The road to the library was uneventful for the most part, other than bumping into a servant with flowers for my youngest sister, or so I assume knowing she was the person with a fascination for flora. Thankfully, neither of us did damage to the other, and I let her go on her way, not noticing the giddy expression on her face.
Regaining my composure amongst the heart of knowledge, I walk towards the shelves regarding trade and specialty of each nation, grabbing a book by stepping on a ladder-shaped stool when I am faced with pristine gray eyes, devoid of the turbulence of human emotions, and brimming with an almost indifferent warmth.
There is only one person so far that I knew to have those eyes. Prince Blaise, standing in front of me. Not knowing what to do, I put the book back on the shelf and move to the left to grab another book. But the view that greeted me was the same jocular eyes and platinum blond curls.
In my dismay, I repeat my previous act and covered the hole, only to see it taken down from the other side. Surprise nearly causing me to fall down the ladder, it took a great deal of poise and balancing to keep myself stable, yet the person in front of me seemed to find it entertaining.
"Good afternoon, Princess Athaliah."
Rays of sunlight seemed to fall from the ceilings at that moment. A scent of spring in the air that he is known to have. There is just something inherently warm regarding this man. Like he is the sun altogether. A flame that never burns out. In the distance, a burn that never comes.
Knowing there is no other choice but to return the greeting, I pull forward my best polite smile and bowed my head since the view is too obscured for a curtsy to make sense and hard to conduct considering the stool I am standing on.
"Good afternoon, prince Blaise." I reply in the awkwardness of the moment. Wrecking my brain thinking of the possible list of small talk I could draw out, before finally deciding to settle on the entirely acceptable, "How have you been liking your stay so far?"
Silence came into the room, and prince Blaise out of view. In a weird bitter relief, I sigh, glad that I had escaped the dilemma, bitter at the ignored question. When I heard footsteps nearing me in the tranquility of the library, the person I thought to have left, standing next to me.
The sudden appearance, send a bolt of surprise into my heart. The impending need for a conversation made my legs wobble. And though I repressed it the shock made me step backward- something which I wasn't supposed to do on a ladder.
Before I know it, I fall into the air, flying without restraint or to be exact falling into the ground. I shut my eyes bracing for impact only to be caught by two arms. I am safe in the embrace of princess Ingrid's fiancé. A horrid thing that made me feel all the more guilty about my dear sister.
"Quite safe from the thrills of falls, I'm afraid."
The faint laughter in prince Blaise's words didn't escape me, I immediately struggle out of his embrace, something he easily allows me to do. The next thing I did was look around for any witness to silence. The absence of such, something I was grateful for.
"That is wonderful to hear of. Otherwise, I'd be quite perplexed on how to catch you." I begin to relax, letting a slight jest come into the conversation until my mother's scheme emerges in my mind. Even if he won't suddenly come to like me, I feel the need to leave, "Now then, in your magnanimous chivalry do allow me to leave. I have many things to do."
With small steps, I retreat from the situation only to bump into the last person I wanted to meet in that instance. My dear half-blooded sister, Princess Ingrid. She was taller than me by several inches, but the distance was small enough that the forest green of her puzzled eyes couldn't be avoided.
I looked at myself. At the ruffled state of my dress, at the flush on my face, and though I cannot see, at the state of my waterfall bun and braids. 'Please don't come to the wrong conclusion.' Just when I was at the very least glad of the fact princess Ingrid cannot trace my disheveled appearance to prince Blaise, the man showed up.
All three of us engage in a stare tournament at that time. 'Oh, how embarrassing.' I desire to yell out but was afraid of making the matters worse. I am entirely innocent, and so is prince Blaise. What if something entirely scandalous was to come out of this?
"Sister, I can explain-"
And yet, the atmosphere was as if I wasn't there at all. Princess Ingrid merely walk towards the prince of Creon and held out her hand in a demanding manner. Composure everywhere on her face and body. As if she could care less about what we were doing.
"The book if you would. Blaise."
It was then that I realized that prince Blaise was there to fetch books for his beloved. His overly devoted and pampering love for my sister a well-known thing throughout the gossip mongers. Sometimes I wonder what my sister felt to be the recipient of that love simply because she accidentally got kissed at the age of 5.
Without any indignance, prince Blaise hands over a stack of books to her. I wonder if I would have someone so in love with me they would discard their pride. In our traditions, princesses and noble ladies alike could have a personal knight, but 8th princess doesn't have any and I changed them so often people don't even attach a single name to me.
The 6th princess-Ingrid--- however, interestingly has one. And a rather close one at that.
"Here it is." Prince Blaise went and straighten the wrinkles on her face gently after he transferred the books. "Don't frown, such an expression doesn't suit you. If there is something that displeases you, just utter it."
Watching these two squabble, I remember an information that has mainly been in circulation on the gossip market. "Princess Ingrid doesn't care for prince Blaise." A key information many daughters across the kingdoms and empires have been pinning for.
I never knew if it was true or not. But from what is in front of me, it seem to be true.
"You may frolic all you want with whoever you desire. I do not care. The sooner you grant me freedom the better."
Knowing the backstory of everything with the understanding of everyone's stances, I decided to merely assist my somewhat clouded sister to realize what she may be at risk of losing. Be it true love or not, how can someone just toss aside such a devoted man?
Linking my arms to his, I smile at the two of them and tuck in the unbraided locks of hair behind my ear, playing the part of a honey trap right in front of her eyes. It took me so much effort, to not run away at the sight of the person I call to be my sister.
"Then, excuse us."