I know that love is just a shout into the void and that oblivion is inevitable... and I am in love with you.
LIES!
I told myself while reading a classic by John Green in the North Wing of the palace. It is where we received guests and spent time together as a family. Unfortunately, today, I was all by myself giving me more time to be buried in my own sadness. My parents went to visit the mines of the land while Piper went to charm school. Levi was off duty today and I did not need any guard since I was safe in the palace with all the other guards.
I simply sat comfortably being wrapped in a cozy robe with both my legs on the couch and a cup of coffee on one hand. I placed my cup down the coffee table after taking one last sip as I continued to read my book. It was a very rainy and cloudy Sunday afternoon that the sky did not show a single ray of sun.
"Your Highness, Duchess Hazel is here to see you. Should I have her come in the North Wing?" Ivy said through the telecom that popped up through my phone.
Aunt Hazel! It's been forever since I last saw her. I doubt she was in my party. I didn't see her that day. Maybe she was somewhere taking a tour in another Nation at that time. I was about to tell Ivy to let her enter but then I realized that I was in my sleeping attire since morning.
"I'm going to go get changed for a while. Have her in as soon as I leave." I said to Ivy. I took my book with me and rushed up my room to make myself look more pleasing to a guest.
After five minutes, I came back to the North wing in a mustard yellow long-sleeved casual dress since it was quite cold. I saw Hazel in her usual sky blue dress with a Sabrina neckline. She always kept her hair into a neat bun. She has always been a mysterious woman but I always looked up to her. She was sitting on a couch while reading one of the magazines from the coffee table.
"Audrey, Darling!" She exclaimed once she saw me. She placed down the magazine and then stood to greet me with open arms.
"Hi, Aunt Hazel!" I said as I ran to hug her. I had her seated as I sat on the other couch perpendicular to the one she's on. I requested some tea from Ivy.
She told me she came to discuss charity matters regarding Whites and Blacks with me. We got a little bit carried away and instead, the whole afternoon was spent talking about her travels and the magic of the places she's been to. Her stories made me want to hop into a plane that very instant.
"Enough about me, dear. I heard that you're getting married into Quince soon." She said quite seriously in between sips.
"Yes, in three months' time." I replied as I lowered my eyes. I felt so unaccomplished. I loved Damian and the thought of our marriage alone was all I ever dreamt about since forever. But the thought of him not loving me back, the thought of him loving someone else hurts me.
"What's wrong dear? I thought you liked this Damian. Could it be that he doesn't like you back?" Aunt Hazel always knew me best ever since I was little but she read through Damian as well. I looked at her with a little bit of embarrassment but then nodded with a weak smile.
"I knew there was something wrong in your pictures with him. Both your smiles were not quite genuine." She commented wisely as she shook her head. I kept silent and just gave her another weak smile.
"Which is why I have something for you." She said as she reached for her white purse. I looked as she opened it to pull out a little rustic wooden box.
"Consider this as my wedding gift, dear." She said with a smile as she handed over the box to me.I unlocked the latch and lifted the hinged cover. Inside was a bronze ring. I took it out to have a closer look. It was a plain ring but something about it seemed magical. I tried to put it on but it was too loose. I noticed something engraved in the
inner curve of the ring.
The one I love most
"Thank you." I said as I placed it on assuming that it was for me to wear. I tried to look more grateful even though it was
quite loose.
"You're welcome, dear. But that's for you to give to Damian and for him to wear." She chuckled as she tried to explain.
"This is from the Nation of Macau. It is believed to give couples good ties for all eternity." She stopped when she sensed the disbelief in my face.
"It would never hurt to try, Audrey." She said in a much more serious tone. "To give a romantic touch, make sure that when you put it on him, you stare into the doors to his soul, his eyes, and maybe, just maybe, he will fall for you." Aunt Hazel said with a wink.
I can't seem to put my finger on it but something about Aunt Hazel always gets me intrigued enough to a point where I end up doing exactly what she says.
"Alright, I will give it a shot." I said as I took the ring off. It slipped through my fingers and rolled under the couch.
"Sorry!" I said as I crouched down to pick it up. "You've always been the coolest, Aunt Haz--" I didn't finish my sentence when I felt a gush of air as I sat up only to see an empty couch. She sure is cool but really creepy sometimes.
I found myself all alone once again with the wooden box resting on my lap and the ring on my hand. I looked at the words again.
