Desert had just been taken away, not a single crumb was left on any of the plates.

Charles dapped the corner of his mouth with his napkin before folding it up and setting it on the table. "That was a," He paused for a moment. "Pleasant meal for once."

Adelaide took one last sip of her drink, side-eyeing Louis who was twiddling with his thumbs on his lap. 'Pleasant? As if! All he did was poke at us with his words as if he was stabbing us with an invisible knife of his disappointment with us,' She thought, inwardly scoffing.

Anne took a long sip of her drink, finishing it off. "Yes, for the most part." She quipped, setting her glass down a little too harshly, causing it to bang on the table. "It could have been better, wouldn't you say so, Charles?"

Charles frowned, running his fingers down the ruffles on his shirt. "It could have been, but that is asking for too much from this family, would you say, no?" He countered, hostility lacing his voice.

"Of course," Anne passive-aggressively replied, narrowing her eyes at her husband as her hands folded on her lap. "Because heaven forbid we should all act like perfect, mindless angels who heed your every word to a T without question."

Louis felt suffocated by how passive-aggressive his parents were being towards each other. 'This is the first time they've been so openly hostile towards each other.' He thought, eyes darting between them.

"I think the dinner was lovely. Especially dessert. It was especially pleasant to have us all together, we should do this more often." Constantin spoke up, causing all eyes to fall on him just as he wanted.

Charles turned his attention towards his son. "I assume so," His voice was still as hostile as ever. "I can only hope it continues to go this way, isn't it right Adelaide?" He turned his attention to his daughter, who had been rather quiet.

Adelaide looked between her parents and her brothers, feeling caught off guard. "Huh?" Her puzzled wide eyes looked back at her father. "Oh, um, yes, of course." She agreed, unsure what had been said.

Constantin could see his sister was clearly uncomfortable with their father's words. "I'm proud of you, Adelaide," He leaned over and whispered to her, hoping that'd make her feel a bit better. "For being you, despite what Father thinks."

Adelaide glanced towards her brother, her heart melting at his words. "Thank you," She whispered back, looking down at her lap. 'At least someone is genuinely proud of me.' She thought, wishing more than anything to hug him.

Anne narrowed her eyes at her husband, oblivious to what Constantin had said since her sole focus was on Charles. "Thankfully we had dessert already or else I would have lost my appetite." She commented, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Adelaide," Charles inwardly rolled his eyes, grumbling some harsh words for her response. "Would you accompany me on a walk through the gardens? I have something I wish to speak with you about." His words seemed ominous, as well as his tone created a slightly uncomfortable cloud.

Adelaide glanced to her mother for help, only for her to look away. She slowly turned her head back to her father and forced a smile. "Of course, Father, I'd be honored." She forced out the politest tone she could muster.

Charles stood up, his chair's legs making a horrid squeal across the floor. "Fantastic," He clapped his hands together before glancing around the table. "Dinner is dismissed." He walked towards the door as the servants passed him to collect the plates.

Adelaide glanced at Constantin, Louis, and her mother one last time before she left the dining room at her father's heels. 'I wonder what he wants to speak about. Whatever it is, it certainly can not be good. Especially since he's speaking to me alone,' She thought to herself, feeling a bit sick to her stomach. 'Well, as alone as we can be with guards following behind us.'

Charles remained quiet until he stepped foot into the garden. "Adelaide, do you know what I saw tonight?" He asked as the flickering lamp posts lit up the cobblestone path.

Adelaide fell into step with her father, pushing some stray hair from her face. "I do not," She replied, unsure where he was going with his line of questioning, but she knew it wouldn't be good.

Charles looked down at her but still kept his head up high. "The makings of a perfect princess," He replied and followed up. "You acted like a lady, dressed nicely, and even kept up with the conversation without saying a single offensive thing."

Adelaide could hear the pride in his voice and it was chilling. She crossed her arms over her chest feeling her hairs raise on her arms. 'Offensive? When have I ever been offensive? Does he mean when I disagree with society's views and their beliefs?' She thought and shook her head. "Uh, I tried."

Charles shifted his eyes towards the sky to the millions of stars twinkling above. "If you continue to try, maybe I'll let you out of your bedroom and venture around the castle. How does that sound? Then maybe if you keep up your image and reputation, I will allow you to attend Constantin's birthday ball." He informed her, pride in his voice.

Adelaide furrowed her brows and frowned looking down at the ground. "So, you'll give me my freedom if I conform to what you think is a proper princess?" She asked in disbelief at the audacity of his question.

"Yes," Charles replied without hesitation, glancing over at her. "I don't see what the problem is. I'm not asking much. Dress proper, act and speak with grace and sophistication, but mostly dress proper, not . . . provocative." He found the correct word after a pause.

