Second Life For Amelie [ENGLISH]

[11] And now he feels guilty

"You're just a coward, a coward with a golden crown..."

The next day everything seemed strange to me. I woke up in what would be my room from now on, but all I could see were empty walls. Sure, the occasional painting served as decoration, but it didn't give the same feeling of home and warmth. Every object in the room felt foreign to me. They might be the same dolls, but they didn't have the same scent, although perhaps these are just my quirks.

I turned my gaze to the mirror in front of me. The face I didn't recognize the first time had become my own. I got used to the bright reddish hair that was impossible to brush in the mornings, the freckles that could perfectly form a constellation, and the green eyes that stared at me. I was completely different from what I could remember as "me," but I had forced myself not to think too much about it, or at least tried.

"Little princess," Jane's voice came from the other side of the door. She had been trying to brush my hair, but due to the surprise, I got it stuck at the back. I missed the straighteners... don't get me wrong, I liked curly hair, but it was as if it had a life of its own every time I woke up.

"Good morning, Miss Jane," I showed her my best smile.

"Good morning, dear princess... Let me help you with your hair. I've told you not to brush it by yourself."

"About that... it got stuck at the back..." I turned around, showing her where the brush was now.

"Mon Dieu, my princess," she gently shook her head before adjusting the desk chair in front of her. I sat down, adjusting my dress. "I hope it's not necessary to break the brush..."

"But..." I complained. "It's only been two broken brushes..." I murmured, pouting. To be honest, there had been many more, but MaryAnn helped me hide the evidence.

"Mmm... so it's been only two broken brushes?" I nodded. "Little princess, the number of brushes is not relevant; you must take care of your appearance... Can you imagine what would happen if your hair gets tangled to the point where the brush can't be removed?"

'"In that case, just cut part of my hair..."

"Princess Amelie..." Her tone indicated that it wasn't the response she expected.

"Don't worry, Miss Jane, I'll start being more careful."

"My dear Amelie, I'd like to ask you something, may I?" I nodded as she untangled my hair with her fingers. "What was it that you talked about with His Majesty yesterday?" Her voice had become much more serious; I sighed as I felt her remove the brush from my hair.

I didn't know if I should really tell her what happened or come up with an excuse. On the one hand, I would feel bad lying to her, knowing everything she had done for me. She tried to take care of me in the best way she knew, tried to teach me everything necessary for a good life. But still, I wouldn't want to worry her with something that will happen in the future. Besides, it was a decision of my father, so no matter how much Jane wanted to help me in some way, it would be impossible.

"Dear princess, I don't expect you to trust me immediately, but if you need help, I'd like you to come to me from time to time. I know that unlike Oliver and MaryAnn, I'm stricter, but your education as a princess is under my care, and that means you cannot afford to make any mistakes..."

"I just wanted not to cause you more worries."

"My little princess, don't think that way. If I can help you in any way, I'll do it gladly." If only they gave me the possibility of not causing trouble to anyone, I would accept it without thinking twice. Jane could tell me a thousand times that she would be happy to help me, but that meant the dark circles behind her makeup would get darker, her hair would turn much faster to white, and over time, it would be impossible for her not to feel how the tiredness had doubled.