if i can't have you || rini au

01. daydream

the blonde-haired woman wore a long navy-blue gown with a silver crown upon her tied-up hair, holding a white wrapped box in her gloved hands as she calmly walked up the stairs of the palace that lead to her daughter's bedroom.

she arrived at the door, smiling at a guard that stood beside it before knocking on the wooden surface

"nina," she called, waiting for an answer.

the woman knitted her eyebrows together when she didn't hear a reply before knocking on the door again "nina, darling,"

opening the door, she peered her head inside, walking into the large bedroom and seeing it empty. no sign of her daughter as she dropped the box

the queen's panic rose and she widened her eyes "nina?!"

—

the brunette girl hummed a melody under her breath as she laid down on the grass and stared up at the sky with her opened book laying beside her.

she took a deep breath, making out the shapes of the different clouds before sitting up. she loved the outdoors, finding it fascinating with so many undiscovered beautiful things that had yet to be found. it was an escape. a way to find time to really breathe and feel the open air.

she sighed as she took a white flower, holding it in her hand and twirling it around, analyzing the different petals before a loud bell was heard from the palace behind her.

"the princess is missing!"

the girl widened her eyes and shot up from the ground, her long brown hair falling to her lower back as she quickly stood up and dusted her long yellow dress, picking up her book. the sound of the loud bell ringing from the palace made her sprint towards it.

"the princess is missing!" a guard exclaimed as he ran down the garden pathway, the girl quickly hiding behind a large trimmed bush before he was out of sight and she ran once again.

her quick footsteps could be heard as she ran up the staircase that lead inside, opening the tall glass doors before checking her surroundings and making her way up the east staircase.

the bell was still chiming and she turned around to check to see if anyone was there before suddenly running into someone, letting out a light gasp before looking up; she saw one of her mother's most trusted advisors, benjamin.

"your highness," he said with a straight face, holding his two hands behind his back as he nodded his head.

nina swallowed and looked up with her best smile "good morning benjamin! lovely day isn't it?"

the man hummed "you hear the bell don't you?"

nina thought to herself and sighed "bell? did you mean...a school bell? ...i've never heard as such-"

she closes her eyes as she gets cut off by the loud bell of the palace - the one used to signal her brief disappearance - chiming around them.

"o-oh! you mean that bell!" she exclaimed with a nervous laugh

"and you know you're not allowed to wander off without consulting someone first." he added

nina's laugh faded and she sighed "benjamin what do you expect me to do? i'm seventeen! i'm not supposed to be cooped up in my room. i'm supposed to go out! have an adventure! and the closest thing i have to that is the garden."

benjamin sighed "your highness, you know that your mother and father have done a great deal to keep you hidden from the world fame it comes with being a princess. they did a lot to give you the privacy you deserve and that privacy will be broken if someone catches a young lady sitting in a dress only a royal family member would wear in the palace garden."

nina looked down at the floor, nodding knowingly "i know."

"we have to go inform your mother that we found you," he said, gesturing for her to follow him and she did.

they walked down the long hallway, nina looking around as she saw the same old tapestries and portraits that she'd seen countless times from wandering around the palace. she'd been everywhere and knows every passage in here; being stuck in the royal castle doing nothing from her activities and school work, she still had quite a bit of free time of figuring out her way and knowing where to be at times to avoid different people.

they both entered the living room hall where the queen was sitting with a few guards and hand maidens

benjamin cleared his throat lightly and stepped aside to reveal nina "your highness, princess nina is here."

queen daniella gasped, quickly standing up at the sight of her daughter "oh, thank goodness," she breathed as she rushed towards them and brought her daughter in a hug "are you alright?"

"yes mother i was just in the garden," nini said, trying to hide the impatience she had as they pulled apart

"the garden? you're not wearing the right dress to be there, and you missed your fitting for the winter ball at the end of the year!" daniella exclaimed worried

"mother-"

"and not to mention it's risky to be there, nina. you can't go off wandering around without benjamin or delilah-"

"but-"

"you look cold. do you need a blanket?" daniella asked urgently

"mother, i'm fine." nina replied shortly, frustration clear in her voice

daniella raised her eyebrows, taken aback by her daughter's rude tone.

"nina," she said sternly "that is not how you were raised to answer."

the brunette girl sighed and took a deep breath before putting on a small smile "i'm sorry mother. i'm also sorry for worrying you..."

daniella sighed "well, what matters now is that you're safe and sound back inside. plus, you must be a little tired." she told her before turning her attention to benjamin "would you please take her to her room?"

nina shook her head "it's alright, i can go alone. plus i know benjamin has work to do..."

daniella nodded slowly "okay. i'll see you for dinner then."

nina nodded before holding her book towards her chest and turning around to leave the room.

she walked down the long, deserted hall, looking around the many other portraits that occupied the walls.

a sigh left her mouth as she turned a corner, still humming under her breath as she fiddled with her book before walking up a grand staircase arriving at her bedroom, opening the large white door and closing it behind her.

she made her way towards her two-person bed, sitting down on the right side before gasping when seeing a letter from her aunt erica.

the excitement filled her as she picked it up and opened it, reading it intently to see that her aunt talked more of her life and how everything was with where she lived.

nina's aunt erica is daniella's little sister. she was in line for the throne in case anything had happened to daniella over the years but as soon as nina was sixteen or so and healthy, away from the public eye and kept safe, that meant she was able to be out of any royal family business, so she left autonia to live in america; salt lake city to be exact.

nina and erica are both extremely close, they love to write so they preferred to send letters to make the experience of interacting a little more fun. plus, nina didn't really have access to a phone. she only had access to her computer and that's how she got to know different things happening in the world along with her books.

as nina read the letter, she smiled when noticing that erica spoke about her little coffee shop she owned below where she lived. it seemed so cozy and humble, something nina wanted desperately to experience. she was going to be crowned queen once she turned 18 which is in at least ten months. she wasn't ready for it yet. she needed to live a life before having to be completely committed to royalty.

and that's when she shot up with the best idea she'd ever thought of.