Her Royal Highness, Leonor: The Years Later

Revisiting Walls

I wasn't able to attend my day job later that day, and after staying at my desk for quite some time after meeting Leonor, I went straight to the usual cafe where I ordered a milkshake and stared at it for how long I cannot remember. I called up the editorial office and said that I'll be reporting to work tomorrow and would call the rest of the day off. As the afternoon softly slips in, I went home to my apartment with my mind filled with what happened in the morning, the princess's eyes keeps hovering over my reverie.

I went straight to bed after I gave Tamen his usual meal, and tried to sleep, but the thoughts are too awake to snooze them away. I remembered having to turn back and forth in my bed that night, opened up the television, the radio, something that could fill the silence that was killing me, the silence with the memories, but they were to no avail–I end up staring at the ceiling, wondering why after all these years of forgetting, it seems that the act itself has become secondary to everything.

I didn't realize I already fell asleep remembering the last five years and woke up with Tamen purring by my bedside, looking at me curiously. I squinted up the clock and realized that I'd be late, so I immediately rushed to prepare to go to the university.

The few days after that went quickly, and I at times get caught at my day job at the editorial office somehow absentminded, and I usually shrug it off by saying I haven't had my coffee yet, but it was Leonor and the years before us keeps dwelling in parts of me that I have not been able to revisit for a long time. By the time Friday arrive, for the first time in years, I'm not grateful for the weekend, as it will be just spent with me alone with my thoughts. With me, with Leonor in my thoughts.

I normally have a morning class at the university even on Saturdays, and as soon as I finished the class, the headmaster, Mrs. Agaffeta caught me walking out of my room and asked me if I could join her in her office for a few minutes. I agreed, and for some reason once again—I had an inkling that it may have something to do with the Princess' recent visit to the university.

"I'd like to thank you by the way for touring the Princess last time, you literally saved me a couple of minutes to get the faculty together, I mean, you know we're not really prepared, the visit came to us on a short notice." Mrs. Agaffeta said.

I touched a hand to my duffel bag with its sling hanging by my right arm, eager to know what has been the update as of late. "Has the Princess...made any update on her enrollment here?"

The headmaster heaves a heavy sigh upon hearing this. "We were told that we will be hearing from the Palace after a day or two, but so far, I've been watching that telephone and taking messages since this morning but none of those calls that came through were from the Palace." The headmaster shrugs.  "Entendería y respetaría la decisión de la princesa si no nos elige, sin embargo, desearía que pudiera informarnos al respecto, pero, de nuevo, es un gran error para nosotros promover la universidad, tener a la futura reina tomando su estudio aquí y pensar que podemos ser parte de ese dirreccion."

(TL: I would understand and respect the Princess's decision if she's not going to choose us, however, I wish she could let us know about it, but then again, it's such a big miss for us to promote the university, having the future queen take her study here and to think we can be a part of that journey."

I nodded slowly, and while the headmaster continued to talk about the preparations they'd come up with for the Princess's visit days prior, my mind is already on that corner once again, thoughtfully thinking that the decision may have been affected by the princess knowing and seeing my work here. And even if I tried to ignore the truth about the possibility of that being the reason, I cannot shake it away just like that—I feel terrible already being the reason why Leonor may miss out on a great school like this, and the school missing out on nurturing the princess's bachelor's education.