𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅

chapter forty-four

Emriana

The minutes passed, and I simply stared at him as he did the same. I couldn't even deny it. We shared the same features, the same nose, and the same eyes. I couldn't believe I was related to the King of Nelovia.

"I-I don't k-know what t-to say," I mumbled, and he laughed a little through the tears.

"It's okay," he reassured me.

"I-It doesn't m-make s-sense," my voice kept cracking as the tears dripped down my chin.

"I'll explain everything... I-I can't believe you're here," he whispered, almost to himself.

"Come," he said, and I followed the King, or should I say, my father? It felt wrong somehow as my father was Angar, not the man I had only met today. Was everything about my life built on lies?

He walked down the corridor before pushing a wooden door open. He held it as we walked inside before showing me to a sofa. I sank into the seat as he did the same thing. I didn't even glance around the room. I just wanted some answers.

He sighed before opening his mouth.

"So... what do you want to know?"

"W-Well... everything... h-how do y-you know her?"

"I met Tamina a long time ago. It was before I became the King. The first time we met was in a hallway of this castle. She was cleaning one of the windows of the East Corridor. I was instantly mesmerized by her beauty, it seemed crazy, but it was like she was glowing amongst everyone else. Our eyes met, and that was that" he paused.

"The first few months we were together were the best months of my life at the time. I would always sneak away from my duties to find her. Our relationship was easy, we lived in the same place, and she was always there, working as a maid in the castle. I remember all the winks and smiles we secretly shared whenever I would be in a meeting and she would be cleaning something nearby,"

"We would sneak out of the castle at night and go just outside the kingdom on this little hill where we would lay for hours just talking about our life. We would share everything with each other, our dreams, our fears, our past. One night, she told me she had run away from Ekudal after a big fight between her family. She never really went into the details, but she did mention it had to do with her sister Clara who had recently married a rebellion leader without telling her family. I remember her crying as she explained to me all the awful things her sister had told her they would do to the royal family. Your mother couldn't handle seeing her sister become someone like that, so she ran away to Nelovia."

"As the months passed, I fell deeper and deeper in love with her which scared me. Sometimes, I would act as if the rest of the world didn't matter when I was with her, but I knew it was only a matter of time before reality would catch up to us.

"A year went by of us dating in secret, and it seemed to work fantastic. She had even sketched out for fun a house that we could live in together, but I couldn't tell her that deep down, I knew it was a life I could never give her. Everything about my life had already long been decided, and I was only a prisoner to my own life."

"Everything took a turn when she became pregnant with you. She instantly became protective of you, even if you hadn't been born yet. She wanted me to tell my parents about her so we could finally be free from the secrets and to make sure you would be safe. I knew what would happen if I did, my parents were very traditional, and I feared for her safety and yours if they were to find out."

"For the first time, we started fighting, and those arguments would last for days sometimes. She wanted me to leave this place so we could build our life together, and I felt stuck. No matter how much I told her, she didn't understand how this was the kind of life you couldn't simply just walk away from. I was the only child and the only heir to the throne. I had my people to care for, and it wasn't an easy decision. She used to repeat that love knew no limit and that if I truly wanted, I could do anything and stand up to my parents. Looking back on it, she was right, but I was young and stupid. There isn't one day that passes that I don't regret fighting harder for her and standing up to my parents for Tamina."