"Hah? Are you serious? Which princess will marry a king?"
"I guess Princess Andrea because she is the eldest princess right? And with her authority, it is certain that Princess Andrea will beco queen."
"You didn’t read the newspaper? Obviously, no one from the royal family was safe except Prince Archie and Princess Arielle!"
"Princess Arielle? Who is she? I have never heard that na before. Which concubine’s child is she?"
"I just heard that na too."
"Blah blah blah..."
Tania shook her head in disappointnt. She took out a silver coin and received her groceries. Wherever she walked, everyone was talking about who Princess Arielle was. Though, maybe most of them already know Arielle. However, not a princess, just an ordinary girl who often played in the market.
On the way ho, Tania bought two newspapers. Princess Arielle was able to read now, so she hoped the news from Prince Archie would relieve her worries.
"Oh, Tania. You’re back?" said Johan, who had taken off his armor.
"I brought this, today’s newspaper." Tania gave one newspaper to Johan and Lucas and brought another one into the room.
"Good morning, Princess. You’re awake?" asked Tania who hugged a basket filled with bread and a newspaper.
Arielle had changed into comfortable clothes. Last night, the doctor’s wife offered Arielle a long tunic to wear and Tania helped the old woman to change Arielle’s clothes. Tania had to apologize for disturbing Arielle’s sleep in the middle of the night.
"I brought you newspapers and snacks."
"Thank you, Tania."
Tania smiled and unwrapped the sandwich paper for Arielle.
"Princess, do you know that you are the hottest topic of conversation right now?"
"Am I?" asked Arielle in confusion.
"That’s right, everyone is talking about you and Prince Archie surviving last night’s incident."
"What are they talking about?"
"Nothing unusual. They are just curious about a princess nad Arielle."
Arielle laughed in amusent when she heard that. Tania also told her how a vegetable and a sandwich seller asked her whether she knew Princess Arielle or not.
"Even though they already know you because you are their loyal custor there."
Arielle was still laughing while imagining Tania’s confused face having to answer these people’s questions.
"They only know Arielle as a maid, so they don’t even think that girl they have t before is Princess Arielle," continued Tania jokingly.
"That’s right, and this is also the first ti that my na was written in a newspaper," Arielle said while reading the headline on the front row.
Tania’s laughter slowly faded and left only a faint smile. "Is it true that King Ronan will help Prince Archie to rebuild the Nieverdell palace?"
"Right! I’ve confird it myself," said a man who just walked in.
The man took off his hood, making Arielle smile widely.
"Archie!"
"Hi, little sister. Are you alright?" said Archie as he paced towards his sister.
Tania resigned permission to give them a room to talk.
Archie sat next to Arielle’s bed and looked at Sasha who was still lying down with his eyes closed.
"The kid hasn’t woken up yet?"
Arielle shook her head sadly. "Tania and the doctor’s wife had changed the bandages and given the potions."
"I see. How about your legs? Could you move it?"
"Not yet. When I changed my bandage, it still hurts."
"I see..."
Arielle tilted her face to look at Archie.
"Archie?" called Arielle.
"Yes?"
"What are you doing here? Aren’t you busy right now?"
Archie let out a long sigh and lifted his face. He looked up at the ceiling with a bitter smile.
"I was only able to breathe a sigh of relief after so many journalists sward the Ambrose residence and I used my break to visit you."
Arielle’s face turned bright red, making Archie laugh and ruffle the top of her hair.
"Hey, Arielle."
"Yes?"
"Now... it’s just the two of us, huh?"
"Yes," replied Arielle curtly.
"And you’ll be going North soon."
"Until I can walk again and Sasha recovers, I have promised to return ho to the North."
"Ho, huh?"
"Yes... to the North."
Silence descended into the room. Archie didn’t know what kind of feeling he had right now. There was a sense of relief and unwillingness. He realized that what he did back when they were little was unforgivable and would always be an awful mory for Arielle.
He didn’t deserve to act like a big brother after all of that. It was too late.
Maybe, out of all their siblings, Alexis was more fit to be called big brother by Arielle than Archie. Although Alexis wasn’t that virtuous either. However, in the past, Alexis protected her by stopping their siblings to bully Arielle.
If only Alexis wasn’t that obsessed with the throne and more open-minded about Arielle’s desire to choose the man she wanted to get married to, maybe Arielle would choose Alexis over Archie.
Then, If Ronan didn’t ask him to be a king, Archie would still prefer to sit quietly and not interfere when Arielle was bullied by Andrea and the others.
Or ... if the image of Arielle being carried by a man with a blinding light didn’t haunt him, maybe Archie would still abuse her with Andrea and the others.
"Arielle... did you rember what happened on Andrea’s birthday ten years ago?" Archie asked.
Arielle shook her head slowly. She rembered Andrea, Annalise, and Archie taking her to play in the forest, but then she woke up at the border of the forest the next day with no mories.
"Tania said that she found at the border of the forest in the morning. I also asked Andrea, but she didn’t give an answer."
"Ah, that... because they were punished by Alexis," Archie muttered under his breath. Arielle was too busy recalling the past events, so she didn’t hear what Archie had said.
The next day, there was a ruckus at the palace dining table when a guard delivered a ssage that Arielle was found unconscious in the forest. However, the people there seed unfazed by the news.
Archie heard his father call a doctor to treat Arielle’s wound, but that was it. They didn’t even visit Arielle to make sure she was okay.
Only Alexis had visited Arielle once. Archie, who had a fever, ca to her room, but Alexis was there. Alexis banned Archie to et her, so he never had a chance to apologize to her.
Annalise told Archie that Alexis had scolded Andrea and herself because their prank could beco fatal for Arielle. He lectured them harshly. Luckily, Archie had a fever, so he didn’t share in Alexis’ anger.
Ah... just rembering it made Archie feel sick. He definitely didn’t fit the role of a big brother.
"Yeah and I also wanted to et and ask you about that, but you were sick at that ti, right?"
Archie nodded. He had a fever because guilt had haunted him. Moreover, his mind was occupied by the image of the white-haired man who helped Arielle when she fell into the well.
Since then, Archie avoided Arielle. He refrained himself from getting involved with the girl again. Even though Andrea invited him several tis, Archie refused her for various reasons.
"Archie?" called Arielle quietly. She felt strange because Archie suddenly beca quiet.
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