“Are you done, my lady?” Lina said. “You haven’t touched your food at all.” I looked at her big brown sparkling eyes.

  “I mean this, this is ridiculous to look at.” I looked at the huge table filled with all the food in the world. It was packed to the point that like everything was going to fall with just a little shake. Plates of chicken, pork, fruits, cup of wines, it was too embarrassing to eat at a table this greedy. I even had no idea about what some of the plates contained, I was never good at cooking or even recognizing herbs. But that’s how my father liked to see his dining table. He likes to live a luxurious life even at his bathroom. Compared to him, my chamber was quite elegant and comfortable, with light colors to help to soothe the mind.

  “You can’t even tell how much I ate because it would take an army to finish all this food. I don’t wanna see this much food again when I’m eating. I don’t care what my father says. Next time put a reasonable amount of food we can actually finish and tell me if he consists otherwise.” I was all alone eating with Lina standing right by me in front of this huge table. She confirmed by nodding.

  “Do you think the people of the city fed well?” I asked to Lina. She was my dearest only friend and servant. Being a princess had consequences like being alone. We had a quite small family compared to other royal families.

  “Yes, my lady. We always get free grains and fresh water, as you know.” She answered. Yes, I know that. My father was a generous king to his people, I cannot lie. But sometimes, I am quite overwhelmed about these wastefulness.

  “Yeah, I know that. But is it enough?”

  “Honestly, I don’t hear any complaints from people. But since I eat here, at the palace I must be in a much better situation than them. I don’t think I am capable of understanding their needs.” She had a good point. I must hear what people think from them.

  As I was having a sip from my cup, then I’ve heard a man’s voice. “My dear daughter! Look at you.” the mighty king has entered and walked to his glorious seat. I rolled my eyes with a little smile. He continued, “How pretty you look today! Is that your mother’s necklace?”

  “You know me.” I giggled. “I like to wear it when I wanna feel close to her.” She passed away when I was very little. I noticed my father’s cheeks loosening and his eyes filling with grief. They had a powerful love that sprung all over the other kingdoms. Maybe that’s why he’s trying to fulfill himself with other things. I remember him being a nice fit knight riding on his horse while wind flowing through his cape. Now, his weight was out of control and he can’t even ride properly. Everyone says that I look so much like my mom. I can’t even imagine how hard it must be for him to look at me everyday. I have the same deep green eyes, full cheekbones and her blonde hair. Sometimes I feel like that’s the reason I avoid seeing him.

  “It hurts to sit on this table without her.” He replied. As soon as he finished, Rafeya, the king’s hand, came into the room. He could barely walk due to being so old. Honestly, I’m surprised he is not dead yet. He must be like 70 years old. I don’t how he never catches a disease.

  It took him a good minute to get to my father’s sight with his cane. “Your grace, I am sorry to interrupt you on the dinner. But this is really important.”

  “Go on.” My father replied. He was not ready for bad news I could tell. Then he started filling his plate with some chicken.

  “The Virelan Empire, cut our trade routes. They sent us a delegate to inform that they won’t allow us to use the forest routes to the east anymore. They must be angry about the shipping and port taxes you’ve done.”

  Virelan, for so many years, have used our ports free to unload their goods that they have transported from other countries. They had no shoreline. We had three big ports that had enough capacity for the both kingdoms. As we made our naval army bigger, we started using one of the ports for only for the army. That’s why we have to impose taxes. So two ports wasn’t enough anymore, our ships was waiting in line to unload their goods. That means delaying and composing for foods. We had to make up our loses. That’s fair enough for me. If you are going to use our ports then you have to pay for it. It was a mistake to let them use our ports for free. I’m not surprised by their actions, they are a primitive and regressive nation.

  “We can find new routes I’m sure. They can’t find a seaway.” he replied. Then he continued eating his chicken.

  “Delegate also said that Virelan king wanted a meeting with you in their palace.” Rafeya replied. He was more concerned than my father. For the 23 years of my life that I’ve existed, I’ve never seen anyone from Virelan royal family. We don’t have any kind of friendship with them. I’ve never heard of them besides diplomatic stuff. Between Solaria and Virelan, there was a huge forest. So we are not considered neighbors at all. You can see their castles rising above the trees. My father was surprised when he heard that.

  “Let’s do it. I have nothing to fear from them and nothing to hide. I’m sure you can get a way out Rafeya. These people live in a hundred years back from us.” He replied. I’ve heard some stories of their disgusting war crimes. They had new king for a year, and I heard that the prince have killed his own father by assassination. Well, that is a rumor going around. Because no other nation took the blame for them.

