Royal Academy Diaries I

The Orphan Princess ⚜ Ch. 4

A gentle breeze blew into the opulent dorm room, carrying the sounds of students too excited and anxious to sleep. Sririta was at her desk, already in her nightgown as she started her genealogy class homework. One of her roommates was already asleep, and the other was praying, leaving her in relative quiet.

As she read over the assignment again, she found herself holding her locket tightly. The homework was simple: write out your family tree for three generations. Being a princess, she had learned back fifteen generations when she was very young. Having studied her ancestors' history, her heart ached. There was so much war and pain - and arranged marriages.

The thought made her stomach tie up in knots. If she didn't find a suitor by the time she graduated the Royal Academy, she would have an arranged marriage herself. What a terrifying prospect, she thought, to be married to a stranger. And yet, her parents' marriage had been arranged, and they were more fond of each other than most.

She missed them terribly. They were strict and demanded the best from her, encouraging her to be her best self. But they did so because they loved her, and made sure to tell her often how proud of her they were.

If only they hadn't gone to the coast... It seemed cruel that a single ocean wave could take so much from her.

And her people.

As she looked at the assignment again and started filling in the names, she wondered how many of them truly served their kingdom. How many others simply wanted power and wealth? How many wanted to play the game of politics, not caring who they hurt?

Sririta set the quill down and looked at her locket. She decided she didn't want to be like the other women in her family - just names, pawns in another's game. No, she would be a leader. She would build a new Siam from the wreckage and rule her own life as well. She would find a worthy King, and if she did have to marry a stranger, she would make sure he played by her rules, not the other way around.

With a small click, she opened the locket to look at the photograph inside. It wasn't the one hanging in the palace, stiff and posed. The queen was in her finery, but leaning casually on a balcony railing, smiling and laughing. It was Sririta's favourite photo of her. It was the woman she knew and loved.

"I'll make you proud, mama," she murmured, a tear slipping down her cheek.

A sound from the small balcony outside nearly made her drop the locket.

While there were countless guards at the school, they couldn't be everywhere at once. Her heart pounded as Sririta slowly stood, gasping as her long braid caught on the back of the chair. She pulled it free and quietly walked over to the open balcony doors.

Nothing was there, no birds, no one. But looking into the courtyard below, she thought she saw a shadow slip around one of the trees.

Not sure whether it was just her imagination, she closed and locked the doors, just in case.