Brother Alex
Back at the castle, Anna was pacing around in the hallways of the princess's quarter. She was worried as her highness had never been out for this long before. The sun was starting to rise, and the maids would be up and running soon. It would be hard to hide that the princess was out of the palace. She knew for a fact that empress Catherin had placed her own maids in the princess's quarter to report back to her about what the princess was up to. The princess had thus ordered for Anna to never talk about anything confidential when there were maids present because they could not know who was on their side and who worked for the empress.
"Please come back soon princess" Anna mumbled to herself as she paced around anxiously awaiting the return of her lady. She was so occupied with her own thoughts that she did not notice someone standing in front of her until she bumped into the person. Shocked, she looked up only to have her heart slip out of her chest.
"Come back from where?" The deep voice questioned Anna.
"Greetings to the star of the empire" Anna quickly bowed her head in respect for the crown prince. Alexzander just continued to look at her, "I asked you a question, where is my sister at?"
Anna did not know what to answer the prince as lying to royalty was seen as treason in Lucrezia. What business did his highness have in the princess quarter at this hour she wondered. She continued to keep her head down in silence, not knowing what to say as the prince had heard her say that the princess was out.
"Speak when I still ask you nicely" Alexander's threatening voice came out loud making Anna flinch. Just as she was about to open her mouth, she heard someone speak, "Your highness?"
The princess was walking up to them with haste wondering what her brother was doing here at this hour. Anna felt relieved now that the princess was back, she quickly stepped behind her lady while avoiding the prince's cold gaze.
"Were you looking for me, your highness?" Audelia who had just come back to the palace through the secret passage connected to her room was slightly taken aback when she had heard Alexander's voice from outside of her room and had without thinking walked out to greet him. Alexander stepped closer to her making her crane her neck up to look at him in the face as he was tall, or rather she was short in stature.
Alexander took a look at his sister from head to toe, she was not in her nightwear.
Frowning he asked her, "Who's coat is it that you have wrapped yourself up in, did you go out?" He could tell from the size that it was a man's but how his sister had gotten it and from whom was a mystery. Audelia internally scolded herself over how brainless it was of her to just walk out here to greet Alexander without changing her clothes that were still thorn under the coat.
She was thinking about how to answer his question until her gaze fell on the plate filled with fruit and a piece of bread Alexander was holding in his hands. Noticing Audelia's craving gaze Alexander was slightly annoyed over how he hadn't gotten an answer to any of his questions but decided to investigate it later. "Take it before mother sees" he handed the plate over to Audelia who looked at him cautiously not taking it from him.
Irritation passed through his red eyes, "Fine, starve if that is what you wa-" but before he could finish his sentence Audelia stretched out her hands that were covered by the long sleeves of the coat to take the plate from him. Alexander looked at his sister satisfied that she had taken the food. He knew she was starving and had decided to bring her some food before anyone would wake up and notice. He had initially planned on handing it over to her lady in waiting but now that he had met Audelia he was glad he did. His sister. His sweet and innocent sister whom he adored secretly. He couldn't help but wonder if he could protect and take care of her better if she was born from the same mother. He knew his mother had caused Audelia and her mother a lot of pain. But no matter their political stance she was his sister whom he cared for. He remembered the days when they were young, he used to hide from his mother and secretly sneak out to play with Audelia and bring her toys only to watch her adorable face light up. But time grew them apart from each other, and as his mother had succeeded in making him the sole heir of the emperor with exception for Audelia, she had ordered his sister to be isolated in her palace.
Alexander turned around ready to leave but stopped abruptly as he felt Audelia tug on his shirt which made him turn around. "Thank you, brother Alex". Hearing her call him melted his cold heart. She hadn't called him Alex in a long time, he could not remember the last time he had heard that name. She smiled at him like nothing had ever changed between them, but he knew better than to believe her carefree smile. He gave her a smile while internally scowling at himself before returning to his room.
During his childhood, his mother had been strict with him, always using him to compete with Lilly, Audelia's mother. He did not have anyone who cared for him, all the people who seemed to be on his side were merely trying to win him over in the name of the future emperor. He wasn't a naive child like his sister, and he knew well who his friends were and who were his foes. The little girl had followed him around like a lost puppy looking for its owner. His young self had acted as if he did not want her around, something he picked up from his mother, but as time passed the girl had grown on him and he had started to accept her company.
He adored the way she looked at him and the bond they shared, she was family, and the young her had looked up to him and loved him unconditionally even though his mother constantly tried to harm her and Lilly. In the end, Alex's mother was the reason Audelia's mother had died on that day 11 years ago, the day of the bloodbath. Alexander closed his eyes and gave out a sigh. It was one of his worst regrets, not being there for her that day. He had been selfish, not wanting to feel the guilt, he had avoided her.
The little girl who was only 8 years old at that time, whose mind was as innocent and harmless as a fresh canvas was white, had to witness something that gruesome and gut-churning all alone, and he knew she had been scarred. The white canvas had been stained red and there was no turning back.
After the incident at the former queen's palace he could not bring himself to look at her the same way he used to, the guilt he had felt was swallowing him whole which ended up straining their relationship, they started to grow apart and the little girl who used to follow him around did not take the initiative to come look for him anymore.
***
After gobbling up the food Alex had bought her, Audelia had now changed her thorn clothes into new ones and was laying down in bed with her eyes closed. A lot of things had happened tonight, and she was utterly exhausted, physically, and mentally. Anna had asked her what happened, but Audelia did not feel like re-living the experience again by telling it to her lady in waiting, nor was she sure about what part of her memories from tonight was real and which were her imagination. Only now that she was back in her warm bed safe and sound did she realize the severity of it all. She had been lucky tonight, while trying to save the boy she had risked herself only to end up being assaulted. She had been saved by the man named Leo and had timidly let him whisk her away without knowing the man which was utterly reckless of her. She looked at her bandaged hands that the man had wrapped up. She did not feel the pain before because of the adrenaline rush, but right now she could feel the dull pain. It hurt. She must have scraped her hands against the ground when she fell. The messily wrapped bandages around her hands were tinted pink as blood had sipped through from her wounds.
"You may leave Anna, I want to rest for a while. Make sure you wake me before the meeting with the council this morning." Audelia fluttered her tired eyelids open briefly to look at her lady in waiting before closing them again and drifting off to sleep.
"Yes, my princess," Anna said.
She quietly made her way out of Audelia's chambers with a worried expression on her face. My lady you really are as stubborn as your mother…