes to getting information from people, and I figured you would be the most motivated to take her down, given the circumstances.” He looked down at his feet and Olivia could tell he was fighting the quiver in his voice. “I’m really sorry, Liv.”
“Sorry? You’re sorry?” Liv stared hard at him, the fury evident on her face. “You betrayed me! I loved you, and you went behind my back….” Olivia didn’t get to finish as suddenly Drake was kissing her hard.
“I love you, Liv. I’m so, so, sorry. Please let me make it up to you?” Drake kissed her again to drive his point across. Liv couldn’t deny that she was still attracted to Drake, she loved him for Christ’s sake. She always had. That was why she was so pissed. Why this had hurt her so deep.
“You want to make it up to me, Drake? Prove it.” Olivia kissed him long and deep, then applied a gentle pressure to his shoulder guiding him to his knees. Drake followed her prompt immediately placing open mouthed kisses along her torso over the fabric of her dress as he sank to the floor. He bent down and began a trail of kisses up her leg as it peeked out of the slit in her dress than ran all the way to her hip. Olivia laid her head back against the wall and let out a soft moan as Drake ran his hands up, following his mouth, pushing up her dress. He placed rough kisses against her clothed core.
“God, you’re so wet, Liv.” Drake said huskily as he slid her black lace panties down. He then swiftly placed one of her legs over his shoulder and got to work. Olivia let out a loud moan as Drakes mouth found her aching center. Dear God he was good at this. She could barely think as his tongue moved between plunging inside her and making little flicks across her clit. As soon as Drake inserted two fingers and began to suck on her sensitive bundle of nerves, she was done. She came hard, her vision momentarily fading out as her knees grew weak and the only thing holding her upright were Drakes hands on her hips. Drake stood up to give her another kiss and she could taste herself on his tongue.
“Damn, Walker. I needed that.” Olivia quickly started to fix her dress and walk out of the armory.
“Olivia! Wait!” Drake pleaded. “Are you just going to leave me like this?” Olivia looked down at Drake’s hard cock straining the front of his pants. She gave a little smirk.
“Why don’t you go ask Jessica, I’m sure she will help you out. Given your...history. Feel free to keep the panties as a souvenir.” Olivia walked out of the armory and back to the party leaving Drake standing there in shock watching her leave.
**********************
The next day was the winter festival and everyone was on edge. While Drake and Olivia were in the armory the night before, Madeline had collapsed and it was concluded that it was poison. The group had hatched a ridiculous plan to lure the traitor out, by using Liam and Jessica as bait, but Drake was pretty sure that Jessica was not in danger. They decided that Jessica would go off with Justin and do something away from the group to try to lure an assassin into action.
“This is insane.” Drake mumbled to Bastien as Jessica and Justin walked off. “Nothing is going to happen to her. I’m pretty sure the actual target was Madeline in the first place.”
“I believe you are right,” Bastien agreed. “Your suspicions are correct that Dutchess Jessica is not what she seems.” Bastien took off down the path following after her.
***************
“I’m glad that’s over.” Justin said as he and Jessica walked through the snow.
“Me too, Madeline was getting in my way. Is everything prepared for the wedding?”
“It has all been arranged.” Justin confirmed.
“I wish Tariq could be here with the rest of the court instead of hiding and following us around. I am getting really tired of having to sneak out to see my fiance.” Jessica looked sad as she stared at the ground.
“He feels the same way, Jessica. A few more weeks and this will all be over.” Justin leaned over and put his arm around Jessica as he placed a chaste kiss to her temple.
“I guess you are right, we better start heading back.” The two walked back toward the festival.
