"What are you doing?" Ilaria raised her head heavily, surprised, "You shouldn’t sit on the floor," she frowned slightly upon noticing that the lady was suddenly at the sa eye level as her.
"Say that in the mirror," lyn settled herself comfortably. She propped an elbow on one of her knees and rested her cheek against her palm, observing the princess intently. It was eccentric of her to hide in her handmaiden’s room like a child.
The princess has always been rather clingy and childish when they are together, but right now, it is safe to say that she has completely forgotten her stature, all because she was in love. Without the thought of filtering her words, lyn asked bluntly, "Did His Highness cast you out?"
Startled, Ilaria’s frown deepened as she plopped her head back on the side of the table, her shoulder slumping against the wooden surface. "No..."
"Then what did he do?"
"He was only asking to see myself out..."
"Impolitely."
"That’s just his nature..." She rubbed her nose whilst sniffing silently.
lyn was not sure if she wanted to reprimand her or curse the crown prince then and there. Even when her soul was fighting with the sadness that was trying to occupy her sanity, she would still defend her husband’s action to no end.
lyn contemplate her next action. Maybe, she could do both. Maybe, she could spare her unethical vocabularies by shutting her mouth.
"Then why are you upset?" She asked instead. "If you knew that he was rely asking you to do sothing and that he’s inherently rude, you wouldn’t be sulking like this."
It was a valid question, one that Ilaria did not know how to respond to. lyn did not know if she should feel sympathy. Ilaria was unequivocally devoted when she fell in love, it is just that she was offering her fragile heart to soone who did not deserve it. The lady watched her in silence.
She thought she had learned everything about the princess thanks to her friendly quirk. As her handmaiden, she had coped with her wants and needs, her preferences, her taste, her personality, her mood — but she could never understand her dedication to sothing she considered nickel-and-di.
For the past months, she had constantly tried to get the words into her head; to make her see the situation she was in. The advice slipped right through her ear, but once it crossed her mind and gave it so thought, she proceeded to be ignorant. It was like talking to a wall. A chunky, strong wall that was hard to breach yet so easy to break.
Ilaria has been sulking ever since she sat down on the wood-planned floor. Her violet eyes were pale, dull, and absent of the bright and twinkling smiles that she would wear every ti she woke up in the morning. It was easy to tell that it was her first ti being in love. Because over the courses that she was obliged to learn as a princess, this was the only matter she sucked at.
A part of lyn felt like she should let Ilaria ddle with her own emotions, a fitting decision — A princess should know how to keep her feelings intact after all, yet she could not let her friend who always wore a mask of optimism look so devastatingly sombre and woebegone. lyn clasped her knees loudly, finalizing her decision after taking her ti to contemplate.
"Let’s go out," she said, standing up in haste. Ilaria, who was still deep in thought, raised her head and blinked her bumd-out eyes.
"Where?" She looked over the window. The rainstorm had subsided, but it was still not a good weather for a leisurely walk. She frowned dejectedly, "The ground would be too slippery, and...and the storm might co back, why should we go out?"
lyn surveyed her for a second. "No, we’re out of here, back to your chamber."
There was a profound firmness when she said those words. If anyone were to barge inside this humble room of hers, the presence of the princess would be an unlikely sight. Ilaria did not budge, though, it only made her cling to the table beside her for dear life.
"I like your room better, it’s cosy in here," she pouted.
lyn blinked in disbelief. "Your Highness..."
"You know, my friends back in Caelwyn called Aria."
"Your Highness," lyn’s face imdiately hardened in displeasure, not giving room for negotiation. Silence spread across the tiny space that even the tiny drop of water falling against the window could be heard. Ilaria was stuck in her position upon hearing the rawness and persistence in her tone.
lyn reminded her so much of her older sister that she found herself relenting in a matter of seconds. The pout fell — replaced with a guilty clamp of her lips — and so did her arms that were hugging the table. She gulped and slowly, pushed herself up and got on her feet. lyn wasted no ti to brush her gown neatly, rubbing off the debris; every little gush of dust that had peppered the satin skirt.
The platinum strands that were pinned on either side of her head hang loose, cascading the line of her face in a beautiful ss. Although she looked gorgeous regardless, it was enough to gather sceptical attention from everyone she passed by, and as her handmaiden and friend, lyn wanted to make sure it would not happen.
Amid the silence, she noticed the princess stealing a glance at her face once in a while as she continued to pin her hair. Ilaria was slightly shorter and younger. Despite their age difference being only a few months, sotis, lyn felt like she was babysitting a stubborn child.
