Chapter 6

As the morning brightness shone through the windows into Amelia’s room, it was her cue to finally sit up. She squinted and let out a sigh. On a close look, one would notice that her eyes were a little puffy as she barely slept all through the night.

The events that happened the previous day had continuously played out in her mind. She wondered what the two princesses meant when they said Andrew never lets the one he loves out of his sight. She wondered if that meant he had someone he loved before she was chosen for him… if that meant she would never mean anything to hm.

She would shake her head slightly at intervals in an attempt to evade the thoughts from her mind. This she did till she eventually made a resolve.

“I will not be disturbed by those princesses.”                                            

“Are you awake, my lady?” A voice asked from the other side of the door.

“Come in.” Amelia muttered and a proof it was loud enough was Helen pushing the door open the next minute.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, my lady.” Helen smiled and got down to the business of helping her lady get dressed for the day.

While they were in the bathroom, Helen noticed Amelia was quiet as she didn’t utter a word at all and this got her attention.

“My lady, what’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.” Amelia smiled and stepped out of the bathtub. With a frown, Helen reached out for a towel and wrapped it around her.

The princess exited the bathroom while her maid trailed after her, with bugging questions.

“Did something happen yesterday while you were at the academy? I noticed you didn’t say anything about your experience at the academy.”

“No. Nothing happened.”

“But…”

“Your Highness,” Someone interrupted. “It’s Edna.”

“Come in, Edna.”

The maid stepped in and bowed.

“It’s almost time for breakfast. I’m here to lead you to the hall.”

“Alright.” Amelia responded as she watched Helen fixed the last hair ornament. “Thank you.”

Amelia stood up and exited her room alongside the two maids.

~

“What do you think about the academy?” Queen Marjorie asked.

“I love the environment and I’m sure I’ll learn new things from the tutors.”

“That’s so nice to hear. I was almost scared you won’t like it here.”

They just had their meal and the queen had asked Amelia to walk with her. They had gone to the palace garden and the queen had been giving her some prep talk on what the girl was expected to do as the crown princess.

But when the queen paused to ask her for her opinion about the academy, Amelia knew their focus would shift to Andrew soon. And she was right!

“And Andrew?”

“What about prince Andrew, your Majesty?”

“We both know the situation surrounding your marriage. It was not the best of situations, I know.” The queen said, staring straight into Amelia’s face till the princess looked away.

“Uhm… I …” Amelia stuttered, unsure of the words to speak.

“Amelia,” Queen Marjorie reached out to hold her hands. I don’t want you to feel bad at how Andrew is to you right now. I can assure you that is not who he really is”

Amelia nodded.

“You are now married to him so try to get to know him. Huh?”

“Okay, your Majesty.”

Amelia forced a smile as the queen reached out her hand and stroked Amelia’s hair with a smile etched on her face.

“I’d love for us to continue this discussion with teacups right before us but duty calls, my dear.”

"Thank you for the discus, your majesty."

"Call me mom already." the queen laughed and went her way.

The cool demeanor of the beautiful woman who just spoke with her left a wide smile on Amelia’s face.

The princess let out a sigh as she let her gaze rest on the full bloom flowers that decorated the palace walkways. It made her wonder whether the Dustrich royals were just so interested in flowers or it was a thing throughout their kingdom.

"It’s now your kingdom too.” Her subconscious reminded her and she couldn’t help but sigh.

“You’ve sighed a thousand times in less than ten minutes." she heard Helen say behind her.

"I can’t help it, Helen. I feel so lost."

"I, on the other hand, actually think you'll do just fine if you stop being rigid. Focus on the good things. You’re joining an academy soon. You’ll be meeting new people. You might even get to make new friends. How about that? You’re not in any sense stuck to this palace like back home. Isn’t that a good thing?"

"From the look of things, back home seemed much better."

“Amelia, be happy." Helen whispered. "Please."

"I’m trying to be, Helen." Amelia responded, tears welling up in her eyes. She blinked back the tears and began to head towards her room.

"Guess I can drown myself in books and escape the current realties for a while."

"That sounds more like the Amelia I know." Helen laughed as she followed closely behind her; grateful that her lady can finally be herself even if it’s just for some moment.

~

In her chambers, the princess sat curled on her bed, a book resting on her lap. The words blurred slightly as her thoughts drifted back to the events of the day—the formal breakfast with the royal family, where conversation had been polite but distant. Then there was the walk with the queen, her new mother-in-law, whose words had soothed her in a sense.

Now, in the quiet of her room, she let out a soft sigh, leaning back against the cushions. She had just turned a page when the sound of the door opening made her look up.

The crown prince stood at the entrance, his hand still on the door handle. He seemed just as surprised to be there as she was to see him. His gaze flickered over her, lingering briefly on the book in her hands before shifting to the far corner of the room.

“Your Highness,” Amelia greeted, closing the book but keeping her finger between the pages.

He didn’t respond immediately, stepping inside without fully knowing why. There was an odd silence between them, the kind that felt heavy with things unsaid. He walked toward the window and stood there, looking out into the twilight.

The princess watched him quietly as she waited for an explanation that never came. Finally, she spoke, her voice gentle but curious. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head, still staring at the garden below. “No. Nothing’s wrong.”

She tilted her head slightly, her brow furrowing. From the little she’s gotten to know about him, he wasn’t usually like this. She had become accustomed to his stoicism, the way he carried himself with an air of constant control. But now, here in her chambers, he seemed almost... unsettled.

“Were you looking for someone?” she asked, trying to make sense of his unexpected visit. She knew that question was off the point though.

His lips twitched, not quite a smile, but close. “No.” He glanced at her then, his eyes briefly meeting hers before he turned away again. “I just... I was passing by.”

The princess waited, sensing there was more. When he said nothing else, she nodded and reopened her book, though her attention was no longer on the words. “You’re welcome to stay, if you’d like,” Amelia found herself saying, her tone polite but not insistent.

Andrew hesitated, glancing around the room as if only now realizing where he was.

“I shouldn’t have disturbed you.”

“You didn’t,” Amelia replied, glancing up at him over the edge of the book. “I was just reading.”

His expression softened, though he still looked out of place, standing there in the center of her room. He took a breath as if to say something more but then seemed to think better of it. With a curt nod, he turned and made his way to the door. “Good evening, Your Highness.”

“Good evening,” she echoed softly, watching as he left, the door clicking shut behind him.

The princess stared at the door for a long moment, her finger still marking the page in her book. What had that been about? It was the first time he had come to her chambers, and yet he had said so little.

Shaking her head, she returned to her book, but the prince lingered in her thoughts like a shadow she couldn’t quite shake.

“I’ve been more disturbed in the past few days than I’ve been in my entire life." Amelia exclaimed, realizing how overwhelmed her mind was with different thoughts.