Short Stories :P

{130} Star-Crossed Lovers | Aug 19-20, 2023

TW: Mentions of death and toxic families

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It was a lustreless night at the palace, cold and empty from the quiet winter. The lights were dim, the brightest source of glow being the glimpses of the round moon that hung on the sky that night.

Kali sat on the bottom marble step, hugging her knees, clothed with a thin ragged dress, shivering and silently sobbing, unaware of the echoes it caused which awoken the young prince, Julius Charles William Cromwell, or as everyone knows him: Prince Julius.

He strolled through the darkened halls, a warm robe wrapped around his silk pyjamas. As he arrived at the top of the grand staircase, he saw a shrunken silhouette of one of the many maids, but being the spoiled prince that he is, didn't even bother to remember her name.

Confused, he slowly, soundlessly, walked down the steps, and eventually arrived behind little Kali. "Hello," Julius called out, Kali violently flinching, "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing awake at such an uncanny hour?" He finished saying. She immediately stood from where she sat, her hazel eyes widened and mouth agape.

"I— I sincerely apologise, your Royal Highness, I will immediately return to my chamber." Kali exclaimed, bowing, hanging her head low, gripping tightly onto her own hand to keep it from shaking.

Kali was born into servant life and domestic duties. She never knew her father, he fled the moment he found out of her existence. And Kali's mother was a maid to the royal family, and her mother before her, and so were their mothers' before them; it has been going on for generations.

Though just last year, only days after her fifteenth birthday, her mother tragically died. No one bothered to figure out why, that's how unimportant she was; she was just quickly buried, as was her existence, never spoken of again. And it all just left Kali broken and without closure, and with no one to care.

All she was able to do was quietly weep into the night, though at last, someone had heard.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just wondering what could have happened for you to be crying so late at night." Julius questioned, walking slightly closer to little Kali.

She quickly wiped her tears away, her eyes bloodshot and dull, her cheeks still flushed. Kali never thought that the young prince knew of her existence, she has always thought that he's selfish and spoiled and didn't care for anything but himself and his riches. She's never seen this supposed soft side of him, she's never thought that he would notice a pitiful girl like her.

"It is nothing that— the Royal Highness would have to worry about." Kali stated, trying to hide the tremble in her voice by letting out a nervous chuckle. The girl turned around to walk away, though was stopped with the young prince's hand grabbing onto her own, shock crossing her face again.

After Julius realised what he did, he let go of her hand straight away, anxiously chewing onto the inside of his cheek. "I apologise," He softly spoke, "Though, I do believe whatever is on your mind might not bother you as much if you're able to let it out, maybe.. talk to someone about it."

Kali stared at the young prince confused, well, rather, gazed at him, in some sort of awe. Being only sixteen, she happened to be the youngest worker of them all. None of them really cared about her problems, or cared to know of her late-night cries. The young prince, being only one year older than her, seemed to be more sympathetic towards her and her issues, even if he didn't even know her name.