Summary: Liam invites Jade at the King’s private apartment to finally tell the truth about her past, but he has no idea how she will react.
Warning: This chapter contains psychological issues about eating disorders that might be a trigger for some people. Reader discretion is advised.
I’m finding every reason to be gone
There’s nothing here to hold on to
Loud thuds and growls echoed from the gym in the hallway at the East wing of the Palace. Jade loved her MMA and self-defense lessons. It was one of her favorite classes from her “Queen booth Camp” like Drake ironically named it and, in spite of his many scowls and protests, it stuck. She was in the middle of a Muay Thai sparring when Mara called her trainer’s attention.
“Let’s switch to bag work. Jab, jab, left hook, right hook, left kick, right kick. Give it hell, Princess.” Erica winked at her.
“You didn’t have to ask.” They fist bumped, Erica walked out of the room and Jade started her session with the punchbag. She heard her phone buzzing, but she didn’t care. She was on her element and hated being interrupted. A few minutes later, her trainer and Mara came back.
“Hey, Princess. We’ll have to cut the training short today.”
“What? Why?”
“The King has requested your presence at the Royal lounge in twenty minutes, Your Grace,” Mara replied.
“Oh…” She eyed Mara suspiciously but nodded. She took off her gloves to drink some water. “We’re going to train for one hour and a half to compensate for today.”
“My kind of girl! You got it, Princess. You did great today. Keep it up,” They high fived and they said their goodbyes. Jade walked out of the gym escorted by Mara.
“So… What’s going on?”
“I wouldn’t know it, Your Grace. King Liam simply requested your presence.” Mara replied.
“Umm…” Must be something important. Liam usually wouldn’t call her in the middle of the day considering how busy his schedule is. She walked back to her room in silence, took a quick shower and got dressed. Her phone buzzed again.
Jade put her mother’s ring and her own engagement ring back on her fingers, brushed her hair and picked up a pair of flats. Rushing out of her room, she called Mara. “Hey, I have no idea where the Royal Lounge is. Can you take me there?”
“Of course. Follow me, Your Grace.” Mara led Jade through a few hallways before stopping at a grand door. “This is the King’s private apartment, Your Grace. You’ll walk straight into the Royal lounge. Let me know if you need help to go back.”
“Thank you, I’ll ask the guards to call you.” Mara bowed stiffly and left. The guards opened the door and Jade entered the room. Liam was seated comfortably on a couch reading a book as a soft music played in the background. His tie was loose and he was barefoot. A bright smile appeared on his lips as he saw her stepping closer to him. He closed the book, stood up and immediately pulled her into his arms. Their lips met in a sweet kiss as they took their time to savor the taste of each other’s mouth.
“Good morning, my Queen,” he took a strand out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.
“Good morning, my King,” she beamed.
“Did you knock out Erica?”
“I was about to when you called me,” she pouted.
“I’m sorry, my love. I couldn’t it wait any longer to see you. You can defeat her tomorrow,” he winked, then took her hand leading her to the couch. A servant walked in and placed two bowls of fresh fruits with linseed flour and two glasses of water at the coffee table. Liam offered one bowl to her and took another for himself.
She narrowed her eyes. “How do you already know what I eat after training?”
“Maxwell told me. He said he was surprised to know an adventurous woman with such restricted eating habits.”
She pursed her lips. “He eats too much junk food.” He grinned shaking his head. While they chatted and enjoyed their healthy snack, Liam observed her. Despite everything they’ve been through these past few days, she seemed fine. But as he set eyes on her hands, he saw her knuckles hurt. His smile instantaneously faded. They placed their bowls back on the table and she slid closer to him. “You got awfully quiet now. Is everything alright?”
“We need to talk, but first I need to show you something,” he kissed her forehead and stood up. He walked across the room and pulled a paint off the wall, showing a safe. He dialed a few numbers, opened the door and took a black folder with her name on it. He closed the safe, put the paint back in place and walked back to the couch, sitting beside her. “The Council and my father did a background research on all the ladies vying for my hand at the beginning of the social season. This one is yours,” he handed the file to her.
