I Don’t Want A Prince In My Life - Chapter 5. Heartless

But God was merciless.

“Pia, His Royal Highness Prince Albert wants you to come to the castle tomorrow afternoon.”

After he had sent Albert away, the shopkeeper said with a slightly troubled look on his face.

I am sure the reason for his troubled face is that I look desperate.

What on earth is he going to do with me by calling me into his castle?

Is he going to condemn me in public like my former fiance Lionel?

Fraudulent identity is indeed a crime.

But it had to be done. If we had not borrowed the name of the poor fallen mother and child, it would have been we who would have died on the journey.

I was filled with anger and sadness, wondering if they hated me that much.

I wanted to run away from this country.

However, I couldn’t move my mother now.

“Are you all right? You don’t look so good.”

I thanked the shopkeeper for his concern and told him that I agreed with the invitation.

The next day, I put on my best clothes and beautiful makeup and went to the castle as if I was going to be beheaded.

I wondered whether I should wear tattered clothes to disguise my identity, but Albert seemed convinced that I was Cecilia when we met again.

Then it would be in vain to make such an attempt.

And if I were taken prisoner, I wanted to be able to say that I was not ashamed of what I had done and that I dressed up neatly instead of wearing shabby clothes.

That’s why I wore the best clothes I had.

As for my mother, I asked the landlady of our new residence to take her to the church’s shelter if I did not return.

The landlady, who had only been living in the house for a short time, was not displeased and told me to take good care of myself.

I didn’t usually have makeup on, so when I asked her to help, she might have thought I was selling myself.

Well, it might be similar considering that I could have run away without my mother.

The road to the castle was well paved, so the jolting of the coach was not too bad.

I’ve been through so many rough roads on my journey that I was beginning to forget what it was like to ride in a Duke’s carriage.

I felt as if I’ve been living as a commoner all my life and that my upbringing as a Princess was all a dream.

If this was the case, would I have been so happy when Albert called me?

The Prince was rumored to have forgotten his love.

He must have left his heart in Percival.

As we passed through the aristocratic quarter of the city, a huge building caught my eyes.

It was the castle of King Theophilus.

The last time I visited there, I was Lionel’s partner.

I was asked to dance the first dance at the welcome party for Lionel, the guest of honor.

It was the most glorious time of my life.

I had since learned so much that I didn’t know at the time.

The pain of being betrayed by the people I believed in. The reality of a country that cannot stand on its own. How hard it is to do the housework with my own hands.

And — to hate people.

Knowing all this, I had become like a completely different person. Could I really call myself Cecilia?

The Cecilia that Albert called was no more.

There was only a woman who was tired of everyday life, who had forgotten how to smile, and who appeared older for her age.

I could not even remember how I used to smile anymore.

****

As I came alone, the soldier who was guarding the gate seemed to be suspicious of me.

But when he went to check, a superior soldier came and welcomed me into the castle, perhaps as Albert had ordered.

I was expecting to be followed by a soldier to see if I would run away, but instead a maid was soon called to show me the way. Then, to my surprise, the lady’s maid, the attendant who looks after noble ladies, came.

They were the most experienced of the many people who work in the castle, and as a lady’s maid, she must be a noblewoman herself.

What could Albert be thinking of using such a person to guide someone who was called from the city?

“Lady, this way, please.”

It was a strange feeling to be served by a person who was obviously dressed better than what I was wearing.

I was sure the soldiers in the waiting area were staring as well, and they looked at me as if to say, “Who the hell is this girl?”

“Raise your head. I’m not the kind of person to bow your head to.”

I could not help but felt so uncomfortable when I said such words.

But the well-mannered maid of honor didn’t argue and turned her back on me with a blank expression as I followed her.

As I walked behind her, I was wishing that I could sink into the long, woolly carpet and disappear.