Finally, a letter from the Capital—specifically from the Royal Family—was brought to my room by my mother.
I was still lying in bed when she entered. Her face was not happy; a storm cloud seemed to hang over her features. She came to my bedside but didn't hand the letter to me. Instead, she broke the seal and recited it aloud.
I tuned out the flowery opening; it sounded like rubbish to my ears. But I heard the important parts loud and clear.
"...Royal Decree to bring Lady Aurelia Aurelius as a Royal Courtier, and to develop a bond between the Crown Prince and Lady Aurelia Aurelius….."
Develop a bond? I mused. Maybe I could do it, or maybe not.
I didn't realize Mother had already finished reciting it because my attention had drifted—I already knew the contents, after all.
Mother leaned in close to me. "Sorry, Aurelia. You will go to the Capital because of those Royals."
"It seems Mother and Father hate the Royals," I observed.
Her face twisted in baffling frustration. She pulled back slightly to look me in the eye.
"Hear me, Aurelia!! Never trust anyone from those people in that Court. That Court is disgusting and dirtier than you can imagine. Perhaps Lady Octavi already taught you about my terms of 'disgusting' and 'dirty'."
"Yes, she did."
"Great. So don't let yourself be drowned by their words."
"But still," I pressed, "that is not the answer to my question."
"The reason is simple, Aurelia," Mother hissed, standing up and pacing the room. "They are envious of us. They try everything to get involved in our own territories and businesses. You may already know that the capital of Florence is more developed and richer than the capital of the Kingdom. And they dared to try to bring their people to be our Counts or our vassals. Who do they think they are? Trying to intervene in Aurelius' hands..."
She walked back and forth, ranting about the Royals. At some point, she stopped abruptly and said something unbelievable.
"Your betrothal is their opportunity to meddle in our hands. We agreed to them in exchange for them stopping sending their people to our territories as vassals. Somehow... I felt Ophelia would be unsafe in the future."
"Is that why?" I asked. "In these seven years, the Crown Prince never visited me again?"
"We just said to the Crown Prince that you were not in a good state," Mother scoffed. "Just that. We didn't prevent him from visiting you again. But we didn't know why he didn't look at you anymore after that incident. What great chivalry from the Crown Prince!"
"When do I depart from here to the Capital?"
"Perhaps did you not hear well from my reciting?" Mother raised an eyebrow. "'Aurelia Aurelius shall depart tomorrow, as this letter is received.' So you go to the Capital tomorrow."
"Do Ophelia and Aurelio know about this?" I asked. I couldn't call them "the little two" anymore; they were teenagers now.
"They will know by dinner time. I will try to tell them."
"Who shall accompany me to the Capital?"
"Adel is the primary to accompany you anywhere and anytime. And Lady Octavi will be present in the Capital, but not at the same time as you; she will come behind after some preparation."
"What about Sofia?"
"Unfortunately, she will not be with you. But she has taught some of her knowledge to Adel, so Adel can perform some of her duties... I think that is everything. If I continue this conversation, maybe you will just watch me keep talking about the Royals."
Mother excused herself and left the room, her skirts swishing angrily.
… .. .
Dinner was already over. Adel brought my dish to the door as usual.
When she opened the door, I heard rushing footsteps thundering down the hall. Immediately, their faces appeared in the doorway—Ophelia and Aurelio.
They rushed into my room while Adel held the door open. They immediately crowded beside my bed, leaning over me, speaking in a frantic rush.
"What Mother said isn't true, right, Sister Aurelia?" they asked repeatedly, their voices overlapping.
I just kept quiet and silent, letting them exhaust themselves.
...
After a few minutes, they ran out of breath from asking the same question and finally fell quiet, looking at me with desperate eyes.
"Now, you two are quiet enough for me, so I will answer your one question," I said calmly. "Yes. What Mother said is true. Tomorrow I will be departing to the Capital with Adel."
"BRING ME TOO, SISTER AURELIA!!" Aurelio shouted.
"Why do you want to tag along with me?"
"Because… I kept watching Sister Aurelia, alone in this room…"
"What are you talking about? I was not alone, Aurelio. There were you, Ophelia, Adel, and Lady Octavi, who made my day and kept me moving to another day."
"NO! What I meant is the Crown Prince!"
"Huh??"
"How could that man never visit you for a single second, minute, hour, or even one day in his spare time in the last seven years???" Aurelio demanded, his face flushing red.
"Maybe he had business as the Cro—"
His voice became louder, cutting me off. "AND NOW, HE TRIES TO SNATCH YOU FROM US!! THIS IS SO UNFAIR!!"
I was baffled by his behavior. He kept ranting about the Prince.
"HOW DARE HE!! THOSE ROYALS!! IT FEELS…. I… W…ANT… TO… PUNCH… HIM… WHEN… WE… MET… AGAIN."
His hands were trembling, gripping the bedsheets hard.
Wohohoho, I thought. I didn't know Aurelio would say that.