“Thank you,” Jade received the file and opened it, studying the pieces of information calmly.
FULL NAME: Bourbon, Jade Isabel
BIRTHDATE: 08/19/1993
BIRTHPLACE: New York, NY – USA
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Williamsburg, New York – USA
HERITAGE: Hispanic / Caucasian
SKIN COLOR: Olive brown
HEIGHT: 5’6”
WEIGHT:158 lb
EYE COLOR: Chestnut
HAIRCUT/TEXTURE: Long wavy (2A)
HAIR COLOR: Light brown / ombré red
SHOE SIZE: 7
MARKING: Tattoo on lower back (music key)
MEDICAL HISTORY: CLASSIFIED
FATHER: Luis Fernando Bourbon [Deceased – cause of death: CLASSIFIED]
MOTHER: Elaine Bree Bourbon [Deceased – cause of death: CLASSIFIED]
SIBLINGS: None
EXTENDED FAMILY: CLASSIFIED
MARITAL STATUS: Single
FAMILY DISEASES HISTORY: CLASSIFIED
EDUCATIONAL LEVEL: Bachelor Graduation in Music at Julliard School (NY – USA); Music Composition Graduate student at Julliard School (NY – USA) – dropped out
OCCUPATION: Waitress and bartender at TBA Brooklyn, music tutor for children
INCOME: CLASSIFIED
LANGUAGES SPOKEN: Spanish (fluent), French (fluent), Portuguese (Intermediate)
SKILLS: Music composition, playing piano, playing guitar, singing, photography.
PERSONALITY TYPE: ENFP – The Inspirer: Enthusiastic, idealistic, and creative. Able to do almost anything that interests them. Great people skills. Need to live life in accordance with their inner values. Excited by new ideas, but bored with details. Open-minded and flexible, with a broad range of interests and abilities.
RELIGION: Catholicism
POLITICAL INCLINATION: Liberal
CRIMINAL RECORD: CLASSIFIED
EMERGENCY CONTACT: Juliet Ann Rossom
Liam looked at her expectantly. She hasn’t said a word about it, barely analyzed the pages then closed the folder. She looked at him, smiled and shrugged. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised they made a background check on me.”
He tilted his head to the side.”How come?”
“Liam, think about it. The Council and your father were searching for the next Queen and then House Beaumont presents a foreign woman to Cordonian society as their sponsored lady. Can you blame them for being cautious?”
He scratched his chin, considering her words. “When you put it that way…”
“It’s okay. I wasn’t totally clueless about it. I know what I was in for and it was worth because it brought me to you.” She gave him a peck on his cheek. “You said we have matters to discuss. Do you want to know about the classified topics?”
“Actually, I want you to read the appended information. When you find a subject you want to discuss, we can talk about it.”
“Alright…” she peered at him, studying his features bemused. She knew him well enough to know he was concerned about something and it was in her file.
“The appended information is about the classified topics. I got them declassified recently because I needed to know something about you so I could protect you.”
Jade bit her lip nervously and opened the folder again. Flipping the pages, the first appendix info was about her medical history. She grimaced. “I guess you would find out at some point. What do you want to know?”
“Are you okay to talk about it?”
She took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. “Yes, I am.”
“Can you tell me about the first time it happened?”
Jade put the folder on the coffee table and shifted on the couch, sitting across Liam. “I was six. The night that my father died I saw my mom throwing up. Everyone tried to calm her down, get her to rest, make her eat something, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to make all the arrangements for my dad’s funeral by herself. So she left under the care of her sister, Aunt Lynnette. She was awful to me. I wanted to stay awake and she locked me in my room. In the next day, she forced me to eat, but I didn’t want to. My stomach was in knots. Being forced to eat made me sick, so I threw it all up later. She saw me throwing up and said ‘at least you’re not going to get any fatter than you are, you little spoiled leach.’ Because of it, I kind of started a family war between my mom and my aunt when my grandmothers found out.” She looked down, hiding her glossy eyes.