**********************
Well, that’s interesting
thought Basiten, and he made a note to pass this information on to Olivia and now he believed that Drake needed to know as well. When Justin and Jessica returned, the rest of the festival was uneventful. Bastien knew he needed to share information with Drake and Olivia, he just needed the right time and place. The next stop on the tour was Valtoria, and that seemed like the perfect opportunity. Too bad he never got the chance.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A few days later, the group arrived at Valtoria and began to get settled into their rooms. Bastien pulled Olivia and Drake aside. “Duchess.” He nodded at Olivia. “Drake, It is time for me to share everything that I know about Duchess Jessica. King Liam and Duchess Jessica are about to go out on a ride around the estate. Jessica asked me to secure the barn, and make sure they are fine when they leave, but I will send another guard out with them. While they are gone, meet me in the study and I will tell you everything.” Drake and Olivia nodded. “Also, this would be a good time to inform Lady Hana and Lord Maxwell, please invite them to attend.” Olivia and Drake silently nodded again, and set off to find Hana and Maxwell.
Bastien followed Liam and Jessica to the barn as they prepared horses to take on their private ride through Valtoria. “I don’t know why you felt that Bastien needed to secure the barn, Love,” Liam mused. “I am sure that we are safe from the horses.” He leaned over and gave her a kiss on her forehead.
“I know, sweetheart, but with everything that has happened, I would feel better knowing that there were no assassins just lurking around in the barn.” Jessica looked up to him and gave him an adorable half smile. She knew Liam was putty in her hands when she gave him that look. Suddenly her eyes grew wide as a hooded figure dressed in black came out from the last stall and made a beeline for Liam.
“Oh no you don’t,” said Bastien stepping between them drawing his gun. The assassin was slightly faster though and drew his gun firing rapidly and shooting Bastien in the chest. He then took off running into the woods behind the barn as Liam ran to Bastien.
“Bastien! No!” Liam yelled as he knelt in the dirt and hay of the barn floor.
“I’ll go get help!” Jessica ran out of the barn finding Mara and another guard, Sam, who had come running when they heard the shot. “Mara, the assassin! He ran into the woods!”
“I’ll get him!” Mara exclaimed as she ran towards the woods.
“Sam, quick! We need to get Basiten to the hospital!” Jessica led him into the barn.
“I’ll get the car, help me load him in the back.” Sam and Liam loaded Bastien into the SUV and Sam took off towards the hospital.
Later that night, everyone was sitting around barely picking at their dinner when Liam’s phone rang. “Thank you, Sam. That is wonderful. Let me know when he wakes up.” Liam hung up the phone and looked to the group. “Bastien is out of surgery and he is stable. He is still unconscious, but it looks like he will make a full recovery.” The relief in the room was palpable and Liam didn’t stop the tear that ran down his cheek at the news that Bastien would be okay.
After dinner, Drake, Olivia, Maxwell, and Hana all met in the study to go over the events of the day. “I need a drink.” Drake made his way over to the wet bar and poured a whiskey. “Anyone else?”
They all just looked around sadly. “Just me then.”
“That little snake,” Olivia sneered. “I don’t believe for one second that she is innocent in this. Bastien was going to expose her and somehow she found out and made sure he was shot.”
“Maybe she really didn’t know,” Hana added. “I feel like I have gotten to know her and I can’t imagine her being the person that you and Drake claim she is.” Olivia could tell that Hana was hurt. It made sense. Jessica was the first friend she had made at court. Heaven knew that Olivia wasn’t nice to her, and she couldn’t blame Hana for trying to defend her friend.
“Still, Hana, that doesn’t change the facts. Constantine knew who she was, and he was trying to gather facts to present to Liam. He knew that she was in love with Tariq and he ended up dead for that knowledge.” Olivia looked at Hana with what could be considered pity, and Olivia never pitied anyone.
“Well, Bastien must have had something to show us. Where are his personal belongings?” Maxwell asked. “There might be something there to help us out.”
“The guard usually stays in the staff quarters,” Drake replied, “Come on.”
They left and went to find Bastien’s room. They found the room easily enough and were not surprised that it was mostly bare. There was a small bed, desk, and nightstand. The walls were bare and white.
“Are all the staff rooms this small?” Hana seemed mystified by the tiny room.
“Usually,” Drake said. “They don’t get the grand suites that the nobles are afforded.” Drake walked over and started going through Bastien’s bags. “Aha! Found it!” Drake held up a small silver key with a decorative rose carved into it. “I know what this key opens. I have seen it before. This is the key to Constantine’s safe in the King’s study.” The other’s just look at him.
