Fragile Desires (18+)

Twenty-Five | Breakthroughs

I was just a little girl, six or seven perhaps.

Unlike other princesses who dreamt of tea parties and dolls, I craved knowledge.

The library was my haven, overflowing with tall historic bookshelves that whispered tales of faraway lands.

One particular afternoon, I stumbled upon a book about constellations.

I devoured those pages, memorizing the pegasus, the bear, the twins—each constellation a secret code waiting to be deciphered.

That night, I snuck out onto the balcony, excited to find these celestial figures in the vast dark sky above.

And there they were—the pegasus, the bear, all the constellations I'd carefully studied.

It was a revelation, a world revealed just to me.

The memory mirrored the feeling I had after my first waltz.

It wasn't just the steps—it was a deeper understanding, a connection that had been missing.

With a sky so big above you, it's easy for your problems to feel entirely minuscule.

And that's when my first breakthrough latched onto me.

I thought maybe—just maybe, diplomacy wasn't so dreadful after all.

Perhaps, I really could find my own rhythm in this royal life.

- Azzy

♛Chapter Twenty-Five: Breakthroughs♛

I furrowed my brows, feeling a soft touch at my lower back as blackness continued to seep into my vision.

The same soft touch lingered under my legs, suddenly forcing my tired eyes to slowly blink open.

And lock with Renata's.

"I got it," I mumbled, tiredness seeping into my barely audible tone as I stumbled down from the tall chair and away from Renata.

But her hands seemed to find their way onto my upper waist anyway, steadying me as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of her penthouse.

Just like that, every previous event from today suddenly popped into my head.

"I'm not sure you've got anything," Renata countered my previous statement as her dark eyes peered down into mine.

I blinked a few times, "I'm not awake enough to go back and forth with you right now," I determined, my tone completely neutral as I rubbed my eyes and pushed one of Renata's hands away from my waist.

Which she only put back.

"I don't want to go back and forth with you," she countered my statement—lowering one of her hands from my waist to pull my dress down to an appropriate length, "You could've slept in my bed, Azura."

I hummed flatly, "I wasn't quite sure if I could be here in the first place. I haven't heard anything from you, only your father," I said, feeling my sleepiness only poke at my irritation.