Liam slid closer to her and put one arm around her shoulder, kissing her hair. “Hey, it wasn’t your fault. You were just a child coping with your father’s passing. Your aunt was completely out of line.”
“But it cost my mom an endless fight with her. And it hurt my grandma too. She didn’t her daughters fighting.” She rested her face in his shoulder while tears streamed down her face.
He cradled her in his arms and she sobbed, hiding her face in his chest and holding him tightly. Once she stopped crying, Liam cupped her face and kissed the trail the tears left on her cheeks. “Jade, don’t ever blame yourself for this. Your mother and your grandmothers certainly didn’t. To think you went through this for all those years until you were diagnosed…” He closed his eyes, inhaling sharply to contain his anger.
She shrugged. “My therapists used to say that too. You know, you’re the first person I told about it, besides Jules and my psychologist. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone.”
“So I’ve heard…” He shook his head and lifted up her chin. “You’re not a burden. I love you and I want you to trust me and tell me everything you feel the need to. Do you remember the promise I made to you when we got engaged?”
She nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Can we talk about something else?”
“Of course. What do you want to talk about?”
“Let’s see…” She grabbed the folder once again and flicked over the pages. “Oh. This one is good, I bet you’re curious about it.” Jade flashed a wicked grin.
He glanced at the page she was referring to and wrinkled his nose. “That’s one way to put it.”
She giggled. “Before you think I’m a brawler, I had my reasons. There was this girl in my class who hated me for whatever motives she could think of and it got worse when I became friends with her ex-boyfriend, who was gay, but she was too self-centered to notice. She actually thought I was dating him and during a field hockey match, she hit my nose with a stick.”
His mouth fell open in horror. “Jesus! That’s why you did a rhinoplasty.”
“I can’t I was a huge fan of my original nose shape, but I never wanted it to get broken and be obliged to fix it and avoid looking like Voldemort.” Both of them burst out in laughs. “I glad you got the Harry Potter reference or we’d start a movies marathon right now.”
“Maxwell already covered that during a Beaumont Bash with Harry Potter theme.”
“That sounds so cool. Maxwell is a genius.”
“Uh huh. After you make through a colossal hangover and a whole day watching the entire Harry Potter series wearing the movie costume because ‘it was the only appropriate way to finish the HP weekend’, we’ll talk about it again.” Liam remained serious, so Jade pressed her lips together to control the urge to laugh. “Now back to your feisty teenage outbursts, you still have some explaining to do.”
“Oh, okay… So after spending a month unable to go to school to recover and a couple months more to go back to engage in any physical activities, I was pissed. But what really made me furious was to find out that she only got two days of detention as punishment because her rich daddy made a donation to the school. So when I finally could play again, I hit her ankle with a baseball bat and her leg bone broke in three.” He gawked at her and she nodded. “Some of my friends tried to defend me, but I wanted everyone to know what I did and to be punished for it. My mom and the principal cut off all my extracurricular activities and I started helping at a children’s center. It backfired though because I loved babysitting those little monsters and playing songs for them.”
“That’s one of the weirdest stories I’ve ever heard. And I’ve heard some awful ones.” Liam shook his head, stifling a grin. “I shouldn’t encourage this kind of behavior, but I have to admit I’m both scared and proud of you.”
“Well, I’m flattered,” she smiled proudly.
“Of course you are,” he scowled.
She giggled at his reaction, then rested her head on his shoulder again. “Is there anything else you want to know?”
“Actually, there’s something you should know. Look for the family history appendix.”
Jade flipped the pages and carefully studied the documents. It contained specific details of her parents’ unmarried lives, a DNA test, and her family genealogic tree. “This isn’t right. Whoever did it got all my dad’s info wrong. His name, abuela’s, his birthplace and-” she trailed off as Liam clasped her hand in his and looked deeply into her eyes. “It’s not possible.”