“Isn’t that Liam’s safe now?” Olivia asked. “Wouldn’t he know what was in it?”
“Nope.” Drake addressed them all, “Liam has his own safe in the study. Constantine still maintained his own as long as he was alive. Upon his death, Liam would get the key to his father’s safe and ownership of whatever was inside. That way Constantine could still have some privacy even though he wasn’t the king anymore. I guess Bastien had the key and Liam has been too busy to think about it.”
“How do you know all this?” Hana asked.
“I grew up in the palace, remember? I know all it’s secrets.” The group walked out of the room and said goodnight. They all agreed to meet at the study and see what was the safe as soon as they returned to the palace. Luckily they were headed back tomorrow morning, before Liam. Liam and Jessica were staying at Valtoria for another day for the Lantern festival, but everyone else was leaving to go back to the palace and check on Bastien in the hospital.
When they arrived back at the palace, they planned to meet in the study after dinner and open the safe. They were all gathered around as Drake pulled out the key, opened the door, and pulled out a thick stack of papers. “What is all this?” Maxwell asked as he looked through the stack. “Birth certificate, adoption papers, Cordonian historical documents. Looks pretty boring and useless.”
“Not just any birth certificate!” Olivia exclaimed. “Jessica’s birth certificate!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They were all gathered around as Drake pulled out the key, opened the door, and pulled out a thick stack of papers. “What is all this?” Maxwell asked as he looked through the stack. “Birth certificate, adoption papers, Cordonian historical documents. Looks pretty boring and useless.”“Not just any birth certificate!” Olivia exclaimed. “Jessica’s birth certificate!”**************************************
New York
12 Months before Liam’s bachelor party
Jessica was nearing the end of another long shift at the bar. She was just looking forward to getting out of there and going back to her little apartment to relax a little before her double shift the next day. She was busy wiping down the bar when they came in. Both men were good looking, both with brown hair and brown eyes. They definitely didn’t belong in her bar though, both men were dressed in expensive suits with custom Italian loafers. They walked right up to the bar and sat down.“Jessica Knox?” One man asked as they sat down.Jessica had a brief moment of panic wondering how they knew her name. “Who wants to know?”“My name is Anton Severus,” the man replied, “And this is Tariq Redmond. We want to talk to you about your family.” Jessica looked startled. “Your real family.” Jessica knew she was adopted when she was a baby, but it was a closed adoption and her adoptive parents didn’t know much about her birth parents. Even if they did, she had no desire to know them. If they cared, they wouldn’t have given her away in the first place. “What about it?” She asked.“Why don’t you let us take you to dinner after your shift and we will tell you everything.” Jessica nodded and the two men left the bar.After her shift, they were waiting for her outside and they walked to a nearby 24-hour diner. “So, what do you know about my family?”Anton looked at her and began telling her the news that would change her life. “Your name is actually Anastasia Severus, and you are my cousin.”*************************************
Cordonia
25 Years Ago
There was an uprising in the small European country of Cordonia. The uprising was led by a small group known as the Sons of Earth. This faction believed that the current royal family had no right to rule, and the leaders of this faction, Wesley and Winifred Severus, the Duke and Duchess of Avalon, believed they should hold the throne. They had planned an attack for Prince Liam’s birthday ball. The whole kingdom would be at the palace to celebrate the first birthday of the prince and it would succeed in taking out as many nobles as possible. They planned to place people loyal to their family into positions of power when they were the King and Queen. They had no desire to hurt Prince Liam or his older brother, Crown Prince Leo, they just planned to send them away.“Are you sure that King Constantine and Queen Emmaline will be in the ballroom at exactly 7:30?” One man asked. He was dressed head to toe in black tactical gear and a black mask covered his face.“Yes, that is when everyone is expected to toast the Prince. The whole court will be gathered.” Wesley laid out the plan once more. “And for God’s sake, don’t shoot me or Fred by mistake.”At exactly 7:30, the whole court was gathered in the ballroom to toast respects to the Prince on his birthday. All at once, the lights went dark and everyone started screaming in confusion. There were shots fired and everyone was either crying or hiding under tables. No sooner than it had begun, the sounds of gunfire abruptly stopped and the palace emergency lighting came on. Wesley stood up from his hiding spot to assess the damage. He could not see the King anywhere, but there was a large crowd of guards and onlookers surrounding a body on the floor. Wesley made his way over to see Queen Emmaline lying in a puddle of blood, no signs of life on her face.