"You are fourteen, Aurelio, and the Prince is twenty-three. How do you plan to beat him?" I asked logically.
"JUST… WAIT… IT… Sister… This… hand… will… be in his face, one day…" he swore through gritted teeth.
"How about you save that strength for your sister beside you?" I gestured to Ophelia. "Ophelia is more fragile than me. Even Mother feels insecure about Ophelia's safety in the future. I am far beyond getting help from you, Aurelio."
Ophelia looked surprised. "What do you mean, Sister? About Mother feeling insecure about me?"
"You are fourteen like Aurelio. And you, one day, will become a target like me—a target of betrothal. Some people will find this opportunity to get close to you all. So you two need to help each other when I am gone."
"What about you, Sister?" Ophelia asked softly. "Are you perhaps not happy with your betrothal?"
"Hmmmmmmmmm. I don't know how to answer that question. But for now, I will try to seek the answer..." I smiled at them. "For now, how about you two—especially Aurelio—go to your own rooms to clear your minds?"
They excused themselves reluctantly. I saw Aurelio's hands were still gripping into fists as he walked away.
They were already grown.
I lay back down to rest for tomorrow morning.
… .. .
In the morning, I was woken up by Adel.
She immediately told me it was time for the morning routine—something I hadn't done properly at the vanity table for seven years. She led me to the chair, and I sat down.
"How amusing it is," I mused, looking at my reflection. "Somehow I miss the feeling of sitting here and face-to-face with a mirror. It is better than getting washed in bed for seven years."
"Is it really relieving to sit at the vanity table again, My Lady?" Adel asked, arranging the brushes.
"Surely it is, Adel. When I sit here, it means I will leave this room."
Adel proceeded with the morning routine as usual, but this time she opened every drawer on the table, just like she had when the Crown Prince visited seven years ago.
After she finished with my face and hair, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock-knock.
Adel walked over and opened it. Another servant entered carrying a stack of dresses. Adel took them and brought them to me, displaying them one by one.
"Because all your old dresses surely don't fit you anymore, we will use Madam's old dresses this time," Adel explained. "And we will bring some of Madam's other old dresses for you to use in the Capital."
I looked at them. There were no huge skirts or puffy sleeves like I used to wear as a child. These were adult dresses—elegant and streamlined. My childhood was truly gone.
Adel helped me into one of the dresses. After it was done, I checked myself in the mirror.
"You look like Madam with that dress, My Lady," Adel remarked.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
She went to my bed and pulled out several large suitcases from underneath. She started packing everything useful from the room, especially Mother's old dresses.
"Adel, put the book on the table in the suitcase," I instructed.
She nodded, assuming the reddish book was just my diary, and packed it away along with the items from the vanity table.
A few moments later, while I was waiting at the vanity, the doorknob turned.
Click.
I turned my body. It was Mother. She came into my room to check on me, but her face showed unwillingness—a reluctance to let me go.
"Look at you," she murmured. "You look like me."
"Surely, because of your dress, Mother."
"I hope, in there, you can act like me. Don't even trust a single word from them."
"I will keep all of your words in my mind and my heart, Mother. You don't need to worry too much about me."
"Hmmm… but I just couldn't relieve all of my thoughts about you living there."
I looked at Adel; she seemed finished packing the suitcases.
"When will I be departing, Mother?" I asked.
"Why are you in such a hurry?? Perhaps you now don't like to live here anymore?" she snapped defensively.
"Not like that, Mother. It is just not polite to them if I am late on their time."
"Like I give a single damn about them," Mother scoffed. "Sigh. Everything has been prepared. The carriage is already waiting for you in front of the house. But… how about we take breakfast first? While your suitcases are loaded into the carriage by the servants."
"Gladly."
I stood up, followed Mother, and left the room.
We walked toward the dining room for breakfast. It had been seven years since I had stepped a single foot outside my room, even to go to the dining room.
Inside, everyone was already seated. Not a single word was spoken before we started breakfast. The silence was heavy.
After breakfast, Mother told me that all my belongings and suitcases were already in the carriage. I went to my room for the last time to check everything. I said a silent farewell to the walls that had been my world for seven years.
I went downstairs, followed by Adel.
At the front of the house, everyone was gathered—Father, Mother, Ophelia, and Aurelio.
I walked toward them. Before I could say farewell, Ophelia and Aurelio stepped forward and handed me a wrapped gift and an envelope.
"Open and read it after you arrive in the Capital," they told me.
I hugged them both tightly and patted their heads for the last time.
Mother gave me a final kiss on my forehead and hugged me fierce and tight. Father gave me his hug, patting my head awkwardly but lovingly.
"Take care of yourself," they said.
I turned and walked toward the carriage. I climbed inside. Adel took the seat beside the coachman.
There were no guards to escort the carriage. So, hope this goes well, I thought.
I waved farewell to my family through the window. The carriage lurched forward and started to move.
Slowly, we passed the gate of the house.
The story had already begun.
I hope I can meet with Gena and Delia again, to show them…