"I have so many questions right now, but let's start with the basics. What happened?" Lady Aveline asked.
Lydia looked down at her chocolate, both hands holding the warm cup gently. She wanted to answer her mother's question, but she didn't know where to begin. She had already hinted at the reason in her letter, but she was afraid that if she revealed the whole story, her mother would be mad at her, or worse, despise Julien, Adrien, and Victor. Yes, they had said some bad things about her, but they were still Lydia's childhood friends, and she didn't want to-
"Stop overthinking, Lydia," said Lady Aveline. "I know what's going on in your head right now. Do you think I would be mad at you? Do you think I would punish those boys?"
Lydia looked up at her mother, her eyes widening.
"What? I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?" The Queen smiled proudly. "I'm your mother, Lydia. I know what you're thinking without you having to utter a single word." Lady Aveline let out a sigh. "Don't worry, my dear. Mom just wants to know what happened. I want to know what bothered you so much that you decided to leave us."
Lydia looked back down at her warm chocolate. She smiled. She really couldn't hide anything from her mother.
"Do you remember the lunch that the boys and I were supposed to have two days ago?" asked Lydia with a whispered tone, like a child who shares her first secret with her mother.
"Yeah. You told me it was cancelled because they were busy or something."
"Truth is, they were there that day. Julien, Adrien, and Victor all came that day and sat on the Patio. You know about the small path at the side of the patio, right? I thought it would be a great idea to hide there and surprise them, just like old times."
Lady Aveline shook her head. She knew where this was going but decided to keep quiet and let her daughter talk.
"At first, they were just joking around as usual. I was ready to jump out and surprise them, but then my name came up." Lydia paused, hands still gripping the cup gently. "Naturally, I decided to stay and listen to what they had to say about me. Boy, that was a big mistake."
"What were they saying?"
"...complaints. They had all sorts of complaints about me. Julien said I'm too childish. Adrien said I don't know how to have fun, or maybe that I was boring. Something like that. And Victor...he said that I'm not smart enough to be by his side."
Lady Aveline tapped the table with her fingers. She stayed silent, but anybody could see that there was a glint of anger in her eyes.
"Basically, I wasn't good enough for them. But they did have something in common. They all said that they were not ready to marry me because marrying a princess would hinder their career." As she said those words, Lydia gripped the cup even tighter.
Lady Aveline still hadn't said anything. She was patiently waiting until she felt that her daughter had said everything on her mind.
"I know-I know that you and a lot of other people might think this all sounds ridiculous. Why would I be sad or mad about something so trivial? Why would I run away from home for something so inconsequential?" Lydia started to raise her voice. "And yes...yes, I know that I'm a princess and I shouldn't be selfish and that I should put the needs of the country and its people above my own, grow up, and not run away from home like a child."
Lady Aveline looked at her daughter with dejected eyes, but she still wouldn't say a thing. It was not the time yet.
Lydia placed both of her hands on her face. "I knew all that, but...it hurts, Mom. It still hurts when I hear them say those words. I wouldn't care if anybody else said those things to me. But not them. Not the people who I've known my whole life and who were supposed to be my partner for life." There were no tears coming out of her eyes, yet she still wiped them anyway. "After that, I couldn't spend another day in the Palace. I felt suffocated. I needed to get out."
Lady Aveline stood up, opened her arms, and hugged Lydia. She gently stroked her daughter's hair and kissed her forehead.
"...I'm sorry, Mom," said Lydia.
"It's all right, my dear. I understand. You did what you felt was the right thing to do at the time. I just wish you had talked to me about this first. Your Dad and I were worried sick." She let go of her child and sat back down. "Come on, drink your chocolate. Mrs. March was already kind enough to make them for us. Drink it while it's still warm."
Lydia took a sip of the chocolate and said, "...Thank you, Mom. And I'm sorry."
The Queen pinched Lydia's cheek and smiled. "Alright then," continued Lady Aveline, "now that I know the reason why, my next question would be, what do you plan to do next?"
"Honestly, I don't know."
"So you want to go back to the Palace, then?"
"Nope. Not that. Definitely not. At least not right now."
"So again, what do you plan to do?"
"Well, I certainly don't want to impose on Elara's family any more than this, so I was thinking maybe I could take a short trip."
Lady Aveline leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms. "I agree that you shouldn't trouble the March family any more than this. If the people knew that the Princess was hiding in this house, it would only bring unwanted problems to this family. So yes, you need to let them have their peace back. However, that doesn't mean I agree with this little trip that you are planning. What sort of trips are we talking about here anyway?"
"I don't have a concrete plan yet, but I figured since everybody in this country knows my face, then the only option is to go outside the country, right?"
"Oh, for God's sake, Lydia." The Queen shook her head and threw her hands in the air. "Don't tell me this is actually about that trip abroad that you've always talked about? If it is, then I would drag you to your room right now."
"What? No, no, no!" The Princess shook her hands profusely. "I just think that now that I'm already outside of the Palace, and I intended to clear my mind for a bit, which I assumed you'd allow me to, then might as well take a trip abroad, don't you think?"
Lady Aveline stared deeply into Lydia's eyes, as if trying to uncover the deep secrets buried in her daughter's soul. "You haven't received my permission yet, young lady. And at this point, it all depends on the strength of your pitch. So if you haven't had a concrete plan yet, well, you'd better come up with one right now. Otherwise, I would drag you back to the Palace with my own hands."
Lydia knew that her mother was serious. She also knew that her mother was a fairly reasonable person. So if she could come up with a good excuse, there was a fair chance that her mother would agree to her plan.
"Alright, uh, um...let's see. Ah, right, you see, Mom, Elara took me to the nearby flea market last night to buy some clothes and-"
"I know. How do you think I found out where you were? Mr. Rine over there," said the Queen, pointing to the man standing outside, "he had been following you all day yesterday."
"What? he did? I was actually gonna ask you about that later. Wow. How did he find us?"
"Lydia, you took Elara with you. We know her home address, and it wasn't hard to find where her parents live. Once Rine confirmed that you were here, he simply followed you around. Or what? Do you think I would let my daughter go missing and not do something about it?"
"Wow, that was both amazing and concerning at the same time."
"There's no need to be so surprised. You're a Princess, we are the royal family. Surveillance and security are part of our everyday lives. So, back to your plan."
"Mmm...Anyway, I saw lots of interesting things last night and learned a lot of valuable things."
"Such as?"
"Well, for starters, I never noticed that life could be so different, even though we are so close to the Royal Palace. I know there are all sorts of people living in this country, but I rarely get the chance to talk or even interact with them and listen to their stories and their struggles. That's why last night was such a precious experience for me. So I thought it would be a good idea for me to see more of those, which is why I thought the trip might be a good idea."
Lady Aveline didn't say anything. She still tapped her fingers on the table, and her eyes still stared deep into Lydia's soul.
"Oh, come on, Mom," said Lydia. "Aren't you the one who always said that I need to grow up? Well, this could be a great chance for me to see a different side of the world and, possibly, grow up to be a better person, right?"
The Queen narrowed her eyes. "I admit, your proposal sounds interesting. However, I can't help but think that there is more to it than that."
"What? What are you talking about? I'm saying nothing but the truth this whole ti-"
"However," Lady Aveline raised her right hand, "I agree that seeing and interacting with more people would be a good experience for you. So, I'll allow it."
"Yes!" Lydia jumped in joy. There was no longer a trace of the girl who was sobbing and in a horrendous mood from earlier. "Thank you, Mom. I knew you'd understand," said Lydia as she hugged her mother.
"However," Lady Aveline raised her voice, "you have to follow my rules."
Lydia tilted her head. "Rules?"