“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN THERE, JAMES!!!!” King Constantine yelled at his head of security. They were standing in the middle of a secret passage that James had pulled Constantine into when the shooting started. James just looked nervous as he held his hand up and listened to something over his earpiece. James’s eyes began to well with tears.“Your Majesty,” James said through his tears. “It’s your wife. I’m afraid that Queen Emmaline didn’t make it.” He put an arm on the King’s shoulders.“Liam!? Leo!? Where are my sons? Are they okay?” Constantine was panicked at the thought of losing his children as well as his wife.“The Princes are fine, Your Majesty. They were taken to the panic room that is attached to the throne room. You can see them shortly.” Constantine nodded weakly at James’s words, barely containing his grief at losing Emmaline.“I have more news, Sir. It seems that one of our guards apprehended one of the gunmen and is taking him to the dungeon now for questioning.” Constantine nodded, “Who captured him?” Constantine looked at James, wanting to know which one of his guards he should reward for the capture of the gunman.“It was a new recruit, Your Majesty, just came to us last week. This is his first assignment after basic guard training. His name is Bastien Lykel,he shows great potential.”“I would very much like to meet this Bastien.” The King stated.A few days later, James came to see the King in his study. “Your Majesty, we have finished the interrogation of the gunman. It seems as though the Sons of Earth is responsible, and that Duke and Duchess Avalon were behind the attack.”A look of hardened determination crossed Constantine’s features. “Very well, bring them to me.”***************************************
New York
12 Months before Liam’s bachelor party
“Are my parents still alive?” Jessica asked as she stared at Anton.“I’m afraid not. They were executed for treason shortly after you were sent to America.” Anton furrowed his brow in what appeared to be anger. “It took me years to track you down. My parents told me all the stories of what happened, King Constantine never figured out their role in it. He didn’t want you to grow up in Cordonia with what your parents did hanging over your head, so he sent you to America and ensured you were adopted by a nice family.”“I see, so why tell me now? Why are you here?” Jessica was genuinely curious.“Crown Prince Leo has abdicated the throne, and Prince Liam will have his social season next year to choose a future queen.” Tariq added. “We have a plan to get you to Cordonia to compete in the social season. Once you are married to Prince Liam and become queen, we will kill him and you will rule Cordonia.” “Me? Queen? What do you want me to do?” Jessica was interested now. She wanted revenge on the Cordonian monarchy for taking away her family, and if working with these guys was the way to make it happen, then so be it.*************************************
Cordonia
1 month before Liam’s bachelor party
“Prince Liam! So good to see you!” Tariq exclaimed as he walked up to Liam at one of the many balls the palace hosted. “Tariq! Welcome! Long time, no see.” Liam clapped him on the shoulder and was genuinely happy to see his friend. “I have an idea. Since your social season will begin soon, you should have one last bit of fun. How about a bachelor party? I hear New York is wonderful this time of year.”“That does sound fun, I have always wanted to visit New York and see the Statue of Liberty. Make the plans Tariq! Make sure that Drake and Maxwell are invited as well. You may want to include Maxwell in the planning, you know how much he likes that.”“Very well, we will let you know when everything is arranged!” Tariq went off to call Anton and tell him that the plan was in motion.***************************************
New York
Liam’s bachelor party
“Tariq, why are we going to this bar? It looks like a dump.” Maxwell wrinkled his nose as they walked past an open dumpster.“This looks like my kind of place!” Drake said excitedly.“Despite the appearance, this bar has very good reviews and supposedly has the best burgers in the city. I figured at least Drake would appreciate that.” Tariq looked over at Drake and he nodded.They walked into the bar and slid into a booth as Drake went up to the bar. “Four whiskeys and for burgers please.” He told the gorgeous bartender.“Right away, sir,” Jessica replied. She got the order ready and took it to the booth. Tariq gave her an imperceptible wink as she placed the food on the table. Over the past year, she and Tariq had grown closer, she loved him. He loved her, and when all this was over, she was queen, and Liam was dead, she and Tariq would marry. “What’s the occasion?”