1 The Dinner Hall has been Cold Since...

What was the first sign that you realized he had fallen out of love with you?

For her, it came like a thief in the night—there were no signs beforehand—and it just suddenly dawned on her that their relationship was no longer the same as before.

***

One year ago

"Love? Change your suit for a more comfortable one while I prepare the table for our dinner." Her sweet, melodious voice rang through their huge living room as she rushed to meet him. She immediately tiptoed over and kissed him on the cheek.

She was wearing an apron over her creamy, off-shoulder dress, while her beautiful auburn hair was tucked in a long, messy bun. Even with the beads of sweat that trickled down her face from her forehead and the obvious exhaustion in her expression, she was still wearing a sweet smile for her husband, revealing two tiny dimples in the sides of her mouth.

Her husband had just come back from a whole day's work in her father's palace as one of the kingdom's legal advisors.

She took his suitcase from his hand and handed it over to one of their housemaids. "Please bring it inside our room." She ordered the maid softly. She then turned back to her husband, whose expression was stern.

Her husband remained silent and said nothing to her. "Please, let me." Her enthusiastic voice rang through her husband's ears as she snagged his necktie from his hand and untied it from his neck. "Did my father overwork you again?" A tinge of concern was visible in her tone as she unbuttoned the first button of his polo underneath his black suit.

There was still no reply from him. She looked up and met his blank gaze; nevertheless, she remained to look as cheerful as she could and pretended that his silence didn't bother her. "Perfect timing, it is then! I cooked your favorite beef stew; it'll be perfect to relieve you from stress." She told him excitedly.

He removed his suit and hung it on his arms. "I'm tired. I'll be going to sleep now." He answered her coldly.

"But, what about dinner?" She asked him with a dejected voice as she stared at her husband's retreating form.

"I'm not going to eat, Aurnia." He answered and gave their one-year-old daughter a peck on her forehead inside her crib.

'Aurnia... '

She felt a lump in her throat as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. When the housemaid returned to the living room, she looked up to restrain her tears from falling.

"Your royal highness, I saw Sire Aramis going into bed already; isn't he going to accompany you to dinner?" The housemaid asked her while bowing her head to her.

She almost let out a sob, but kudos to her for not allowing herself to get overwhelmed. If her maids witness her crying, it will definitely reach her father.

She let out a sigh and smiled at the maid, just like she always did: smile. "Aramis was just really tired. "Come on, join me so I won't be too lonely eating alone at the dining table." She quips at the maid, although her heart feels like it is being stabbed behind her smiles.

***

•PRESENT DAY•

Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she stared melancholy at their long table while she reminisced about a painful memory. What she had thought was only a one-time incident had become a recurring event in their house.

He had turned colder towards her with every passing day, and her heart was shattered every time he would look at her with an emotionless expression.

His once expressive eyes, which were filled with passion and affection for her, had been replaced by cold stares. And his once-adoring smiles for her had become tight-lipped, forced smiles.

With wobbly knees, she exited out of their dining hall, and her eyes caught their sofa set in the living room that were now covered with white linen cloth.

Blissful memories she had shared with her husband on that sofa had flashed back in her memory since the day that they had transferred to this mansion house that her father gave them after their marriage.

She could no longer hold back her sobs, as all her emotions that she had bottled deep inside her had now confronted her. Her frustrations and agony, which she had ignored for over a year, had finally caught up with her.

Her shoulders shook violently as she wailed her heart out. Every nook and cranny of their house holds a poignant memory of her husband—memories that are dear to her and memories she wishes she could just easily forget.

She weakly climbed up the staircase, clutching her chest, which bled out in agony at what their love for each other had become. As she trod on each step, she would see Aramis' transparent figure walking down towards her, carrying their newborn daughter in his arms with a huge smile on his face.

She stopped in her tracks as she waited for his figure to come closer to her.

"Aramis..." Her lips trembled as she murmured the name of the man she loved so ardently.

When the figure was just an inch away from her, it slowly vanished. She even reached out her hand to touch him again, but he was just her illusion. Aramis was already gone. He simply vanished without telling her; he just left her clueless about what went wrong with their relationship.

A loud sob erupted out of her as she walked towards the door of their room. She covered her mouth to muffle her sobs when she was standing outside of their room.

'What are you waiting for, Aurnia? Are you just going to waste all your life for that worthless man? What is in it—could you not comprehend it at all? He never loved you in the first place. I was right all along about him; he was just using you to gain power and rank in the kingdom. Stop crying for that man, he doesn't deserve your tears, Aurnia.'

She remembered her father's words yesterday as he urged her to go back to the castle. It's been six months since Aramis went suddenly missing and never came back to their house—no goodbyes at all. It seemed like he just wanted to erase his entire existence from their lives.

'Where are you, Aramis? I missed you so much. Wherever you are right now, please be happy. I'm sorry if I wasn't able to fill the void in your heart. How I wish you had told me of your problems so I could understand your decision, but you were so unfair for leaving me in the dark.'

Her heart was pounding hard while her hand was trembling so hard while opening the door to their room.

Her eyes went watery again as she took one last glance at their room. She could not count how many times she had let out heavy sighs before she finally closed the door—leaving their happy and sad memories inside that room.

'Oh, how I wish you were still here, my Aramis.'

Tears were streaming down her face as she held the door knob to their house. She wandered her eyes dolefully at their living room before she finally had the strength to close the door—symbolizing her fervent hope to start anew with her daughter, Aviah.

She's going back to the castle to fulfill her duties as the kingdom's heir to the throne. From now on, she will focus on building her name: Princess Aurnia of Throuvalon.