“I had my suspicions about your illness since the trip to Italy and when we found my father was the person behind the plot, I focused on looking out for your health since my men were taking care of your safety. When we were in New York, I met Juliet to gather information about your illness and she told how she met you. Her father was assigned by your grandmother to watch over you and she ended up taking his job when she was eighteen. Then Queen Sofia herself went to meet me and gave me the declassified appendix you’re reading now.”
Letting the folder fall on the carpet, she stood up and paced over the room. “You have this for over two weeks, Liam. Why didn’t you give it to me before?”
“Because your grandmother and I agreed to wait until we solved the plot against you and things have settled down for you. I was going to tell you after the Homecoming ball, but with the attack, I realized it would never be a right moment and I couldn’t withhold this information anymore. You had to know the truth.”
Jade contemplated his words for a moment. A mix of emotions clouded her judgments, but slowly, sadness took over her features and she slumped on the couch, crouching in the corner. Liam slid closer, embraced her and she started to cry loudly. Laying down on, she rested her head on his lap, his hand running through her hair, soothing her. They spent several minutes in silence until she turned to look at him, finally able to speak. “What am I going to do, Li? I thought I knew everything about my life and now this?”
He caressed her cheeks, staring into her bloodshot eyes. “You don’t have to do anything right now, my love. Take all the time you need.”
“Stay with me?” Her lips quivered as her eyes welled up one more time.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed her forehead as she huddled against him, tugging at his shirt.
…
The clock at the king’s private apartment ticked loudly in the silent lounge room. Jade fell asleep, drained from all the emotions she went through that morning. He adjusted himself on the couch afraid to wake her up. His phone buzzed inside his pants pocket and he carefully picked it up. “Hello, Your Majesty.”
“Liam, my dear boy. Did you talk to her?”
“Yes, I did.”
“How was it?”
“Awful. She needs time to process everything. I’m surprised she didn’t try to slug me.”
“Me too. I know I would.”
He grimaced. “Thank you, ma’am. That’s very comforting.”
“I’m sorry, dear. I know you took the worst hit, but it had to be you. I’m not even sure she wants to meet me at all. But it, at least, now she knows the truth. It’s up to her to decide if she wants to meet us or not.”
Liam felt Jade shifting on the couch. She stretched her legs, grunting as she sleepily battled her lashes. “I have to go.”
“Keep me informed of her decision, please.”
“I will. Have a good day.” They both hung up. Looking down, his fingers brushed her hair from her face. “Hey, did you sleep well?”
“I did, thank you. You’re very comfy, you know.” She smiled lazily. “Was that work?”
“No. It was your grandmother. She wanted to know how our conversation went.”
“Do you talk to her often?”
“I used to. She was one of my mother’s best friends. After mother passed away, we talk occasionally when we’re in the same town. She’s a delightful woman and a wise ruler. She doesn’t visit Cordonia anymore, though. She isn’t very fond of my father or Regina.”
“I remember a few things about her. She was caring and fun. She liked telling me bedtime stories. Sometimes, she even made bedtime musicals with my dad.” They grinned at each other. “She was the one who found out about my eating disorder.” Jade looked at her hands, toying her mother’s ring.
“With everything that happened this morning, none of us had lunch. We should have something to eat.”
“I don’t know,” she bit one of her fingernails. “I’m afraid I’ll end up eating too much.”
“But you know you have to. And I trust you, you’ll be fine. We can always pick something lighter.”
“I’d like that. And I guess I need to go back to therapy. Is it going to stir up rumors or attract bad press? Because if it will, I’ll-”
Liam cut her off planting a kiss on her lips. “Don’t worry about it. I can arrange for you to start your treatment discreetly if it’s what you wish.”
“Thank you, Li. And I’m sorry for bringing so much trouble. You have so many other stuff to worry about.”
“Don’t be. I’m happy to take care of you and glad your bad-tempered self didn’t hit me with a baseball bat,” he smirked.
“Stop it,“ Jade pushed him playfully, her cheeks flushing slightly. “You’re lucky I love you.”
Liam gazed at her smiling. “I can’t argue with that.”