“It’s our friend’s bachelor party!” Maxwell said excitedly.Jessica looked over the group. “Oh, who’s the lucky guy?”“I am.” Jessica heard a deep voice from behind her and spun around to see the man she assumed to be Liam standing behind her. He was tall, with brown hair, lovely chocolate brown eyes, and asian features. “Hi,” he said as he reached out to take her hand, “I’m Liam.” He took her hand and brought it to his mouth ghosting his lips over her knuckles. She blushed slightly.“It’s an honor to meet you. Your fiance is a lucky woman.”“Well, she will be when he finds one.” Maxwell added, earning him a jab in the ribs from Drake.“Oh, you don’t have one?” Jessica asked curiously.“Not yet, but I will very soon.”The night progressed just as it was supposed to. She flirted with Liam, took him to an exclusive club, snuck him to the Statue of Liberty, and generally swept him off his feet. She could tell Liam was falling for her. Why wouldn’t he? She was beautiful, charismatic, and had the ability to charm absolutely anyone. She knew she had succeeded when they shared a passionate kiss as they said goodbye at the end of the night. Now she just had to wait to see if the rest of the plan would play out.“I have a crazy idea Maxwell,” Tariq said as he and Maxwell were packing their bags the next morning. “Why don’t you bring Jessica back for the social season? You know Liam likes her, and Ramsford doesn’t have a candidate.”“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Maxwell conceded, “ but why would she just leave everything and come to a country she doesn’t know anything about with some guys she just met the night before?”“You could ask, Maxwell. You may be surprised.”A few hours later, Jessica was awoken by knocking on her door. She smiled when she saw Maxwell standing there, already knowing what he was about to ask her.*****************************************
Cordonia
Present Day
Olivia waited outside Liam’s study with the evidence in hand. She had no idea how she was going to tell the King of Cordonia that the woman he had chosen to be queen was not who he thought she was. But she had to tell him before he found out some other way. Before she won.“Duchess Olivia! Please come in.” Liam smiled as he kissed her cheek in greeting.“Your Majesty.” Olivia greeted him formally.“Please Olivia, you know you can just call me Liam, we have been friends our whole lives.”“Very well, Liam. I have some news that I know you are not going to like.” She looked down at her feet. “Drake, Maxwell, Hana, and I have some evidence that proves Duchess Jessica is not who she claims to be.”Liam looked at her urging her to continue. She proceeded to tell Liam the whole story of Jessica’s parents and her adoption in New York. She had the paper trail to prove it.“So, what?” Liam asked. Olivia looked up startled by his response. “She has done nothing to make me think that her past has influenced her. She has been the picture of grace and sophistication. It is possible that she doesn’t even know who she is. She certainly didn’t seem to recognize me when we met in New York, nor had she ever even heard of the country of Cordonia. Maybe this was fate’s way of giving her a second chance by bringing her back home.”“Liam, I…” Olivia was flustered not knowing how to begin. “She is definitely up to something. I think that she had your father killed. Think about it. Why did the gunman not even try to shoot you? The target was your father. He knew who she was and she killed him for it. The same with Bastien. He knew everything, he was going to expose her and tell us everything and then he gets shot the same day we were to meet. You can’t think this is all coincidence?”“I have heard enough Duchess Olivia! Get out of my study and stop slandering the woman I love!” He angrily held the door to the study open.Olivia was equally angry as she walked towards the door. She couldn’t believe he would just dismiss her like that. “That’s not all, she also slept with Drake at the homecoming ball. If she loves you so much, why did she seduce my boyfriend? After you were already engaged?”Liam looked shocked at this information. “It is not my concern. You know that Cordonian tradition allows for open relationships, even for the King and Queen.” He was angry about this fact, but was not going to give Olivia the satisfaction of knowing it. “Now leave.”“Yes, Your Majesty.” Olivia curtsied and then walked out of the study to go find the others.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It had been three weeks since Olivia had spoken to Liam about Jessica and nothing had really changed. He was still set on marrying her despite the proof he was shown. He wouldn’t think ill of her until he had seen it with his own eyes. He believed that she was who Olivia said she was, but he didn’t believe Jessica had malicious intent toward him.
