Sparks of a flame

15. Friend Or Foe?

VIOLET'S POV

Andriette was escorted back to her cell by the guard who brought the first aid kit. The swelling on her face was starting to go down, and by the time they both left, she was no longer in tears. Well aware that we had no time to linger around, Alexander and I started to make our way back to the palace.

"You know, something tells me that if this situation had happened to the real princess, Andriette and her sisters wouldn't have been so lucky," he said.

A small smile played around his lips and I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "I heard that she was not friendly at all. Daniel told me that he has never seen her smile even though he has served the royal family for years," he continued.

I frowned in disbelief. Years?

He cocked his head to one side at my reaction. "Don't tell me you haven't heard of how awful she could be?"

"I think awful is a bit too much," I said, feeling the urge to defend her. "I mean you cannot really blame her. The queen seems to dislike her very much, she couldn't be with her lover, Lady Katherine must have been getting on her nerves all the time. Anyone surrounded by people like that would be cranky all the time. To top it off, she has an absentminded man as a father who seems to be under the Queen's spell."

"Hmm. I guess you might have a point. She probably had no one to talk to. Maybe that's why she left everything behind and ran away with her lover."

"Yeah," I nodded. "You know, Betty told me he didn't love her anymore by the time they ran away. That's why she is convinced that she went to see the sorcerer."

"Why did she even bother then? Why not suck it up and just play the role of the Princess. I mean, I don't care much for Prince Stephen but he doesn't seem bad."

I sighed and stopped walking. He stopped too and stuffed his hands in his pockets, giving me a questioning gaze.

"Am I wrong for thinking that?" he asked. "If her lover did not love her anymore, why ran off with him to find someone who may or may not be able to help you?"

"Because," I started, "when you love someone with everything that you've got, you try your very best to hold on till the very end. I can understand her choice, Alexander. I mean take me as an example. Let's use my relationship with your cousin," I said. He winced like I had hit him where it hurt.

"I loved Liam so much that I felt like without him I was incapable of living life. I was obviously head over heels for him, anyone with eyes could see that" I paused and risked looking at him. Though he looked uncomfortable, he had taken a few steps closer to me and had craned his neck so that his ear was closer to my mouth. The action made me smile a little, and it escaped my mouth as a giggle.

"What?" he asked, and I shook my head. "Nothing," I responded, the smile still on my lips.

"Let's walk and talk," I suggested, tapping an imaginary watch on my wrist. He nodded in agreement and I continued.

"As I was saying, when Liam fell out of love with me, I tried everything I knew to win him back because I felt like I had no one else but him. I too, like the Princess, am an only child. Lillian was my only friend and was still in the honeymoon phase of her relationship. All she would say was, 'break up with him'. You were acting so mean to me and so overly aggressive. And to top it off, that was around the time my parents cut me off. All I had was Liam."

"Wait. Your parents cut you off? Why?"

I grimaced. "Story for another day. Anyway, anytime Liam paid a little attention to me, I had hope that we could work things out. I guess that's how the Princess must have felt. She had no one to rely on in her home."