Chapter 17 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ROSALINDA
"It's been three days, Rosalinda. Stop doing this to yourself." my mother said, her voice laced with a worry that frankly, I couldn't give a single damn about.
She knew.
They all did.
They'd known for ten years and let me live in a gilded cage of lies.
'Your father agreed to get rid of Grayson in order to stop the war. It was all my father wanted. So I did it. Out of anger and jealously, and perhaps..... I thought I was saving everyone.'
Valerius's words rang in my head.
"Please...talk to me-"
"About what?" I snapped, whirling to face her. My anger was now hotter than before, flared. "About what, Mom? That my stupidity ruined the lives of so many people? Or that you and Dad are fucking pathetic? Or that Valerius and his father were just two assholes who couldn't take no for an answer and decide to wage war against another kingdom over a mere boy?!"
"You denied a king publicly! You embarrased him and us, your parents!" She shrieked, her own fury finally snapping. Her usually serene features contorted into a mask of pure rage. "I tried to warn you, but your father insisted he would find a way to sort it out without involving you and blame it all on you being childish and young! But you kept on with your friendship despite our warnings!"
"I loved him Mom! And you could have told me-"
"Told you what, exactly?" She cuts me off. "Valerius's father isn't one to mess with! He would wage war against the gods just to prove a stupid point! And you insulted him, moreover-" Her eyes widened, as if she caught onto something I couldn't see, she clamped her mouth shut.
"Moreover what?" I pressed.
She shook her head and stood up, smoothing the front if her gown. "I won't let you rot away because of this, Rosalinda. In few weeks, you'll be properly engaged to Prince Zade. Arrange yourself before then."
Her decree was delivered with a chilling finality that made my own anger flare.
"Mom!" I seethed. "What aren't you telling me?!"
Her gaze hardened, almost as cold as winter ice. "The less you know, the better for us all. I won't say further, and don't try to dig into this anymore. Grayson is dead, and so is his killer and many more. That's enough."
Her words were sharp and dismissive, they twisted the knife already plunged into my heart. I knew she was right, but then again she wasn't. She can't just dismiss Grayson's life and whatever secret swirled around it as if it was just a minor inconvenience.
This wasn't just about my guilt anymore, it's about the fact that my entire world had been built on a foundation of lies and expediency. My parents were not just willing to sacrifice lives but also the truth to maintain their gilded façade.
I felt a profound emptiness settle inside me, a hollowness where trust and love used to reside.
How could I forgive them for this?
How could I forgive myself for my own sins?
Every emotion I had ever felt for them, every shred of respect withered and died in that moment.
"So please," My mom sobbed suddenly, the anger draining from her as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a desperate, maternal anguish. "Let go of the past and forgive everyone...Me, your father, Valerius and more importantly. Yourself," she walked closer to me and held my face in her palms, caressing my cheeks. "I know our hatred allowed us to behave immature and- But that's it, it has happened already. So please let it go."
I said nothing and just stared down at my clenched fists on my lap, my unshed tears blurring my vision.
"I'll be leaving now," she announced as she let go of my cheek, straighting up. "Be down for breakfast soon." She said and turned, reaching the door, then stopped. She looked over her shoulder, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "And one more thing. The name Grayson is banned from this palace. The past will be forgotten, never to be spoken of again."
The click of the door as she left was the sound of my world collapsing, I fell to my knees, screaming out loud as I swung my fist, striking the floor. Just then, the door creaked open again followed by a soft sigh then someone wrapping their arms around me, pulling me gently into a warm respectful embrace.
"It's okay, your highness," a familiar soothing voice murmured.
I cried harder, melting into Elina's embrace. "It's okay. It's alright." She cooed as she stroked my hair, patting my back gently. Her presence felt like a ball, a tiny flicker of light in the overwhelming darkness, but it wasn't enough.