Fall for Me

twelve

~ l e o r a

"ARE YOU PREPARED, Princess Leora?" I jumped at the voice drifting from the doorway of my bedroom. I frowned. It was unusual for someone to be able to enter my room in the palace without an announcement from Janne. I peered over the top of my book.

Idriss stood beside the desk which faced the window, arms folded, and face etched with annoyance she did not bother to hide. Like usual, she was dressed in a pencil skirt which reached below her knees and disallowed any unnecessary amount of skin to show, and a white, frilly blouse tucked neatly into her skirt. A dark purple blazer covered her arms. I raised a brow without realizing it. I did not know the reason why, but Idriss always refrained from wearing blazers or jackets inside the palace. This was an uncommon appearance, but what puzzled me most was not the blazer but the golden pin poking out form her chest. Her first and last names were carved into the shimmering material.

"Is everything alright?" I rose from where I sat, shuffling over to the door to welcome her. Idriss gave me a once-over before scowling.

"Princess, do you really suppose the king will allow you to attend the interview in just your nightgown?" She shook her head in disappointment. I glanced down at what I was wearing. I had changed from my dress to my nightgown because the fabric of the dress was terribly uncomfortable. Sucking on my bottom lip, I wondered what Idriss was talking about.

"I do not quite get what you mean by that, Idriss," I replied in a steadier voice than I had expected from myself. A loud sigh escaped from her lips, resonating around the room. Why had I not been informed about an interview?

"The interview with Sir Leschvicke the king ordered every princess to have." Idriss was snarling at me in anger.

"I was not informed about this." I made a startled face. Idriss glowered down at me from her perch within her horrifyingly tall heels.

"The interview begins in half an hour. You have approximately fifteen minutes to get ready, Princess," Idriss threw over her shoulder before storming out of my room with her heels clack-clacking along the floor.

I began to panic. Shutting away the numerous questions in my head, I called out to Janne, who had been busying herself with some embroidery. Her face was emotionless, and I debated whether I should ask her if she knew of the interview or not, but she gave me no chance.

Firmly setting my down onto the stool, Janne began to work on my makeup. She knew I detested too much of those harmful substances and always turned to more of a natural and light look, which I was grateful for. A full ten minutes later, Janne was finished with my hair and makeup and was fumbling through the closet for a gown suitable for the interview as I thought about what the man Idriss had brought up was going to ask me, mentally preparing myself for all the questions which were going to be tossed at me.

"Will this do, Princess?" Janne lifted a lavender gown encrusted with glittering crystals circling the hem. It was of a simple design and not too fluttery, another thing I despised when it came to clothing and beauty.

I nodded and shimmied into it, Janne adjusting the elbow-length sleeves and pressing her palms down against the soft skirts of the gown. Ignoring the protests of my maid, I strapped myself into nude kitten heels, marking the end of the fifteen minutes Idriss had allowed me to have. As I made my way to the door, it burst open, revealing Idriss and a line of guards surrounding her. Idriss seemed surprised by the fact that I had miraculously finished dressing myself in time.

"I take that you are ready, Princess Leora?" She dipped her head down to survey me. 

"Indeed I am, Idriss," I replied, eyeing the excessive amount of guards. Without a second thought, I blurted, "But is it really necessary to bring this many guards?"

"Safety measures, Princess," Idriss answered monotonously, spinning on her heel and marching down the hall with the guards trailing after her. I swept up my gown up and raced after her.

Idriss had not alway been fond of me for some unknown reason. I did not know whether it was personal or just something she did to everyone she met. Along the way, I peered through the curls of my hair to see a somewhat pained expression written across her face. It was not my business, but I could not help but wonder what had happened that made her this way.

"We have arrived, Your Majesty," Idriss announced, capturing the attention of the king, and to my dismay, Ashton. 

I was alarmed at first at what he would be doing at the interview, but soon realized that the entire royal family was to be present when I spotted his sisters. They were huddled in a corner, away from the flashing lights of the stage and cameras. One of them - Euphoria - noticed me and waved, followed by Paradise and the silently giggling Aekalliara.

"You are terribly late," the king boomed, narrowing his eyes at me. I swallowed nervously, awaiting his bursts of outrage.

"We apologize, Your Majesty." Idriss bowed. She titled her head to the side and furrowed her brows at me, indicating for me to do the same. I gasped at my forgetfulness and curtseyed before the king. He grunted in response.

"It is quite alright. We still need a few minutes to set up the equipment," a man seeming to be in his late forties reassured us, patting the shoulder of the king. Judging by the friendly gesture, he and the king were very close.

