CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Tatiana's palms were sweaty and shaky.
She looked around the large room, many times bigger than hers. They could fit more than forty people inside the place. The room was octagonal in shape. Each side had pillars that enclosed a smaller part of the room which was reserved for accepting guests and paperwork.
Each pair of pillars formed an arch at the top with designs carved into the wood. The mini hallways surrounding the inside of the room had paintings and alcoves on that side with each alcove having a jar or a mini-statue in it.
Meanwhile, the middle part of the room had a large table to which Tatiana guesses that it's the king's study and it had another smaller table that's surrounded by individual chairs. Tatiana was sitting in one of those.
When she looked up, there was a fresco painted in the ceiling. It depicted a scenery of the night sky with the moon with a realistic face in it and all its stars and constellations.
This person must love art. Everywhere she turns, there is a piece of art in many forms.
A large portrait occupied the whole wall in front of her. And the person who was in that painting is in front of her, sipping on a cup of tea.
"So, you did not regain your memories back, yet?"
"No-Not yet, your Majesty." Tatiana's heart is bursting out of her chest and her palms are sweaty on her lap. She does not even want to think what she looks like now. She bets that she looks like a wet chick who got separated from its mother and is now in front of a large cat shaking in fear of being eating alive.
"I see," he mumbled, "I was quite shocked that you did not recognize me in the hallway."
"I-I sincerely apologize, your majesty." Tatiana stuttered and tried to drink a sip of the tea to calm herself down but instead made a clattering sound with the cup and the saucer. The cup shook along with her hands and some of it spilled over and she was not even able to bring to towards her halfway through. It was like she was playing the symbal but using the cup and saucer together. She was too nervous and it was showing.
She decided to give it up and placed the cup of tea down and tried to steady her breathe. She repeated to herself over and over that the king will not recognize that there is another person in his daughter's body.
"I heard that you placed the queen's teacher in the dungeon and that there was a commotion during the tea party?" the king asked,
"you lost your memories but you are still the same, I assume."
"My apologies."
"May I ask why that happened?"
Tatiana lifted her head. The king asked for her side of the story which was weird on her behalf.
"We-well, the teacher insulted my mother in front of me." She meekly said. The king paused halfway through drinking the tea and Tatiana immediately noticed the change in the air.
"And what did she say?" he asked. She was not sure if she would continue to say it or leave it be because she feels like something is going to happen if she does.
"She said that my mother is from the ditches and that she seduced you."
Tatiana waited for the king to stand up and start throwing objects but instead, there was a long and painful silence between them.
"And with the tea party?" the king asked after like nothing happened. The princess expected to at least get a reaction from him since he had loved her before and would be hurt as well after what that woman said.
"I told them my opinion about education and then the queen and I got into an argument."
"About what?"
"That women should also be allowed to study as well as the children. That everyone should have power over their lives and have freedom to express themselves."
"Hmm." The king placed the cup and sat up straight looking interested, "you think that women and men should be given equal opportunities?"
"Yes. They are both human beings after all."
"I don't know if it is because you forgot your memories, but I already see the reason why everyone is triggered." The king straightened out his clothes and said, "men and women are not equal. And if everyone had the right to freely express themselves, then what do you think would happen to us? To you? Many people would come up to you and try to bring you down using the freedom that you gave them."
"But it is their right."
Tatiana felt that there was something wrong with the mindset of the people here. So, they want to have ignorant subjects so that people won't come after them and strip them of their status and power? So that nobles will be able to do as they please without the servants or peasants complaining?
"This is Aragon, Tatiana. You should just go back to attending parties and shop for clothes and spend money rather than wasting your time on impossible ideas."
Tatiana left the king's chambers with a weird taste on her mouth. Unlike the feelings she had when the queen was badmouthed, she did not feel anything when she was with the king. Instead, she felt like there was a large and empty whole in her chest while looking at him.
It was a ball of different emotions tangled together, like sadness, anger maybe, disappointment, and fear. What's weirder is that she can't remember anything about the king, even from her memory.
It felt like they were not father and daughter. Just two different people with their own different lives, living in their own different worlds. He was just another stranger to her.
Emma immediately escorted her to her room. She noticed the princess's mood, looking troubled and decided that it was better not to talk to her for a while.
The double doors opened to her room and saw that William was waiting inside patiently. As soon as the princess entered, he bowed his head respectfully.
"I heard from Emma that you looked for me and wanted to go on a picnic?" he formally asked, "there is a place in the palace garden that isâ"
William wasn't able to continue what he was saying because Tatiana came running, enveloping him in a tight hug. There were no words, just Tatiana's soft sobs and hicks. William looked up at Emma, his face full of confusion but Emma only smiled at him in return and mouthed 'I will tell you later.'
Who would have thought that comfort can come from strangers that is not related to you instead of family
--
END