Chapter 8: Chapter Seven: What’s in a Name?

On the fourth day since Selina arrived in Volfenheim, Henry returned to the Imperial City. They only stayed in the palace for an hour before they travelled to their school. Queen Helena had already gone back to Rozenberg with Becca. The younger girl was supposed to go with the princess to be her companion and fellow student, but Selina ordered her to go home as punishment for her rude comments.

It was a tedious drive from Lyall Palace to the University and the couple spent it looking at their phones. Henry bought her a new phone because she lost her old one in the Lupine Pass and they never recovered it from the crash site. From time to time, Selina would show her boyfriend a cute picture or a funny gerbil video she would come across while Henry was busy with work. Sometimes he gets calls and they all sound important. He just couldn’t catch a break. She let him be and minded her own business like a good consort does.

When she got bored, she pulled up an online app from her phone and shopped for new dresses and accessories that she planned to wear for the first month of the school year. The princess was so engrossed in looking for online products, she didn’t realize they had already passed the enormous black gates of the university.

Selina put her mobile phone down when she noticed Henry tapping the driver’s shoulder. The car slowed and came to a stop beside the road.

“Why are we stopping?” the princess inquired, looking out of the window. There were establishments, trees, passing cars, and people, but the enormous school was nowhere in sight.

“We’re here,” Henry answered, smiling. He got out of the car and quickly went to Selina’s side to open the door for her. After slamming the door shut, the young king turned to the driver, who immediately drove away after receiving instructions. He turned to his confused girlfriend excitedly. “Welcome to Aldervolf University!”

“We’re… not,” Selina replied, still looking around, bewildered. They looked like they were in a town’s commercial place, like a market.

“Yes, but we’re on campus. It’s like a college town within a city,” he explained. “I have to warn you, though, in this place, they won’t treat us as high-born. They won’t call you ‘Your Highness’ or princess, or whatever.”

“What do you mean?”

He said it so casually; it stumped her.

“I imposed it. First royal decree!”

“But… why?”

“Why not? Don’t you want to forget you’re a royal for a while? Be free of your duties? Be normal?”

“I don’t think...” she hesitated. She doesn’t want that at all. “That’s…”

That’s absurd.

“Come on, Selina. It’ll be fun!”

“And what are they going to call me?”

“They may call you by your first name or last name, if you prefer. You’re going by Rozenberg, right? I use Volfenheim here. Anyway, some people prefer nicknames, so you had better prepare some that you like.”

“N-nicknames?”

Henry’s child-like enthusiasm horrified Selina. Allow people to call her by just her first name or, even worse, pet names. It’s disrespectful to tradition and culture! She thought he was demented for even thinking about it. Why would Henry want to be a normal person? He’s the king! He was so weird sometimes.

“I believe the best way to learn about your subjects is to live with them and be treated like them.”

‘There were other options with the same results,’ Selina thought to herself.

“Don’t you agree, Selina?”

“I do. I agree, my king,” she lied through her teeth, smile frozen in place. It isn’t good to oppose him so soon, not when he seems to be adamant about it. Besides, there was already a decree. And it’s not like he imposed it on the entire empire. “You’re... very wise.”

“You don’t have to call me that here,” Henry reminded her. “Normal people, remember?”

“Of course! Silly me.”

“You know what else is great in here? No paparazzi! And the food, heavenly. Come on, I’ll show you around!”

Henry grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the shops. He pointed at them eagerly, like a child showing off his most prized toys. In a way, if you think about it, they were, weren’t they?

“Hey, Henry!” A couple of girls greeted her boyfriend cheerfully as they passed by a small stall filled with trinkets. They each have a paper bag with the stall’s tag on them. One was a blonde, the other a brunette. They seemed to be of Henry’s age, Selina noted.

‘The audacity of these peasants, greeting and calling him by his first name, talking to the monarch so casually.’ Selina gave the both of them a glare which wiped the smile off of their faces.

“Hi!” The king waved at them happily. “Selina, these are Edith and Camryn, my classmates.”

Both girls eyed Selina carefully, perturbed by her earlier behavior.

“Girls, this is—”

“Princess Selina of Rozenberg,” Selina interjected, her smile not reaching her eyes. “Fiancée to the king. Hi.”