"Very well, Vicke," the king sighed, heading back toward the queen and his son. 

"As you may have already realized, Princess, I am Kameronne Leschvicke the third after my father and grandfather, but you know me as Vicke," the man introduced, himself, bowing dramatically and placing a kiss on the back of my hand.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Sir Leschv - er, Vicke," I curtseyed once again. Vicke beamed brilliantly and I couldn't help but smile back.

"I have heard quite a lot about you from the crown prince over there." Vicke grinned, jabbing his thumb at Ashton, who was gazing dazedly forward at the back wall of the great hall. I raised an eyebrow. "He says you are very thoughtful and kind to those around you, which I am delighted to hear."

My lips parted. I wondered if he still thought of me that way after the incident in the garden two days ago. Through the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of him. He still looked entranced, his eyes never moving away from the point on the back wall.

"Everything is set, Vicke," one of the men who had been bustling around with the delicate equipment notified Vicke, causing him to press his hands together in excitement.

"Shall we begin this interview, Princess Leora?" He motioned for me to settle myself down into one of the armchairs decorated luxuriously with embroidered pillows of different colors.

"Of course, Vicke," I responded, sinking down into one. Vicke occupied the one opposite of me. He leaned forward with his elbows digging int his thighs, a microphone clutched in his hand. He nodded at the cameraman and faced me once more.

"Princess Leora, what was your impression of the palace and everyone in it when you first arrived?" Vicke asked, handing me the microphone.

"For me, the palace's architecture was brilliant. It was far better than I had ever imagined. The maids and butlers were, and still are exceedingly nice to me and I could not have asked for anything more than that," I said calmly.

"The king has informed you of the marriage for the prince, has he not?" I nodded. "What do you think of this... plan? Do you intend to become the next queen of Aecho?"

I chewed on my bottom lip, directing my eyes forward at Vicke. I could feel all pairs of eyes bearing into my head, waiting for my answer. "I have not thought about marriage at all in these sixteen years of my life, but because I am now somewhat pressured into it..." I paused, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I suppose it is not a completely bad idea. As for if I intend to become the next queen, that is a definite no." Gasps could be heard all around me and both of Vicke's eyebrows were raised. To my right, Ashton sucked in a sharp breath. "I do not intend to become the next queen. In fact, I have no intentions at all. What I truly desire is just for the prince to look at only me. I know it may be extremely selfish of me to think of such a thing, but I will not lie." The words were out of my mouth before I knew it.

The room was unbearably silent. My eyes scanned the room. Vicke's mouth was agape, identical to that of the queen and her daughters, excluding Aekalliara, who was pulling at Paradise's hair. The king's lips were firmly pressed together, and beside him, Ashton was watching me with his careful, silver eyes. The expression he held on his face was indecipherable.

"Well, folks, there you have it," Vicke said finally, piercing the silence with his words. As if snapped out of a trance, everyone in the room began to move again. The king's daughters were smiling broadly at me, unlike the king himself. Ashton, on the other hand, still kept the same unreadable expression on his face. "A personal response from our Princess Leora. To tell the truth, this is the first time I had ever heard something like that. I was surprised, but I loved that answer, Princess Leora."

"Thank you, Vicke," I forced a smile. I suddenly felt tired, as if I had wasted all my energy in just that single reply a minute ago.

"Now, I have heard that you are spending quite some time with the prince, am I right?" He carried on. I replied with a small nod. "Have you done anything special yet?"

"We..." I looked over at Ashton. He inclined his head in a casual way, the corners of his lips curling upward. "We did dance a few times and we usually take walks around the gardens."

"Splendid!" Vicke exclaimed, smiling. "And I hear that you now prefer to be called Princess Leora?"

"Yes, that is true," I said into the microphone. 

As Vicke finished off the interview, my eyes flickered over to Ashton, who had his arms crossed over his chest. He jerked his head to the side where the door was and I immediately knew what he meant. I sent a discreet nod his way.

I rose from my sitting position in the armchair as Ashton waited for me by the doorway. I had already thanked Vicke and the king for the interview. When I approached him, his face bloomed into a wide smile, his pearly white teeth flashing before me.

"That was the most interesting interview I had ever been to," he chuckled, linking arms with me. I fought back a laugh. Telling by his carefree nature, he had put the garden incident behind him, which meant I should do the same.

"Was it? I thought it was rather embarrassing to watch," I scrunched my face up in a fake grimace and Ashton took one look at me before erupting into laughter, his eyes sparkling. I observed him as he chuckled heartily at my attempt to look disgusted.