“What are you thinking about, Darling?” Jessica reached across the table and took Liam by the hand. They were sitting on the balcony at Valtoria enjoying the sunrise as they ate breakfast.
“Just thinking about the wedding,” Liam said with a grin, a mischievous gleam in his eye. “I can’t wait to be married to you and I think we should start practicing for the honeymoon right now.” Liam smiled and took her hand pulling her to her feet and back into the bedroom.
********************************
Olivia, Drake, Maxwell, and Hana were on their way to meet Bastien at the hospital. He had been recovering nicely from his gunshot wound. They walked in and he sat up and smiled at them.
“Hello everyone! It's good to see you. Can you please tell them to let me out of here?” Bastien looked desperate. He was not used to laying around, even if he was shot and almost killed. Everyone looked at each other. They weren’t about to get in the middle of this argument. As if on cue, a pretty nurse walked in to check Bastien’s bandages. She had bright purple hair, and looked way to happy to be there.
“Are you still trying to talk your way out of here?” The nurse smiled as she spoke and Bastien stopped talking to look at her.
“Of course I am, Elissa. You can’t keep me here forever.”
“Not forever, Bas. Only a few more weeks. You’ll be good as new.” Bastien looked like he didn’t believe her, but he still couldn’t help but smile at her.
The rest of the group watched the exchange with a kind of morbid curiosity. Drake leaned over and whispered in Olivia’s ear, “Are you seeing this? Is Bastien
flirting
?”
“I thought I had seen everything,” Olivia whispered back in amusement.
They waited patiently while Elissa changed Bastien’s bandages. Once she was out of the room, they got right down to business.
“We found your key and the documents in the safe.” Oliva was sitting on the edge of the bed, speaking quietly to minimize the chance of someone overhearing their conversation. “We took all the evidence to Liam and he refused to change his mind about marrying her. He said that he had seen no evidence that she was planning anything, even if she was lying about who she was.”
Bastien leaned his head back and sighed. “He always did try to see the best in everyone.” He looked a little defeated as he took in the faces of the group. “Honestly, if he really wants to marry her, there is nothing we can do. We have told him what we know and that’s all we can do.”
“Why didn’t King Constantine tell him sooner? If he knew who she was, he should have told Liam from the beginning!” Everyone turned to Hana as she spoke up.
“Constantine didn’t actually know,” Bastien answered. “He had his suspicions and he had me investigate under the radar. Even though he arranged Jessica’s adoption, he never had any contact with the adoptive family. He didn’t know what they named her, or even where they lived. He didn’t become suspicious until he overheard her talking to Tariq in the halway one night. Jessica knew she was being investigated and she arranged to have him killed, and I assume, to kill me as well.”
“Well, this sucks,” Drake stated matter-of-factly. “What are we supposed to do?”
Bastien looked sad as he answered. “Just be there for Liam and hope he changes his mind.”
*************************************
The night before the wedding, Jessica stood on the balcony in her suite at the palace. She was thinking about the plan, and what tomorrow would bring. She had worked so hard for this and it would not be taken away from her now. Tomorrow she would marry Liam and become the Queen, then things would change. All of Cordonia would find out how weak their King really was.
“What are you thinking about?” Tariq came up behind her wrapping an arm around her waist as he planted soft kisses on her neck. He had become much better at sneaking into her room since the first time they were caught at Applewood.
