Chapter 12: For the right reasons

''Princess Helena, royal guests have arrived'' Albert's voice interrupted her reading. Her palms began to sweat profusely and she tried to wipe them in her new dress. ''Rachel would be devastated if she saw it'' she thought to herself and found some comfort in imagining her disapproving look. Was she ready to pull her plan off? She had no choice if she wanted to buy more time, she simply had to do her best. The stakes were too high to hesitate now.

''I'm coming'' she got up gracefully from her reading chair and followed the butler. They headed towards the main sitting room where her family usually held important meetings.

Upon entering, Helena noticed a small boy surrounded by servants. His hair was blond and curly, and he had a pair of innocent-looking blue eyes. An image of a little Cherubin popped into her mind. Did they want her to marry a child? Her family was all smiley and looking at her with anticipation. Pavel was leaning on the table, his arms crossed. This posture didn't suit him somehow. Olivia nodded, her smile seemed to be encouraging. Her parents looked relieved: maybe they were afraid that the candidate wouldn't be too interested in a meaningless princess and make excuses at the last moment. The thought made her stew with anger.

''Princess Helena, may I please introduce you to His Royal Highness, Prince Ferranto of Trevia'' Albert's voice made her redirect her attention back to the boy. She couldn't care less about the etiquette, yet decided to play along for now.

''It is a pleasure, prince Ferranto'' she curtsied and lowered her eyes. ''I look forward to spending more time with you''. The boy looked taken aback and didn't respond. Seeing this affront made Helena rejoice: the more he acts like a spoilt brat, the easier it will be for her to cancel their pre-engagement later.

''Where are your manners boy'' a woman standing next to the boy squeezed his shoulder. ''Welcome, princess Helena'' she addressed her directly with a warm smile. ''I apologize for his poor manners''.

''Not at all, my Queen'' Helena blushed. She has never seen a more beautiful woman in her life: her figure was full, making it impossible not to notice; her long blond hair wasn't tied up as per Orlian custom - on the contrary, it hang loosely all the way to her waist. Helena was confident that the boy inherited his good looks from his mother. Reassured, she continued ''I am sure prince Ferranto will feel much better after rest''.

''Aren't you a sweet girl?'' Helena smiled meekly in response. ''We will make sure to join you for the dinner'' she patted her son's arm fondly.

''Albert, please show our guests to their chambers'' Helena flinched. She was surprised whenever Pavel took over and acted like the head of the family. The boy gave Helena one last annoyed look and left after his mother. Helena sighed in relief.

''So, love at first sight?'' Pavel put his hands around her waist and lifted her.

''Stop it!'' her protests and wriggling were ignored.

''Next time someone lifts you like this, it will be your husband, Helena. Aren't you feeling a bit more like an adult now?'' she blushed and held back her tears. Not only was she defenseless, she was also being reminded that she was just a commodity, easy to be traded or carried over. Must she be humiliated this way?

''Pavel, stop bothering your sister'' to her surprise, their father took her side. ''She did well today and I am proud of her''.

''The day isn't over yet'' Pavel put her down, grinning. He held her hand and Helena felt the wound on his palm that was left after her birthday celebration. She turned his hand up and looked closer: the wound was still pinky but it had begun to scar. She moved her thumb across it and felt a bump in the middle. He seemed to have noticed her interest. ''It's rather small, isn't it? I promise to cherish this memory as long as I live'' his whisper made Heleana shiver. Could it be a threat? How come her favorite brother started to engage in such ambiguous statements? She looked at him, not understanding. What exactly has she done wrong?

The dinner felt stifling: the Queen of Trevia and her family seemed to get along, yet she and prince Ferranto haven't exchanged a single word. She couldn't wait to get out and hide in her chambers. To her dismay, after the meal, her father asked her to show the boy around. Resigned, she waited for him to follow her.

