King Gerold expected such a question from his daughter. Ever since his daughter had inquired about her right to the title 'Crown Princess,' King Gerold knew that he had to explain everything to his daughter.
He was not a stupid father, and he knew the Princess' change in attitude. The Princess had started to change a few years ago, but it was only recently that the princess seemed to be so stressed about it.
That was why the King did not invite the Princess to the meeting earlier. He was discussing tomorrow's ceremony with the officials, but he purposely excluded the Princess from the meeting.
He thought the Princess would be able to put her mind at ease if she didn't attend today's meeting, but he was wrong. Perhaps the Princess wanted to make it clear before she could receive the Crown Princess crown tomorrow.
"So, you noticed it, Elen? Since when did you notice?" King Gerold chose to face trouble and didn't want to run away anymore.
He was different from the Queen, who widened her eyes as she turned to her husband. Perhaps the Queen did not agree with her husband's idea.
"I started to feel suspicious when I was fourteen," replied Princess Elennora. "Princess Frederica, who was only four months younger than me, ran to her mother while crying at the time. She told her mother that she was bleeding, and her underwear was stained with blood. Then her mother explained to her that it was just menstruation, and it was normal for a woman."
Princess Frederica was King Gerold's second daughter, but she was born to one of the King's concubines. Due to political necessity, King Gerold had two other wives aside from Queen Richenza, and Princess Frederica was the daughter of the first concubine.
Apart from having two daughters, King Gerold also had a son from his second concubine. His son was only ten years old, and he often caused trouble in the palace.
King Gerold carefully listened to the Princess' story, and he could guess what the Princess was currently thinking.
"At that time, Princess Frederica also talked about how she felt strange in her chest. Her mother told her that it was also normal for a girl to experience it. Her mother told her that her breasts had just started to grow more beautiful," Elennora continued.
Neither King Gerold nor Queen Richenza said a word as the Princess told her story. King Gerold couldn't even look the Princess in the eye.
"I was curious at that time, so I ran to the palace library to look for books about menstruation and also about a girl's breasts that were about to start growing more beautiful. However, I couldn't find any books to answer my curiosity."
King Gerold lowered his head even more, and Queen Richenza also looked uncomfortable.
"Then I asked Bianca," continued the Princess. "I asked Bianca about it, but she just told me to wait. She told me that I would experience the phenomenon myself. And instead of giving a satisfactory answer, she asked me to put two lumps of cloth into my chest."
Elennora even mentioned the senior maidservant, and the parents were still faithful to keep their lips shut.
"Unfortunately, even after four years have passed since then, I have not experienced the things that Princess Frederica experienced. Instead, I noticed some changes in my body that were not the same as other girls. Instead of growing bigger and softer, my chest got firmer. I didn't get any blood on my underwear, but instead, I noticed that my genital was growing bigger."
Princess Elennora felt like laughing at herself for the stupidity she had endured for the past four years.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't find books about male and female bodies in the palace library, so I didn't know that my body was indeed different from that of women. But, I was still lucky because my tutor accidentally left her bag in the study room a few months ago, and I found books I couldn't find in the library. I finally found the answer to my question."
Before the King and Queen could even say anything, Princess Elennora had known everything about the secret they had kept in the dark for eighteen years.
"Why am I not having my period? That's because I don't have the organs to produce eggs. Why are my breasts not growing? It's because I don't have the hormones to stimulate them. Why am I different from Princess Frederica and other girls? It's because I'm not even a girl. Even if I let my hair grow and dress like a girl, I'm still not a girl, Your Majesty."
Princess Elennora had been living in darkness for the past eighteen years. She thought she was the same as the other girls because her hair was long too, and she also wore a beautiful dress like the other girls.
But, she knew that she was not a girl. No, It wasn't even 'she,' but it was 'he.' Yes, Elennora Nenadovic was a boy.
Everything finally came to the light, and both King Gerold and Queen Richenza couldn't hide in the dark anymore. Now every crime they committed in the past had been unveiled by their son.
"I'm sure you wouldn't do something like this for no reason, Your Majesty," the pink-haired boy spoke again when he still didn't get an answer from his parents. "Now, I just want to know the reason. Why should I become the Crown Princess? Why can't I just be the Crown Prince? Was born a male sinful?"
Elennora wasn't someone who would show such a pitiful expression if he didn't feel so hurt in his heart.
King Gerold also felt pain when he saw that expression, and he decided to let his voice fill the room again, "That's because of the guidance of the Moon God, my dear. The Moon God said that my first daughter would be the first Crown Princess before becoming the first Queen to lead this kingdom. The Moon God said that the Queen would lead this kingdom into the golden era. That's why you should be the Crown Princess and not the Crown Prince."