"Well, I thought it was spectacular." He straightened and guided me through the hallway, gliding past the stone columns holding the balconies of rooms above us. "It made me happy."

I inhaled. "What about the others? Did they make my poor little prince upset?" I teased, smirking. Ashton frowned deeply and tensed. I held my breath, wondering if I had done something wrong.

"Not particularly." He shrugged and I bobbed my head up and down. He gave me a sidelong look, searching my face for any sign of uncomfortableness. 

"Now that this so-called plan has officially started, can I ask you one thing?" I stopped walking. We were in the far side of the garden where the forest grew, an army of trees crowding us. The sun was setting behind the hills which darkness had fallen upon. It was nearly night, which meant there was no one else around except us. The swirling air was cool, and I was glad I did not wear something short-sleeved.

"Of course," Ashton agreed, twisting so he faced me. It was not a question that he had to answer, but it was a question I was desperate for the answer to.

"Is it required for you to spend time with every single girl?" I asked slowly, afraid he might not react the way I had been hoping he would. He remained calm, but a confused look did make its way onto his face.

"I do not quite get what you mean." His brows knitted together.

"Do you have to spend time with my sisters." I forced out the last word, gagging inwardly as I said so.

"So this is what it is about." Ashton tapped his foot on the gravel beneath us. "Is my Princess Leora jealous?"

"Of course not!" I argued, my voice coming out louder than I had intended to. A flicker of emotion crossed his face, but he swiftly masked it over.

"Then what is it?" 

"I was just wondering, that is all," I murmured, drooping my head. I knew it was selfish of me to ask for an answer like that.

"And what if I cannot answer that question?" Ashton challenged, his face growing hard, crease lines wrinkling his forehead.

"But-"

"That is enough of this." Ashton cut in, his voice growing harsh. "Remember, I am the crown prince here, and you are nothing but a girl sent in from another country to be my bride. You have no right to refuse what I demand," he said conceitedly.

The tension around us grew thick. My eyes widened and my lips clamped together. I made a low sound from the back of my throat, outraged at what he had just said. How arrogant could he get?

"How dare you!" I bellowed, fuming, and without thinking, my hand flew around the space between us and connected with his cheek, the sound echoing through the whole garden.

"You-" Ashton clenched his fists by his side, his eyes bulging with anger. I stepped back and glared at him with all the hatred I could muster. 

"I hate this place and everything and everyone in it!" I screamed, running my fingers through my hair, tangling the strands. "I am so sick and tired of pretending, Ashton! I came here against my will, and now I have finally found something worth staying here for, but that something is out of my reach. Do you know how torturous that is?"

He remained silent, squaring his shoulders as he gazed at me wordlessly. He seemed to be in deep thought.

"If I may excuse myself, Your Highness," I said bitterly, rotating on the heel of my shoe and racing out of the garden, the wind whirling around me stinging my eyes.

I wanted to go home. I wanted to be with my family. I wanted nothing more than for everything to return back to normal; for everything to be alright again. I longed for my father's warmth and my mother's caring hugs. I longed for the playful smiles of my brothers and the demands made by my sister. I longed for it all.

And for the first time in the month, I cried.

~*~

~ a s h t o n

May 4th, 2020, 1:34 am

My dearest Leora,

I cannot sleep. 

It has been hours since out fight, but I still cannot shake off the sorrow I feel. It is my fault you were upset, and the worst part of the fight was that I felt no guilt in saying those unforgivable words. I had no right in scolding you for something you did not do. I know that even if I do apologize, it is no use. You are too stubborn for your own good.

To answer your question, it was my father who ordered this, and I could not do anything but follow his commands. I cannot blame him for any of this for he merely thinks it is for my good. Any parent would do the same. When you asked me this, I was shocked. I had never seen you like this. A soft and shy side to you.

It pained me to see you run off just like that, hurting deep down because of me. I was relieved in a way to see you go, for that way, I would not be able to harm you again. You were right to slap me, to remind me of who I was and what I had done, and maybe if I tried hard enough, I would still be able to feel the sting of your palm against my cheek. It felt surprisingly refreshing, as if I had just tasted something new for the first time.

I still do not understand what you mean by you are tired of pretending, but whatever it is, you must have your reasons for hiding it in the first place. I am a failure and a horrible prince. I lost the one person that makes me feel like myself. Not a prince or the future king of Aecho, but Ashton Layne, a normal teenage boy who has fallen head over heels for a girl.

I am sorrier than I can ever put into words, though it is pointless, for you may never forgive me again.

Yours truly,

Ashton