Fake Princess
CHAPTER 9
I guess it won't be possible to feel heartache. My chest felt tight, as if it was being crushed by a boulder, and my eyes were burning with tears that could not be shed. Surely nothing else could make me feel worse, more lost & alone , than I feel now. However, it was even more painful to stand in front of the crowd and hear the man I thought my father took back my name.
Outside, the lady-in-waiting who spoke to the green-robed witch laughed. I couldn't hear it, but I could imagine how relaxed and carefree his voice was. Now the heartache I felt in the hall had changed to numbness, so it seemed possible that all this time I had been exploring the world in a thick pack of wool.
I'll never stand here again, my mind, I'll never walk in the park again, or eat with Devan at the dinner table, or sleep in my bed.
I gotta go. My father was not, the king, I reminded myself, had made it clear that there should be no confusion when Diana arrived. So, I have to go. My aunt is alive and lives in Treb, and I can be escorted to her. He said everything would be done quickly, like amputating a limb, so that the wound would recover faster.
There was a knock on the door, and I was shocked, one hand floated up and hit the stone window sill. “ Login,” I said after his teeth did not grit anymore, & a moment later, two female servants whom I barely knew entered the room.
“ We will help you pack, My Lady.”
Said the first waiter. She was older than the other servant, her black hair was grey, and she spoke in a stern tone. The second servant, the younger one, looked at me with wide eyes. Usually, it's my ladies who help me prepare for a trip. But all of them can't, at least not now & maybe they are preparing for the arrival of the real Diana.
The first waiter nodded, but his face looked worried. “ As you please, Miss.”He glanced at his friend with a meaningful gaze, and the two began to work, collecting some simpler clothes & putting them in a small crate.
As I looked at them I realized my hand was still hurting, and I raised another hand to massage it so that it would not hurt again. I don't look like a real princess, my inner self. All this time I was too shy, too awkward, too hick. Feeling more comfortable in the library than eating, it is possible to stumble while going down stairs or bump into a shin while standing from a chair. My hair is always messy, my eyes and fingers are always covered in ink. A real princess would not be like that. I should have realized it. I should have expected it.
It turned out that they only needed a short time to pack the things I could carry. When it was over, the two maids lifted up the chest, nodded at me, & left. Since the two maids did not hint that I should follow them, I stayed where I was, staring out the window . A few moments later another knock came on the door. When I opened it I was surprised to find Ronald standing there.
“ It's time to go,” that's all it says. Ronald leaned against a tall stick, which he did not use when calling me in the park this morning.
I nodded, looked at my room for the last time, and stepped into the corridor.
I know the news of birds spreading rapidly in the palace, but I don't know how fast.