Fragile Desires (18+)

Thirteen | The Crown

The weight of the crown has always been a constant companion. 

 A dull ache that settles deeper with each passing year. 

 Sacrifices have become the currency of my existence, bargained for the good of France.

Finding harmony between duty and desire feels like a cruel joke. 

 A balancing act where the scales are forever tilted. 

 The crown, ever-demanding, always outweighs the fragile whispers of my own heart.

And with age, its hold seems to tighten. 

 A heavy force threatening to consume me whole.

I fear the day I lose sight of myself in the reflection of its polished surface, becoming merely a vessel for their expectations. 

I wonder if at some point, I won't even feel myself anymore.

If one day, I'll be the perfect shell of the crown that they so desperately expect me to be.

- Azzy

♛Chapter Thirteen: The Crown♛

"Azura," my mother greeted me with her typical warm smile as my father handed me one of the champagne flutes from the nearby waiter.

I smiled as I looked between them, noticing Elle standing off to the side of them, who also sent me a respectful smile.

"We heard that you two already got acquainted?" My father said, noticing my line of sight.

I hummed, forcing myself to not look as confused as I felt, "Yes, you know her as well?" I said as I sipped lightly on the bubbly champagne.

"We've heard about her," My mother explained, which seemed to confuse me even more.

Elle took a sudden step toward me, "My family has a little bit of a reputation," she explained, lowering her tone as she queued me into what my mother was talking about.

I nodded, mouthing the word oh as I sipped more of my drink, "What little reputation does your family have?" I whispered, veering off into a conversation with her as another couple approached my parents.

Elle's lips lifted into an amused smile, taking a longer sip of her champagne before she said, "They were real estate moguls."

I raised a brow, determining that her family's reputation definitely wasn't little.

Especially if my parents knew of them.

"Are you into real estate too?" I decided to ask, noticing that everyone's parents seemed to unload their baggage onto their children.

Elle shrugged, "Not really," she determined as her emerald eyes held mine, "But it never really matters when you hire people to do the work for you."

I pursed my lips, wishing I could hire someone to take my place as Queen.

Why couldn't my parents have a second child?