The royal family had welcomed a new day with enthusiasm just like they always had.In the dining room that had a long table and chairs that were enough to accommodate twenty people, the king sat on the headseat while his legal wife, on his right side, the Queen of Eaghslia had taken her usual seat while the other two concubines followed in line.
Princess Lilith sat opposite to her future husband who was taking his meal, unbothered by the princess' continuous gaze on him. Every time she saw him, flashes of the images of last night flooded her mind which made her lose her appetite and all she could do was play with the fork that she loosely held.
"Princess Lilith, are you okay?" It was lady Amara, the first concubine who inquired and Lilith replied with a nod and a small smile that did reach her face. She had tried to act as of everything was okay when Mandy came to assist her with her preparations and she did not know for how long she would continue pretending as if everything was alright.
She was not hurt because prince Wilson was having a hidden affair with her maid. She was worried about the future she was going to have with him. Maybe other women were okay with sharing their husbands, but she was not okay.
Her line of thoughts were distracted when the butler made his way to the head seat and whispered something to the king. "Tell them to wait until after breakfast." She heard the king say but again, the butler bent his head to add something and when the king nodded at his words, the butler walked out of the room.
"Everything alright?" Prince George who was seated to prince Wilson asked but he did not receive an answer as king William got up from his seat and left the room.
"Lilith, you should finish your food." This time, it was Queen Avena who said. Her words were more like an order that compelled her to take a bite from the food on her plate. Life was a gift but sometimes it felt as if her life was a curse that she could never reverse.
Done with her breakfast, lady Amara accompanied her to the garden of shalvan. Snow was still in the process of melting down but that did not mean that the cold weather had completely disappeared. "When I was first brought here, all I wanted was to escape and break free from all these shakles but as time passed by, I came to understand that the less you resist, the better." Lady Amara was one of the few people that took the initiative to speak to her. Not only was she beautiful, but also young. Young enough to be an elder sister to her which made her a little bit comfortable around her.
"I do not belong to myself but the kingdom. My mother made sure that that got stuck deep into my head." Her voice was soft and distant as she stared at the patched white ground where greenery had started to decorate the snowy ground.
"Do you like him?"
It was a question that she had least expected and with a heavy sigh, she turned to face lady Amara.
"I thought that I would." She said. Again, the images appeared in her mind, so fresh that they brought a pang in her heart. The previous day when she had a small talk with him, she had thought that he was different from others but she was in for disappointment.
"You are somehow lucky because between the two princes, Wilson is much bearable." Lady Amara's remark did not bring any comfort to her but the usual calm face that she always put up in front of others didn't leave after all that was one of the things she was taught at the royal academy.
"Beautiful bracelet. Those stones are rare to find." Lady Amara commented after a long silence that had reigned between them. Subconsciously, she placed her other hand on her wrist. It brought memories of the time that she had spent away from the palace. Where she was free to do anything and just like every other good thing, it came to an end and all she was left with were memories.
"Mermaids pearls combined with a fairy's essence." Lady Amara who was still looking at her bracelet stated and Lilith was taken aback by her words.
"What?"
"These baraclets used to be made by witches before they got extinct. They are really hard to find and the people who have them do not know their true value."
Lady Amara had said this because she came from lineage of fairies and her grandmother had told her about them which was why it was easy for her to identify them at the first sight.
"I didn't know that I possessed such a valuable item." Princess Lilith sated. She was there when Richard bought it and though it costed him a good amount of gold coins, it was not as expensive as lady Amara would have thought.
"Yes, it is valuable and you should make sure that it never lands on the wrong hands. It can be used as a means of communication with the dead witches."
"I will keep it safe." It was not just a reply, but also a promise. It was a gift and she was not supposed to keep it recklessly.