The Royal Academy

Chapter 8

The morning light trickled through the heavy curtains of the bedchamber, casting a soft golden hue over the room. I blinked awake, my body cocooned in the warmth of the thick, silk sheets, and for a brief, blissful moment, I felt the lingering glow of last night. I stretched, my muscles pleasantly sore, my mind drifting back to Conrad’s gentle touch, his reassuring words. The memory brought a smile to my face. It had been... more than I expected, more than I had ever imagined.

I turned over, reaching for him.

But my hand met only cold sheets.

I frowned, sitting up quickly. The space beside me, where Conrad had been, was empty. My heart gave a quick jolt of confusion as I glanced around the room, hoping to catch sight of him somewhere, perhaps dressing or waiting by the window. But there was no sign of him—just the empty bed and the quiet stillness of the room.

The joy from the night before began to drain away, replaced by an unsettling confusion. I wrapped the sheet around myself as I stood, my feet brushing the cool floor. Where had he gone? The intimacy we shared last night had felt real—his kindness, his gentleness, the way he had made sure I was comfortable every step of the way. I couldn’t have imagined that.

Could I?

I pulled on my dressing gown and padded over to the window, hoping maybe I would see him in the gardens or walking the grounds. But all I saw was the empty courtyard, bathed in the soft light of dawn.

A knock at the door startled me, and I turned to see Anna entering the room with a quiet, respectful bow.

"Good morning, Your Highness," she greeted, her voice gentle as always.

"Anna," I said, trying to keep the worry from my tone. "Do you know where the king is?"

Anna glanced up at me, her expression unreadable. "He left early this morning for the palace, Your Highness. There were urgent meetings he had to attend to."

I froze, my hand gripping the edge of the window sill tightly. He had left. Without saying goodbye. After everything that happened between us last night, he had just... gone.

"Oh," I breathed, my voice barely audible. I tried to keep my face neutral, but inside, I could feel the beginning of something painful, a weight settling in my chest.

"Would you like to get dressed, Your Highness? We will be returning to the palace shortly as well," Anna said, as if nothing was wrong.

I nodded numbly, letting her guide me through the process of dressing and preparing for the day. But my mind was far away, lost in the confusion and hurt that began to swirl within me.

All morning, I had hoped for some kind of note, some explanation as to why Conrad had left so abruptly. Something to tell me that last night had meant as much to him as it had to me. But there was nothing. No word, no message.

The carriage ride back to the palace was quiet, my thoughts racing as we passed through the countryside. What had I expected? That he would stay, that we would spend the morning together, wrapped in the intimacy we had shared? That he would whisper soft words of affection, tell me more about himself, about us?

Perhaps it was foolish of me to hope for such things. He was the king, after all. His responsibilities to the kingdom came before anything else, even before me. But as the palace loomed closer, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted, that whatever connection we had begun to form last night had slipped away, leaving me cold and alone once again.

When we arrived at the palace, the grand doors swung open, and the familiar sense of isolation washed over me as soon as I stepped inside. The palace was vast, filled with endless corridors and towering walls, but it felt more like a cage than a home. The silence echoed around me, reminding me of my place—separate, distant, alone.

I was the queen, yes. But I was also a stranger here, an outsider. Even my name—Rosalie—felt foreign to me, a title given to replace the girl I had once been. The girl who had once dreamed of love and belonging.

I made my way through the halls, my heart heavy. Servants passed by, bowing respectfully, but I barely noticed them. My thoughts were consumed by Conrad, by the way he had been so tender with me last night and how now... it felt like it had all vanished.

Was it all just a formality for him? A duty he had to fulfill, as customs demanded? I had been so nervous, so vulnerable, and he had been kind, making sure I felt safe and cared for. But now that I thought about it, had it all just been his way of ensuring that I fulfilled my role, too? Was his kindness a mask to hide the fact that, to him, I was simply a means to an end?

The thought stung. It stung deeply.

As the hours passed, I roamed the palace aimlessly, my mind replaying every moment of last night over and over again. I had allowed myself to believe that there was something more between us, that we were beginning to form a connection. But now, it felt as if last night had never happened at all.

Conrad and I lived separate lives, even under the same roof. He was the king, busy with affairs of the state, meetings, councils, decisions that shaped the future of Eldoria. And I... I was simply here. Waiting. Hoping.

By late afternoon, the ache in my chest had become unbearable. I wandered through the palace gardens, my footsteps heavy as I walked along the gravel paths. The flowers were in full bloom, vibrant and alive, but their beauty felt distant, unreachable. I was surrounded by life, by color, and yet, inside, I felt hollow.

I sat on a bench beneath a large oak tree, my hands folded tightly in my lap. Tears threatened to spill over, but I fought them back. I couldn’t let myself fall apart, not here, not now.

But the hurt was real. It gnawed at me, twisting my stomach into knots. I had done what was expected of me. I had fulfilled my duty, as was required by the customs of the land. But I had hoped for something more—for a connection, for affection, for a moment where I could feel that I wasn’t just an obligation to Conrad.

And now, it seemed that was all I was.

The sun began to set, casting long shadows across the garden, and still, there was no sign of Conrad. No word, no visit. I hadn’t seen him since the night before, and the thought that he could be so close yet so distant felt like a cruel reminder of my place in this life.

I was his queen, yes. But I was also alone.

As the sky darkened and the stars began to twinkle overhead, I stood and made my way back inside, my heart heavy with the weight of my loneliness. The palace was quiet, the halls empty as I walked through them, and the silence only amplified the ache inside me.

When I reached my chambers, I closed the door behind me, leaning against it for a moment as I tried to steady my breath. The room was dim, lit only by a few flickering candles, and it felt cold—so cold.

I made my way to the bed, slipping beneath the covers, pulling them tight around me as if they could shield me from the pain that throbbed in my chest. I lay there in the darkness, staring up at the ceiling, my mind swirling with doubts and questions.

Had I misread everything? Had I been foolish to think that Conrad could care for me beyond the duties we were bound to? Was I nothing more than a means to secure an heir for the kingdom?

I didn’t have the answers. All I had was the emptiness that had settled deep inside me, a void that no crown or title could fill.

And as I lay there in the silence, I realized just how alone I truly was.