Chapter 5

I walk through the kitchen and a door leading to the servant corridor. At the end of which is my room. Once in the corridor, I run the last few meters, I can't help it. I want to get to my safe place. I don't know why the queen's presence has affected me so much, but I don't have to know.

I open my door and run in. I only stop running when I reach my bed and sit heavily on it, afraid my legs will fall out from underneath me. I quickly take out my lenses as they are really hurting my eyes.

"So is this your room?" I hear a petite voice say. I turn around, seeing a shadow near my door.

"Who are you?" I ask alarmed.

"Relax, it's only me," the voice says, and coming through the door is none other than princess Persephone.

"'Only you'? You're the princess, I don't think many people would call that 'only you'. More like Her Royal Highness or something," I say before I can stop myself. "But where are my manners?" I stand up ready to curtsy, again, but she rushes towards me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"You don't have to do that every time, you know?" she says with an amused smile.

"Phew, good to know," I sigh. I point at a chair near my bed. "Please sit, your majesty."

She giggles, "You don't have to call me that either. Just call me Persephone or Seph, that's good enough."

I smile back saying, "I'd like that, but Madame would have my head if I did that."

"And what if I order you to call me that?"

I think about it for a second. "I guess an order from a princess tops an order given by Madame, right?"

We both laugh. "So, ehm, Persephone, why did you... follow me? I mean that's the only way you would know where to find my room."

"These kinds of things are boring," she says matter-of-factly. "The duchess gave me permission to look around the mansion, so I thought I'd see what you are doing when you're not serving tea and all."

"Well, as you can see, not much."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go right ahead."

"What does your family think about you being here all alone?"

I’m taken aback by her sudden question. "Well, you see, I, ehm, I don't really have a family."

Persephone looks at me with sudden interest. "What do you mean?"

I don't know what makes me open up to her but suddenly I hear myself tell her my story. "I don't remember anything from before I was seven, it's like my memories just vanished one day. So I don't know if I have a family to begin with. All I know is that I worked in some kind of workhouse for women before Madame found me and took me in."

"That seems horrible. Not being able to remember your past and working in such an awful place."

"It really was," I say, trying not to think too hard about it. I try putting on a brave smile and continue, "But now that's all in the past. Now I live with Madame and she treats me well. She's even going to find me a husband when I come off age."

"Off age? How old are you now?"

"I'm seventeen, I'll be eighteen in two months."

Suddenly she looks at me like I just grew two more heads. "What? Did I say anything wrong?" I ask her.

Quickly she looks at her hands. "You know, you are exactly the same age my sister would've been right now."

"Your sister?" I think quickly, I never knew there were two princesses and how can Persephone be the crown princess when she has an older sister? "I never knew you had a sister."

"Not many remember her. She was kidnapped ten years ago, I was just five years old. I don't even remember her but some servants tell me I look like her."

"I'm sorry, was she ever found?"

"No, some say she's long dead, but I don't believe that and neither does my mother. That's... actually why we're here. For my sister." She looks me straight in the eyes. "My sister has golden hair, a voice like an angel, and bright purple eyes. The exact same shade as your eyes are."

I quickly look away. "What do you mean? These are just lenses."

"It's not wise to lie to a princess," Persephone says in a stern voice. "I just saw you take some lenses out of your eyes. Please don't go making up stories, they can only come back to haunt you and something tells me you've been haunted enough."

I sigh. "So what if I have purple eyes, I've seen more than a few others who had the same eye color. Why would that make me special?"

"Because you're Gemma Estella Clarissa, crown princess of Alemea and rightful heir to the throne."