The Princess's Tears

After he returned from the city to send a letter to his master to update the council news regarding the Moon Bell, Laif then returned to the palace.

As he was heading towards the Princess palace, Laif then saw his guard's silhouette from a distance and was about to call out his name when he noticed that Kain was in the middle of a deep conversation with the Princess's maidservant, Rae.

Laif approached them silently and cleared his throat to announce his presence, causing both Kain and Rae to jump.

"L—" Kain cleared his throat. "Laif. What are you doing here? Didn't you say that you're going to the city?"

"I just got back from the city after delivering some letters back home," Laif said. He exchanged a glance with Kain and his guard immediately understood what he has been doing outside.

"Rae and I were just—" Kain didn't continue when he noticed the inquiry look on the Prince's face.

"But what are you doing here? Where is Her Highness?" Laif asked.

Laif thought that it was strange to see his guard and the Princess's maidservant together After observing the people around the Princess for a while, Laif had figured that Rae was someone who would not leave the Princess's side without reason. Among the maidservants around the Princess, Rae was the most loyal, and the person that Princess Amelia trusted most.

"The Princess is in her study with the Adviser and the Commander. She dismissed everyone else in the room when they came to see her," Kain reported.

"Something happened while I'm not around?" Laif asked. It was a standard question he usually asked his fellow Knights. Because of his excellent skills, the Commander had appointed him as the leader of the Knights and he was assigned to look over a few things.

However, hearing that both the Adviser and Commander had come to meet her, Laif could guess that they were here to discuss something crucial.

"Not much," Kain reported. "But this afternoon, the Princess received a visit from her uncle, Duke of Jinan after the meeting with the nobles."

Laif nodded and turned to Rae. "I have a message for the Princess. When it was appropriate for me to meet her, please tell me."

Rae nodded and turned around when the door behind her swung open. Soon, both Adviser Damian and Commander Irvine headed out. "Wait here for a moment. I will ask if the Princess is ready to meet you."

Laif nodded and watched as Rae turned around and entered the Princess's office. Two minutes later, she walked out with a distressed look on her face.

"The Princess will see you now," Rae announced.

Laif thanked Rae and entered the office. As soon as he stepped in, Laif could sense the fluctuation of magic coming from the Princess. The power was weak and was not strong enough to cause harm to the people around her. Laif glanced at the Princess and saw that she was not in the best mood.

"Your Highness, Princess Amelia," Laif greeted.

"Laif," she motioned him to rise. "I heard from Kain that you went to the city. Did you handle the thing I asked you to do? When did you get back?"

"Just now." He stood up. "I met with Lady Evans people and they had confirmed the activity will be held in two days."

There was a sad smile on her face. "I will need you to deliver another message to Lady Evans. I won't be able to sneak out to join in the activity for the time being," Amelia said. "I think I'm going to be busy these few days. But I will let you know if anything changes."

Laif nodded. "I understand." He paused in front of the Princess as if he was trying to decide what to do next. It was then that Laif noticed the Princess's face and her red eyes. One look at her face told him everything that he needed to know—the Princess has been crying not long ago.

"I'm sorry," Amelia lowered her gaze when she saw the worried look on his face. She took out a handkerchief and dabbed the corner of her eyes. It was not hard for her to guess that Laif had noticed the look on her face. "Is it obvious?"

Laif shook his head quickly. "No. Not at all. It's barely noticeable." He lied.

Amelia chuckled. "Now you're lying."

"W-well," he bowed. "I'm not. I wouldn't have noticed it if I wasn't paying attention. Therefore, it is not that obvious."

"It's alright," Amelia said, noticing his discomfort. "Thank you, Laif."

Laif nodded again. He gave her another bow and turned around to leave. After a few steps, Laif changed his mind and turned around to Amelia. "Are you alright, Your Highness?"

Amelia looked up and their gaze met. "I am," she paused. She balled her hand into a fist and took a deep breath as if to gather her courage. "Earlier today at the meeting, the nobles asked me—no, they demanded me to declare my brother as dead."

Laif stiffened when he saw her tears run down on her cheek. Suddenly, he was at loss at what he should do. "Your Highness?"

"Then the Duke of Jinan came to see me. He said that I can't wait for the King to return forever. I need to think of what will happen to Noa Kingdom if the King never returns," she said. "But I can't imagine what will happen if my brother did not return. And I can't bring myself to announce that even if it's for the Kingdom's safety," she paused to wipe her tears.

Laif stood still as he continued to listen to the Princess's words. After listening to her words, Laif was able to figure out what the nobles had said to convince the Princess into making such announcements.

"The Commander and Adviser Damian was reluctant, but they both agreed with what the Duke of Jinan had said. They have agreed that I should let out this announcement so that I can protect the throne and Noa Kingdom."

His expression softened. Laif cannot imagine what was going through in the Princess's mind.

Laif knew that the King went missing, but he never got to know why he went missing.

He had listened to what the people in the palace had said about their King and Laif concluded that the King was a good man. He heard so many stories of how close the Princess was with her brother. He heard so much about how the King was doting on his sister.

If he cared for his sister, why didn't he return? Why did he disappear without leaving words? Why did he let the Princess go through this misery?

"I just don't know what I should do now," Amelia continued. Suddenly, she broke into soft sobs. Her face contorted and she hid her face behind her handkerchief. "Hey, Laif. What do you think I should do? If you were at my place, what would you do?"

Laif continued to watch the Princess as she shed her tears.

"I'm tired of crying and being so weak and helpless in everything." She wiped her tears furiously and breathed. "This is not going to solve anything. But I'm not the right person to govern a country and making decisions. I'm not capable enough. I didn't know what was my stupid brother thinking when he left me in this position. But right now, I just... wanted to escape all this. The nobles, politics, and everything. I wanted to give up."

"Your Highness," his voice was a whisper. Laif stepped closer to the table and stopped an inch away. They were so close with only the table that separated them.

At that moment, Laif could see himself in the Princess's position. He had once felt the helplessness being a royalty. There was too much burden he had to carry with him, which was why he had stepped down as the Crown Prince.

The abdication didn't go as smoothly as he planned. His parents had been furious with his decision and he hadn't spoken to his parents ever since.

But the princess was different than he was. Laif could see in her eyes that she did not want to give it up.

"Are you sure that is what you want?"

Her pupil dilated at his question. "W-what?"

"Once you leave the throne and your people behind, you can never return," Laif said. "Once you leave, the nobles will take over this Kingdom. There's going to be chaos within the court. Noa Kingdom will be in chaos. There will be war and your people would suffer because of the power shifting. But even so, you can never return to the palace. Do you think you can live with that?"

The Princess swallowed.

When she had confided in him, Amelia imagined that he will stand there silently and listening. She was going to dismiss him with gratitude and apology for treating him like a tree hole. She intended to vent her frustration. Amelia felt that if she didn't vent out, she will suffocate.

So, that was why she had a puzzled look on her face when Laif began to speak.

"You're a brave princess, Your Highness. I've said it once and I'll say it again," Laif said. "I may not be around since the first day you stepped up as the King's substitute, but I have been around you long enough to know that you don't mean the things you said. You love this Kingdom and its people. Or else, you wouldn't risk to sneak out now and then to distribute food, and playing with the children." Laif smiled as he watched her tears had stopped. "So, please, Your Highness... don't say things like you're giving up when you didn't mean it."