“Uhm… hi,” the sandy-haired girl replied. “I’m Camryn.”

“I’m Edith,” the brunette said, holding out her hand. The princess stared at it for a few seconds before acting surprised.

“Oh, you want to… I’m ‘so’ sorry.” Selina’s smile became tighter. “I can’t shake hands. We’re not supposed to touch hands with commoners. Protocol, you understand, surely?”

Edith let her hand drop to her side, red-faced in embarrassment.

“Did you girls have a nice vacation?” Henry tried to lighten up the mood by changing the subject. He placed a hand on the small of Selina’s back and she automatically leaned on it a little.

“No,” Camryn replied. “I helped on the farm with my mom and dad.”

“I went to visit my aunt,” Edith supplied. “But I wouldn’t call it a vacation. She made me take care of her kids the whole time.”

“You poor things.” Henry genuinely looked unhappy that his classmates did not have a great school break, and it irked Selina.

“Yes, yes, that’s sad.” She slipped a hand on the king’s arm possessively. “Didn’t you have somewhere to be, ladies?”

Edith and Camryn exchanged uneasy glances before excusing themselves and leaving.

“They seem nice,” Selina commented casually, while burning a hole in the backs of their heads until they disappeared from her view.

“They are.” Henry furrowed his eyebrows and took a gulp of air. “Selina…”

She whirled around to face him and, with one look on his face, she knew he was going to admonish her for putting those girls in their place. Her father had the same expression every time.

“Oh, sorry.” She put a hand on her lips, as if in shock, but her smile was unapologetic. “I forgot.”

Henry stared at her with an unreadable expression for a few seconds before sighing.

“All right,” he said, smiling again. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

As soon as they were walking side by side again, Selina’s smile dropped.

He owned every little thing in this place, in the entire kingdom, the whole Empire, ‘everything’! Every single one of these people was beneath him… but he wanted to be treated like them.

‘Demented,’ the Rose Princess muttered to herself.

They continued with the tour, with Henry reciting history and random information about the establishments they had come across. Selina found it adorable, but completely unnecessary. Sometimes they stepped inside the stores to look at the goods more closely. The town also has temples and churches, which Selina liked, because the king built the Shrine of the Rozen Maiden especially for her use. Everything a student living on campus could ever want was within the university walls. It even has its own police force and a steward. You could say it was self-sustaining and Selina admitted it impressed her greatly.

Some time later, the princess was pressing her nails into her handkerchief to stop herself from complaining. Her calves and soles were sore from walking and she was sure there were blisters on her feet. If she had known of the king’s plans, she wouldn’t have worn high-heeled shoes.

“Selina?”

“Yes?” she looked at the king with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

“Do you mind if I...” He grinned at her boyishly, scratching his nape as if embarrassed. “I have to go to the restroom.”

Finally!

“Oh, sure! I’ll be right here.” The princess tried not to appear overjoyed, but failed.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes! Just a tad exhausted, that’s all.”

“I apologize, I didn’t realize…”

“It’s all right,” she lied again. She had to. “I was enjoying myself. I didn’t notice I was sore until we stopped walking.”

“I’m going to call Fred.” Henry reached for his phone, but Selina stopped him.

“You should go to the restroom first. I’m fine.” Henry looked hesitant, but the princess gave him an assuring smile. “You can call the chauffeur after.”

“Are you sure? Because I can—”

“I’ll wait here for you. I can occupy myself with these books.”

Henry looked around them. They stopped in front of a small bookstore. There are bookshelves outside the store for easy access as well. Across the street, there was a coffee shop filled to the brim with customers. If Selina will ever needed anything while he was away, she could go to these establishments.

“Okay. Thanks!”

Henry squeezed her right arm fondly before walking away and disappearing into a corner. Selina’s smile instantly dropped and her brows knitted together in a scowl. Her feet hurt. Like a lot. She sat on the bench situated outside of the bookstore. She struggled mightily not to take off her shoes and assess the damage.

After a few minutes of waiting and resting, she grew bored and stood up. She absent-mindedly took a book from a shelf and leafed through it, staring blankly at the inked pages until suddenly...

“Can I help you?”

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