Adelaide placed her hand on her chest, a small gasp escaped her lips, offended at his words. "Provocative? How do I dress provocatively?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Charles ignored her question, it seemed as if it was a road with a dead end, one he did not want to touch. "That wasn't exactly why I brought you out here, though," He added as he rounded the corner of a neatly trimmed hedge.

Adelaide threw her hands up in the air and inwardly groaned. "It's not? Pray tell, what else is there?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest and huffed, puffing out her cheeks.

Charles rolled his eyes at her immaturity. "I have been planning an arranged marriage for you and your brothers. The good news is by the end of the month I will have each one of you courted to someone who I deem worthy." He puffed out his chest as a smile graced his lips.

Adelaide stopped in her tracks, seemingly frozen in place. "An-an arranged marriage?" She inquired, the words getting caught in her throat, leaving an uncomfortable lump in her throat that moved down to her stomach. "By the end of the month?"

Charles nodded his head, stopping and pointing on his heels to face her. "Yes, I think it is about time you each get married. Most people your age have been married for quite some time, I suppose I've been too lenient." His voice was oddly calm as he spoke. "I have a few suitors in mind, but I haven't settled on any quite yet."

Adelaide swallowed harshly, her hands clenching the fabric of her skirt as she approached her father. "Do Constantin and Louis know?" She asked, anxiety gnawing away at her.

Charles raised an eyebrow briefly when she inquired. "No, they do not. They will not know until the time comes when I have everything sorted out." He replied, his voice holding nothing but pride. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone, because if I find out you did, you will not like the consequences." He warned, narrowing his eyes at his daughter.

Adelaide took a deep breath before pressing further. "Does Mother know?" She asked, praying that her mother wasn't behind it too. "That you've been arranging marriages for us?"

Charles shook his head, his face twisting into a confused expression. "Of course not. Your mother would never allow it, which is why I, as king, am doing it without her permission. She may not like it, but it is what has to be done for the better of our kingdom." His voice turned a little haughty.

Adelaide felt her stomach flip-flop into a tight, uncomfortable knot. She gathered up any courage she could muster to try and see if she could talk him out of it. "Father, I appreciate that you want to help me, but I can't marry someone I don't love even if it's my duty." She reasoned with him.

Charles' expression hardened, his lips frowned and eyes narrowed. "Love is not a luxury we have as royals. Any man I deem a good match for you, you will accept him. You cannot be so selfish as to put your own desires above your family's honor, reputation, and kingdom."

Adelaide felt her temper rising, trying her best to suppress it. "I am not being selfish, Father, I simply want the right to choose my future. A future I have full control over making it happen whatever it may be." She strained her voice, trying to keep her emotions at bay.

Charles turned his attention to the ground, looking at a rose that had fallen off the brush. "Adelaide," He began, bending down and picking up the rose. "You're like this rose, alone and locked away from the world. As of right now, you've been nothing but a disgrace in your actions and dress, embarrassing your kingdom, your family, and your reputation." He dropped the rose back on the ground. "Everyone sees you as this rose, imperfect and beyond repair. But I see you will be repaired if you would just allow it."

Adelaide watched the rose drop to the ground, only to be crushed under his foot. "They do?" She asked, then recalled what her cousin had said and other ladies during the few salons she had been to, as well as her debutante ball when it all started. "I wasn't trying to project that image, honestly, I was just trying to find myself."

Charles only half listened to her words, since he didn't exactly care. "Adelaide, I'm doing what is best for you and your brothers, setting an example to our people of royalty they can constantly put their trust in. I can't do that if every chance you get to make a scene and try to find yourself. It's unbecoming and just an embarrassment." He continued to try and remain calm as he spoke.

Adelaide's nostrils flared, the more her father spoke the more her anger began to rise like a boiling pot with a lid on. "You don't know what's best for me. You've never asked my opinion about anything that involves me." She angrily forced out, swiping her hand in the air.

Charles crossed his arms over his chest and heaved a sigh. "And why is that, Adelaide? You don't even know what's be for yourself. You still don't know your place in court, you don't act or dress like a princess should, and you certainly do not hold yourself in any respect or value."

"I know my worth, and it is NOT what you or anyone else deem of me." Adelaide shot back, her tone growing higher. "I am more than capable of choosing my own path, a path that makes me happy." She pointed to herself with her finger.

Charles frowned, shaking his head and resting his hand under his chin. "And look how well that has worked out for you? You're a prisoner in your own home because you just can not adhere to the rules that have been set for generations. If only you'd care about your image, of your family's image and reputation to try and maybe, just maybe, think before you do anything." He passive-aggressively said, tapping his head.