They didn't engage in any sort of conversation as Albert was giving them a tour around the castle. Prince looked uncomfortable, his bored expression didn't change even once throughout the viewing. They were around the same height yet somehow, it felt like he was much younger than her. She couldn't stop comparing him to Rion and feeling disappointed. The boy caught her gaze and gave her an annoyed look. Once they reached the southern garden, Helena felt that she couldn't handle the awkwardness anymore.

''Albert, please leave us alone''.

''But princess...''.

''It's alright, please ask someone to bring us tea and refreshments'' her eyes were not leaving the boy's face. Not being able to question her further without undermining her reputation, Albert left them alone. She looked around, ensuring they weren't in the vicinity of any of her family members or servants. The boy's eyes turned into a thin line, clearly disapproving.

''Look'' she began bluntly ''I know you are here against your will, too. As much as it sucks, there isn't much that we can do'' no reaction. ''Hey, do you even understand what I am saying?''.

''...Yes'' his voice seemed higher than she expected. ''Go on'' he squeaked. She felt a little vain in her forehead throbbing as she held back from giving him a nudge. He wasn't going to order her around.

''We have two choices'' she explained. ''First, we show our dislikes and fight, which will probably only lead to our families pushing harder for us to get along. I don't know about your family, but mine is quite stubborn. In the end, we will have to give in'' prince Ferranto reluctantly nodded in response. ''Second, we can pretend that we are a match made in heaven''.

''Match made in heaven?'' he struggled to repeat the words after her.

''Yes, it means that we will act as if we suit each other perfectly. I will treat you like the most precious person to me so that no one suspects a thing. Then, once they decide to announce our engagement, we will call it off, together. They won't be prepared for it at all'' she beamed.

''Do you promise?''.

''Promise... what?''.

''That you will cancel our engagement?'' he looked serious and if she had fancied him, she would have felt hurt that he wanted to get out of their imposed relationship this badly. Instead, she gave him her brightest smile.

''Yes, I promise you this. Does it mean that you agree to my plan?''.

''Very well'' he reached out his hand and she shook it happily.

''Alright then, let the play begin'' she put her hand through his arm.

''Hey, what are you doing?'' his face turned red as he tried to push her away.

''I also promised to treat you like the most precious person, remember? Well, that's how I show it'' his arm felt weak and she wasn't letting go. ''Come, let me show you my favorite spots'' bumbling, he followed her unwillingly. Helena didn't mind: once she set her mind on something, she was bent on doing her utmost best.

A maid arrived with a pot of fresh tea and a plate full of cookies. Helena sat the boy down at the table and poured him tea while sticking a cookie in his mouth. He looked annoyed but decided to eat in silence. Smiling, she caressed his cheek.

''You had a few crumbs here, you really eat like a baby'.

''Stop it'' his ears turned red again ''I'm not a baby, I'm almost eleven''. Helena was amused by how easy it was to see him flustered.

''Oh, really? We must be the same age then'' she stuck another cookie in his mouth. ''You look so beautiful, you reminded me of a little Churbin when I first saw you''.

''There is something wrong with you'' he muttered.

''Don't worry, you can trust me. I will do my best to make you happy'' seeing doubt in his eyes, she asked ''What would you like to do? Is there something you would like to try?''.

''I like horseriding'' this surprised her as the thought he was too frail to ride a horse properly.

''Really? Shall I arrange for a ride tomorrow then? I can show you around''.

''Fine'' his curt answers began to get on her nerves but she decided to blame it on them speaking in her mother language.

''Prince Ferranto, can you teach me the Trevian language? As your fiance-to-be, I would like to be able to converse in your mother tongue'' for once, his expression changed and he looked moved.

''Would you really like to learn it?''.

''Of course, I want to be able to communicate with you as well as I can'' she pointed at the cookie. ''How do you say ''a cookie''?'' she smiled and repeated the foreign word after him. The afternoon was peaceful and nothing suggested that their idyllic lives were ever to be interrupted.