  “Prepare a troop to visit. We will go by daytime and return after the dinner. Let’s go tomorrow. I don’t wanna wait and deal with these people any longer.” Rafeya nodded quietly and turned around to left.

  “Do you think it’s a good idea for us to go? Why they don’t come to our castle? I don’t have a good feeling about this father.” I was worried because of the stories I heard.

  “Erynda, don’t you worry,” my father said, his voice steady and reassuring as always. “The last time I visited them, you were very young, so you don’t remember. But it’s a tradition for them to invite us to their place—it’s no harm.”

  I wanted to respond, to voice the swirling doubts and uneasy feelings I couldn’t quite explain, but I kept quiet. He always had a way of making things sound so simple, so logical, and I hated how often I felt childish for questioning him. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was overthinking, letting my unease grow into something it didn’t need to be.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  As much as I wanted to resist, there was a part of me that felt curious. Perhaps I should see for myself before letting my mind leap to conclusions. After all, what good ever came from holding onto unfounded prejudices? And truthfully, I was tired—tired of the same walls, the same routines, the same quiet solitude that wrapped itself around the castle like a heavy fog. This trip, however unexpected, might actually be the distraction I desperately needed.

  I stood up, smoothing my gown as I did, and nodded slightly. The fire in the hearth crackled softly behind me, but the pull of something new, something different, felt warmer than the flames. “Maybe this will be fun,” I murmured to myself, not entirely convinced but willing to give it a chance. With that, I leave to take the walk I do every evening.

  “I will go for a walk. See you later.” I said. He smiled at me continued eating. Then I looked at Lina and we left together to walk around in the garden. Although Solaria had a big shoreline, we had a cliff at the end of the gardens with a nice view that I like to visit very often. The sun going down on the ocean was mesmerizing to watch from there. First, we went to my chamber to get cloaks. It was quite windy.

  I chose a blue cloak to match my blue dress. Lina said, “My lady, I should probably prepare for the road tomorrow. Maybe it’s better to take a walk without me.” She’s right, so I replied “Well then, I go alone. Rafeya would bother you anyways.”

  I walked in the big halls of the castle and went down the long stairs that opened to the gardens. I walked around the flower bushes and big trees. The sky was turning pink and orange. It’s my favorite time of the day. Maybe I am romanticizing it a bit a lot. I was spending my days dressing, combing my hair, taking a bath, reading, riding horses. I was doing the same stuff over and over again. I don’t wanna be ungrateful but it gets boring when I do the same things all the time. I had no friend either. All I could talk to is Lina. I’ve had knights children as friends when I was little but they all grew up and went somewhere else to live. I keep seeing them at the holidays. My father always welcomes them because I have no siblings so he understands me.

  He never wanted to get married after my mother passed away. The grief seemed to have hollowed something out in him, leaving a void that no one else could fill. I’ve always admired his strength and loyalty, but sometimes I wonder if he’s been too loyal to his pain. What would I do if he decided to get married now? Would I welcome the new queen into our lives, or would her presence feel like a betrayal of my mother’s memory? Would she see me as her own, or as an inconvenient reminder of a life my father shared with someone else?

  The thought of having a sibling at this point feels so strange. I’ve spent so many years alone, just the two of us navigating the world together. What would it be like to share his attention, his affection, with someone new? The questions swirl endlessly, but I’ve never dared to ask him. I’ve always believed he wouldn’t remarry—his candor with me has always been unwavering. But what if I’m wrong? What if he’s just waiting for the right moment to tell me?

  As these thoughts weighed heavily on my mind, I realized the sun had slipped below the horizon. The sky shifted to a deep, velvety blue. A chill crept over me, and I shivered, pulling my cloak tighter around my shoulders. I let out a long sigh and turned to leave, my footsteps echoing softly on the stone paths.

  Then I’ve heard a sound like somebody else was walking right behind me. I turned around instantly. But as it was getting darker and darker, it was hard to see. I guess I am getting paranoid, I’ve thought to myself. It was the wind perhaps. There was no one there. The soldiers standing at the garden door has seen my reaction and came beside me.

  “Is everything alright my lady?”

  “I feel like I heard someone walking. But I’m not sure. It’s better to go check it out.”

  “Yes, my lady.” two of them went behind the big rose bushes to check around. Then came after a quick look.

  “There’s no one there, my lady. You must have heard the powerful wind.”

