Royal Academy Diaries II

Of Heart & Duty ⚜ Ch. 7

Pacing the common area floor, Sabrina recited the last of her speech. "Therefore, I would conclude that enlarging the royal grounds would be a benefit to both the local population and to the historical perseveration society."

Zahir clapped and smiled. "You'd have my vote, Sabrina. You're good at this."

"Really?" she asked nervously. "Oh, the professor is so strict. What can I do to make it better? I really need to ace this."

He shrugged and stood. "You did great. Really."

She sighed and rubbed at her arms. "If you really think so. I still think I'm going to go to the library to look for anything else that would help my point. It's hard to have to argue something you don't fully understand."

"Of course. Go look if you think it would help. I've got some homeworks to get done, so I'll catch up with you later."

"Alright. Thanks for listening," she smiled.

He bowed. "Any time, Princess."

They parted ways and she started towards the library. It was less likely to be crowded right now with everyone heading to dinner soon. So she hoped she could have some privacy as she searched. Going in, she decided to search the upper level first, hoping to come across something new and different. The wall of books was intimidating, but with a sigh, she started looking for historical preservation and land distribution information. 

After about ten minutes, someone said her name.

"Mireya? I mean, Princess Leon?" 

She looked over to see Raphael searching at the other end of the bookshelf. "Oh, hello."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, coming over. "Dinner's about to start."

"I'm looking for more information for my speech for Diplomacy class. I present on Thursday."

He nodded, setting his books on a table. "Would you like some help?"

"With looking for a book or with the speech?" 

"Either. Maybe I could give you a few pointers?" he suggested.

"Oh, alright. Right here?" she asked, looking down at the now empty tables in the library.

"Sure," he smiled. "Why not?" 

"Alright then... Please don't judge, I've never been good at speeches," she cringed.

"I won't. Just go ahead," he said encouragingly.

Taking a breath, she went through her memorized speech, watching his reaction. When she finished, he nodded, standing to go over to her.

"That was good. Now, try this. When you're giving the speech, don't look anyone in the eye. Look just above their heads. And don't turn quite so much side to side when you pace, always fully face them. The last thing is to go slow. It's not a race to finish. You have it memorized, so now learn it in such a way that feels natural."

She nodded. "Okay. I can remember that. Thank you. I doubt anyone else would have given me this kind of advice."

He shrugged. "It's just experience. But I guess if you really care about someone, you'll be honest enough to help them improve."

"Yes, I guess you're right. And what about my argument? I mean, I don't really know much about it. It was an assigned point."

Raphael looked at her intently for a moment. "You had me convinced. It was logical, clear, concise, truthful. After seeing you like this, it's easy to see that you are going to be a great leader, Mireya. Someone I would follow and respect."

Hearing him say things like this made it impossible not to be drawn to him. He was so genuine and supportive, it made her think of what it would be like to marry him. 

As he stood there, something sparked. Perhaps it was in the way he looked at her, or maybe the way she looked at him. He stepped closer, closing the distance between them. 

"Raphael..." She found herself putting her hands on his shoulders, his ring glinting in the light.

"Mireya." He tentatively put a hand on her waist, cupping her face with the other. As though waiting for her to tell him to stop, he leaned closer, and when she didn't, their lips met.

She kissed him tenderly, and he gently returned her kiss. When they pulled away, she didn't feel confused or wrong, just happy.

"I... I should go," she said quietly after a moment.

He nodded, slowly lowering his hands. "Of course."

She smiled at him, then turned to go down the stairs, her mind both numb and racing all at once.