Chapter 33: Between Two Worlds
775 Words
The morning after training felt quieter, but not calmer.
Diana sat alone in a section of the palace garden where the air was softer, the noise of the kingdom far enough away to let her think. Flowers swayed gently around the stone pathway, and the fountain nearby produced a steady rhythm that almost matched her breathing.
Almost.
Because inside her, nothing felt steady yet.
Her fingers hovered over the surface of the water, watching ripples spread as she touched it lightly. The reflection staring back at her didn’t feel unfamiliar anymore—but it still didn’t feel fully like her either.
She had a kingdom she didn’t grow up in.
A family she had just met.
And a family that raised her… that she was now afraid she might lose.
A soft sound of footsteps approached.
“I figured I’d find you here.”
Diana didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
Victoria.
She sighed faintly. “You always say that like you’re tracking me.”
Victoria walked into view, arms folded, a faint teasing smile on her face. “Maybe I am. Someone has to make sure you don’t disappear into emotional chaos again.”
Diana scoffed lightly, though there was no real heat behind it. “I’m not in emotional chaos.”
A pause.
Victoria raised a brow.
Diana looked away first.
“…Okay, maybe a little.”
Victoria sat beside her on the stone edge of the fountain, letting her feet dangle slightly. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn’t awkward—just full.
Then Victoria nudged her lightly.
“So,” she said. “Princess of two worlds now. How does it feel?”
Diana let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Heavy.”
“Yeah?”
“I keep thinking…” Diana hesitated. “What if I don’t belong to either of them properly?”
Victoria tilted her head slightly. “That’s not how belonging works.”
Diana frowned. “It feels like it should.”
Victoria leaned back slightly, looking at the sky. “You know when I first started helping run the inn with Mother and Father? I used to think I had to choose between being useful and being loved.”
Diana glanced at her.
Victoria continued, quieter now. “Turns out I was just overthinking it. People don’t love you because you fit perfectly into a role. They love you because you exist in their lives.”
Diana didn’t respond immediately.
That hit deeper than she expected.
Her voice dropped slightly. “But what if I hurt them? Both sides.”
Victoria looked at her properly now. “Then they deal with it with you. That’s what families do.”
A pause.
Then Victoria smirked faintly. “Also, for the record, you’re still my annoying little sister. That hasn’t changed.”
Diana let out a small, real laugh for the first time that morning.
“…Comforting.”
“It should be.”
Silence returned, but it felt lighter now.
Diana stared at the water again, then spoke more quietly. “I met them properly yesterday. My real family.”
Victoria nodded. “And?”
“They look at me like I’m something fragile.” Diana’s fingers tightened slightly. “Like I might break if they say the wrong thing.”
Victoria studied her. “Do you feel fragile?”
Diana paused.
“…No.”
“Then that’s your answer.”
A breeze moved through the garden, brushing against Diana’s hair. For a moment, she closed her eyes.
But beneath the calm, something still lingered.
A restlessness.
A presence she couldn’t fully explain.
Like something inside her was still learning how to breathe properly.
Victoria noticed her expression shift slightly. “You’re thinking too hard again.”
“I can’t help it,” Diana muttered.
“Yes you can,” Victoria said immediately. “You just refuse to.”
That earned another small smile from Diana.
For a while, they sat there in silence again.
Then Victoria stood up, stretching slightly.
“I should go. Mother said she wants you later.”
Diana nodded slowly. “Okay.”
Victoria paused, then glanced back at her. “Hey.”
Diana looked up.
Victoria’s expression softened just slightly.
“You’re not alone in this, okay?”
Diana didn’t respond immediately.
But she nodded.
“…Okay.”
Victoria walked away, leaving Diana alone again—but not as heavy as before.
Diana exhaled slowly, leaning back slightly as she looked up at the sky.
Two worlds.
Two families.
And somewhere ahead… a version of herself she was still learning to meet.
- Writer
