CHLOE

Courage To Admit

Against the royal decree of having an appointment first before seeing a member of the royal family, Chloe paid Prince Alfred and Princess Esther a visit. They were delighted to see her. She never knew that, finally, after everything, they had come to accept her, but she hated that she was about to disappoint them this time.

"Chloe, dear, what a pleasant surprise!" Princess Esther exclaimed, gesturing for her to sit down. "Magnus didn't mention you were joining us for tea."

Prince Alfred smiled warmly. "It's wonderful to see you. You've brought some much-needed lightness to the palace."

Chloe took a deep breath. She could feel the shame, but her resolve to be honest was stronger. "Your Highnesses, I apologize for coming unannounced, but there is something I must tell you. It cannot wait."

Without any hesitation, she told them the bitter truth: "Our relationship was all a facade."

She explained why she did it, how it happened, and how she met their son. She deliberately skipped the part about Duke Adler and her connection with Philip, as that was a complication she knew would only muddy the waters and compromise Philip.

But she added something significant: she stressed that they should not be too strict with their children, especially Prince Magnus, who had no desire to be engaged, even though clearly the engagement would do their country a favor in terms of economic development.

"With all due respect, Your Highnesses," Chloe stated firmly, "it is more important to give value to what your family feels before you use them for a mere political reason. To help your country must be an obligation one is willing to do, not because he or she is forced to."

She apologized for everything she did. "I am deeply sorry for the deception. I am ready to accept whatever punishment you deem fit."

In the end, she made the royal highnesses promise to halt Prince Magnus's engagement on the condition that she would leave for good and not cause a royal pain anymore.

The Prince and Princess looked at each other, a mix of shock and dawning realization on their faces.

"Ms. Jung," Prince Alfred finally said, his expression serious but not angry. "We admire your courage and your respect for the truth. You came to us knowing you risked severe reprisal."

Princess Esther nodded. "What you have said about our son... and about family duty... we need time to consider it. We will not punish you. As for you, you may leave whenever you want."

Chloe was left reeling. Only after the meeting had concluded did the stunning truth sink in: the "ordinary parents" she had casually addressed were, in fact, the country's reigning monarch. A wave of retrospective panic washed over her. She silently prayed that her comments had been sensible, and that they wouldn't find her "weird" for such a careless, albeit accidental, lack of decorum.

A few days later, the sound of a page calling Prince Magnus to an audience with his parents resonated through the castle halls. "Prince Magnus," the page announced clearly, "His Majesty and Her Majesty request your presence in the private study."

For Chloe, this was the definitive signal to go. "Yes, I am leaving," she muttered to herself, her resolve hardening.

Taking a moment's slip away from the present reality of packing, Cloe allowed her mind to wander. She paused, holding a folded sweater.

"Don't you know," she thought, addressing an invisible confidante, "that the girl who was supposed to be engaged to Prince Magnus is Countess Adelaide Klein of Luxembourg?" She recalled the information she'd gleaned from the castle staff. "She's the niece of the King of Luxembourg, King Fritz Hector IV. Such a waste for Prince Magnus to let an opportunity like that slip away. He's such a douchebag," she scoffed, tossing the sweater into her suitcase. "Even though he's turned nice, he’s still a moron."

The packing was done. Chloe was ready to kiss this country bye-bye. She purposefully left no letters or farewell notes, determined to have Prince Magnus forget she existed so he wouldn't mistakenly believe she harbored any lingering affection—which, she insisted, she never even had.

The castle staff, down to the kitchen porters, had been made aware of her departure. His brothers and sister were in on the secret, too. Only Prince Magnus remained ignorant. By the time he would be informed, she planned to be out of the country, aboard a first-class flight bound for home.

The airport felt surreal—the same airport where she'd had that silly, memorable run-in with the Prince. "Now that is a story I could tell my future kids and grandkids," she chuckled softly as she checked in her luggage.

For one last time, she took a deep breath of the air of Liechtenstein, and then, she finally boarded the plane.

She had a destination in mind beyond home: Switzerland. She'd heard Duke Adler was there. "He would be so happy to see me," she mused, settling into her plush seat. "Perhaps I could invite him to visit my country to meet my parents. Then, we could create our new fairytale story together."

As she gazed out the window, a dreamy flush spread across her cheeks. She imagined fireworks, flying heart balloons, and herself and the Duke K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Blushing fiercely, a wide, contented smile was painted on her lips.

The plane ascended, leaving Liechtenstein far below.