Princess Without Limits

Chapter Twenty-three

...I think I should apologise first

I spent two weeks blissfully thinking that I had published a new chapter and I could spend the rest of my March writing :") it is only today when I was trying to read through all my chapters and making sure there was no mistake did I realise I published the same chapter twice-

No one told me I published the same chapter twice though- anyway I had Chapter Twenty-three written finished for quite a while...OKAY I FEEL SO DUMB NOW-

I'm so, so sorry! As payment, I'll publish Chapter Twenty-four by the end of this month (which is coming in 11 days um it's fine, I'll make it)

The first anniversary of Princess Without Limits is coming on 26 March! As a reward for all our readers, I will be diligently scrolling through the Google docs' version history to find deleted scenes, as well as give a little insight about our thought process of why we changed it to how it was now. I'll feature two deleted scenes everyday from the 21st March to 23th March 2022.

What do you think of the idea? Please, please drop a comment if you have any other ideas! It's weird not knowing what my readers are thinking while they read the story ^^"

I think I've talked enough, so here's to the long-overdued chapter~

(Lena)

I found Leon on the balcony of his dormitory. I knew my heels made noises to notify him of my presence, yet he didn't look at me. Leaning against the railing like he was doing, I silently watched the stars in the night sky beside Leon.

"Lena," he acknowledged my presence, "I..."

"I hate you, you know." I felt him tense up as his eyes weighed heavily against my back. I wasn't going to take my words back, and he knew it.

"I'm sorry. I was so immature, Lena. You deserved a better brother," he started to apologise after a long pause.

"I know I do," I stated simply. I nearly took a shuddering breath, but remembered Gion's words. If you want to make him sorry, know your self-worth.

Leon didn't back off like I anticipated him to. "I'm so sorry, Lena. How can I ever make you forgive me?" I heard his voice begin to break. I didn't expect him to beg for forgiveness so soon, but still, I accepted the words I had longed to hear for three years, feeling it sink under my skin. Leon had changed much since I was kidnapped.

I opened my mouth to speak. "You really hurt me, Leon. You were my older brother, you still are. You were supposed to be my shelter from the storm, the clarity to my confusion, the bout of fresh air to my suffocation, the light to my darkness. You weren't there for me. And I hate you for it. So much. But hating someone is hard, isn't it?"

I finally turned to look at him, yet he turned away. I looked up at the stars again when his brown orbs landed on my face.

"You were trying to make the code better, weren't you?"

I knew he was still staring at me, so I gave a small nod. "I was. Your scream made me press the wrong key."

"I was terrified of you. You were so smart and Mother told me that sometimes smart people can hurt others. What was I supposed to think?"

I wished he thought of something else instead of the worst in me.

I was twelve and him thirteen. I saw the laptop on a table, opened to the page with the codes, and I thought I could do better than the typed-out ones. So I began to work, but Leon walked in, screaming instantly. I pressed the wrong key. Naturally, I was scared that something was wrong, until I saw his hand pointed towards me, mouth opened in horror. Until I turned my attention to the screen and became more frightened by the wrong code I inserted.

It ended up shutting down the systems of the space station, causing one astronaut to die due to lack of oxygen and five others to go into a coma. Father was able to cover my misdeeds up, but he was still upset with me nonetheless.

I returned to reality, realising that Leon was still waiting for me to speak. "It was Father all this time, wasn't it?"

I caught him gazing up at the same stars I laid my eyes upon from the corner of my eyes. "A little of him and a little of me." He paused for a while before continuing, "You really were lonely, weren't you?"

"Mhm," I replied, feeling a cold droplet slip down my face. "I was lonely. But so were you, right?"

"Of course. I was the older one though, I should've been better," Leon confessed in a small voice.

"In the end, we were both broken, incomplete people lighting ourselves up on fire to keep everyone else warm," I said. This time, Leon and I both swivelled our gazes to each other. I saw tear streaks on his face, and froze, not knowing what to say to the vulnerability he showed me.

"Yet I burned all the moths that dared approach me," he added to my sentence.

"Still stings, you know," I joked. He let out a chuckle.

"But you were extinguished by the waves." The smile that had creeped up on my face disappeared instantly. Leon took a step closer to me.

"I'm sorry, Lena."

"As you should," I answered, even though this time it had a hint of amusement.

Without another word, Leon pulled me into his embrace. I stopped breathing for a second, before relaxing and putting my arms around him.

"I love you, big brother. But you know I can't forgive you for all the hurt you've done to me," I mumbled, burying my face into his chest.

"I don't expect you to. I still love you all the same, though," he replied.

I pushed him away gently when I felt more tears that had dripped down from his eyes and landed in my hair. "We can start over, big brother." I saw his half-grin in the darkness of the night.

I extended my hand. "Hello, I'm Princess Lena, the younger sister of Prince Leon of Germany," I introduced myself. My lips curled into a genuine smile.

"What a coincidence. I'm the Prince Leon of Germany. Nice to finally meet my younger sister," Leon said, and grabbed my hand.

"A new start," I commented.

Leon's gaze finally felt warm. "To a new end."

Now, if anyone missed the text above, we will be having an anniversary special for Princess Without Limits. Everyday from 21st March 2022 to 23rd March 2022, I will be uploading two deleted scenes, and my comments on why we changed the idea we had during the scenes. I hope you will love the idea :) thanks a lot for bringing us and Princess Without Limits so far!! Oh, if you want to ask us some questions about us and Princess Without Limits, feel free to, we'll answer them <3

That's all, and I will publish a new chapter by the end of March as well. See you all in the next chapter!! ^^