Where Thorn Blooms

AURETTE EVIGHEDEN ROOSEVELT

"Princess Aurette, His Majesty has summoned you to the dining table because it is time for your breakfast," my personal servant Wanda politely called to me while standing behind me.

I took a deep breath and nodded. I looked at my reflection in my vanity mirror before standing up straight while elegantly holding my hand in front of my stomach.

"Is my brother already at the dining table as well?" I asked her.

"Yes, Princess. In fact, you are the only one waiting at the table," she replied.

I nodded and continued walking out of my chamber. The servants we passed in the hallway on the second floor greeted me politely. Some even paused their tasks to bow respectfully before me.

I clasped my own hands tightly and continued walking toward the dining hall, ignoring the greetings of the passing servants. I simply kept my usual fierce expression.

When we arrived in front of the large double doors of the dining hall, the two Royal Guards guarding it opened the door for us and then greeted me. I immediately entered, with Wanda still behind me.

"I'm sorry for being late, Your Majesty," I apologized to my father, the king of the Ruilux Kingdom. The King sat in the center, with the Queen at his right. To the King's left sat my older brother.

"You can sit now," the King answered coldly.

After straightening my posture, I respectfully bowed to the king. I sat beside the First Prince of Roosevelt, who was looking at me and smiled a bit. I wanted to smile back, but I couldn't. I feel like my lips have defaulted toward just being a thin line.

I was about to grab the spoon and fork to start eating when the queen suddenly spoke while looking at me.

"Is that the proper way to hold a spoon, Princess Aurette?"

I swallowed and adjusted my grip on the spoon just like my teacher had taught me on table etiquette lesson.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty..." I said formally to the queen.

The atmosphere of this dining hall was always like this. I feel like there are hands strangling my neck. It's suffocating. Even though there are only a few of us here, I feel like there are so many eyes watching my every move. Just waiting for me to make a mistake.

The only sounds heard from the dining table were the clinking of cutlery on fragile plates. Father didn't like anyone talking while eating because he said it was disrespectful to the food, which I agreed with.

We had finished eating when the king finally spoke. "So Gunter, how's Raesal?".

Raesal is one of the three towns in the Ruilux Kingdom under our family's rule. It serves as the kingdom's main mining hub, rich with natural gemstones found only in this region. Raesal also hosts the factories that process these gems-polishing and refining them before they are sold.

My brother cleared his throat before speaking, "It's fine, Your Majesty. The production of Amethyst and Orange Sapphire is doing great."

The King nodded. "That's good. Are there no problems so far?"

"Nothing, Your Majesty. I can assure you that the production of gemstones will be smooth. I think we will be able to import more now into the Kingdom of Dasta than last year."

My father's face lit up upon hearing that, even the queen smiled proudly for my brother. I quickly looked away from them. I couldn't understand the pain that ran through my chest. Am I still not used to it?

"Hmm... how about you, Aurette? I heard you already completed your dance class and your instructor gave you an award?" my brother turned to me.

I nodded. "Yes, brother."

"Your Highness," Her Majesty strictly corrected.

"Your Highness..." I muttered.

My brother apologetically looked at me and held my hand under the table. I forgot that brother Gunter told me that I would only call him brother when it was just the two of us together.

"But I also heard that after she received her award, she didn't attend her next etiquette classes," the king said seriously.

I gulped. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I suddenly had a headache at that time," I reasoned. I couldn't look into his eyes because it was disrespectful, even though I was his daughter.

The queen sneered. "That's no excuse for missing such an important class, Aurette. Even when I had the flu before, I still attended mine."

I bit my lower lip. "I'm sorry, Her Majesty. It won't happen again."

Breakfast ended with all the reprimand I endured at the dining table, but it no longer had any effect on me-I had grown used to it. I suppose I was numb. Everything I did seemed wrong, even though I was trying to be a good daughter. I was becoming more obedient, more careful, more silent-but it was still not enough. It was never enough.

"Aldwus, I wish you were here so I wouldn't be alone..." I whispered while looking at our childhood portrait hanging on the wall of my room.

Aldwus Éoheort Roosevelt is my twin brother. I am five minutes older than him. We were so close back then because we were the same age, but that tragedy happened, causing our family to rock to its core. Besides grieving his loss, I also mourned the loss of our parents-figuratively.

Since he died, our parents' treatment of me has changed. They blame me for Aldwus' death. I know. It's all my fault.

I closed my eyes tightly to stop myself from getting emotional. My twin wouldn't be happy if he saw me sad.

When have you been happy?

That question suddenly popped into my mind. I laughed bitterly and stood up to go to the balcony of my room to breathe in some fresh air.

The view from my room is the right side of our kingdom. The vast garden that is maintained by the palace gardeners. In the middle of the garden is a circular fountain that makes the maze-like garden even more beautiful because of the bushes made of leaves cut into various shapes.

I sat on the iron chair, still looking out at the garden. The gardeners were busy trimming the leaves and watering the plants.

