Bridgerton - The Lost Royal

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sophia

I stand in front of the queen, who just got the little red booklet handed to her by one of the royal guards and is flipping through it page by page. I wait for her to say something, but she seems to ignore me completely.

I open my mouth to apologize but she cuts in before me,

"Quiet, please." she says.

I close my mouth and nod, unsure what to do with my hands.

"Stop playing with your hands." The queen looks up at me and I quickly hide my hands behind my back. She closes the booklet and steps closer to me, her eyes roaming my entire body.

"Turn around." She commands, "Slowly."

I do as she says, my heart beating in my chest. Why does she want to look at me before she has me locked up? What is going on? I finish my turn and the queen has come even closer, her face mere inches away from me. I hold my breath, unsure what comes next, awaiting what she is going to say.

Swiftly, she turns around, opening the booklet once again,

"Have you read it?" She asks then.

"Some of it." I whisper, ashamed of what I've done. My eyes meet the ground and I enjoy my last moments of freedom.

"Her eyes are a kind shade of blue," I look up to see the queen reading from the booklet out loud, a passage I cannot recall, "her nose is tiny, as are her lips, and she has a birthmark on her back, near her right shoulder."

I freeze. I had almost forgotten what Hyacinth and I had discovered, or more, what that meant. If I'm the lost royal, then I am not just standing opposite the queen, I am also standing opposite my grandmother. And I do have a birthmark on my back.

"I admire your courage." The queen says and I look up confused.

"You lied. Miss Bridgerton stole this book, and you tried covering it up by kissing her brother, did you not?" She continues.

I sigh, there is no point in lying, "I did. But please leave Hyacinth out of this, it was all my idea."

"I doubt that, but I shall leave Miss Bridgerton alone." She starts walking around me, "I considered telling the world about your moment with Mister Bridgerton, I have certainly been waiting for some extra dramatics this social season, but something about you seemed... different. So I waited, I wondered what you would do. Then my diary went missing, and it all made sense."

"It does?" I ask.

"You know it makes sense, darling. I simply need you to show me your back." She states, "Oliver, assist her, please."

The royal guard I met earlier walks over to me, and clearly has no idea what is going on. He unties my dress, careful not to touch my skin, and he steps away when he's done. Unconsciously, my hand moves to my birthmark, and seconds later I can feel another hand covering mine,

"I have been searching for you every single day since you went missing. Your name was Amelia, my first grandchild, the next queen. You were a princess."

I turn around to face her, "And now I'm a thief." I smile lightly.

The queen is always described as someone quite evil, with harsh orders and many commands, but as our eyes meet, I see only happiness. I see pure joy and out of nowhere, tears pop up behind my eyes.

"You can be a princess again. If you so wish. You would live here, with me." She says, and the floor seems to fall away from under my feet.

I could have a home, a place where I belong, where I was always meant to be. After years of just trying to survive I could make a change in the world.

"I understand if you need some time to think, and I respect any choice you make, Sophia." she takes my hands and I bite my lip,

"I don't need any time to think, I know what I want."

...

It is two days later and I am nowhere near adjusted to my new life, living in a castle, having someone take care of me. I have been talking to my grandmother, who I now address as Charlotte, about my life before the Bridgertons, and she has told me about hers.

But there is no more time left to adapt, because right now, is the Danbury ball, and the queen will introduce me to the ton as her lost granddaughter. I can see her already, standing on the balcony, having all eyes on her. I try to hide behind the door, but Oliver gives me a push forward and smiles,

"Go on, you can do it."

I nod, and step forward.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the ton," Queen Charlotte begins, "May I introduce you to my lost granddaughter, finally returned home, Her Royal Highness, princess Sophia.