Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 87: Silent Pleas

William frowned. He hadn’t said a word and she was already trying to get rid of him.

Without preamble, he said, "Your ladies say you’ve been unwell but won’t see a physician. And you look pale. Have you at least asked Tession for a remedy?"

"It’s fine, I’ll be alright." Camilla’s eyes flitted around the room anxiously but refused to look at him directly. "I just need to rest." She had her arms wrapped around herself like some sort of shield.

William stared for a while, at her white, drawn face and eyes full of fear. To be honest, she looked more distraught to him than ill. There was something lost and fragile in her expression that he’d never seen, not even when he’d first brought her to Islia after her family’s deaths.

It looked like she was afraid of something. She seemed too scared to even look at him.

He took a step closer, for the first time in his life feeling like he wanted to actually offer someone comfort. But she flinched and stepped back quickly, clutching her arms even more tightly around herself.

The raw terror that flashed across her face was brief but impossible to miss.

William didn’t understand. All those times he had sat next to her, or held her in his arms when they danced - she had never looked scared. What had suddenly changed that made her now look at him like a threat?

"What’s wrong? Why are you acting like you’re afraid of me? I’ve never given you reason to fear me." he asked, regretting how sharp his voice sounded. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Camilla raised her eyes briefly and he was stunned to see they were full of tears.

She had never openly cried in front of him.

Not when she’d learned of her family’s defeat and the destruction of Arlen Castle, not when she’d been ostracised by the entire court in her first weeks at Islia. Not even when they’d quarrelled and he’d yelled ugly words at her that he now regretted.

But now she stood there shaking slightly and looking like a vulnerable, broken-hearted child. He could feel his chest tightening.

Whatever she was feeling though, she seemed determined not to tell him what was troubling her.

"I promise you I’m getting better." Her voice was emotionless.

"Are you really? Or do you just want to be rid of me so you don’t have to answer my questions? The same way you’ve been ignoring your ladies’ questions."

She finally looked at him again. A flash of the old, familiar defiance sparked in her gaze.

William was relieved. Any sign of life behind her eyes was better than the sad, hollow eyed stare.

"Please leave me alone now. I’m not going to argue with you." Camilla absentmindedly pushed a lock of hair back from her face. As she did, the wide sleeve of her gown slid back and revealed her wrist.

The dark bruises stood out vividly against her skin.

William froze. "What the hell is that on your arm? How did it happen?"

Camilla looked puzzled, not understanding the question.

He moved quickly and before she could react, he’d grabbed her arm and pushed her sleeve up again. Horrified, Camilla tried to pull away from his grasp but he held firm, careful not to press on any discoloured skin as he looked more closely.

The bruises looked like finger marks to him, as if someone had squeezed her delicate bone with force.

"You need to explain right now. Who did this to you?" The prince’s voice was icy. Worry twinged in his chest.

Camilla managed to finally pull away from his grasp and she hastily hid both hands behind her back. "It’s...nothing important, just from a careless accident."

"Don’t lie to me, you’re not great at it. It doesn’t look like an accident to me."

Camilla shook her head stubbornly. "Please, just go. I don’t want company."

William could feel his impatience welling up. Why was this girl always pushing up against him, even when he was trying to be helpful? "If someone has threatened or harmed you, you’d tell me, wouldn’t you?"

Stony silence.

He sighed. Deep down, William knew he couldn’t blame her for not confiding in him. He’d been deliberately distant to her for weeks. And the last couple of times they had spoken, he’d said some truly awful things. He had never apologised to a woman before but he knew it was the right thing to do. As awkward as it felt, he was going to have to stumble through it.

He said in a low voice, "I know you’re still upset with me and I deserve it. I shouldn’t have said all those terrible words to you. I should’ve held my temper in check better and I’m sorry for that." He hesitated, not knowing how to express his emotions to her. "But you know you can trust me, don’t you?"

Camilla bit back a sob at his voice and hastily swiped her eyes with the back of her hand. For a moment, her expression wavered and William was hopeful she would open up and tell him what was wrong.

"If I know what happened, then I can help you. I promise." He tried coaxing her further, the way you’d coax a wounded animal.

Camilla’s eyes suddenly looked at the floor again and her voice hardened. "No, you can’t help me. Please leave."

"How can you know that for sure if you don’t-"

"Because no one can help me." Her words were flat and final. As if she’d made up her mind that he really was useless to her. "Just leave." She turned away from him.

"Camilla-"

"Go!" she yelled as the dam broke and tears began streaking down her face.

"Fine. Hide from your problems alone then." William threw his arms in the air in a defeated gesture.

Camilla heard his footsteps behind her as he moved to the door and closed it behind him. All she could do was bow her head and sob.

- - -

William slammed the door shut a lot harder than was needed. He stalked through the presence chamber where the princess’s ladies-in-waiting sat, gave them all a curt nod and just kept walking quickly.

"Your Grace! Wait!" A voice cried out behind him.

He turned around to see Katerine chasing him down the palace corridor, struggling to keep up with his strides.

"I’m sorry, Lady Katerine. There’s nothing I can do. She refuses to talk to me or tell me anything." William pressed on his forehead in frustration. "If it wasn’t for my rank, I think she would’ve gladly kicked me out of her sight."

Katerine’s face fell. "She told you nothing at all, my lord? Then how are we supposed to help?"

"We can’t." William replied dully. "She doesn’t want our help and we can’t convince her otherwise."

Seeing the crestfallen look on the girl’s face, William tried to sound a little more hopeful. "Give her a day or two and I’ll come back to speak to her again. She may just need some more time."

Privately, he doubted this was the case. The princess had an iron will and when she made up her mind about something, she’d cling stubbornly to it.

He remembered the fear in her eyes though, and resolved to try again tomorrow.

"Take care of her." he instructed Katerine as he walked away.