"Arthur."
Arthur looked at you and smiled.
"Yes, Y/n?"
You held his hand while you looked at the ground, not wanting him to see your embarrassed face.
Your heart was pounding really fast, and you were feeling things you had never felt with anyone else before.
It was just like in the books...
"Can you visit again tomorrow? And the day after that, and... the day after that?"
Arthur looked at you a little surprised since you showed no interest in him about an hour ago.
What changed your mind?
He didn't know, but most importantly, this was all going well.
His parents would surely be proud that he managed to become acquainted with the Princess or, now, fiance.
He was excited about what they would do.
Would they reward him?
Would they praise him?
Would they finally say they 'love' him?
These questions excited him even more.
Finally, his parents would notice him, and he wouldn't be a shadow behind them.
Taking your hand and gently kissing it, he smiled back at you.
"Of course."
---
Arthur sat down in a random hallway of the castle, disappointed.
He told his parents everything, and they only said that he was expected to get close with his now fiance.
He understood that, but they didn't even spare a glance at him.
He spent so much time with you, and in return, all he got was an expectations list. He was so close to throwing a fit.
Getting up, Arthur walked for what felt like hours to get to the courtyard.
He finally made up his mind.
Here, he would practice sword skills and try to get stronger. Maybe one day, his parents would notice his hard work.
Maybe while he's at it, he could learn how to ride a horse.
Although he never liked the creatures since he found them intimidating, he would learn how to control one if it meant getting praised by his parents.
---
Day and night, Arthur would practice his sword skills. Even when he got blisters on his hand and was on the verge of passing out, he still continued.
Learning how to ride a horse was also no easy task since he kept panicking, which would cause the animal to panick.
This would end up with the boy on the ground, hissing in pain.
The only reason that he hadn't dropped dead yet was because of your mother. She usually brought him water and lunch.
"You should take a break, Arthur."
Arthur swung his wooden sword aggressively at the wooden pillar.
"I can't. I have to improve my skills first."
Your mother watched with worry evident on her face as Arthur continued to swing around her sword. There really was no getting behind this boy..
---
"My queen, I found a woman who seems like she needs help."
Your mother looked at Arthur curiously. A woman?
"Oh? A woman needs help?"
Arthur confirmed her question and went on to explain how a woman was chased by bandits and how he took her back to the castle.
It wasn't a really long story since Arthur didn't know much about her at the time, and she was still asleep.
"I see. Take me to her then."
Arthur nodded.
"Yes, my queen."
Although the Queen was busy, she still decided to check up on this 'random person'. It would be improper if she didn't after all.
She thought nothing of it at the time.
Your mother thought that this person would be a random girl that her maids would heal and eventually let go. But the thing was, she didn't.
She felt slightly attached to Addalyn. Maybe it was because she actually showed interest in what happened around the castle.
She was willing to learn and try new things, while you didn't want to do any of that.
The more that your mother talked to Addalyn, the more she felt the motherly instincts kicking in. She was perfect....
She would make a great queen in the future.
All she had to do was teach her the way, and the kingdom would safely be in Addalyns hands.
So, as soon as your mother found out that Addalyn no longer had parents, she adopted her right away.
When you first met Addalyn, you were not interested. You just assumed that she was temporary, so you pretty much ignored her.
"I always wanted a sister!"
-She would always say.
You would just turn your back and ignore her. She was just a bug at your side. She was nothing.
"Y/n, do you want to read a story with me?"
"Y/n, let's go see the flowers in the garden!"
"Y/n, you should try this cupcake! It's really good."
You rolled your eyes whenever she would confront you with a new idea to spend time with you. You didn't have time for this.
You were going to be queen in the future, so you had to act like one. There was no time for 'childish activities'.
Addalyn kept trying to shove that stupid cupcake in your face, and it was starting to get annoying.
You ignored her at first, hoping that she would eventually stop, but she didn't.
You spaced out for a while, hoping she would get the message, but some of the frosting got on your cheek, and you couldn't take it anymore.
Raising your hand up, you smacked the cupcake out her hand. and it fell to the ground, followed by a small, 'splat!'.
You smirked as you stared back at her, waiting for her reaction.
You expected the blonde to burst into tears like a child and complain to your mother, but the problem was she didn't.
Instead of walking away with her head low, she clinged to you even more! It frustrated you.
"Y/n, can I come with you when you visit Arthur?"
You looked at her in disbelief and slight anger.
"Excuse me???"
Addalyn noticed your distress and immediately held up her hands.
"I just want to spend time with you, that's all!"
You, of course, refused, but Addalyn told your mother about it, and she scolded you, saying that this would be a good chance for you and Addalyn to get to know each other. So, you bitterly agreed.
But you didn't know that this was all a setup. Every time you tried to speak to Arthur, Addalyn would add a stupid joke, causing the boy to laugh.
It was like Arthur was talking to Addalyn instead, and you were almost invisible...
You were just there..
This happened a lot, and it annoyed you to the point that you banned Addalyn from coming with you to visit Arthur despite your mother's wishes.
You just couldn't stand it anymore!!