“Just thinking about tomorrow. How I can’t wait to carry out the plan, and I can’t wait to rule Cordonia with you at my side.” Jessica turned to Tariq, kissing him deeply. “I’m so tired of pretending to be someone I’m not.”
“You don’t have to pretend much longer. It’s almost over. Tonight, just be the woman I love.” Tariq took her by the had and led her back into the bedroom.
******************************************
Liam sat in his chambers thinking about the wedding and what would happen the next day, when there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Liam said without getting up from the couch. He heard the door open and then heard Drake’s voice.
“Hey, Liam. Can we talk?” The softness of Drake's voice led Liam to believe that he would not like whatever his friend had to say, but he motioned to the couch beside him and Drake took a seat.
“Look, Liam, I know you don’t want to hear this, so I am only going to say it once. Jessica is not who you think she is. She is the daughter of the people who killed your mother, and I believe she is manipulating you.”
“You have no proof!” Liam yells, standing up abruptly and turning on his friend. “Olivia came to me with the same information. There is no proof that she knows who she is, or that she is manipulating me for any reason!”
Drake stood up to stand in front of Liam. “Please, please don’t marry her tomorrow. I have a feeling that you will regret it.” There was no anger in Drake’s voice as he looked at the floor, only pleading. Begging Liam to listen.
“Get out.” Liam’s voice was cold. More angry than Drake had ever heard before. “If you don’t want to be a part of this then don’t come to the ceremony, but I will marry Jessica, and she will be my Queen. I love her.”
With that, Drake just nodded his head in defeat and walked out the door.
**********************************
The day of the wedding, Liam couldn’t help but notice that his best friend was noticeably missing. Not only was Drake not there, but neither were Olivia, Maxwell, or Hana.
I can’t believe it. My best man didn’t show up to the wedding? Even if they didn’t agree with the wedding, I can’t believe they would just not show up. I thought I meant more to them than that. This is supposed to be the happiest day of my life and my friends aren’t here to support me.
“Any word?” Liam leaned over and whispered to Bastien. He had been out of the hospital for about a week and insisted on returning to regular duty.
“No, Your Majesty. No one has seen any of them since early this morning. But for what it is worth, I don’t believe they would just leave you. Drake, Hana, Olivia, and Maxwell are the most loyal friends anyone could have. If they are not here, it is not for some petty reason. They would still support you even if they disagreed with you.” Bastien placed his hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Everything will be fine.”
“Thank you Bastien. I really needed to hear that.” Liam took one last look around the changing room and headed out to the front of the church.
All of Liam’s doubts and fears went flying out the window when he first glanced Jessica at the end of the aisle. She was breathtaking. He knew in that instant that he made the right decision and he hoped that his friends would come around and see Jessica the way the he saw her, a strong and beautiful woman worthy of leading Cordonia.
***********************************
“Ugh, where are we?” Hana sits up and groggily shakes her head. She looks around and sees Drake, Maxwell, and Olivia with her, in some kind of cell. Wherever they are. “Uh...guys?” Slowly they all wake up and take in their surroundings.
Instantly Maxwell begins to panic. “Oh, God! I can’t die yet. I’m too pretty to die in a dungeon! I should die from the cuteness of being snuggled by a dozen baby panda’s! We have to find a way out of here!”
“Calm down, Maxwell,” Drake said as he placed a hand on Maxwell’s shoulder. “We will find a way out and find a way back to the wedding. Jessica won’t win this easily, she obviously doesn’t know who she is dealing with.” This seems to calm Maxwell and he sits back down on the little cot in the cell.
“Hey! Let us out of here!” Olivia rattles the bars, yelling down the hall until a guard appears.
“No, can do little Lady,” The guard smirks as he looks at them.
“Who are you calling little Lady? You will pay for that.” Olivia is glaring at the guard with more fire in her eyes than she has ever possessed before.
“Duchess Jessica wanted to ensure that you didn’t try to interfere with the ceremony. It is an integral part of the plan. Plus this just makes it easier to kill you all later.” The guard just turned and walked away down the hall leaving them all staring after him in silence.