Sybil awkwardly stood in front of the King and Queen, unsure of what to do since she had never been in the presence of royalty before. Except for Andrius, of course, but then again she didn’t know he was a prince until about an hour ago.
“Your bride, you say?” the Queen asked in shock. “You have chosen a princess for our people?” The Queen turned to look at Sybil, and hope filled her eyes. “She’s beautiful,” the Queen remarked as if Sybil couldn’t hear her.
“She is, isn’t she?” Andrius said, the awe apparent in his voice as he admired Sybil himself.
Sybil blushed and looked down at her feet, but upon hearing the Queen’s voice again, she looked up to meet her gaze.
“Thank you for caring for our boy. I don’t know what I would have done if we had lost him,” the Queen said in an emotion filled voice.
The Queen had the same dark hair and honey eyes that her son had. She also held herself with as much grace and confidence as Andrius.
Before Sybil could answer, the King interrupted in a bored voice to say, “So you’ve brought home some peasant girl to marry? Look at her, she didn’t even bow before us. She will need lessons on etiquette.”
Upon hearing that, Sybil immediately dropped her eyes and bent down as low as she could without falling over. “Please forgive me, Your Majesties.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Sybil,” Andrius said as he put his hands on her arms and helped her to stand again, all while shooting his father a menacing glare.
“Andrius is right, Sybil, my husband and I owe you more than we could ever possibly give. We would also be happy to have etiquette classes prepared for you. No one would expect you to know the rules of nobility considering where you grew up,” the Queen said as kindly as possible as she stood and walked towards the young pair. The Queen engulfed Sybil in a hug, and Sybil awkwardly stood frozen before she hugged her back. “Welcome to the family, my child.”
“Thank you,” Sybil said with a shy smile.
“You must be exhausted. Andrius, why don’t you show Sybil to her room. We can all become acquainted after she’s rested for the evening,” the Queen said as she looked to her son.
“Very well, mother,” Andrius said before he turned and offered his arm to Sybil. “I think you’ll enjoy your room very much.”
Not wanting to appear rude a second time, Sybil turned towards the King and Queen so that she could bow before them. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Your Majesties,” Sybil said while her eyes were on the ground in front of her.
She stood up straight and faced towards the doors so that she could accept Andrius’ arm. Once her hand was perfectly placed in the crook of his elbow, he led her out of the throne room and up a grand staircase that led to the guest bedrooms.
“Here we are,” Andrius said once they reached one of the rooms.
He opened the door, dropped his arm, and gestured for Sybil to enter the room first. Sybil gave him a small smile before she stepped past him and walked into the room.
She couldn’t help but gasp when she entered what was going to be her new bedroom. It was about five times the size of her room at the church. It had a bed that looked like it was two of hers combined, a fireplace, a fainting couch, a small table with two chairs, and an attached washroom.
Andrius watched in amusement as Sybil walked through the room with her mouth open in surprise. He chuckled when she touched the sheets and sighed from their softness.
“Well, what do you think?” Andrius asked her.
“Is all of this for me?” Sybil asked in disbelief.
“It’s just one room, so yes, you’re the only one who would be staying here,” Andrius nonchalantly answered. “Will it suffice?”
“It’s more than I expected,” Sybil said as she placed her hand on her chest and looked at Andrius. “Thank you, Andrius, truly.”
“Anything for my bride-to-be,” he said before he flashed her his bright, charming smile.
The pair held each other’s gazes for a moment, and Sybil felt herself blush from the intensity of how Andrius looked at her. Even still, she found it difficult to look away. Without breaking eye contact, Andrius took a couple of steps towards her so that he could grab her hand and lead her towards the couch.
Once they sat down, he looked at her and said, “I’d like to apologize for how my father treated you. Sometimes I think he lets his power as King get to his head.”
Sybil was quick to shake her head and respond, “He had every right to be upset with me since I didn’t properly pay my respects upon meeting him and the Queen.”
“After everything you’ve done for me, I would expect him to be kinder with you. Regardless, you will be able to start classes tomorrow that will help you learn everything you need to know in your new role as the crown princess. There will be etiquette lessons, history lessons, and you will learn about nobility and all of its politics. You will also have lady’s maids who will assist you with anything at any time you may need it.”
“Alright,” Sybil said as she looked down at their intertwined hands.
She realized that living in the castle and being a princess wasn’t going to be as easy as she would have thought. She had a lot to learn before she would fit in, if she ever fit in.
“I know it sounds overwhelming, but if at any point you need me, just send one of the servants to fetch me and I will come to you as soon as I’m able. Now that we are to be married, you are my top priority, and I will be sure that everyone knows it. In fact, I think we should end the week of celebration with an engagement party. I want to show you and your beauty off to everyone.”
“Oh, a party? I’ve never been to a party before,” Sybil immediately said.
“Then I will make sure it is the grandest party that Ignis has ever seen. Until our wedding, that is,” Andrius replied with a wink. “I’ll allow you to settle in and get some rest because tomorrow will be a busy day.”
He brought her hand up and brushed a delicate kiss across her knuckles before he placed her hand back on her lap and stood to leave.
“Goodnight, Sybil,” Andrius said before he closed the bedroom door behind him, leaving Sybil all alone in her grand bedroom.