The atmosphere in the room changed instantly, and Amelia stopped breathing. How did she know? Was Amelia so bad at acting as Aurora? What if Lucia told the prince? Would Amelia have to go to prison for lying?
Although Amelia lost all color, she tried to act unfazed and started laughing. "Oh god, Lucia, you always make me laugh. Why on earth would you say that?"
"Quit it. I know you are not Aurora. I am as certain as I am about my name."
"Are you sure? Maybe you are not Lucia, then?" Amelia still tried to turn the situation into a joke.
"Tell me what is happening here, or I will start screaming and report you to my family." Lucia didn't buy Amelia's show and got annoyed by her ignoring her remarks.
Amelia's face turned serious. She didn't have another choice but to open up about what happened. Lucia seemed to care about Aurora a lot. Maybe she could even become an ally in her quest to find the killer.
"Alright, I will tell you everything, but please hear me out until the end. It all started with King Philipp's order…."
After an hour of telling Lucia all the details, they both cried. Lucia was in denial and wasn't sure what to think. Aurora had mentioned Amelia to her and how close they had been, meaning there must be some truth to Amelia's story. Still, she didn't want to believe that Aurora was dead.
Lucia's voice was broken when she asked, "Do you have proof of what you just said?"
"No, I don't. I was the only one to see and experience Aurora's death. Understandably, you can't believe me immediately and have a choice. Either you have faith in what I say, or you can report me. I will not try to stop you if you tell everyone who I am."
After a few minutes of thinking about her choices, Lucia decided to trust Amelia. Aurora had always fondly spoken about Amelia and trusted her with her life. She would help her find the killer and make them pay for what they did to Aurora.
"I will help you find the murderer. You weren't close to anyone but me the last time you came here. So I don't think anyone realized that you are not Aurora. Also, I don't believe they will notice it, but still, I will have your back either way."
Amelia started breathing again and was relieved about Lucia's decision. "Thank you so much, Lucia. You don't know what it means to have another person know about everything. But please promise me that you will keep this to yourself no matter what. Nobody can know about this, not your mother nor your brother."
"I promise you don't have to worry about me. How will you handle the marriage with my brother, though? You are supposed to marry him in one year, and everyone is adamant about going forward with that."
"I hope to finish my mission before then and disappear. I am not planning to marry your brother as another person. That would be unfair toward him."
"Hmm, I hope your plan works out. Do you have a plan B?"
"No, I will come up with it as I go."
"Alright, but I warn you that I wouldn't allow you to marry him as the fake Aurora."
"That is fair. I don't want to hurt anyone, Lucia. My only goal is to revenge Aurora and then go about my day."
"Time will show your intentions, but as I said, I will trust you for now and help you. - I will go back to my room." Lucia said while getting up from her seat and leaving Amelia's room. She cried again in her room, mourning her dear friend. It was still unbelievable to her that Aurora was no more.
--
The following day Nathaniel woke up still annoyed from his activity with Amelia. He hadn't embarrassed her but himself in front of everyone. Meaning he wasn't closer to his aim of getting rid of her. On the contrary, he found that they rather bonded more. Puzzled about why he enjoyed her company Nathaniel soothed himself by thinking he would find other ways to irk her.
He was in no mood to see her but had no choice. They always ate breakfast altogether, and missing that would make his mother angry.
Reluctantly he went to the dining room, where everyone had already been seated. He forced himself to ignore her during the meal.
Amelia's mind was occupied with what had occurred last night. She glanced over at Lucia occasionally to see how she was doing. Unfortunately, it seemed she hadn't slept well, as she had dark circles underneath her eyes.
She wasn't the only one to realize it. "Lucia, are you alright? You seem absent this morning?" the queen asked her daughter.
"Oh yes, I just have a headache," Lucia answered, glancing at Amelia.
"I will give you some of my herbs later so that you feel better, honey. - Aurora, we have some great news for you. We are organizing a welcoming party for you in three days. The tailor will arrive today to take your measurements to prepare the dresses. I hope that is alright with you?"
"Thank you so much, Queen Patricia. That wasn't necessary, but I look forward to the festivities." Amelia tried to smile genuinely even though she wasn't ecstatic about dolling up for a gathering like that.
After breakfast, she met her three guards to see how they were doing. The past days had been hectic, and she hadn't had the time to speak to them properly since their arrival.
"You three are doing an amazing job as my guards. How are you doing? How is your accommodation? Do you need anything?"
Before Torres could say anything disrespectful, Lucius jumped in to answer her questions. "Thank you for caring, princess. Our accommodation is very appropriate. Frankly, these are the most luxurious chambers we have ever stayed in, and we have everything we could need." Julius was nodding to all the things Lucius had said.
Amelia had to smile at the two and about how adorable they were.
"Well, FRANKLY, I don't know why we must keep pretending to be your guards and stay at your service." Torres couldn't hold his tongue.