  “Well then…” I replied and went ahead to the stairs. As I was climbing the steps I saw the meeting rooms window open and enlightened with candles. It was right on the path to my chamber.

  I went upstairs to the first floor. Stood right behind the closed door to listen to the council’s meeting. They never invite me to their meetings like I am not the princess of this country. I always find a way to sneak and listen to them. As a teen, I usually snuck under the table to listen to them. Often they never understood that I was there. But soon enough they found out that I was hiding there and they completely banned me from attending the meetings. My father wants me to finish all my education with Rafeya to attend to the council. He thinks it would be confusing to attend to the meetings without proper political knowledge.

  My father was speaking, “…engagement with them. He was going to insist upon that. There is no other choice but…”

  I knew it. They were doing all of this to get their widow queen to marry my father. Their reputation precedes them: a kingdom built on power, destruction, and violence, known for their unyielding warriors and relentless hunger for dominance. This wasn’t about alliance or tradition. This was about control.

  My mind raced as the realization settled in. If my father refused their offer, what would they do? The Virelans were not the kind to take rejection lightly. They’d see it as an insult, a challenge to their authority. A refusal could very well spark the flames of war—a war we couldn’t afford. We have an army but I’ve heard that compared to Virelans, it’s no way near the half of their soldiers. It’s a war we can’t win. We’ve been sailors for centuries, we don’t know how to fight on land.

  Although I wanted to go inside and yell at them, I was too weak under all of this instant chaos and pressure. I didn’t wanna listen to them anymore and decided to go to my chamber. I would rather my father marry a normal woman from our people than their queen. Now I wished that my father got married after my mother’s death. It was too late, they found a perfect way to conquer our country from inside. When my father and I die one day, there will be no Solaria anymore. There will be only Virelan doubled its lands.

  “…they are doing these threats for a long time. I’m afraid we need them too, as much as they need us…” I heard Arina, one of the older knights have spoken as I leave.

  I arrived to my chamber and Lina was there lighting all the candles and preparing my night routine. Every night, she gives me a face massage with the rose oil prepared with the roses she collects from garden. Lina’s parents were servants in the castle. She grew up with me. She and her mother had every skill a woman could have. Her mom is a tailor, she makes me incredibly beautiful dresses. Today I am wearing a dress that is pale blue, shimmered with intricate embroidery, silver threads weaving patterns of blooming flowers and gentle waves. Tiny pearls adorned the cuffs, catching the light with every subtle movement. I adore every single thread of this. Her father is an equerry at the castle. Her parents have met in this castle and fell in love. I feel like their story is way more exciting and beautiful than ours.

  I sat on my bed. Lina was standing in front of my vanity and looking at me like waits me to tell what is it about me.

  “My father is going to marry Virelan’s widow queen. Can you believe that?” She was more surprised than I am. Could not say a word for a minute.

  “So that’s why we’re going there tomorrow? Are they gonna get engaged?”

  “Probably. He never said a word to me. I listened to them speaking at council meeting.” They at least could have talk to me for a minute about my beloved new step mom.

  “Maybe this marriage will never happen.” oh, kind soul Lina tries to comfort me.

  “I doubt that. They would start a war against us. We cannot afford that.”

  “I’m sure you will find a way to cancel this wedding. You have done before.”

  So… She’s right. My father was set to marry her almost ten years ago, for diplomatic reasons,. She was a noblewoman, rich and elegant, hailing from the city of Liliana. Liliana, a small, forgotten city that lies just behind us, under our governance. Their kingdom had crumbled years ago, ravaged by disease, leaving them vulnerable and alone. They had no one else to turn to, and my father, was their last hope for protection.

  But I couldn’t let that happen. I found a way to bring the old king’s hand to hers, and she accepted—perhaps she did so out of necessity, or perhaps she saw something in him. I can’t deny it; he was more handsome than my father, with a youthfulness my father had long since lost. And when they spoke, I could see the spark in their eyes, the kind of connection I never thought possible for my father. They were, no doubt, deeply in love.

  I wonder if my father ever suspected what I had done, or if he, too, has been blinded by his own hopes for peace. He doesn’t know the truth of my actions of how I subtly manipulated their paths to intertwine.

  Now, I realize the depth of my mistake. It wasn’t just a small thing, it was the butterfly effect, the first tremor of a chain reaction that has led us all toward a darker fate. I have unwittingly set the course for our doom, and I can’t help but feel that the weight of it will crush me. I will never forgive myself for what I’ve done.