Silver Cross

Prologue

"I'm so sorry, Jamileth." Nelson looked at me with a pained expression on his face. I looked him in confusion. Why would he be sorry? He looked me straight in the eyes. "Jamileth, your mother...and your father. The king and queen have fallen." Nelson looked like he was in the verge of tears but not a drop fell. I leaned back in my chair and I put my pencil down. My homework was now long forgotten.

"My parents are dead?" I said to myself in disbelief. I knew I should be crying or at least look stricken. Maybe I did look stricken but I just can't tell. I wasn't sure how I felt. My parents were dead.

"Janeth's parents died as well. I can't believe this has happened. Your parents were burned into ashes and your aunt and uncle were decapitated." I felt my heart clench. I stood up and startled Nelson for a second but soon became attentive. He bowed his head, remembering his duties. "What are your orders for me, princess?"

I made sure my voice didn't tremble. "I want you to bring Janeth over. She shouldn't be alone right now. She will live with us for now on. I also need funeral arrangements made and I need things transferred. Now that my parents are deceased I must step up and take over their duties for that's what I have been trained to do. You will have to get those documents from our family lawyer's office. I want this done as soon as you can, Nelson." I said. Nelson stood their for a minute before nodding and doing what I asked. I knew he understood my calm composure but at the same time I knew it confused him.

He expected at least a few tears, he thought this new would break me and I didn't. But now that I was alone I allowed myself to go through my mix of emotions. Because if I'm to be honest to myself, I'm not really mourning the loss of my parents. In fact I always had a slight hate towards them. My father was always busy being the Uratha king and handling his business. He never cared much about what I did but he spoiled me at least. My mother, however I had stronger feelings towards. She was always judgmental of me, treating me like a personal assistant instead of her daughter. I was yelled at if I didn't do something or if I did it wrong and she was ungrateful of anything I did do. She always insulted me and pointed out my flaws. According to her, everything that went wrong was somehow my fault. I never considered her to be my mother however. That's just what I called her and to others I gave off that I loved them. I did that so well that they believed it as well.

My heart started to ache even further. They were still my parents and the reason I'm here. I didn't love them though but I was feeling conflicted. I lived with them my entire life and now they were gone. I can't believe that the truth about that is that I knew my servants better than I did them. And my aunt and uncle. I can't believe they are gone as well. I began to sob.mi loved my aunt and uncle. They treated me like I was their daughter. Like my own parents should have treated me. This may be wicked and wrong of me but I'm in some sense glad that my parents died. I felt free in a way. Sure I'll feel weird not being scolded or being told what to do. And I really will miss those small moments of happiness that they did make me feel at times. But secretly, I wanted to be alone. I never wished them dead however. Just them being away from me. My parents never loved me. Everything they did was in hope that they would gain plenty from it. Too bad they won't be able to.

I took several deep breaths, fixed my posture, and wiped my eyes. By the time Sophia brought me tea it was as though I never had a break down. I looked like I just shed a few tears as proper. Nelson finished all the task I had sent him to do before night fall and by midnight everything belonging to my parents were now mine. Including several houses I never knew about and their accounts they kept hidden from each other.

The day after I consoled Janeth as she cried. I understood why she was such an emotional mess. Everything her parents did was with the want of her being happy. Even if what she wanted to do looked pointless.

That night I made a list of what I wanted to have done. My father's study is to be refurnished to my liking. Being head of this household, it's only fit that I take up the main study. My parent's bedroom is to be emptied and prepared for me to use. Everything else I would leave relatively the same. Even the garden.

The garden had been my mother's private place. One that only she ever tended to but she had me water it occasionally. She loved that garden so much. Even more than she loved me. She practically told me so one day. If I let my emotions control me actions, I would have ordered that garden to be burned. But I always thought with my head and not my heart. So instead I'll just replace the marigolds with purple carnations and the red roses with white ones. When that was done I blocked the garden out. No one would go in.

From now on I can't be a child anymore. I will have companies to deal with, new responsibilities as princess, and now I must deal with the Shadow World. Things will change for me. I can feel it. I know that however much I detested my parents, some part of me missed them.

But I was a Darlington. I will fake my feelings to what seems fit for the situation and keep my true feelings hidden. I was the princess and I will do what it must.