The Eternal Queen

Chapter 19: Ardele

We are up in the bedroom I am residing in, and she carefully inspects the cut. Lady Coralie is to helping dress the wound. I keep trying to push her away as I have done this a million times, but she swats me.

"Are you sure you do not need stitches, Ardele?"

"I am fine, Lady Coralie. The cut is shallow enough for it to heal quick. I will be good as new tomorrow morning unless it gets infected."

She blows out a breath. "Okay."

A beat later she starts to ramble. "I am sorry I did not interfere. But it would have made it worse if I did. In those situations, I only irritate Fallon further. I am so sorry."

I shake my head. "You did what you knew was best, and I am still alive. There is nothing to worry about."

Unless I fail. Then I have a lot to worry about. But I am confident the antidote will cure the disease. Unless the Loeniklien in the king's body decides to mutate again, but I doubt it. The conditions are not ideal for mutation at the moment. If it were summer, I would have been worried, but it is autumn here. Winter is just around the corner.

Coralie finishes and standing up. "Come on. Let us go eat. It is pass lunchtime."

I went to change into a new dress, and I threw the bloodied dress in the trash on the way to my wardrobe closet. He ruined a beautifully made dress from Nora. Such an ignorant twat. Yanking on the fresh dress, I attempt to tame my hair, grimacing at the image in the mirror.

Emerging from the washroom, I let Lady Coralie lead the way down to the dining hall.

After eating a peaceful lunch with her, I plan to go to the laboratory to cultivate the tears. But Coralie has an outing with a noble. Her face pinches when Nikolai told her to get ready for it after lunch. She starts to pout a bit, but he chides her saying that she was already eighteen summers, which was shocking as she and I are the same age. Coralie grins when I tell her the fact.

"I really wish that I can choose my own suitors," she grumbles.

I pat her shoulder. "It is for the best, Lady Coralie."

Nikolai impatiently taps his watch, and Coralie unwillingly stands. Annoyed at the man, she slowly takes another bite of her strawberry cake before leaving. I smile into my teacup, and I quickly give a sympathetic look before following her out.

I help her into an evening gown, one that is big and fluffy. Coralie starts sprouting out angry comments at her brother since he has set her up with a man to get her out of his hair. Soothing her irritated thoughts as best as possible, I lead her into her rose garden. Coralie adores roses and had a specifically made garden for her. The garden has beautiful roses that still bloomed in the colder months. The rose garden has a subtle barrier spell on the roses to keep them healthy during the winter. Pink, red, and white roses bloom beautifully in the autumn and winter. I pluck a pink rose, handing it to her and she smiles.

"Your favorite?"

Coralie laughs. "Was it that obvious?"

My mouth tilts up. "Pink roses fit your personality very well, your highness."

She groans. "Okay, enough with that. I hate it when people call me by my title."

"It is a quite a privilege, your highness."

"It is, but I feel like it creates unnecessary boundaries."

"Boundaries are there for reason, Coralie."

She pauses. "But boundaries are rules. And rules are always broken whether good or bad. I would rather have my people address me by my name rather than my title. I am not harming anyone. It is only my preference. No one deserves to be caged in a box—a label their whole lives."

Handing her a white rose, I tilt my head. "I agree. No one deserves to be caged. However, Coralie, you are not only a princess. You are a friend, an activist, and the list goes on. Later in life, you will become a wife. Those are all titles to be proud of. But sometimes, what some people labels you to be... is what you are."

"Well, of course. You cannot change your family, eye color, your facial features, and such. But to certain extent, you can choose who you want to be. You can still choose how you want to view yourself."

Coralie kneels down and picks a deep red rose, tucking it into my hair. Earlier, there was spare time and we were experimenting with hair styles. She braided my hair into a crown, wrapping it around my head. I have never felt so regal in my life.

She pats my cheeks, reading my thoughts fully. "Looking like a queen, Ardele."

Before I can make a witty retort, Nikolai calls Coralie's name. Coralie sighs and I let out a soft laugh. She rolls her eyes at me, and together we walk back into the castle, unaware that the crown prince was there listening.