Aurora leaned on the pillows, trying not to wince in pain.
Her right side ached terribly, and she had a bad headache too.
Her mother left a moment ago, evidently calling out to the people outside.
She felt like a weight had been lifted off of her as she addressed her mother as 'mum'. It made her feel warm inside, and she kind of couldn't stop smiling.
She tried grooming heir hair with her right hand, failing brilliantly, sure that she looked even more awful than before.
She gave up a few minutes later, and began starting to research already.
She quickly dismissed the screens as she heard the door creak open.
The Ten Queens, and Eric, Adelaide, Kate and Lucian came in, crowding the room.
Queen Mei sat beside her, where her mother had, and took Aurora's head, tremblingly, in her hands.
She kissed her forehead and said, "Wǔ fú lín mén".
Aurora was sure it was a blessing, and didn't understand what she meant. But she was surprised to see the tears glimmering in her eyes.
"My people, my children, my grandchildren - all of them would have been orphaned. Thank you," Mei whispered, leaning her forehead, with Aurora's, muttering more Chinese under her breath.
She stood up, and Queen Johanna came in her place and handed her a signet ring.
Aurora gasped.
No one but the royal family of a kingdom had the special signet ring.
Aurora, in fact, didn't even have the Illean signet ring yet.
"Consider this my thanks for saving my life," Johanna said. "As long as you wear this ring, you will be considered as a Princess of Germany as well".
Aurora nodded, hoping it would convey her gratitude, and slipped the ring onto one of her fingers.
"Wow, you have quite the ring collection there," Elena called from somewhere behind the Queens huddled around Aurora.
"I don't have any gift to give you," Queen Stella said. "After your birthday Ball, when all of the other Queens praised you, I didn't believe them. When they praised you, showing me the gifts you gave them, I didn't believe them. Only after seeing you save our lives, not caring about your own, did I realize - you have all the virtues that your parents possess, and even more. Your name will go down in history as the best Queen Illea has had".
"I am not worth such extravagant praise," Aurora said, trying to bow her head, wincing as she felt the pain hit her again.
"I brought cookies," Queen Elizabeth said, placing a large box filled with circular cookies on her lap.
"I want!" Lucian said, jumping over Aurora, and snatching a cookie.
"Hey!" Aurora protested, as her brother and Adelaide too joined her in the bed.
They all took a cookie, and Aurora took a bite of the one she held in her hand.
"Mmm! This is amazing," she said, her eyes widening as she looked at the Queen who made it. "You added some sea salt, right?".
"How did you know?" Queen Elizabeth asked, laughing.
"Oh she's a good cook herself, Beth," Elena said, moving forward and taking a few for herself.
"I thought this is for me," Aurora said, pulling the box nearer to herself mock protectively.
"It is," Elizabeth promised, "Except I may have promised all of them one each too".
Aurora sighed dramatically.
"Here," she said, handing the box to her aunt, acting defeated.
Her Aunt's victory was short lived, though. Queen Annika snatched the box, and began giving everyone a cookie each.
"Betrayal," Elena muttered.
Everyone laughed.
"You feeling good, Rora?" Adelaide asked, keeping a hand on the blanket that covered Aurora's leg.
And Aurora saw the ring.
A platinum band with a humongous emerald embedded on it.
"You proposed to her?" she shrieked, causing everybody in the room to jump.
"I-".
"When I was unconscious? In a super unromantic way?" Aurora screamed again, before calming down and saying, "Mum. Hit him for me please".
"I already did. Multiple times," her mother said.
"Well, I didn't," Elena said, pulling her nephew off the bed, and smacking him.
Aurora looked at a nervous Adelaide and said, "We're going to be sisters!".
"You're not mad?" she asked.
"Of course not! I would hug you if I can, but well, you know," she said, attempting to shrug, and wincing again.
"Rora. Please tell Aunt Elena to stop," Eric called out, yelping.
"Luke. Did you video it? Is it now a gif?" she asked her cousin.
"Obviously," Luke said, and a short ping echoed around the room.
Elora waved her hand, and a number of screens, along with the newest gif opened up.
"What is all this?" she asked, frowning at the screens.
"Nothing!" Aurora said quickly, dismissing them.
She turned to face her brother, who was now lying on the bed, his head resting on her feet.
"You better not propose to someone when I'm unconscious again!" she said, and Adelaide paled remarkably.
Eric was about to retort when Kate said, "Everything isn't about you, you know?".
Aurora sighed, stopping her aunt and Lucian from speaking and asked, "What is your problem, Kate?".
"Don't act all magnanimous, Aurora," Kate said.
"Act?" Aurora echoed.
"Everyone else may believe your 'oh I'm an abuse victim in need of love' act, but I won't. Gosh, I can't believe that I once did," she said.
"Go on," Aurora said patiently.
The sooner she got all of it out of her system, the better.
"I'm sure that you tampered with the labs to make it seem like you're the princess. Isn't that the whole reason you got in?" Kate asked.
"My mother's lab confirmed that she's my cousin, Katherine," Lucian said sharply, not speaking so far only because of Aurora's words. "The 100% match certificate was shown to the public. You saw that, as well as the 50% match certificate".
"Exactly. And the only true report we saw was that Aurora's DNA matched half of that of Queen Elena's. Like Queen Olivia said, who knows whose daughter she is," Kate said dirtily.
The Queens were too stunned to talk.
"Stop," Aurora said, her patience finally crumbling as anger rose in her.
She raised a hand to prevent the others from speaking, ignoring the audible gasps.
"Aurora-," Katherine began, evidently trying to insult her more.
"That's Princess Ella Calliope Montgomery Schreave for you, Lady Harris. I have tolerated your barbs and your attempts to defame me. I will tolerate you insulting me, my appearance, my childhood, anything. But I will not have you slander my mother in front of my eyes," she said, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Aurora-," she began again.
"You, who have no sense of loyalty or true love have no right to comment on my mother, who loved me for over eighteen years, despite not knowing who I am. You have no right to insult my mother who recognized me within her heart, before knowing I was biologically related to her. You have absolutely no right to slur the love and loyalty my mother had for my father, when you yourself don't know either of those values," she said, balling her left fist.
She could see the others look at her with an expression - fear.
They had all seen her nervous, tired, happy, angry and even near dead.
But none of them had seen her furious.
"You are not a member of the Illean Royal family, nor are you part of my brother's Selection anymore. You will leave the palace before the sun rises. You can stay in Italian royal family's guest house if you please, but you will not enter the palace again. If ever I hear you insulted my family again, I will have you thrown in jail. And if ever I hear that you leaked any of the information you learnt during your stay at the palace, I will have you executed".
Kate stood dumbstruck - for a second, Aurora could remember how they'd met, how Kate had defended her, how they'd watched and criticized movies together.
For a moment, she felt sorrow in her heart.
But nothing gave her the right to insult her mother, her parentage.
"Get out," she commanded, and Kate scurried out of the room, Lucian not bothering to follow her.
She saw everyone stare at her in awe, and saw Elora say, "Aurora-".
"My name is Ella," she said, her resolve breaking. "And I wish to be alone".