Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 34: Happiness Can Be a Choice

William found himself stumbling after Camilla down the dimly lit corridor that linked the banquet hall to the shortest route to the castle’s south wing.

"Princess! Wait!" he called out, his eyes following the trailing hem of her silvery gown. She turned reluctantly to face him while removing her mask. He stopped in front of her, slightly out of breath.

Now that he caught up to her, he realised he wasn’t sure what he actually wanted to say. She was so unlike any other woman he knew that he had no idea how to talk to her.

"You forgot your winnings." he said, his words sounding like a lame excuse even to his own ears. "You defeated the player with the highest number of points. That means at least half the wagers on that table are now yours."

"Oh, that. Well, you can keep the money, my lord. I have no use for it."

"What? Why not? I mean, it’s not like you have any other money of your own, so..." William shut his mouth when it dawned on him what his words were implying. "Uh, I mean-"

"You mean that I’m as poor as a beggar, without a single coin to my name?" Camilla smiled at him. "I hadn’t forgotten that, Your Grace. I don’t think a few coins from a wager will change that, do you? I’ll still be poor as a beggar. So you can keep my winnings if you like." She turned away and continued walking to her apartments.

"Hold on!" As he followed her, he wondered why the hell was it so difficult for him to capture her attention. "Where did you learn to handle a knife like that?"

"My brother Malcolm taught me. It was one of his favourite games." Camilla’s face took on a faraway look as she thought about her favourite brother. "We would practice it for hours, though for years he’d insist I use a twig instead of a knife so I wouldn’t butcher his hand. Over time I got faster and more accurate, I guess."

"Why the devil would anyone teach a girl a knife game?"

Camilla drew her delicate brows together in a frown. "Malcolm and I were as close as siblings could be. And most things I learned in my childhood came from my brothers, I guess. I was my parents’ only girl and I have no female cousins close to my age. So I spent a lot of time in the company of boys and learned alongside them."

"You must miss him. Your brother, I mean."

He couldn’t ignore the shadow that crossed her face. "Every day." she replied simply. "I’ve lost my better half."

William blurted out, "You’re not happy here, are you?"

"Why are you asking that? Does it even matter if I’m happy or not?" she looked genuinely surprised.

"Well, I’m not a completely unfeeling monster, whatever you might’ve been told." he grumbled, feeling self conscious. He realised he’d never stopped to think about whether a woman liked him or not. He assumed almost all did, as they all seemed to want to bed him.

This girl did not.

- - -

Camilla closed the door to her bedchamber and pressed her back to it. Her maids had offered to help her undress for bed, but she had sent them away.

The evening was the loneliest part of each day for her, when she realised that yet another day had passed where she’d had to smile and pretend she didn’t feel the loss of her kin. She twisted the ring around her smallest finger, a gift from Malcolm when she’d turned fourteen.

Prince William had asked if she was happy. Oddly enough, she appreciated him asking, despite his bluntness. No one else here had bothered asking, assuming she’d be grateful to just have escaped her family’s fate.

Perhaps death would have been the easier option than a lifetime pretending happiness.

After pulling on a nightgown, Camilla lay on her bed and closed her eyes, letting troubled dreams slowly consume her.

When she opened her eyes again, the sun was starting to rise. She groggily sat up in bed, watching the sky’s glow behind the drawn curtains slowly changing from indigo to fiery orange. A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Your Highness, something has been delivered to your door."

Camilla immediately recognised the voice of Bonnie, her youngest maid who seemed to resent her slightly less than the other two. She called Bonnie into the room.

The maid carried a tray of breakfast food and placed it on Camilla’s lap. Wedged between the small plates of food was a box, wrapped in red and black tissue.

She carefully lifted the lid and looked inside to reveal early summer cherries, the glossy little fruits a dark, lush burgundy shade. Cherries were almost impossible to find in Moraigth due to the climate but she was quite sure they were a rarity in Islia too.

"Who delivered these?"

"I don’t know, Your Grace." Bonnie peered curiously into the box.

Camilla handed one of the cherries to the maid, then popped another one between her lips. Tart sweetness filled her mouth as she bit into the soft flesh. She sighed with pleasure despite herself.

She’d have to find out who gifted her such a luxury so she could thank them properly. Of course, she didn’t have even a single thing to thank them with. Her mind briefly thought of the coins she’d won at the previous night’s banquet that she hadn’t bothered taking with her.

She noticed a scrap of paper that had been tucked against the underside of the box’s lid. Camilla carefully unfolded it and read the words scrawled on it. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Thought these might make your morning slightly less unhappy.

- Will

Camilla smiled slightly. She started to laugh when she read the postscript scribbled at the bottom.

These were almost impossible to find and fucking costly. Don’t get carried away and think I’m being generous though. I used your winnings from last night to buy them.