Chapter 4 Scrubbed Royal

I woke up to knocking.

Not the quiet, hesitant kind. The kind that meant you had no choice but to answer.

The doors opened before I could even sit up.

"Good morning, Your Highness," a woman said sweetly, stepping into the room. She was followed by three more-each one dressed in soft grey uniforms, carrying folded towels, trays of creams, and golden bowls of steaming water.

"I... uh... good morning?"

She smiled. "We're here to prepare your bath, sire."

My eyes narrowed. "Prepare it?"

"To draw it, and assist you. The water is ready."

Now, listen-I've seen a few royal movies in my time. I knew princes got help doing everything from putting on shoes to picking what type of water to drink. But the bath?

"Nah. I'm good. I can, uh, wash myself."

They exchanged confused glances. The older woman stepped forward, still smiling.

"I'm afraid it's protocol, Your Highness. The royal family has always-"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Royal stuff." I scratched my head, stalling. "It's just that... well... you're all, you know... women."

She chuckled gently. "We've served the royal family for generations. There's no shame in being seen. You're our prince."

But I'm not, I wanted to scream. I'm a stranger in someone else's life. I've got scars, a busted rib, and a panic attack brewing in my chest.

But instead, I sighed like I had a hundred times before and gave in.

"Fine. But no scrubbing there, okay?"

They didn't even laugh. I think I was the joke.

---

By the time they were done with me, I looked like a polished coin.

Every part of me glistened-oiled, perfumed, buffed into something that didn't feel human. I smelled like royal gardens and old money. My hair was trimmed and brushed into place. They dressed me in layers-silk inner robes, a formal coat lined with gold thread, and leather shoes that probably cost more than anything I'd ever touched.

I hardly recognized myself in the mirror.

And maybe that was the point.

---

The Breakfast Table

They walked me through marble halls, silent as ghosts, until we reached a set of arched doors taller than any I'd ever seen.

When they opened, sunlight burst through. The dining room looked like a scene from a dream-long polished table, crystal chandeliers, and ten-foot windows framing the morning sky.

And seated at the end of the table...

Them.

The queen. Regal, unreadable, dressed in lavender silk. Two young men I guessed were princes-watching me like I was made of glass. An older woman with cold eyes and a sharp nose-definitely an aunt. And then-

Her.

She sat beside the queen. Dark hair coiled around her shoulders. Skin like burnished gold. Eyes sharp as blades.

She looked at me differently.

Not like I was royalty.

Like I was a puzzle missing a piece.

"Come," the queen said softly. "Sit beside me, my son."

My son. It still rang strange in my ears.

I sat down. The food was laid out like a royal banquet-fruits I couldn't name, bread still warm from the oven, silver platters of meats, crystal glasses full of golden juice.

But I barely touched anything. I was too busy feeling like an animal in a lion's den.

They kept glancing at me.

Studying me.

Testing me.

And all I could do was keep my back straight, hold my knife right, and pray no one asked me about some memory I didn't have.

---

"You seem... quieter today, Elias."

The queen said it gently, watching me over the rim of her teacup.

I blinked.

Think. Say something prince-like.

"I... didn't sleep much. The journey took more out of me than I expected."

That seemed to please her. She reached over and patted my hand.

"You'll adjust. You're home now."

I nodded.

Home.

Yeah. Right.

If only they knew.

They watched me like I was a long-lost artifact finally returned to its pedestal.

The queen reached out again, brushing something invisible off my collar. "You look well, Elias. Better than I imagined."

I forced a smile. "Thank you... mother."

It felt strange, saying it. She smiled as if she heard no hesitation.

Beside her, the girl I assumed to be my sister smiled politely. Her eyes, though, were searching-quietly, carefully. She hadn't said much since I arrived.

"I'm Liora," she finally offered, her voice as soft as her features. "Your sister."

"Nice to meet you," I said, unsure of what else to say. Nice to meet you? Was that how brothers greeted their sisters after decades apart?

Before the awkwardness could grow legs, two boys leapt up from further down the table.

One had sandy blond curls and mischievous green eyes. "I'm Tavian," he said with a grin. "Your cousin. This is my brother, Malik."

Malik nodded, more reserved. "We're visiting from Aldemire Province. Heard you were finally coming home. Big moment."

I smiled, thankful for the shift in energy. Tavian elbowed his brother. "You were just saying you thought he'd look more serious."

"I said nothing like that," Malik snapped back.

The queen laughed softly. "Tavian and Malik are my sister's boys. They've always been trouble, even in the palace."

The woman next to them waved her hand with a dramatic roll of her eyes. "Please. As if you didn't do worse in your day."

Her presence was warm and effortlessly commanding. "Call me Aunt Estelle. I was the one who used to braid your hair before you had sense enough to grow it out."

My eyes widened a little. I chuckled to mask it. "Sounds like I owe you a thank-you."

Estelle smiled, her eyes soft. "It's good to have you home, Elias. Your return is all the King's talked about these past months. We've waited so long."

We.

So many people believed I was someone else. And none of them questioned it.

For a moment, I almost felt safe.

Until the thought struck me-

"What about... father?" I asked, keeping my tone light but sincere. "Is he... not joining us?"

The room shifted.

The queen's smile faded, just slightly. Liora looked down at her plate. Even Tavian stopped fiddling with a grape.

"He's waiting for you," the queen said after a pause. "He asked to see you... in private."

A cold ripple crawled down my spine. "Now?"

She nodded. "Just the three of us. He wanted it that way."

Estelle stood, brushing off her gown. "We'll let you go. We're returning to Aldemire tonight anyway."

Tavian looked disappointed. "So soon? I thought we'd get to spar or something."

"You'll be back next week for the Gala," Estelle reminded him. "Now let your cousin go meet his father."

They gave me a quick round of hugs-too familiar, too genuine. I said nothing, letting it all wash over me.

When the doors shut behind them, the queen stood and turned to me.

"Come, Elias," she said. "It's time."

---

The King's Wing

The palace changed the deeper we went.

Guards lined every hall now, dressed in black with golden lions on their shoulders. The walls darkened too-less light, less gold, more history. Paintings of past kings stared down at us with hard eyes.

My feet echoed on polished floors as I followed the queen and Liora down a corridor that smelled like old stone and incense.

We stopped in front of a heavy door.

"He's not well," the queen said quietly. "But he'll know you. He's been waiting for this."

She opened the door and motioned for me to enter.

I stepped in.

The room was dim, lit only by the pale blue light filtering through velvet curtains. It smelled like medicine and iron.

He lay in the center of it all.

The King.

My father.

His hair was silver. His skin pale. Worn. A robe of royal blue clung to his thin frame, and though he looked fragile, something about him still carried weight.

He sat up slowly at the sound of our footsteps.

"Is he here?" he asked, voice rough like gravel.

The queen smiled and stepped aside.

"Yes, my love. He's here."

He turned his face toward me-though his eyes didn't move. They were fogged. Unseeing.

Blind.

"I can't see you," he said softly, trying to smile. "But I'd know your presence anywhere."

My throat closed up. I nodded-realizing too late he couldn't see that either.

"I'm here," I said hoarsely.

He opened his arms.

And I walked into them.

Because what else could I do?

Because everyone in this world believed I belonged here.

And for the first time...

A part of me wanted to believe it too..