She continued to observe her change in expression and found herself getting nonplussed. If a second ago Ilaria was a lancholic song repeated during stormy days, now she was a burst of sunshine gradually brightening up during a wishful morning.
lyn quickly touched her up, and then — too suddenly, she squeezed her shoulder and asked, "What are you thinking right now?"
Ilaria jolted at the unexpected hand placent. For a mont, she could only stare at the lady confusedly. When the word finally sank in, the smallest of smiles crept on her lips as she crooned, "I’m just thinking about you~"
The lady raised a brow in suspiciousness. After all, the princess’ way of thinking can be peculiar. She was always deep in thought. Although most of her alone ti was occupied with thoughts of her husband and her responsibilities, there was no telling if she was thinking of sothing else entirely.
She was not exactly the gullible and naïve princess, nor was she a flower trapped in a garden without an ounce of experience about the outside world despite her rather optimistic nature. But when it ca to handling her emotions, her mood constantly shifted from bright to dark, like flipping a switch.
lyn knew how hard it was to be away from her family; the people who understood her the most. While she was not entirely loneso or unwelco in the palace; and while she could adapt in the Land of Noctharis just fine, lyn wanted to make sure she did not succumb to any emotional turmoil that could put her entirety unrest.
Huffing, lyn retrieved her hands off of her shoulder and strolled across the tiny space to open the door. She twisted the knob, conscientiously eyeing the princess, noting, "If there’s sothing on your mind, don’t hesitate to tell ."
Ilaria was slightly taken aback at her sudden request, or was it just an opinion? Nonetheless, she walked across the room and tangled their arms together. She smiled innocently at the kind offer. "Of course, I will, who else am I going to talk to if it wasn’t you?"
"I’m saying you shouldn’t conceal yourself in depressing thoughts," lyn said, closing the door and locking her room as she let the princess cling to her. She was too used to her touch-starving deanour to refuse her any longer.
Once she shoved her key into her pocket, she guided the princess up the stairs to return to the main hall. "I can’t ask you to forget about your dunderheaded lover, so the least you can do is be kind to yourself."
Ilaria tagged along, still arm in arm. She pursed her lips, wondering where she had heard the na lyn had called her husband, but she quickly shook the thought away. "Don’t worry, I’ll be fine," she raised her hand, swearing herself.
Violet eyes glimr in pure determination with every bouncy step. "I’ve dealt with this since eight years ago, I just need to work harder."
lyn nodded her head — at first, but then her step halted. Ilaria already had one foot at the front before she abruptly stepped back when the lady suddenly stopped walking. Her hand was still in the air; her mouth gaped in slight confusion. lyn opened her mouth, but she did not say anything.
There was a sceptical look on her face as she tried to think of countless interpretations of Ilaria’s words. She angled her head questioningly, "Are you planning to..."
The princess curled her hand in hesitation as a wave of embarrassnt coursed through her being. She tilted her head; her shoulder collided with lyn’s in a sheepish nudge. "I wouldn’t know if I didn’t try..."
"Ah..." lyn slowly nodded. That explains the sudden shift in her mood — Her unrivalled stubbornness.
The spark in her eyes was so bright it was almost unbelievable how she still had the determination to pursue her husband’s affection. lyn gave her a once-over, attempting to catch a glimpse of lie only to be t with obstinacy.
She had seen the sincerity in Ilaria’s actions; in the way she spoke about that man, and in the way her eyes glistened as if she was describing the ho she had been yearning for years, but it was still foolhardy how she could think of a solution right away. lyn rubbed her temple indecisively.
Perhaps she should just let the princess be. Even if she had taken the obligation to take care of her well-being, that, including her precious heart, she could not refute her intention if this was what she wanted; Even if she cared too much, she could not hastily control her choices.
Ilaria had walked into the path of misery the mont she tried to crack a heart of stone. Whether she would find a way out or remain trapped was her risk to take, after all, they were legally married. They would need to spend the rest of their lives together if the crown prince did not choose to take different asures.
The lady carefully grasped her hand and resud to guide her through the hallway. Her face was fully painted with concern that it made Ilaria wonder if she should have not tell her anything at all. lyn knew she should not interfere, so the least she could do was give her an earlier warning, hoping that she would not regret giving her a token of advice.
"It’s not a bad thing to try, just..." Her voice softened in sheer frustration, her eyes searching hers as they walked slowly, "Don’t push yourself too hard. So things are not worth the effort."
Ilaria wanted to ask why, but she knew lyn had always been excessively anxious and thought that she was too fragile for this thing called love. She tightened her hold around her arm, her smile was feeble and consoling when she said, "I know."
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