Second Life For Amelie [ENGLISH]

[3] She will be a bloodthirsty monster.

"I heard your story; now it's time for you to know part of mine."

After a few minutes, they stopped in front of a massive wooden door with a small golden sign hanging from it that read: "Royal Office." For so long, I had been reading it that I even surprised myself for understanding it effortlessly. Unfortunately, everything would be much easier if I learned to speak. That way, I could say, "I'm bored! Can you bring me a book, please?"

On the other hand, I couldn't tell if it was good or bad, but with each passing day, my memories became increasingly confusing. It was as if I had never lived a life before this one. I could still remember the gunshot and the aroma of coffee from the corner café, but I couldn't recall my name. I even had that strange feeling of never having had one, to begin with. Since I woke up in this place, I tried not to think too much about it. I didn't want to feel that sense of anguish and desperation for disappearing from that world again.

Oliver knocked six times on the door before opening it, and at that moment, a bright light illuminated our faces. It turned out to be caused by a large window with no curtains, allowing the sunlight to flood the room. It took me a minute or two to adjust my vision while my mother entered the office. The king was behind a desk surrounded by large piles of papers, wrapped with a blue ribbon. His eyes were fixed on a letter, but his hands were constantly jotting down notes in a notebook.

He didn't lift his gaze at any moment because he seemed too engrossed in his thoughts to notice that we entered his office. My mother took a few more steps, enough to notice the heavy dark circles around his tired eyes. She brought one hand to her forehead while still reading that letter, and after several minutes, she looked up at us, although her gaze was solely fixed on Oliver.

"Merci  [Thank you], Cass," she said, setting the letter aside before intertwining her hands to rest her head on them. "Have you ever been late to the battlefield?" I could see Oliver shaking his head.

"No, I've never been late."

"Then, when your king gives you an order, you must fulfill it in the same way... without being late."

Her voice was cold, and her face showed no expression other than obvious fatigue. I understood that the king's character was not easy, but I didn't think it would be confirmed so quickly. He was so different from my mother, which made me feel strange.

Even his dressing style was completely different. My mother wore a simple, long white winter dress that reminded me of Elizabeth Bennet at the ball Mr. Bingley organized. In contrast, my father wore a black suit with a golden "x" on his chest, and a long red cape with white edges draped over his shoulders, which seemed to weigh a lot. Additionally, unlike my mother, he was wearing a crown.

"Your Majesty," my mother made a small bow. "Did you wish to see us?"

"Diana..." My father pointed to a seat in front of him, expecting her to sit as he had ordered, and as expected, she did so quickly. "I would have liked to discuss this with you much earlier, but I didn't have enough evidence..."

"Malcolm... in fact, I also wanted to talk to you about something." He shook his head.

"I asked a group of investigators to help me verify your story." My mother stifled a sigh, and I clung even tighter to her chest. "It turned out to be nothing more than that: a story... and before you say anything, I don't have the mood to hear the reason for your lie now."

"No, Malcolm... that's not possible." My mother's skin had goosebumps.

"Near the Tower of If, there is only an old village, which is full of farms and old houses. In contrast, in that tower, there was nothing but nonsensical scribbles..." He sighed heavily while fixing his eyes on my mother's. "I have no evidence to believe that the baby is not mine, and I have always trusted you more than anyone, so despite the counts' insistence, I won't believe that you betrayed me in that way." I could see him settling in his chair. "I'm going to let her grow up like any other princess."