***
"Are you alright?" a voice said.
Odeletta was headed towards the exit, but her footsteps paused when she heard someone speak. She turned around and saw Dilton looking at her. She stared wordlessly at him, then turned around again.
"I'm alright," she said.
No, she wasn't alright. Who would be in this situation? She was miserable, sad and resentful. Every part of her.
"Don't worry," she added.
Good friend of mine, Dilton.
Odeletta smiled helplessly. He was probably concerned that his childhood friend was hurt. Even when they fought, they cared for each other like that.
"Odel," Dilton began.
"…"
"I hope you're not hurting too much. The Crown Prince—"
"You're mistaken, Dilton. I'm not hurting," she said irritably.
Odeletta rarely raised her voice at Dilton, and the sharpness in her voice only concerned him even more.
"Don't tell my parents what happened today," she said. "I don't want them to worry uselessly."
"…Very well."
"I have to go. I'll see you again."
Odeletta left without another word. Dilton stood frozen on the spot as he watched her retreating figure. He wanted to walk with her towards the gates, but he thought that she might not want his company right now.
***
'They must be having a good time by now.'
I lounged on my bed with a book, while my hand searched for a chocolate cookie next to me.
By now, they should be eating dessert and enjoying a good conversation.
'I hope it works out.'
If they were lucky, they would get married as soon as possible. They were both getting older.
'It would be hard for them to meet with me if they were married.'
A sense of melancholy washed over me, but it couldn't be helped. I couldn't whine about things like that when I wasn't a kid.
'I can enter the palace as a lady-in-waiting.'
There were many ways for me to see them. I shook my head and immersed myself back in the book.
'I shouldn't think too much.'
Then, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" I called.
"It's Florinda, My Lady. You have a visitor."
"A visitor?"
There was only one person who would visit so suddenly.
"It isn't Dorothea, isn't it?" I asked, an ominous feeling sweeping over me.
"No, My Lady. Lady Odeletta is here."
Whew. I heaved out a sigh of relief that it wasn't Dorothea.
A moment later, however, I started to wonder. What was Odeletta doing here now? She was supposed to be enjoying herself with Xavier at Thurman Palace. I rose from the bed with my brow crinkled in confusion, and I opened the door and went out. Fortunately I was wearing more than just a chemise, so I went straight down to the parlor room. I tapped on the door twice then opened it.
"Odeletta," I said, announcing my presence.
She was inside drinking tea, and when she turned to me, I saw that her face was swollen. I approached her with a worried expression.
"Were you crying?" I asked.
"Mm." Odeletta smiled, but it looked tense.
"What on earth is going on?" I said, worried. "You came here so suddenly. Did your meeting with His Highness go badly?"
"…No, nothing like that," Odeletta said in a soft voice as she shook her head. Somehow I felt like she was lying.
"Something happened, didn't it?"
"Nothing happened."
"But why is your face like that?"
"…"
Odeletta didn't answer, and I felt a suffocating tension in the air. When I was about to question her again, she spoke first.
"He…he already has a person he likes."
Thump.
I felt like I had been struck hard and knocked on my back.
Xavier…already has a person he likes?
"Really?" I asked in a voice of disbelief.
"Mm."
"He…already has someone he likes?"
"Yes," Odeletta said, then swallowed. "He told me straightforwardly. He can't accept my feelings."
"Oh my god."
My eyes widened in wonder. Wait, so why would he accept the proposal for the meeting? If he already had someone he liked, then he shouldn't have done that.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know," I apologized. "Is the person he likes Dorothea?"
"…I don't know who it is, but it's not her," Odeletta said, dropping her sad gaze downwards, and my heart ached at the sight. I was a little relieved that Xavier's favorite person wasn't Dorothea but, other than that, the situation was a complete surprise. I quickly hugged Odeletta and offered her words of consolation.
"You must have been hurt, Odeletta."
"In truth…I was. I couldn't believe it."
"I didn't know that His Highness would deceive you or me like that. If that was how he felt, he shouldn't have accepted my offer in the first place."
Odeletta remained mostly silent while I vented my anger. I was more sorry for her for getting caught in this situation. I didn't have an honest understanding of the situation and arranged a bad meeting.
"I'm going to see His Majesty in person and see what happened—" I began angrily, but I was stopped by Odeletta. I turned to her in surprise. Her doe-like eyes were filled with sadness.
"I don't want to be hated by him," she murmured.
"…"
She was so kind and innocent!
"But Odeletta, aren't you angry?" I said in frustration. "I can't tolerate anything so shameful, and I'm sure we can figure out something with His Highness right away. Isn't that why you came here?"
"I don't want to get angry… Marie, I don't want to give him up," Odeletta cried, and she finally buried herself in my arms and wept. "I cannot abandon my feelings towards His Highness. Then I really…I really might break down."
"Odeletta…"
"What should I do, Marie? How can I make His Highness look at me?"
It was the first time I had seen Odeletta look so out of control. The image of her in my head had always been one of a calm and thoughtful young woman. It wasn't like the situation was not understandable compared to the original novel, and when it came to love, Odeletta was more like a flame than anything else. It was painful for her when Xavier chose Dorothea over her, and she was grieved when she tried to be loved by him.
For me, who had viewed the story in its entirety, felt sorry that Odeletta was going down the same path as the original work.
"You should do what you want, Odeletta," I said softly, patting her back. "Do what you want, so that you won't have any regrets later. That way, you'll be at peace."
"But His Highness is already in love with someone else," Odeletta said with a whimper. "Do I have any chance, Marie?"
"People's minds change. The Crown Prince isn't any different, is he?" I replied. I tried to soothe her so she wouldn't worry too much. "His Highness has not yet made a marriage announcement, and he's not dating anyone. I don't know why, but his love must be one-sided."
But why?
Even as I said those words, a sense of doubt lingered in the back of my mind. Why was a man like Xavier holding his love without making a confession?
'Don't tell me the person he likes is a married woman.'
It was a ridiculous hypothesis, but I was just frustrated that I didn't know the truth. In either case, there was still a chance for Odeletta for sure.
"You still have a chance, Odel. I believe that."
"You do?"
"Of course!" I answered enthusiastically. "It's not over until it's over. You don't know if your situation will continue to be the same, so it's unfair to give up without even trying."
"…"
"I hope you will do what your heart says, Odel."
"…Mm," she said after a short silence, then looked up at me with her reddened eyes. "Thank you, Marie. I…I won't give up. I'll go all the way until the end."
"No matter what choice you make, I'm on your side." I smiled and made eye contact with Odeletta, and her eyes trembled slightly. I felt sorry seeing her like this.
'I wish only happiness for you in the future.'
Although she was a young woman from a prestigious family and loved the Crown Prince passionately, the Crown Prince's heart was already set on another woman. In the novel, even when Odeletta became Crown Princess, she garnered some respect from him, but not love.
And then she suffered a tragic death at the hands of Dorothea. It was a pitiful life.
'So I want you to be happy in this life.'
Truthfully, I felt despair. At least this time, it was because I wanted Odeletta to be happy. As I told her, she hadn't lost her chance yet. In any case, Xavier was single. Officially or unofficially.
'So I'll help you, Odeletta.'
I will support her and cheer her on.
Odeletta Ninette Jan Trakos was my friend.