Chapter 24.

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24一 of the calm before the storm

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24一 of the calm before the storm

༻𖥸༺

You are a terribly real thing, living in a terribly false world. And that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain.

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THE CLICK-CLACKING OF HEELS ON marble floors echoed in the grandiosely decorated hall as a lavender haired woman oversaw the posture of a little girl. Made to walk with a slim book placed atop her head, the little girl rigidly stepped, her mind overly active with ensuring she would not trip and fall. A disappointed sigh echoed the moment the book slipped and hit the ground.

"Your Highness, why are you so afraid of this exercise?" The woman flipped her fan shut, walking forward to pick up the fallen book. "It cannot be due to your ladyship's current dress or shoes, as I've personally made sure they would be as comfortable and unobstructive as possible."

It was true. The young princess was dressed in a flowing skirt and loose blouse, as well as low-heeled shoes made of soft leather. Her hair was loose, as demanded by the current posture training, but it had been given a trim prior to the lesson so that no strands of hair would impede her.

"The book... It's an unfamiliar weight." The young princess defended herself, her hands fisting in front of her flowy black skirt.

The sunshine eyed woman paused, looking down at the book in her hands. "I suppose it is. This is, after all, the first time puting into practice our theoretical lessons." She hummed thoughtfully, her hands coming to rest at her waist, clasped over the book.

The princess didn't confess, however, that the location of their practical lesson was unnerving her. To have the gazes of past imperial family members look down upon her一 it mattered not that they were simple paintings, the weight of their perceived judgement remained. She felt inadequate, walking these marbeled paths as if she belonged. (She didn't. She was an outsider. Even in her own family.)

Sighing softly at her pupil, Every tucked the book under one arm and turned to leave. "Walk with me Your Highness."

Confused, the princess followed, eyebrows pinched in though as their destination soon revealed itself to be in front of a large portrait. Standing side by side in the painting, her father and brother gazed forward with unseeing eyes, their postures firm beneath seemingly priceless clothes. Her father, with his ice cold expression in plain view as his hair was pushed back, held an arm folded behind his back, hidden under a red cape trimmed with spotted-black white fur, the other placed upon her brother's shoulder. And there stood he, the older of the two siblings, with his shoulders pulled back and wavy blonde hair fanning jeweled eyes, his bearing a mirror of their father's as he crossed his arms at the small of his back, blue cape with golden thread hanging off his uniform.

𝐒𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐓𝐘 ━ 𝚠𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚙.Where stories live. Discover now