"How long till that mask falls off - Princess?"
What happens when a sheltered Princess is thrown into the outside world to face the trials of life?
-----
It's been the Jaye Royal Family's long-standing tradition to hide the identity of their childre...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
In light of that painful realisation, the room fell silent. A deafening silence which ate into Aquilina's heart.
She knew the story of how his mother had abandoned him when he was very young — but hadn't realised he was the one.
I can imagine the pain he must feel whenever he sees me, she thought.
Javier stood up from the table and massaged his temples as he stood to look out of the window facing the back of their house.
"Are you in pain?" Aqui asked, with a slight crease on her forehead, for she was worried his migraines had returned.
Instead, Javier turned slowly to look at her a sad smile on his face,
"The pain is now mostly psychological, Aquilina."
"Oh, I see..."
She had heard of such situations before, wherein the patient was healed but experienced the pain psychologically. It was a tough one.
"Would you mind if we sit in your garden outside?"
The question surprised Aqui, for she had not expected that.
"Of course," she spoke softly.
There was a little garden behind their house which she had helped her Aunt Alison to plant. It had a simple garden swing in the midst of it.
But it was serene, with the stars twinkling high above in their splendorous beauty.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
They walked to it and sat down, with Javier leaning his head back.
Both were quiet for a moment—a comfortable silence.
Despite what he was going through, she felt a certain warmth spread within her that he had decided to share those facts about himself with her—concerning his mother and his psychosis.
He finally turned to her and asked, "Will you please sing for me?"
She thought for a moment, "Which song?"
"Anything soothing."
"Okay," a song already ringing in her heart.
(A/N: SONG SHE SANG IS ABOVE.
AND THAT IS HOW I PICTURE AQUI'S VOICE MOSTLY, THOUGH IT CAN GET DEEPER. )
As she sang, she felt him begin to relax.
————————
Walking through the hallways of Velvet Regent a few days later, Aqui felt at peace. A quietness from within. She couldn't pinpoint why.
Sure, there were some who still stared and whispered. But she had long since learnt to ignore them.
Over the past days, she had gotten closer to Javier. After his last visit, she had promised to 'study hard' and work on her Spanish.
He left her a book, "Spanish Conversations 101," and promised to call each night to speak to her in simple Spanish for a few minutes.
And he did. Feigning a little bit of struggle, she spoke to him every night, mixing Spanish and English.
Their Spanglish conversations had turned... interesting. She had found him very perceptive yet kind and caring — so unlike what he made people think of him.
Like last night,
"Qué pasa?" (What's up/happening?) He had asked her during their conversation, sensing she was down.
Funny how he seemed to notice despite her forced cheerfulness.
"No mucho..." (Not much). She had been wondering about her life and thinking about her past that evening.
And she had felt depressed... She always found herself in the cage of restless anxiety whenever she thought about her past.
Javier had remained silent for a few seconds and replied softly,
"Angelito mío(My little Angel), when I first met you, I noticed a strength within you — despite all I did and said. I don't understand what it was, but it was rock solid.
"And that strength broke me instead... Don't give up being strong, no matter what you're going through. Me entiendes?(Do you get me?)"
It wasn't what he had said but so much more how he had said it.
She often found herself wallowing in the dark mires of her past so much so that she forgot that strength he spoke of — her God.
It wasn't always easy, to just trust. But she had felt God speak to her through him. The least person she'd expected.
And she had felt a peace in that moment. It wasn't roaring. But just... quiet. A quiet peace.
Though she couldn't say she had completely given in to just trust, it was a step in that direction.
And that peace lingered still as she checked her schedule and prepared for her next class that day.
At least, that was the plan till she heard over the intercom,
"Aquilina S. J. Please report to the Principal's office."
She sighed, what now?
———————-
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Hi, wonderful fam. We thank GOD for 800 Reads! GOD bless you all so much for your love and support.
Another chapter is up next.
(If you speak any foreign language I write, please feel free to correct. I have limited knowledge and have forgotten some of which I learnt. GOD bless you. 🙂)
