Summary: The news of Jade and Liam’s engagement aren’t being well accepted by Cordonian citizens and Jade doesn’t react so queenly to the critics. Now it’s up to Liam and Hana to fix the problem.
“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? THOSE MOTHERFUCKING HYPOCRITS!”
Jade’s shouts could be heard by anyone at the West Wing of the Palace. Justin walked out of her room and the servants in the hallway looked at each other uneasily. “Call the Beaumonts and Mr. Walker and get the security team. We need to do damage control right now,” he said to the maid assigned to Jade and rushed to the Royal Public Relations office.
Liam sipped his passionfruit juice during his break between meetings when his office phone rang. He glared at the device and ignored by putting earphones on and opening the music app on his laptop. Soon, his smartphone buzzed. Inhaling sharply, he answered. “Yes, Andrea?”
“The Public Relations team requests an urgent meeting with you, Sir,” his assistant replied.
“I have fifteen minutes left off my break. Tell them I won’t spend it dealing with the press.”
“It’s about your engagement, Sir! Jade is freaking out!” Justin yelled in the background.
His eyes went wide. “Send them in.”
A few seconds later, Bastien opened the door, letting Justin and the Royal Communications Director in. “Good morning, Your Majesty. We have a public relations crisis to handle regarding your wedding to Lady Jane.” The Royal PR handed Liam the newest edition of Gosh! Magazine.
The magazine had several pictures from them at Coney Island eating cotton candy and laughing, having breakfast with Jade’s friends at the café in Williamsburg while Madeleine was seeing in photos with her entourage or alone.
“Coping? Are you kidding me?” His face hardened, throwing the magazine on the table furiously.
“Sounds like you and Lady Jade are on the same page about that. But it gets worse.” Justin opened a video in his tablet and showed it to Liam.
_____
“Good morning, my darlings! Welcome to The Bridget Banks show! Shall we get down to business?” The audience cheered and applauded. “As you may know, our hunky prince- ahem, sorry…” Bridget battled her lashes throwing her hair back and the audience laughed. “His Royal Majesty King Liam broke off his engagement with our delightful Countess Madeleine.” The audience let out a unison aww. “Oh, stop it! I know you’re faking that, you minxes,” the audience laughed again.
“But don’t get too excited, ladies. Our King Charming already found a substitute for the job,” the show host nodded. “Do any of you guys remember Jade? Yes, the ‘mysterious’ outsider lady is now betrothed to the King. We all knew she was his favorite during the social season. I don’t know why, maybe she’s wild, or knows how to make guacamoles and his favorite kale juice or something,” she rolled her eyes and the audience laughed. “But really? Does she even know our beloved traditions or our history? Or the price rate of a bottle of a Cordonian Ruby Cider nowadays? Does the Royal Family expect us to believe a girl who came out of the suburbs in New York can be Queen?” The crowd applauded.
“Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s pretty. The girl knows how to pose for the cameras, she’s a trendsetter and all, but she’s a waitress. A waitress! Madeleine is Cordonian and English nobility. How is a waitress gonna top that, huh? You’d better reconsider this engagement before you settle for that foreigner commoner, Your Majesty.”
_____
Justin shut down the tablet and looked at Liam. A vein popped on his left temple and his jaw clenched as his hands balled into fists. “We have to work with contingencies plans, Your Majesty.”
“Where’s Jade?”
“Umm…” Justin pointed out the window. At Jade’s balcony, a guard gripped her by the waist as Maxwell tried to pull a laptop from her hands.
–
“LET GO OF ME!” Jade screamed.
“Let go of the laptop and he will release you.” Maxwell’s voice sounded louder than he meant it.
“It’s my laptop! I do whatever the hell I want with it!” She tried to get away, but the guard’s arm pressed even tighter.
“Calm down first.”
“Oh, I will! Once I shove that trashy magazine over that stuck up bitch’s bony ass, I will be fucking calm! LET GO OF ME! NOW!” She threw her legs in the air, still trying to escape the guard’s hold.
–
“Why is Lord Maxwell the only one there?”
“Duke Bertrand was there first, but he chastened her for her behavior in New York and she started throwing vases at him. Mr. Walker didn’t answer his phone,” Justin grimaced.
Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes before turning to him. “You can’t knock out a lioness with a tranquilizer made for domestic cats. Work on the contingencies plan. I’ll handle her.” He walked out of his office. “Andrea, cancel my next meeting. I’ll be back after lunch,” he commanded as he passed by his assistant’s desk and headed towards Jade’s room.
As soon he arrived at her door, Liam found Drake standing in the hallway cringing at the breaking noises coming from Jade’s room. “Hey, how long have you been here?” he patted Drake’s shoulder.
Drake shoved his hands on his pockets. “Not long. My phone was on mute when they called me. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I called to let you know what’s happening just in case Plan A doesn’t work out, but I’m quite sure it won’t be necessary.”
“You sound pretty confident for someone whose girlfriend looks like she just woke up from the dead and turned into a feral. What’s Plan A?”
Liam nodded towards the opposite of the hall smiling. Hana gracefully walked into their direction beaming. “Hey, guys,” she hugged them both. “Sorry, it took me so long to come. I was making the appointments for Jade at the boutique and I got distracted.”
“It’s alright. You’re here now and that’s what matters,” Liam replied.
Maxwell came out of the room. “Oh, thank heavens you’re here! Maybe she’ll calm down now.” They heard things being smashed against the wall. “Please do something, Liam.”
Liam exchanged looks with Hana. She nodded and approached the door, knocking softly on it.
“Why aren’t you going in?” Drake murmured.
“Jade?” Hana spoke louder, but still gently.
“WHAT?” Jade barked from her room.
“Because I’m the reason why she received the backlash. I’ve been in this situation before and I know she will probably get angrier if I get in. She needs a friend who truly understands what she’s going through.”
“It’s Hana. Can I come in?” The door opened and all three men stepped away. Hana got in, closing the door behind her. They didn’t hear anything else. Seconds later, the guards left the room.
“What’s going on?” Drake asked the guards.
“Lady Lee held Lady Bourbon’s hand, took away the glass on her hand and they hugged. Lady Bourbon began to cry and Lady Lee signaled for us to leave the room.”
“That’s it? Hana gets in and Hulk turns back to Bruce Banner?” Maxwell questioned a little baffled. Liam shrugged smiling. “How does she do it?”
“I don’t know, but there’s something in Hana’s eyes… It’s really soothing,” Drake replied.
“You’ve been hanapnotized too?”
“I told you Plan A would work,” Liam winked.
…
Hana sat on the bed with Jade’s head resting on her lap. They haven’t said a word to each other yet. She was waiting for Jade to feel ready to speak. “Why do they hate me?” Jade wiped her tears with the back of her hands and threw the empty tissue box on the floor.
“They don’t hate you. They simply misjudge you because you’re an outsider who got involved in a terrible gossip. Cordonian people can be prude and chauvinist sometimes,” Hana ran her fingers into Jade’s hair and picked up a new tissue box.
“I don’t want anyone thinking that Liam made a bad choice by choosing me. How am I going to convince them I can be a good queen?” She sniffed taking a tissue from the new box.
“Don’t overanalyze it, you have all the traits to be a terrific leader. Liam couldn’t have made a better choice. But we can work on a few more things to make you the perfect image for a great Queen.”
Jade sat up on the bed and looked at Hana. “You sound like you have a plan to fix it.”
“Yes. The plan isn’t mine, but I helped.”
“Hmm…” Jade cocked an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”
“First, we need to get the servants to clean your room and then we go to the library. Where’s your laptop?”
“Taking a swim at the garden fountain…” Jade bit one of her nails.
“Do I dare ask about your phone and tablet?”
Jade pointed to the floor, where both devices lied with the screens cracked and some pieces scattered in the middle of a mess of broken vases, glasses, shoes, torn pillowcases and goose feathers.
“We’ll work with mine for now and then we go out to buy new ones.”
“Why do we need them?”
“Because we’re going to make your schedule of daily activities as a duchess and plan your wedding. After all this, no one will dare to say you’re not suitable to be queen.”
“Please don’t tell me I’ll have to review table etiquette again,” Jade scrunched her nose.
Hana giggled. “No, your table manners are good. You’re going to be prepared to rule. You have to develop some new skills.”
“Okay, I’m officially intrigued and I’m game.”
“Good. Now go freshen up while I call your maid.”
Jade walked to the bathroom, washed her face and applied some makeup. Hana fetched her phone and sent a text.
