Seize the opportunity.

Elizabeth woke up the next morning, it was the day for her departure from the castle.
Her father had came to the castle yesterday after being late informed about her daughter.
He wasn't able to visit her daughter before because he was in business trip out of the town and informant arrived late to provide an information about his daughter's accident.
He was anxious and when he arrived at the castle he wrapped his daughter in his arms, hugging. Elizabeth couldn't let the shedded tears on her father's face went unnoticed.
Lord Richard had the only child, his daughter, Elizabeth. He couldn't afford to loose her. He was afraid, most afraid of the place his daughter was, the castle. if he could let his daughter pursuing her only wish of getting married to the king then there will be a bigger chance that most of the times his daughter could get into troubles.
After pursuing his daughter for awhile just to return back home along with him but as expected Elizabeth was too stubborn to leave. She denied and claimed that she had to stay for one more day to bid her proper goodbyes to the king before she could leave. She assured her father that tomorrow she will come back home, healthy and safe.
Lord Richard didn't have a choice and left the responsibility of her daughter's care to the king's hands. Since she was the king's guest and someone more he could trust her with.
The king didn't deny his request and reassured him that her daughter's wellbeing will be fully taken care of, until her last day at the castle.
The sun had risen pretty high but Elizabeth refused to get out of her bed, her maid Stella couldn't stop with her whinnying.
"My lady, it's time for you to get prepared the carriage is already outside waiting for you. It is time to go back home".
All the other ladies invited to stay at the castle before and after the competition had already left, departing to their homes, and Elizabeth was aware of it but her delay on getting up from the bed due to an illness made her lost the opportunity to say goodbye or rather way she couldn't see if there was a need for her to see them off. Well, now....it was her turn, the same fate of leaving the castle befell upon her fellow former competitors.
Stella couldn't let her lady to sleep another hour since she was pretty sure her lady wasn't asleep, she had been awake for a while now but for her own self reason refused to get up from the bed.
"My lady....?!"
Elizabeth lazily woke up from the bed after being fed up by her maid's whinny voice and carefully looked out of the window, she could see the carriage waiting outside.
"Is that Hamlet coming to take me back ?"
"Yes, my lady. Your father had sent him"
Elizabeth scrutinized the view of the waiting carriage outside from the window, and breathed defeatedly.
"Fine, I will go back home" Stella sighed after hearing her said that. Finally, she agreed.
"But after I finished what I promised for the last time"
"No Eliza, we are not going into this again"

The door to the guest room was knocked and someone announced the king's presence outside the door.
The king entered the room after Stella opened the door for him.
"I will be outside" After greeting the king, Stella excused herself and left the room, leaving the two to talk.
The king walked few steps forward and stood at the center of the room.
Elizabeth was contemplating on whether to get out of the bed to greet him properly but the king has stopped her from getting up.
"Are you doing well, lady Richard ?!"
"I am. Thank you, your majesty" her eyes landed on his face before sharply looked down to her fidgety fingers placed on her lap.
She was feeling shy, for what happened yesterday noon, she couldn't let herself to look at his handsome face.
The king had recently visited her room for plenty of time, and she couldn't stop wondering why.
"Your majesty..." before she could start talking, Luther came to sit beside her at the bed.
Stunned by his movement, she timidly moved a little space away from him, the king failed to understand her action whether she was giving him a space to accommodate himself or she felt vacantly from him.
Whatever the reason, he was only happy to be closer to her at this moment, at least at the moment before she is gone.
Gone?!. No way he could let his love disappear from his eyes again, he could remember every of her memories that was imprinted in his mind.
To let her go, it was just for a moment but not forever.
"Your majesty. I would like to ask you something"
"What's it ?!" he replied and deliberately moved closer to her, almost their bodies touched. Luther was pretending to shorten the distance between them so he could listen more attentively to her but he had his own reason.
"Uhmm..." Elizabeth bit her lower lip, she couldn't comprehend what was the king thinking at the moment. Why was he trying to get so close to her ?!.
He was so close as she could feel his breath brushed against her face when he came to turn his face towards her.
"Your majesty...." suddenly she became speechless, staring at his face up so close, her heart raced rapidly.
What ??. Was she tongue-tied, how couldn't she come out with words.
She didn't know what to do , she felt her throat dried.
**
Sylvester was walking hastily and discreetly around the castle corridors, before slipping through an opened door after knocking for a few times and after the person on the other side of the door answered. She entered the room which looked like an office, work papers on the tables, ink stone, brushes and a pulled wooden chair where a man standing facing a woman who had abruptly interrupted his half completed work, he working on.
"My lady, what is with the unannounced visit ?!"
"Uncle, greetings.I don't have much time for this I need your help". she didn't bother to curtsy. The man who princess Sylvester called uncle stared at an anxious woman in front of her, uncomprehending. He asked "You seems restless, what happened ?!"
"Someone is getting on my nerves, uncle I need to tarnish her ?!"
"Calm down with your legs, have a seat first. We can talk this out" he pulled a chair across the desk table and placed it in front of her, he as well took a seat on his chair opposite to her after princess Sylvester sat, her thoughts twirling in her head on where to start telling her uncle, how her position is being threatened.
"All the other ladies have left the castle except for two." she stated shortly, before she took her breath, she was sure she had run to come here as she didn't want to waste time since she had a vague idea on who the chosen queen might be.
Her uncle was listening attentively to her to whatever had made his niece frightening her position, and there's no doubt he was there ready to lend her a support.
"I do have a feeling that, his majesty didn't choose me to be his queen and I had already made a promise to mother and to you as well uncle, please help me....the other two, one of them might be a queen"
"Who are they ?!"
"That crazy princess from crimson and Lady Elizabeth, Lord Richard's daughter"
"Didn't you get the information yet ?!"
"As you know your uncle, I'm not in the court circle anymore simply for the incident happened last year, His majesty had abandoned me"
"Then, this is your chance to redeem yourself, help me become the queen and I will help you gets back your position"
"Are you sure this will work ?!"
"Yes, only you have to make sure the king see the evidence"