Adelaide hadn't seen her father like this before and it was a bit scary. "I-I-I," She stammered, unsure how to react. Her breathing had hitched, her stomach felt sick and panic began to rise in her chest. "I never asked to be a princess. I never chose this life -"

Charles held up his hand in the air, cutting her off from saying any more. "No, you may have not, but you were born into it and you should, at the very least, get your act together and try to not disgrace this family by acting like a common whore." He spat at her, hoping his words were like a stake, driving into her how grave things were. "It's no wonder why you're looked down upon and have no friends in the royal court, it's also the reason you're confined to your room and not allowed to do anything that I haven't deemed you to do."

'A whore,' Adelaide thought, the words like a knife in her back. 'People call me that all the time. I'm used to it but why does it hurt this time?' She asked herself, unsure why she was feeling this way when normally she couldn't care less what others thought.

She, with glassy eyes, met her father's glare. "I'm not trying to be a whore . . . I just - I just . . ." She trailed off, unsure what to say. "I just don't agree with some of the rules and the way we dress, it's restrictive and suffocating, it doesn't suit me at all. This dress doesn't suit me, it's awful, it's ugly, it's not me."

Charles' face twisted with anger, he stepped forward and towered over her. "You will do as I say, or you will continue to face the consequences I deem worthy for your actions against this family. I will not allow you to disgrace our family like you've been doing since you became a young lady. You ought to be grateful I have shielded you from the cruelty you would have been subjected to if your actions were aired out for the whole kingdom to see." He yelled, causing any birds in the brushes to take flight.

Adelaide felt tears well in her eyes, making her vision blurry. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. An overwhelming feeling was dropping onto her shoulders with every word he said. "I'm sorry," She whispered, looking down at the ground and the tears dropped onto the stones before her feet.

Charles brushed past her but stopped and looked down at her. "I hope you will heed my words or you will wish you had obeyed when you had gotten the chance. I can make your life a living hell as your father and as king." His voice was laced with venom as he walked away, leaving her alone in the garden.

Adelaide dropped to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. "I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him." She clutched the fabric against her chest, hunching over and letting the tears mix with her makeup staining her skirt.

"It's not fair, it's not fair," She sobbed, gripping her skirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "I don't want to get married to someone he picks. He doesn't know my type or anything about me! Why does he think he knows better than me when he's never spent time with me? He doesn't even know my favorite color or my favorite food, he even forgot my birthday."

She rested her head on her folded legs to muffle the sound of her sobs. 'He knows Mother would be against it and would do all in her power to stop, and so would Constantin, that is why he threatened me to be quiet and not to tell anyone.'

She sighed softly, sniffling once again as the tears silently streamed down her cheeks. "I want to marry Jaques," She whispered, sniffling a little. "Jaques," She snapped up her head, realizing she would have to tell him about her arranged marriage. 'How am I going to tell him? Will he be upset? Will he be mad? Will he not want to tutor me? Will things be uncomfortable?' She asked herself, feeling lost in her thoughts.

She couldn't bear the thought of the person she loved the most feeling those ways about her predicament. 'The fact he'd be accepting and respectful about it makes things even harder. He's such a good, considerate man, if only Father could see him like I do . . . but he can't. He can't know anything or else he'd fire him and banish him from France.'

She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. 'What will happen when Constantin and Louis find out about the arranged marriage? I don't think Constantin can keep his word and allow me to marry Jaques. Father would never allow me to marry someone he doesn't deem worthy and it's wrong. He already is looking for potential suitors, who knows how long he has been scheming and plotting our arranged marriages.'

She wiped her tear-stained face, looking up at the sky at the stars as the gentle night breeze brushed past her. "La vie est nul," She groaned, standing up and collecting herself. She smoothed down her dress and wiped her face with the palms and the backs of her hands.

She took a shaky deep breath and began to make her way back toward her room, followed by her guards. 'At least I know my guards won't spill a word, they're more loyal to my mother than my father, not that they'd tell anyone that. I trust them . . ' Her thoughts trailed off as she made sure to avoid any possible interaction with her mother and brothers. 'I can't face them now or else I'd spill everything.'

She sighed softly, feeling as burdened and alone as she had before. 'If only things turned around by then, maybe, just maybe, I can pray for a better outcome.'

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A/N:
Yikes, sorry this chapter took so long to get. I took a hiatus all December and January. I got writer's block but I'm back on a roll so expect more chapters.

Chapter Talk:
I didn't know what I wanted this chapter to be about but I figured I might as well continue the previous one since I didn't want things to seem rushed. I keep forgetting I need to pace the chapters and expand on things so characters get fleshed out and expanded on.

This chapter I wanted to mostly focus on Charles and Adelaide's relationship and how toxic of a father he is. He might be a good king but he's a terrible father and I wanted to show that here.

Thanks for reading!