After my talk with lady Destia, Raphael walked back to my room. Along the way we chatted with each other while William was following from behind.
"I am truly sorry for what my sister has done." Raphael said apologetically.
"You need not to apologize to Sir Raphael." I said. "Your sister was the one to have done sothing offending and she had apologized and paying for it as well."
"You know, you can call by my na if it is just us your majesty." Raphael said. "No need to be formal."
"Then you can also drop the ’your majesty’ and call by my na, brother Rap." I gave him a friendly smile.
"Thank you... Alicia." Raphael hesitated a bit but was able to call by my na.
"This mansion did not change that much since the ti we were kids." I reminisced the one ti in my childhood when we visited here in the past. "I was never allowed to go out of the estate, and so I have a vague mory of the interior of this mansion."
"Yes, I rember." Raphael added. "We used to play inside and also out in the gardens. Pity, I did not have the chance to show you the beach. You can only look from afar."
I was not able to go outside of the estate because of my position as an illegitimate daughter. I was seen as a disgrace by the forr queen and so I was not able to be with the royal family outside.
"But you always kept company back then." I said. "I am grateful to that. You had beco a morable childhood friend to ."
If William was my first best friend when I debuted in high society, Raphael was a childhood friend I made when I was still young.
"Yes, I clearly reber that." Raphael replied. "That mory is sothing I treasure the most."
We were silent for a so minuted while walking along the corridors. It felt a little awkward between us but after a while, Raphael was the one to speak once again.
"My sister and I... we never got the chance to debut in high society because of our mother’s illness." Raphael said.
"Yes. I have heard about how your mother was terribly ill for a long ti before she passed away." I replied. "I rember the late duchess as a kind woman. She often gave cookies when she sees along playing in the garden."
Duke Destia’s family was a harmonious one. They were a loving couple that were kind to the people they govern. They were also exemplary parents to their children. It was just unfortunate that the duchess fell terminaly ill. I can see that this mansion is not the sa as in the past when the duchess was still alive.
"My sister and I, we missed a lot because of it. But I never complained about it. As the eldest, I understood why my father had decided that my sister and I stay here while mother was ill. She can leave this world without prior notice, and my father would want us to be there when that happened." Raphael said. "But Deborah... she did not understand. I do not know if it is because she was so young back then to understand or she was just spoiled to much by us. Her grivances that were etched deep in her heart... was our fault."
I did not have any words to say to Raphael’s words and so I just nodded in reply. Whatever had happened for Deborah to be like that, I am in no position to judge her. I just wish that from this day, she can turn over a new leaf and show that she is a lady of this house that they can be proud of.
"I also have my own regrets." Raphael said with a sad smile. "I decided not to speak of what is in my heart, but I think I will regret even further if I was not able to say this."
"What is it?" I asked in utter curiosity.
"If I was just given a chance to attend high society in the capital, I would have attended your debutant party in the past. I would have asked to be your partner back then." Raphael said with a solemn gaze.
I stopped in my tracks trying to digest what Raphael just said. Back then, I was a forgotten princess. And so, I was never given a chance to have a partner in my debutant ball. But if ever a princess had a partner when she debuted, that ans her partner is soone that has proposed marriage to her, an engagent between families. It was normal to have royals to be engaged at an early age and be wedded when they co of age, but us siblings was never given an arranged marriage. Maybe because my father the king did not want us, his children, to be in a marriage we never wanted just like him.
"Are you telling that..." I looked at Raphael with wide eyes.
"Yes, I intended to ask for your hand in marriage once I debuted in high society. I have that in mind since the first ti I t you." Raphael said.
"But brother Rap... we were still young back then, barley even teenagers." I said with disbelief.
"It was love at first sight for ." Raphael said with a gentle smile. "But my plans did not co into frution. My mother fell ill before I debuted. I decided to wait until my mother got better because I do not want to be an added burden to my father. But she never really got well, and just got even worse as the years gone by. And I just heard that... you might be engaged to the heir of duke Cunningham."
"There was such rumors?" I was shocked. I never heard this news. I looked back to William but he averted his gaze.
"The news circulated when I heard you were sent to the country side to recuperate." Raphael said. "But I was even shocked to here that you were engaged to the crown prince of Grandcrest. At first I thought that you were pushed into a political marriage and was thinking that you could be against it. I was thingking of a way to help you if ever that were true. But looking at you now, I guess my hunch was wrong. The way you look to your husband and the way he looks back at you, is full of love." He said with a sad smile.
"Yes, I love him so much and he loves back just the sa." I said. "I am sorry." I can only give an apology back to his confession.
Raphael’s confession was sothing I did not anticipate. It was so out of the blue that I was caught of guard.
"It is okay Alicia." Raphael waved his hand and smiled. "You do not need to apologize. I have co into terms with my feelings after seeing you and his majesty happy with each other. I am just happy to be able to convey this feelings I have harbored in such a long ti deep in my heart. Thank you for hearing out."
"Thank you as well, brother Rap." I replied.
It was silent for a short while once again and we laughed the awkwardness out.
"Well, your quarters is not that far away." Raphael said. "If I can take my leave now, your majesty." He was using formal speech once more.
"Thank your for your ti Sir Raphael." I replied. "I had a great ti chatting with you."
Raphael bowed down and headed the opposite direction. I looked at his back until it vanished at a corner.
"Well that was a sudden confession." William said. "And I thought I was your first friend." He said jokingly.
"Why, are you jealous?" I teased him and giggled.
"Well... a little." William said. "It looks like you have broken yet another heart."
"I never intended to." I said feeling sad. "We were still young back then, and I feel a little guilty that I forgot about him. But after rembering our ti together, I was happy to have a childhood friend like him."
"I am sure that he was also happy to et you." William said. "I know I am greatful to have t you, even though I was not able to win your heart."
I looked at William and gauged his expression. He was not wearing his usual pained smile whenever he talks about his feelings about . Right now, he was wearing a calm and gentle expression. I felt less guilt seeing that William is starting to move on.
"Do not tell your sorry again, I know that face." William teasingly scolded . "I am happy to be by your side to serve and protect you. I will be always here as your best friend and personal knight." He gently pulled a lose strand of my hair and gently tucked it behind my ear.
"Thank you Will, for always being there for ." I said solemnly.
William and I smiled at each other in a friendly manner.
"Well then, before I forget. I was set out to find a certain soone." I rembered. "Now where could my husband be?" I again felt the anger that was forgotten a while ago.
"Oh dear..." William chuckled.
Edited by: nalyn
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