Selina Rose leads a normal life as a princess: attending balls, tending to her garden, and going to school. But soon enough things start to fall apart.
Nothing makes sense in this princess's castle: the walls seem to hear secrets, the library seems...
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Swiftly, Selina ran to the locker room, where she sat on a bench to remove her ballet shoes. She quickly removed all her dance garments and put on a sleek pink dress that matched her bun updo, which showed off her shoulders. Cleaning her mess, she wore white heels and strutted to the entrance.
"This couldn't be good," Jim thought to himself. Confined to a small guest room with a rather fiery fireplace, he remarked, "I am so done for," staring into the fire.
What had happened?
What was he to make of the mess?
Hunching his neck down, staring at the expensive carpet below his shoes, he sighed deeply. The door opened, and a servant exclaimed, "The royal Highness may see you now, sir!"
"Great," he replied in an almost bitter tone. As the servant kept the door open for the 18-year-old boy to walk through, Jim imagined how he would get yelled at.
Frankly, he did not know why he was doing this to himself, as he was not summoned. He was also uncertain why he was going to his friend's sister for help. He barely knew her. But he knew Alyssa. He knew how livid she must be after last night.
The servant pranced him around the castle, making too many turns to keep track. His hazel eyes tracked portraits of the family.
He always noticed a stern look on Alyssa and the Queen's paintings. He scoffed, pulling his hands in his pocket, and followed his chaperone with his head hung low.
He entered a much bigger room, where couches lay. A delicate tea set lay on the coffee table.
Selina turned around to look at him with a friendly smile.
Maybe this would not be so bad after all.
The door closed behind them.
"Hello!" said a cheery princess.
"Hi," responded Jim, almost waiting.
He was not sure what he was waiting for, so he paused.
Puzzled, Selina continued, "You have asked to see me?"
"Yes! I uh," is this how she always was?
Just like her sister?
"I hope it isn't any trouble." Jim continued.
"Of course not! Have a seat, please!" Selina kindly suggested.
So he did. He stayed hesitant, playing with his nails.
"So, how has your day been?" Jim could not think of anything else to ask, as he wanted her to start talking about what he wanted to discuss truly.
"Oh, alright, I tended the hydrangeas with my sister, you know her," stated Selina. "And I was just practicing ballet when you came to visit!"
"Right, right, that sounds lovely." Jim was still limiting his eye contact with the princess.
"And how about you?"
"What?"
"Your day?"
"Oh yes! It was quite lovely, too!" He knew from the questioning face on Selina that he needed to cut to the chase. "Look, we need to talk, alright?"
"Of course, whatever for? Is it Alyssa?"
"I mean, is she alright?"
"Yes, of course, why wouldn't she be?" Selina looked almost startled now, sitting on the edge of her seat. Jim sighed.
"Last night. I mean, what happened?" A silence stood between them. Two birds bickered outside the French windows.
"Last night?"
"Last night."
"What happened?"
"That's what I'm asking you!" Jim leaned in, almost whispering at her from across the vintage coffee table.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand-"
"Selina!" Jim yelled, frustrated. She leaned away from him, completely shocked. "Sorry, I just..." Selina leaned back in her chair, waiting for a response. "What was that vault?" Jim continued cautiously.
"Vault?" the princess replied, her face completely painted in confusion.
"Yes, Selina, the vault! The vault with the books of no explanation, the vault with the book of your name! Where is that book now?" She sat there perplexed.
She calmly responded, "Sir, I think you have mistaken me for being somewhere I wasn't. I can call my sister if you would like." He felt the blood rushing to his brain, trying to make sense of the past 24 hours.
"Selina. Do you not recall last night?"
"Sir, again, you have mistaken me! I simply went to bed last night after tea!" It was Jim's turn to lean back in his chair.
"Thank you for visiting, sir! Have a great day!" the servant shut the big wooden doors on him. He stood outside the castle, not sure where to start thinking. He slowly started through the courtyard, entering the grand bridge that stood over the lake surrounding the grand castle. He keeps his head down, deep in thought.
How could she not remember?
Selina had tried to let him talk to Alyssa, but he was too distraught to reason logically. He simply left in a hurry, leaving the princess mid-compromise. He did not mean to rush away in such a manner, but what choice did he have?
Surely, she was just ignoring him, not wanting to come to terms with the new family secret. A vault. But he still was not sure of what kind.
He stopped at the bridge. He looked up to the shining sun, the light highlighting his skin. He looked down at the fish in the lake and saw a toad not too far away on a rock. He did not have anyone to talk to about this. He could not muster up the courage to walk back and ask for Alyssa.
"This is it," he said out loud, almost talking to the distant toad. "This is where my ties with the royals die. Came later than I had expected it to." He sighed and continued his journey off the bridge.
From the top of the castle hill, he could look down on the distant buildings and lakes. In the distance, he could even see the ocean as it hugged the island.
He made his way down a path of great, luscious trees and forestry that surrounded the castle.
It was rare for the villagers to hike this far to meet royals, and therefore, the path was slightly overgrown and poorly lit."
Alyssa?"
"Hm?"
"Are you alright?" The blonde stopped folding her bedsheets. She now stood with a yellow nightgown, with a bedsheet folded between her arms.
"Of course. Whatever for?" She continued her chore.
"Oh, nothing really, just asking." Selina was leaning on her sister's vanity, deep in thought.
The sisters had identical bedrooms, as all of them on the floor did. You would walk into a canopy bed on the left, with a vanity and dressing area to the right. Further down the room was the spectacle of the space. The grand windows through which the town could be pointed at. Below the big view was a seating area, placed on top of a supporting platform to stand on. Alyssa's room always had a painting. She seemed to be working with darker colors in her new unfinished painting.
