Masked Love

Luca's grip on my hand tightens. "Korine, I can explain."

"No need, Luca. I can see perfectly well what is going. You are jeopardizing everything for this worthless servant." I can feel my face turning red.

"I am not worthless. You couldn't survive without me. I do my job better than anyone in this palace. I know everything about you, including the fact that you never truly loved Luca. He never loved you either. He loves me." My whole body shutters. I never stand up for myself. I barely even recognize myself. I look around and see everyone's shocked faces. Korine is the only person who speaks.
"How dare you speak to me this way. You are my servant. This is treason and I can have you locked away in a second. Do not underestimate me, Nicola."

Luca steps in front of me protectively. "You wouldn't dare, Korine."

"Soon, I will not be your servant anymore. Luca and I are going to be wed. As soon as we walk back into that hall, he will make the announcement and I will no longer be your property."

"It doesn't matter if he loves you. He cannot marry you. You are a servant. You have no title, no land, and no prospects. I am the future queen of France. I think it's time you grow up, Luca. It would be both of our best interests if we just lock up your pretty little mistress and her mother and even her friends if that would keep you from throwing your life away." I have never seen Luca this angry. His hands are clenched and his face turns red.

"How do you know what is best for me? How would throwing the woman I love into prison be the best action to take? Are you that cruel and selfish? Do you really think I would marry you if you did that?"

"You have so many questions, my dear. Where should I begin? Well, your treasury has almost run dry. France can keep Italy from bankruptcy. Your people will no longer starve. They can survive the next winter. I can help your image, which, I can tell by your actions, you don't care about. People respect people like us because we were born to rule. We know how to run a country. Why would you put a servant girl on the throne? She knows nothing about what it means to be queen. I have been training for this my entire life. Really think, Luca. Marriage is about love if you are a peasant like Nicola. For royalty, it is about necessity and responsibility. Wake up. This isn't a fairytale."

Luca's fists slowly unclench. He walks beside me and gently takes my hands. In his eyes it is clear that he no longer knows what to do. I have never felt so lost. I look to my father. He leaves my mother and comes over to me, his demeanor sullen yet serious.

"Korine is right." I am horrified. The words keep ringing in my ears as the man I just met tries to comfort me. "This is a very complicated situation. Italy is a very poor country at the moment and the only people who have the money are the Pope and France. Your grace, you have a very difficult decision to make. You can marry my daughter, watch your country fall into ruin and risk war with France, or you can let Nicola come with me and do what's best for your country."

“There has to be more than two options. There has to be another way. I cannot let Nicola go. I don’t think I could bear it.” He turns to me and touches my face gently. There is so much longing in his eyes.

“You don’t have to.” My voice shocks everyone. Inside my chest, I feel a kind of strength building within me. I know my father is right. Even though I let it go a long time ago, Italy is still a part of who I am. I know what I have to do. “Father, I will leave with you.”

“No!”

“This is my decision as much as it is yours, love. Princess Korine, please forgive the way I acted before. Don’t worry, you never have to see me again.” A sudden calm fills me. I know that I am making the right choice, no matter how much it hurts. “Luca, I love you. But I cannot marry you if I know it will hurt my country. We have to do what’s best for our people.”

“Prego non mi lasciare.” His embrace is strong and for a split second I almost stay.

“Non ho altra scelta. Ti amo.” My willpower is stronger and I slip away from his arms and go towards my family. “ We have to leave tonight.” Without looking back, we head towards the servants’ quarters.

After an few minutes of packing my entire life in two small bags, there is a knock at the door. Before I can move to open it, the door swings open and Addie comes rushing towards me with tears in her eyes. “It cannot be true! After everything we’ve been through for the past few months, you are giving up?”

“I am not giving up Addie. I am doing what is best for Luca, Italy, and me. Please Addie, you have to try and understand my position. If I stay, Korine will throw me and my mother in prison for treason. I have to leave.” I pull her into my arms and begin to cry. I have been holding them in for so long and they stream down with no intention of stopping.

“Take us with you.” Noé stands in the doorway, his face red and his eyes swollen from crying. “You can’t expect us to let you go that easily.”

“I wish I could, but your lives are here in France. I can’t take you away from your families.”

“You are our family, Nicola. We can get married in Italy.”

“When I arrive in Italy, I will no longer be a servant. I will live with my father. I will not have you working for me. Think about it. If you remain here, Addie, you will be next in line to take my place as Korine’s lady in waiting. That is such a high honor, and I cannot take that away from you.”

“Please write, Nicola. Promise me.”

“I promise.” Clutching my tattered luggage I rush to my father’s carriages, being careful to avoid any hallway that could lead me toward the ball. The carriages are waiting along with my parents by the far exit of the palace.
For the last time, I look back at the palace that had been my home for the past fifteen years of my life. I can hear the laughter and music from the ball in the distance. The tears return to my eyes as I remember Luca and the way he looked at me when I entered the room. I thought I had found the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with. It is funny how reality can hit you so hard and so fast. My father’s voice releases me from the sad memories.

“Come, my dear. We have a long journey ahead of us, but I promise, home awaits is at the end of it.” His voice is as sure as his arm that leads me into the carriage. However, the words do not soothe me. My bones ache as I keep myself from running back into the palace. The strength that made me so sure of my decision slips away, but I cannot jump out of a moving carriage. What good would that accomplish? All I can do is lay on my mother’s lap and let her comfort me. We are on our way to a new home. A home without Luca.