The Web of Knightspur-Chapter 259 - 255
Princess Eleanor smiled as she blinked her eyes at the mirror.
The room was empty as Princess Eleanor was almost ready to enter the venue.
"Princess." Nia said with a smile. She had just entered the Roulux Empire’s capital in the morning. It was a rushed decision, but Nia was happy that she managed to reach the Royal castle at the perfect time.
"Nia!" Princess Eleanor smiled as she looked at her lady-in-waiting and the only friend she trusted the most. She could see that now Nia was feeling much better and even looked happy.
There was something that had bothered Princess Eleanor a lot. She was not there when her friend needed her the most. She was not there for her when Nia had to face Felix. How heartbroken she must have been. "I missed you..." Princess Eleanor hugged Nia into a tight embrace. There were tears in her eyes as she smiled.
Nia was getting emotional. She had not imagined that the situation would ever be like this. She knew that the Princess was in love with Sir Kit but she never knew that the man they had all treated like a knight was actually the Grand Duke of Beaumont himself. And more shockingly, he was even the First Prince who was supposedly killed when he was a child. It all felt so unreal and Nia was a little worried about it during her journey.
’What if he breaks Princess Eleanor’s heart?’
’What if he finds some other lover?’
’What if he had actually been using Princess Eleanor to gain more power for himself?’
The thoughts were making Nia unable to breathe. But now that she saw the smile and happiness on Princess Eleanor’s face, she was relieved. "Doctor Raul was right," Nia murmured under her breath.
Princess Eleanor was confused, "Doctor Raul?" She took a step back as she saw the whole of Nia. Her lady-in-waiting had a different glow on her face. A glow that indicated that she was in love. Princess Eleanor’s eyes narrowed, "How is Arlo? Where is he?"
"The Prince... Oh! The King is getting ready to escort you." Nia smiled as she continued, "He has been both happy and restless at the same time."
"I can understand. A lot has happened." Princess Eleanor said in a small tone but soon she was pulled towards the mirror. Princess Eleanor’s eyes were bright and wide when she saw what Nia was doing.
"Yes, a lot of things have changed. But now that the Princess is getting married, let me arrange everything for you one last time. After all, after today, you will no longer be the Princess of Angevin Kingdom, but the Empress of the Roulux Empire." Nia said as she made Princess Eleanor sit and started to arrange her hair.
Princess Eleanor wanted to stop Nia and tell her that the maids will do it. She should relax but she knew that it was something Nia had always been looking forward to. The glowing face was self-evident.
"I heard Doctor Raul is going to help Priest Erasmus in the future?" Princess Eleanor asked as she observed Nia’s expression from the mirror. Her face turned slightly red as she blushed heavily.
"Well, yes." Nia nodded her head as she hurried to arrange Princess Eleanor’s hair. Nia did not forget to take the pendant that was placed on the bed as she made Princess Eleanor wear it. As a lady-in-waiting and Princess Eleanor’s best friend, Nia knew how important it was for her. It represented that her family was there with her no matter what.
Nia smiled as she sat down on her knees. As soon as Princess Eleanor looked into Nia’s eyes, she knew that her best friend was about to say something. "Something is on your mind."
Nia was a little hesitant. She did not know if what she was feeling was right or not. She did not even know if she was in the right state of mind now. Everything was turning into a mess and she knew that she had to find a solution soon. She needed to talk to someone who would be better than Princess Eleanor who knew all of her past.
"I think I am falling in love....." Nia managed to say as she closed her eyes tightly. She did not know what Princess Eleanor might be thinking about her but she did not want her to have a bad opinion about her either. "Maybe it is too late... Maybe I am mistaken..."
Nia was babbling but soon she felt a tight squeeze on her hands. As she opened her eyes wide, she only saw Princess Eleanor smiling at her with excitement. "Is it Raul?"
Nia swallowed hard. Was she that transparent? Could everything be seen on her face...?! "Well.... I do not know how to explain it. When we were both taking care of Prince Arlo... King Arlo at the Beaumont mansion, we became close. Maybe because I was helping him out with the knightspur flowers but... anyways... throughout the treatment and the days following the matters related to the Angevin Kingdom, Doctor Raul had been a great support to me. He was so understanding and empowering that I don’t know when.... But I think I do like him...."
Nia confessed to Princess Eleanor. "But now he will be staying here to help Priest Erasmus and I have to go back to the Angevin Kingdom soon to stay with King Arlo...." Nia’s tone turned soft as she contemplated her words.
"But you are my lady-in-waiting." Princess Eleanor said in a determined tone. "I know that you care about Arlo and blame yourself for what happened but you need to understand that it was never your mistake Nia." Princess Eleanor rubbed the tears from Nia’s eyes as she smiled. "None of us had ever blamed you. And none of us will."
"But..... If I did not fall in love with him, then things would have been different..." Nia tried to restrain the shiver in her voice, "I feel like I am making the same mistake again...."
"You are not." Princess Eleanor said with a smile, "Love can never be a mistake, Nia. The man could be wrong or the timing could be wrong but the feeling is not something you can blame. It comes naturally. It is something that does not have a basis but it is what it is."
Princess Eleanor took a deep breath as she continued, "I had never thought that I would be able to find love at the most difficult place in my life. All I wanted was revenge and had no intentions of looking for love. Yet I found it. Or perhaps, it found me. I, too, thought that it was wrong. But the heart cannot be controlled, Nia. The feeling cannot be caged and I understand it."
Princess Eleanor looked at Nia who was staring at her. She rubbed the remaining teardrops from her eyes as she smiled, "Nia, if you are feeling something for Doctor Raul, you need to accept it. Even if you try to deny it, the feeling will never go away. I want you to be happy too. Just because you were fooled in love once, that does not mean that it will happen to you again. If you trust Doctor Raul enough, then you should give him a chance. You should give this feeling a chance..."
"But I do not know what he feels for me...." Nia said in a small voice. She took a deep breath as she found her lost confidence. How could she forget that she was Princess Eleanor’s lady-in-waiting? She was a strong and confident woman who knew how to get what she wanted. "But I understand it now. If I do not take a step forward and ask, I might never know how he feels and maybe this will be the biggest regret in my life."
Princess Eleanor smiled as she got up and made Nia stand in front of her too. Princess Eleanor could not help but support her friend as she smiled, "Arlo is the King. With my backing, we will be able to rule without any difficulty, Nia. As your friend and your sister, I hope that you can find your happiness soon too."
Nia nodded her head as she smiled, "I will strive until I get it, Princess. But now, it is time for you to get your happiness." Nia took a step back as she looked at the sky, "Your groom will kill me and everyone involved if you are late to the wedding...."
Princess Eleanor laughed as she nodded her head. She took one last look at the mirror with satisfaction as she turned around, "You and Lady Gisella are the only ones who are calling this a wedding. Everyone else still says that it is a coronation ceremony. I do not blame them but it feels a little weird."
Nia laughed as she shook her head. There were very few people who knew the truth about the situation. And there were also only a few who knew that the people, l who were going to get crowned under God’s will, did not even care if they got the throne or the crown today. All they cared about was the wedding.
"Well, who can blame them." Nia whispered, "Only a few of us know of how their love blossomed in the veil of revenge ..."
