He collapsed onto the bed and buried his face in the pillow.
A princess fell in love with a commoner! Impossible! Eley is the most beautiful, intelligent girl in the kingdom. And me? Nobody. A boy without a family, without a father. She is the sun, I am the shadow. Bitter laughter burst from my chest along with sobs.
Why are the tears flowing then? Why is there a void in my chest, as if my heart had been cut out?
He took out his diary, dipped his pen, and froze over the page.
What should I write? "I found out the princess is engaged"? "I realized I've fallen in love with a girl who can never be mine"? "Mom reminded me I'm illegitimate"?
Or maybe the truth: "Today I realized that the world doesn't work the way we'd like it to. Some dreams are born only to be shattered by reality."
Or more simply: "It grew today. It turned out to be painful."
Day two at the castle
I'm back. Everything's strange. Sir Leighton gave me a task I can't talk about. The secrets in the castle are like a spider's web—everywhere, but you can't see them until you're in it.
Then there was the garden. Eley was waiting, talking about knights, the people. There's something in her eyes, but I can't figure out what it is. Mom thinks she likes me. The princess and I? As if a star fell in love with coal.
It feels like the world has cracked, and I'm standing on the edge—should I jump or run? Eley is a princess, betrothed. And I'm nobody. And yet... her voice, the unspoken words. Like flowers on the edge of a cliff—beautiful, but if you pick them, you'll fall.
The tears won't stop. Maybe it's not about her, but about me? About wanting to be more than I am?
Love, said one of the wise men, is a rebellion against fate, doomed to failure. Yet one still wants to rebel.
Outside, the darkness seemed softer than my thoughts. Tomorrow is a new day. Maybe it will bring answers. Or maybe only new questions. As I fell asleep, I knew: the princess will remain a princess, and I will remain a commoner. Between us there is a chasm that feelings cannot bridge.
Although... what if we try?