The one I love most
"Damian." I whispered.
I went on with my life and forgot about the ring and the wooden box for three days and only remembered about it when our family gathered together one night.
"Prince Damian will be visiting for lunch tomorrow." My Father said while we were having dinner.
"The ring!" I rememebered and whispered in my head. This can be my chance to give it to him. We rarely met these days. He used to visit every once in a while when he had some free time. The problem now was that I didn't have free time as I was busy with my new adult life and many more assignments my Father had for me.
"Damian, I know we have been great friends for a long time but ... err... No!" I waddled around in my room the whole night practicing and thinking about how a lady is supposed to give a man a ring! I felt like a fool. I sat on my bed as I looked at the plain but quite thick ring that I held so delicately.
I was interrupted by a knock. I immediately tossed the ring back into its box then hid it under my pillow.
"Yes?" I said in the most graceful tone as if I wasn't up to anything stupid at all.
"Audrey, it's just me." I heard Levi's voice from the other side of the door. I sighed and felt a little relieved.
"Hurry! Come in and lock the door!" I said as I opened the door just enough for him to enter. Levi obeyed my command despite being weirded out as to why I'm in such a hurry.
"Levi!" I said with much panic in my voice while sitting back down in my bed. "I need your help." I requested as I took the
box from under the pillow.
"What do you need?" He asked as he came to sit on a chair by my dresser.
"Aunt Hazel gave me this ring and told me that it might be able to help with Damian. She said there might be some kind of magic in it that gives couples good luck or something." I said as I took the ring out of the box and held it up for Levi to see. He reached for the ring and I gave it to him. He looked at the engraved writing and began to chuckle a bit.
"The one I love most." He read slowly. "If you will give this to him, it's like you are the one proposing in the man's place." He said ignoring the magical stuff.
"Never mind, Levi." I said while I stood to grab the ring from his hand. "Just help me. How will I give it to him without looking all weird?"
"Here, I'll be him and show me what you've been practicing so eagerly earlier." He said as he pulled the chair closer to the bed. Did he hear my yammers a while ago? How embarrassing.
"Okay." I said as I positioned myself to face him properly. I took Levi by the hand and started to talk.
"Damian, I know we've been friends for a whil---" I was so rudely interrupted when Levi pulled his hand away from mine.
"Just cut to the chase. It will be much more awkward if you recite a memorized speech for him." Levi suggested. I glared at him then rolled my eyes.
"Fine." I started over. I took Levi by the hand again.
"I know this wedding is not what we both desire..." I lied. Levi didn't stop me this time and continued to listen to what I had to say.
"... but I think we need to put the duties for our Kingdom first." I stopped when Levi let out a laugh he was trying to hold.
"No! I'm sorry. That was good! That was good." Levi tried to stop laughing. He knew I was lying and that what I was saying was all a bluff.
"Come on! Can you be serious for once, please?" I slapped hisarm a couple of times and then continued when Levi pulled himself together.
"Will you accept this as a sign for our friendship to remain the same?" I held the ring close to his hand and then slipped it into his ring finger. I then remembered about Aunt Hazel's advice on staring into his eyes after putting the ring on. So, I shifted my eyes from Levi's hand to his face while keeping a straight face. He had a soft expression on as if he's telling me that I was doing a good job. I looked at his tired brown eyes and imagined it to be Damian's blue ones.
"Wow, Audrey!" He looked away and grabbed his hand from mine to clap sarcastically.
"At this rate you're going to make m-... him fall in love with you." He said while taking the ring off and putting it into the box for me as he stood to leave. He rubbed his eyes and didn't bother looking at me again. He was probably holding another laugh.
"What do you think?" I asked, anticipating his never serious critique.
"Just do what you did. That was good." He admitted as he placed his hand on the doorknob, his back still on me. I felt accomplished even though I only had Levi's approval.
"I need to go. No one is guarding your room from the outside. Good night and rest well, your Highness." He said as he left and shut the door behind him.
I kept the wooden box on the nightstand beside my bed. I snapped twice to turn the lights off but left the lampshade on. I laid down the bed while I stared at the wooden box.
"Will Damian even accept this?" I thought to myself as I touched the detailed ancient looking carvings on the sides of the box.
"The one I love most..." I thought as I reached for the lampshade switch and clicked the lights off.