Against the grain, Arya Giordano is sent to Aldovia, by her editor, to cover the possible abdication of scandalous Prince Richard. However, what she finds out might not just change the prince's life, but her's forever too.
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Hours after Arya walked out of the place free, Richard was up before anyone.
Seeing as how majority of the staff wanted to watch the turn of events with Arya would end. Many were surprised, yet gave nods of approval of Queen Helena's choice to free Arya.
Not a single staffer knew what was spoken in the queens office, but it was enough to convince the Queen of Aldovia to release her.
It seemed only Richard had gotten enough sleep, but even then he felt anxious and restless. Confused and hurt.
He starred at a portrait of his father... not his actual father.
It pained him. His heart contracted at the notion that the man he looked up to his whole life was not his father.
Richard looked down momentarily, licked his dry lips to contain the swell of tears building up in his eyes. He breathed in deeply, and let it out slowly.
He looked again at the portrait of King Richard, a hurt disdain evident on his face, "why didn't you tell me?"
"I wish that we had," Queen Helena slowly walked into the room.
"At least now I know who I am, and who I'm not..." Richard said without his eyes leaving the portrait.
"You must be so angry..." Queen Helena said regrettably.
"No, I just don't understand why you kept it a secret." Richard could hardly contain how the words escaped through his teeth.
Queen Helena looked at her son, and nodded. Though Richard never once faced her, she knew this was her notion to tell him the truth, once and for all.
"A month after we were married, I was told I could not have children..." Queen Helena started and she walked further into the room, "I felt like such...a disappointment." She placed her hand on a nearby chair trying to gain strength to finish what her husband and her should've done years ago, "so when we discovered that we could adopt you in secret, you were our dream come true." She smiled looking at the back of her handsome son. "We talked about telling you, Richard, so many times, but—but I can't stand here and say that we kept it from you for your sake."
"Then why did you do it!" Richard argued, still not facing his mother.
"We were there when you were born, the first time we saw you, your first breath, your first cry, you were our son," Queen Helena's tears swelled in her eyes, the memories of Richard first cry playing in her mind, "you were born in our hearts, in our lives."
Richard took a deep breath, and slowly once again let it out, "then who were they, my parents?"
Queen Helena sighed, "you were the son of one of your father's confidant's and advisers, his name was Andrei Ward... he had gotten his wife at the time pregnant, it seemed they had been trying for years until finally her pregnancy didn't end in miscarriage... her name was Georgina," Queen Helena paused and gulped, the emotions were high and her vision blurried, yet she carried on, "but the woman was of poor health, she had been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder that put her pregnancy with you at an extremely high risk, doctors warned her that it was probable that she wouldn't survive the birth... and a day after you were born, she died." Helena wiped a year remembering Andrei's cries for his love, he had become a father to a son and what was suppose to be the most happiest of times for the couple had ended tragically, but the darkness had not arrived yet.