You wanted to talk to your fiance, but she was making that simple task so damn difficult.
But that didn't really help...
Arthur.. whenever you would speak to him with a big smile on your face, he seemed almost uninterested... Like, he didn't want to even be there!
You noticed this change and tried spending more time with him to fix your relationship, but to be honest, his attention span got worse.
Giving short responses, boring replies, eating, and drinking more than conversing. It was all too much.
You were doing all the talking, and it made you nervous the more this went on.
It was happening again. To him, you were invisible..
It didn't matter if Addalyn was there or not. The result always stayed the same.
You didn't want to believe it, not at all! So, you started inviting him to balls, hoping he would enjoy himself in a more lively area.
But, he would go straight to Addalyn and start a conversation with her.
He even went as far as to dance with her, despite knowing that she would step on his foot a few times.
This hurt your heart a lot, and your parents (mostly your mother) did nothing to stop it.
If anything, your mother was smiling more than usual. It was almost as if she was happy with this...
You didn't want to believe it, so you blocked all the obvious warnings.
But eventually, rumors started circulating..
Most of them were fake as usual, but the most important one was about how close Addalyn was getting with Arthur lately.
You doubted it at first and kept saying that the maids were just being maids again, but it got to the point where even your mother didn't want to speak with you.
That's when you knew something was wrong...
You followed him. Just to see if all the rumors were really true.
You still held onto a strand of hope, hoping that these rumors weren't true.
Unfortunately, they were..
Addalyn and Arthur were both in that old garden together. You felt a tug in your heart.
Just when you thought you found someone that would lend you their shoulder, they betrayed you instead. It just wasn't fair..
Why is it that whenever you find someone you care about, they dissappear???
You hated it. You loathed it. It just wasn't fair!!
"If only..."
You stared at Addalyn and Arthur with pure hatred in your eyes.
"-you both could disappear!!"
---
"Miss Y/n, I'm afraid that you can not die just yet."
You forced yourself to lift your head up slightly to see Mamoru. Just what was he doing here?
"Mamoru..?"
All the guards that were now outside directed their attention to the butler and the carriage that mysteriously appeared. Just who was he..?
Should they attack?
How were the guards supposed to know what to do if their Queen and Prince were no longer present?
"Y/n!! Apply pressure to your hand!!!"
You looked over to your left. Yukio stood there trying to get out of the guards' grasp, and Aunt Marie stared at the butler with anticipation.
You had no energy. You could barely move....
Your hand was gushing out blood, but you didn't care at the moment. You were exhausted.
Mamoru walked over to you as silence filled the space around you. Everyone was curious about what this butler was going to do.
Mamoru stood above you and Akuto and knelt down to get a better look at your injuries.
"Is he okay..?"
You knew it was risky to ask that question, but it was worth a shot.
Mamoru just stared at Akutos wounds.
"I'll.... I'll do my best. Get some rest, I'll handle everything."
Suddenly, you heard a yell. Toshihiro..
You and Mamoru looked in the direction of Toshihiro's yell and saw him being attacked by Wanda. So it seems that she finally woke from her slumber.
"DIE!!"
Wanda swung her knife around and missed Toshihiro's eye by a few inches. She ended up getting a slice out of his cheek, unfortunately.
It also didn't help the fact that the guards were trying to hold the female back while also holding onto Toshihiro at the same time.
"Toshihiro!"
Mamoru looked at you and then at the boy struggling against the crazy female.
Understanding that the boy was on your side, he quickly made his way to the violent scene.
Grabbing a fistful of the girls hair, he took the knife catching her off guard.
"Now, what is this?"
Mamoru twirled the knife in his hand playfully as he curiously stared at her.
"Oh? Sorry, i didn't see you there. And who might you be?"
Wanda gritted her teeth as she gave Mamoru a death glare.
"GIVE IT BACK! I have to end her. I HAVE TOO!"
You gave her a judgemental stare as Wanda tried to free her hair. And you thought you were crazy..
"And why's that?"
Wanda didn't bother explaining as she tried fighting Mamoru. After no luck, Mamoru sighed and threw her against the ground.
She was a lost cause..
As soon as everyone saw Mamoru throw Wanda against the concrete, all the guards charged straight to Mamoru.
This caused the guards that were holding Toshihiro to let go, and the other butler immediately ran over to you.
"Y/n?! Y/N!!"
How strange... your hearing was getting worse. It was almost as if you were hearing underwater.
Your vision was also getting blurry..
Your hand hurt, you had a headache, and most importantly, you felt sick.
It was almost as if your life flashed before your eyes as you saw all the people you despised.
Addalyn, Arthur, Wanda, that damn guard that stabbed your hand, your mother...
But..
How come the others were showing up?
You thought you were alone on this escape plan, but not anymore.
Toshihiro, Aunt Marie, Your uncle, Yukio, Kana, and even Mamoru..
Even though the last person that you knew well came last, he meant the most to you.
Akuto..
'Please don't die..'
Those three words repeated in your head over and over.
This was the last time. You promised!
So, just please...
'Let me be selfish one more time with this last wish..'
Closing your eyes, you fell unconscious.