May I, My Love? ✔

53. t h e l i m i t l e s s p o w e r

Our hands froze on the device, and to get a better view, I got off my bed to turn on the TV. Almost instantly, the prince's face appeared in front of us, numerous cameras flashing in front of him, making it difficult for him to see. But he faced them. He faced the crowd bravely, while I couldn't even face my own father who was never with me to begin with.

Guilt started to creep inside me little by little, and I fervently wished I could do something in this situation to help him out. But I knew, that my position wasn't one that could help him or defend him, it was one that needed all the protection. That uselessness, once it dawned on me, I bit my lip violently to stop myself from screaming out loud or bursting into tears.

All four of us heard the prince say very directly, that the woman he loves is the one in the video, not Eugene, the one he was told to marry. Suddenly, I heard sniffles in the room, and I was confused. 'I had definitely told myself not to cry during a time like this, at least not in front of mother. Then, why am I doing this?'

But then, I turned to my right to see fresh tears flowing down Claire's face. I was alarmed, and so were Lisa and mother.

"What happened Claire? Why are you suddenly crying?" I asked her, genuinely confused and concerned for her.

"Can't you see it? Didn't you just hear him speak?" She cried even more without completing her sentence, and I frowned before realization dawned upon me.

Of course, he must have been in pain after making such a huge decision for my sake, and of course, she must have wanted her brother to marry Eugene. This was why she had come here, to tell me to put a stop to all this mayhem, but it was too late now. I hung my head in complete remorse, not knowing how to address this issue in front of her.

"Claire I– I'm so sorry. I didn't know a thing, and all of this, all of this is just so unexpected–" I started to say something, to explain myself, but she intervened again, shouting at me with all her might.

"How could you not know? How could you not understand? What are you doing here while he's working so hard to save your relationship? Crying and pitying yourself while thinking that you could never go against your parents' wishes? My brother went against His Majesty, the most powerful person in this country, and look at his glowing face – for he does not regret it even for a little bit," She told me, and even before I could fully process her words and feel even more guilty, I felt greatly relieved to see that at least she was on my side. At least she saw and  supported our love.

Josiah was really working too hard to save us, while all I could do was whine about how nobody ever helped me or listened to me. He taught me that I will have to become proactive now. I will have to take matters of my life in my own hands, and not let someone else make decisions for me. Now, this wasn't about anyone else. It was only about us, and there was no one else who could save us, other than ourselves.

And since he helped me understand my worth, I will definitely find him and show him that I too, am capable of achieving big things.

Just then, someone sat beside me and made me face them. I looked up to see the tear stricken face of mother, and instantly felt remorseful. I felt wetness on my cheeks, only to see that I was crying too.

"Stop crying dear, this is not the time for that. You need to make things right. Tomorrow morning, go to the main palace and meet the prince. You need to fight together to win once and for all. And don't worry about your father, I will explain it to him. I'm ashamed to death and extremely sorry that I couldn't protect you in the past. But, this time, you can have faith in me. I won't let you down again." She told me with that same smile she had all those years ago.

All this while, I had felt like I had lost the old mother I used to have, as I could no longer look at her the same way. But today, listening to her speak to me so openly in years, while having courage instead of embarrassment, gave me unlimited hope. It was true that your parents are the source of your energy, and courage. I could feel that as I gazed into her warm green eyes, finding the ambitious and confident reflection of someone whom she once used to be.

This was her chance to redeem herself through me, and now that she was with me, I will make sure to make her live through all that she missed. There is inexhaustible power in unity, and looking at her take my side in years brought the first full grin on my face in years. This was what I yearned to have back all these years, and thanks to Josiah, I could get all that I had lost. I should be thankful and grateful to him in more than one way.

Barely able to see anything because of unshed tears, I slowly nodded my head, "I will, mother. Th-thank you so much, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you through all that pain. I just... I just want to live a happy life, on my terms, and I don't think it is a crime anywhere."

"It isn't, dear. Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you. We too, belong to the royal family. I will take care of everything else, so just focus on the prince and relieve yourself of any other pressures." She told me before turning to speak to Claire, "Princess, if you wish to spend the night here, we will be honored to have you in our chambers for more time."

"Of course, I would love to. Please don't worry about your daughter, we will take good care of her. After all, she is now the future queen of this country." She teased me while wiggling her eyebrows, making me feel hot.

'These people will be the end of me. I just want to meet you, Josiah.'