"I killed them."
Silence filled the room. "I killed my family." She repeated.
A murderer confesses her sins to a member of the royal family. What a rare scene indeed. Her bravery is truly commendable; everybody knows that there are eyes and ears everywhere in the palace. "Are you aware of whom you are confessing to?" I asked her. She nodded, but was still looking down.
"We can't pay our debts with our past financial state despite our title; we can't even reach out to our extended family. Even though my father and mother were depressed and agitated about our situation, they still had time to look after me. "
"And I thought that... maybe... I could lift their troubles. As a child, I knew I couldn't do anything to ease the situation and my parents didn't have the courage to marry me off to some old noble. I did suggest that option, but they were against it. I cried every night, not because of my own pain, but of theirs. Every week the debt collectors come to our house and all we can do is scrape the last bit of wealth we have. "
"Every night, I searched for solutions until I came to a conclusion. There was no way we could recover from this. That's why I decided, in order to bring smiles back to my parents' faces, I made a plan. I sneaked into the kitchen not with cooking in mind; I searched for the matches and gas. I spilled the gas all over the carriage later that night with the purpose of igniting it during the ride in the middle of the woods. I want us to stay together until we die, while we still love each other. " She just stared down, tears filling her eyes.
"We were on our way to have a picnic in our secret place in the middle of the woods. But as soon as I subtly lit the match, the carriage exploded. I was ready to die. I closed my eyes. To my surprise, I could still open them after the incident. When I looked around, I realized that my mother and father were covering me with their bodies. They protected me until their last breath. " Her tears fell down endlessly this time. As a child who grew up in a chaotic home with no title, I know it must've been hard for her to live alone at such a young age.
"Do you regret it?" She looked at me when I asked that question. She was smiling while wiping her tears. She shook her head. "I didn't regret killing them, Your Majesty." She let out a big sigh.
"That way, my parents don't have to worry about where to get food for us to survive every day or bother finding a way to get us out of our huge debt. I'm quite aware that it's a blunder for others. However, I have no regrets. I'm glad that they didn't see how dirty I was. I've been exploited by hungry individuals in a variety of ways, and I've profited from it. "
"That is why my stomach has not grumbling so far. I'll be OK as long as they allow me to live. " She kneeled in front of me and held my hand.
"But Your Majesty, on the other hand, dressed me up and provided me with a place I could call home. You gave me a room to sleep in, and gave me foods that I could eat. When you say entertain, I expected to have to use my body once more. Even though I'm fine either way, I'm delighted that Her Majesty isn't like that. I'm grateful to be able to serve Her Majesty. " Her words really made me look like a kind person. It's disgusting.
I finished my food as soon as she finished with her talk. Looking at her, she's indeed pretty from head to toe. But no beauty can compare to Helvetica Ethereal, of course. "I told you to entertain me, but you just talked about yourself." She was struck by that sudden realization and became kind of conscious.
"Those kinds of talks are supposed to be discussed privately. I expect that you are aware that every part of this palace except for the bedrooms is absolutely not private at all. " I added as I stretched my arms. She's a fool for being so bold. "You trusted me with this kind of story. Do you think that I can trust you after you confessed? What if you're planning to kill me—" She hits the table with her bare hands as she stands up.
"I DON'T HAVE SUCH THINGS IN MIND!" I was only kidding around with her, but she was dead serious about it. "I'm sorry." she said, backing herself up. "Aren't you scared that I might tell my father about your crime? You'll be executed when that happens. I mean you did harm to a noble. " She stayed silent as I stood up from the table. "You should've said, 'NO, BECAUSE YOUR MAJESTY DOESN'T WANT TO TARNISH HER BEAUTIFUL NAME'. That's the right reply." I touched her chin and I looked at her from eye to eye.
"It's such a waste if I throw you off. But don't worry too much. If that happens, my sister will be able to take you. She enjoys recycling items so much she should be called a garbage collector by now. " She closed her eyes and rubbed her cheeks against my hand. "I only like your presence, Your Highness."
"TIA." She looked at my hand, and then looked back at me. "Father's calling." She said in a soft tone while looking at my maid. I smirked at her and removed my hands from Serina's grasp. "You could've just sent a maid of yours to call me though."
"So? Why does he want to see me? " I looked at her confused, "It's about your marriage." As if a bucket of cold water had spilled on me, I thought I had already taken care of that matter. What is happening?
"He'd better not push me into this." I whispered as I went straight to the main hall. My father greeted me with a smile as soon as I opened the door. "I reflected on the things you said yesterday. And I'm here to accept you. You're my daughter and your gender should not matter to me. You're still the princess of this kingdom. " He was being weird. I don't like where this is going, "Therefore, I should find a perfect bride for you instead!"
"WHAT?!" I looked at Lithia. Did she plot this?! "Don't look at your sister like that, Hel. I'm the one who decided on that plan. " I looked at my mother with disbelief. My plan backfired. Damn it!
"What's the matter? I thought you were not interested in men. You said you like women, and so to respect your gender identity, I will find you a bride instead. You look so disappointed when I didn't get to answer you yesterday, unless you're lying. " This old jerk..
"Let's be calm, alright?" Mother said as she tried to massage my hand. I sighed heavily as I looked at my father. "But Your Highness, isn't it against the law to marry the same gender?" I rebutted.
"We talked about those matters yesterday. It was a tough discussion. They are all against it; even the cathedral people won't accept it. " As it should be, you old jerk.
"As a father, however, I want my child to experience love that is not forbidden. As soon as I said your name, it was like a snap that they all started to agree. They must've known that you liked the same gender and the only one who doesn't realize that, is me. " More like, all of the council members who sit in the position were recommended by me.
That's why they always agree with whatever I say. I should've notified them about my idea before telling Father. Who would have guessed that this King would make such a big deal over my alibi?
"I won't disappoint you, Hel. I'll make sure to find a perfect bride candidate for you. " Lithia, who laughed slightly, really got on my nerves. I tried to calm myself and think about this thoroughly before it could get any worse than this.
"I appreciate your kindness, father. You know what? I should take my leave right now. I really do want to rest in my room. "
One more word from his mouth and I might explode. As I left the room, I felt as though my entire body was erupting with wrath. My heart was racing, as if I were experiencing an adrenaline rush. I quickly lay on my bed as I wanted to cool my head off.
"Your Majesty..."
"It was an alibi, alright? I assumed he would reject all of my suitors, but I was mistaken. And my birthday is coming soon. He might introduce me to some candidates. "
Why did it turn out like this?! CAN'T HE FEEL THAT I'M NOT INTERESTED IN ANY FORMS OF MARRIAGE?!
"If I may suggest Your Majesty, maybe you should take the first step before he does." I looked at her while she was pouring tea. "And what is that?" I tried to sound sarcastic, and rolled my eyes. "What if you choose who you will marry instead, a fake contract, perhaps?" Dumb suggestion, really.
"And you think my father would allow that?" I turned over to look. "He'll most likely strip them off of their titles, declaring them unfit for the Royal family."
Luna is a good candidate, but knowing my father, he'll take everything away from her. And looking back earlier, that sister of mine really enjoyed the show. She's pissing me off.