The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-572

Even with the distance between the grandmother and the granddaughter, Queen Morganna noticed the red line on Lucy's neck, that it looked like it had been profusely rubbed.

Queen Morganna stood up from her throne and walked to where Lucy stood.

"What happened to your neck?" questioned Queen Morganna with narrowed eyes.

A sweat trickled down from Lucy's back, "My neck?" she tried to act innocent as if she didn't know, and she saw her grandmother raising her hand making her flinch for a second. The woman swiped Lucy's neck with her finger, bringing her hand back in front of her face, and looked down at the drop of blood.

Lucy's eyes widened. She thought she had cleaned her neck properly to remove any spots of the blood, but somehow it seemed like it hadn't healed.

Queen Morganna's eyes narrowed at Lucy, and before anyone knew it, a sharp sound of the slap was heard in the courtroom. Lucy felt the burn on her cheek, her face turned completely hot and red, her lips trembled.

"How many times do I need to tell you not to go outside the castle, but you never listen. Unnecessarily getting yourself into trouble," Queen Morganna stared at Lucy. "Do you know the consequences your actions can put us through?"

She would have asked, but she would be refused before she would get half of the sentence out of her mouth, thought Lucy to herself.

Lucy didn't raise her eyes and continued to look down at the floor, unable to meet her grandmother's eyes. King Laurence, her father didn't move from his place and instead had a grim look on his face. While Rosamund, who stood near Lucy, couldn't help but faintly smile over this. All these years, Rosamund had tried to become her mother's favourite, patiently waiting for her mother to favour her and her family, instead of her brother Laurence's family.

Rosamund wanted her family to rule Devon, and so far, her plans were going well. With the King's wife, who was unable to bear a child after Lucy as the woman went through multiple miscarriages. It was only a matter of time, until the throne would be passed to her son Markus, thought Rosamund to herself.

"People can misuse things so easily," Queen Morganna reprimanded her granddaughter in a stern voice, "If people found out that the King's daughter is roaming outside the castle all by herself, they can use it against us by using you."

"My apologies for not thinking about it," whispered Lucy, not moving an inch from where she stood. She could feel tears starting to brim up her eyes, but she didn't let a single drop of it fall from her eyes.

"Hmph!" Queen Morganna turned around and went back to sit on the throne. "You can leave," she dismissed her granddaughter, and Lucy bowed her head again before she quickly left the court room. Before she could reach her room, fresh tears spilt on her already warm cheeks. She went straight to her bed and laid there, and after some time the tears stopped.

Her grandmother had always been strict with everyone who was in and around the castle, and the only person who could rarely defy her grandmother was her father. What her grandmother said was the iron rule to be followed, and when a person didn't follow, they often met the end of their life or disappeared never to be seen again.

While returning back Lucy had a feeling she was going to get into trouble today, and she didn't know if her grandmother had found out about what happened to her near the town's marketplace. There was no way for her grandmother to know because she had made the guards promise her that neither of them would tell anybody about it. She had stepped out because at times the atmosphere in the castle felt heavy and suffocating. But at the same time, she was curious about the outside world, and also it wasn't like she had gone all alone.

"Lucy?" came her mother's voice, and she sat up. "What happened to your face?" asked her mother.

Her mother's maid, who stood behind her mother, said, "Queen Morganna was unhappy about Lady Lucy's disappearance from the castle."

"Why would you do that, Lucy?" her mother looked at her in horror as if she made a grave mistake.

"I needed some fresh air," said Lucy, stepping out of the bed and picking up the dress to wear it.

"What do you mean by fresh air? Do you know how dangerous the world outside is?! What would you do if someone kidnapped you or raped you!" her mother demanded. "You know nothing that happens outside-"

"I would have known if you told me or if I stepped out often. I cannot live like this inside the walls of the castle-"

"Lucy!" her mother yelled. "You are a princess, or have you forgotten about it? It must be because of those two maids who are filling your head with worthless things. It is only right to remove them and appoint two new maids."

"No! This has nothing to do with them!" Lucy could feel the happiness slip through her fingers, not that she ever had it before. It was the sad life of a princess whose life was kept only to use as a pawn and to benefit others.

"Then learn to behave like a well mannered princess unless you don't want them working in the castle anymore," stated her mother.

Lucy frowned, "You are threatening me…"

Lucy's mother, Samara, rolled her eyes over her daughter's stubborn words, "I am teaching you what is right and wrong."

"By curbing my freedom," replied Lucy and her mother shook her head.

"You have everything in this world, Lucy. Delicious food to eat, unlimited wealth that can buy you anything, a roof over your head that will never leave your side. Maids who stand at every beck and call of your word, yet you answer to me like you are not happy with it," scolded her mother in disbelief. When Lucy picked up the dress in her hand, her mother ordered her maid, "Clarence, help her with the clothes."

"I can do it myself," said Lucy, and her mother glared in anger.

"Don't forget, I am your mother, Lucy. You either listen to the elders, or I will tell your father how you have been misbehaving, and have you locked in this room. And who knows where you have been earlier before stepping back into the castle," saying this, her mother looked at the maid, and the maid bowed her head.

Lucy huffed for air, and she raised her hand for the maid to help her to remove her clothes. Like her mother said, Lucy was a princess who had everything. There was barely anything she had to do herself. The maids helped her bathe and wear her clothes, combing her hair and putting her to bed. At least they didn't force her to eat, thought Lucy to herself, but then who knew when her parents or grandmother would order the maid to feed her. A wry smile appeared on her lips.

"What are you smiling about?" questioned her mother.

This time it was Lucy who shook her head, "If I smile people question it, if I don't smile people question it too. What am I supposed to do?"

"Don't try to be smart with me," her mother narrowed her eyes. "Don't step out of the castle again, Lucy. Not unless you are going with me, or with your father or any of us relatives. Do you understand my words?"

"Yes, mother," answered Lucy, and by seeing her mother's expression on her face, she could tell that her mother didn't believe her words.

"I cannot believe that both the girls of the royal family are spoilt, doing whatever they want. Here it is you, and there it is, Sophie," muttered her mother under her breath.

Lucy remembered her cousin Sophie who had received more slaps from her grandmother. Due to this, her aunt had stopped bringing her cousin over to the castle, making up the reason that her daughter Sophie was busy in her studies.

Once Lucy was completely dressed, her mother came near her, kissing her cheek and said, "Why do you defy my word? You know I tell it for your own good. I don't want my child getting slapped from the mother queen," her mother caressed her cheeks. "Now be good, okay."

Lucy only nodded her head, and saw her mother leave the room along with her maid.