Chapter 3

The next day, before any maid could get to Amelia’s room to help her run her bath, she had done all that there is to be done. 

However, by the time she exited the bathroom, her dress had been laid out on the bed.

“Your highness, if I may.” 

She looked up to see who the unfamiliar voice belongs to and she saw a maid she could not recognize, standing at the centre of her room with her head bowed. Amelia moved closer to the maid and eyed her.

“Where’s Helen?” 

Helen was the maidservant that had been assigned to take care of Amelia’s basic needs like getting her dressed and setting up her meal table, among others. 

"Her Majesty, the Queen summoned her.” The princess nodded. 

After helping her get dressed in a white royal robe trimmed with gold, a dress that had been picked earlier from her unique royal attires, the maid also pulled her hair back in a braid and then fixed her hair ornament.

“Thank you.” Amelia said as she stood up from the seat she sat on. Leaving the dressing table behind, she headed for her bed. 

“Here, your highness!” The maidservant bowed slightly, handing her a cup of tea.

“Your meal is ready. Should I get it for you?”

The princess shook her head negatively. The maid nodded lightly and decided to wait on her lady. She needed to take the tea cup away and she’d also be on wait till Amelia’s personal maidservant comes back.

“Is His Majesty busy?” Amelia suddenly asked after taking a sip from the cup. 

“I’m not sure, your highness.”

The young princess wanted to say something else but then shut her mouth on a second thought. Maidservants were not meant to be all chatty with their masters. That explains the type of short but polite replies they, most times give to any questions they are asked. 

Few seconds later, Amelia handed over the tea cup to the maidservant who exited her chambers to get it to the kitchen. 

While the maid was away, Amelia sauntered over to a reading desk that was across her room. She pulled back the chair, sat down and grabbed a book off the table. 

That was the third book she’d be reading that week. She loved reading stories and also the feelings these books give. They always make her get lost in a whole new world, one free from royal issues.

Amelia heard someone come into her room. 

“You may leave to attend to other duties. I’m fine by myself.” She dismissed the maidservant without taking her eyes off her book.

“I already dismissed her.” 

Amelia sprang up from her seat, realizing it wasn’t the maidservant but her mother that came into her room.

“Mother,” She curtsied. “What brings you here?”

Queen Alyssa moved away from the door and strolled into the room fully. 

“I’m here to talk to you, Princess Amelia.”

Letting out a sigh, Amelia dropped her book and proceeded to join her mother. She already knew what her mother would say to her.

“I’m all ears, mother.”

 The two ladies sat down and Queen Alyssa, the older one, reached out for Amelia’s hands. 

“First, I’d like to apologize for the way I reacted yesterday. I’m really sorry, dear.”

Amelia gave a slight nod. 

“I shouldn’t have reacted that way. I ought to be the understanding one since I’ve been in your shoes before. I know how it feels to be involved in an arranged marriage yet I couldn’t give you the shoulder to lean on instead I attacked you for misunderstanding our intentions.”

“It is fine, mother. It really is.”

“Also, I'd really want you to prepare yourself for tomorrow.” Queen Alyssa paused, searching Amelia's face.

Amelia didn't react. The mention of the wedding no longer stirred the outburst it had the day before. Instead, there was only quiet resignation.

"I know this is something you deserve time to prepare for, but events have unfolded in a way neither your father nor I can change." The queen swallowed hard. "Believe me, we searched for another path."

She stopped abruptly, as though she'd said more than she intended.

"Another path?" Amelia asked.

Queen Alyssa forced a smile.

"Nothing, dear. I only mean... every parent wishes they could spare their child from pain."

She reached up and tucked a loose strand of Amelia's hair behind her ear.

"It is just... harder to let you go than I ever imagined."

Amelia forced a smile, watching her mother at the verge of breaking down. 

“I’m sorry, my child.” Queen Alyssa tried to blink back the tears that clouded her eyes but to no avail. The young princess, moved by her mother’s emotion state, raised her hand and wiped the queen’s tears with her thumb. She had never seen her mother cry and she understood her mother felt emotional about her only child leaving her soon. 

Queen Alyssa forced a smile. 

“This is no time for this.” She said as she held her daughter’s hands in hers. “I would really want us to talk about your marriage.”

“What about it?” Amelia frowned.

She already accepted her fate. She knew there was nothing she could do to change the situation and Amelia wasn’t even ready to throw any tantrum so she wasn’t sure what her mother wanted to discuss.

“I just wanted to confirm you’ve truly accepted this. I hope you won’t try to do anything funny tomorrow.”

Amelia laughed and shrugged.

“What would I possibly do other than get married?”

“Maybe because I tried to escape before I eventually married your father.” The queen smiled. “I have a feeling that might happen. You seem to take after me a lot.”

Amelia’s eyes widen as she gaped at her mother.

“You did? I thought you love him.” 

“Well, like I said, our marriage was arranged and I didn’t get to meet him before the day. I had a mixed feeling about getting married to someone I’ve never met.”

“Oh, mother!” Amelia wailed. Her mother was finally relating to her thoughts. 

Queen Alyssa patted her daughter on the head and pulled her in for a hug.

“I understand how you feel, my child. Thankfully, you won’t be getting married to someone you haven’t seen before.”

A frown creased on Amelia’s forehead as she wiggled herself out of her mother’s embrace.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Prince Andrew was at your birthday party. You might have seen him for a brief moment.”

“Even with that, I can’t possibly recognize him.”

“We might have crossed paths at the party, with several princes coming my way. I just pray he wasn’t one of those I ignored.” Amelia thought. “It’d be such a headache to try to apologize.”   

"The King and Queen of Dustrich thought it best that Prince Andrew remain here for a few days after the celebration." Amelia frowned.

"Why?"

Queen Alyssa hesitated, her fingers tightening around Amelia's hand.

"They believed... it was important." Amelia studied her mother for a moment.

"You keep saying things without really answering me."

The queen gave a weary smile.

"Perhaps one day you'll understand." Queen Alyssa said and couldn’t help but smile as she watched her daughter’s eyes widen in sudden realization.

 “Wait!" Amelia exclaimed. “Did you just say he is in this palace? How in the world did I miss that?” 

 “You missed that because you have been busy sulking about the marriage. We’ve had breakfast and dinner together since the past two days but you were absent and couldn’t notice because you failed to leave your room.” The queen explained and Amelia couldn’t help but palm her face.

Her mind wandered off to what the royal family of Dustrich would think about her. This was the family she’d marry into, yet she couldn’t even give them any iota of respect while they are still in her kingdom. What would the prince think of her act? 

“I suddenly have a lot of things to apologize about.” She murmured.

“Do not worry about that!” Amelia glanced at her mother. “We already gave a reason for your absence.”

Few minutes later, her mother left her room and Amelia was all alone to ponder on a lot of things.

The issue of her marriage was becoming more real as hours pass by and she just got the strength to accept that. Now that she got to know that her groom was somewhere around the palace and the wedding would take place the next day, she became more anxious. 

“What kind of person is he? How does he look like?” 

The questions lingered in her mind as she looked forward to seeing Prince Andrew Harrison Brown soon.