Apart from the garden, I had no other view outside the palace. I didn't know what lay beyond the high walls of the palace where I grew up and thought apart from... that forest.

I took a deep breath and opened the book I was reading about the laws of the various kingdoms in the world of Yaunus.

As the son of King Gunter Reiss Roosevelt VI and Queen Althea Elevit Beecker - Roosevelt of the Ruilux Kingdom, I am required to study the laws of the seven kingdoms of Yaunus, even though my people don't know me.

I laughed bitterly. I do everything within this palace to become a respectable and worthy Princess, but my people don't even know me.

Besides the workers inside this palace and members of the royal family of our kingdom, no one else knows my existence. The only ones they know as children of the king and queen of Ruilux Kingdom are brother Gunter and Aldwus. But even so, it didn't reduce the heavy pressure on me.

I was about to go back to my room when my eyes caught sight of something down in the garden. His golden hair that I knew so well and had never escaped my sight.

He is wearing a deep navy blue long half-shoulder cape with shoulder epaulets with a touch of gold. He is also wearing a white long sleeve shirt topped with a deep navy blue fitted vest and white pants with black knee-high boots.

"What is Randall doing here?" I asked myself.

Randal Roxley Vittorio is the bachelor Grand Duke of Ruilux Kingdom. He's my brother's best friend. I didn't expect to see him here today because there is no important meeting today at the palace.

I immediately placed the book I was reading on the table and, without hesitation, left my room to go see Randal.

"Randal!" I called to the Duke when I reached the entrance to the garden.

He turned to look at me and immediately smiled. He straightened his posture before bowing respectfully.

"What brought you here, Your Highness?" he asked calmly, with a smile registered on his lips.

I felt my cheeks heat up because of his dazzling smile.

"Uh... I saw you from my terrace and thought I'd come here to greet you. Hmm, are you looking for my brother?" I stammered.

He chuckled. "I'm glad you're here with me, Your Highness. And about Gunter, we've already talked. I'm just waiting for him so we can go to Raesal together."

"I told you to just call me by my name, didn't I? You're so formal." I pouted.

"You also know that I can't, Princess. You're still the Princess of this kingdom."

I took a deep breath. "But-"

"Aurette?" I turned around when I heard my brother's voice.

"Your Highness..." I muttered.

My brother's expression immediately changed when he heard what I called him.

"Stop it, Aurette. Our parents weren't here, so you can call me brother," he said and slightly shook the top of my head. "What are you doing here? Don't you need to study now?"

"I have, I'm just resting my brain," I reasoned and glanced at Randal, who was adjusting his glasses with his index finger.

My brother raised his eyebrows, clearly not convinced by my answer. He knows what I feel for Randal and he wasn't against it at all.

I was only ten years old when I met Randal at a party held at our palace. My brother and I were fifteen at the time. He's kind and gentleman that's why I fell for him but I knew I had no chance for him from the start that's why I didn't dare to confess my feelings.

"We need to go, Aurette. We need to go back to Raesal as soon as possible," my brother said seriously.

My forehead furrowed. "Is there a problem with Raesal?"

My brother shook his head and smiled at me assuredly. "Nothing, Princess. You don't have to worry about us. Just focus on your etiquette classes for now, hmm?"

They started walking inside the palace, but before they could leave, Randal turned to me and smiled.

"Don't worry, Princess. I'll take care of the Prince for you," he mouthed.

I smiled back and nodded. "Thank you, Duke Randal..."

AURETTE EVIGHEDEN ROOSEVELT

The small but shrill song of the birds filled the deafening silence of my room. Today is a weekday, which means today is my rest day. No teachers from different kingdoms will come here to the palace to teach me.

I just finished my breakfast. I just ate in my room because the king and queen are busy in the palace right now. I don't know what they're busy with and I'm not interested.

"Princess Aurette," Wanda's voice said on the other side of the door after she knocked. "The Queen summons you to the garden."

My forehead creased. What does my mother need from me? I thought she was busy? She doesn't talk to me often, so I know what she has to say is important.

I stood up from my bed and headed to the door. Wanda was still standing there, as if she was really waiting for me to come out.

"Thank you very much, Wanda. I'll go to the queen alone. Don't come with me," I replied, to which she immediately nodded.

I walked down the hallway to the second floor and left Wanda in front of my chamber. Only Wanda could witness how my parents scolded me for things because she was the only one I was always with. The other servants of our state had no idea of how their beloved leader treated me.

Even though Wanda is my personal servant, we aren't that close because it's forbidden. I would like to talk to Wanda casually and be friends with her, but that's not possible because Wanda would still be considered a commoner who only works here in the palace.

One of the laws of every kingdom of Yaunus is that the status of commoners cannot be considered equal to royalty. Commoners must bow their heads to us if they do not want to be punished. That is also the reason why Wanda cannot look at me straight in the eye.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," I greeted the queen politely and bowed as I arrived at the garden. I found her quietly sipping tea while watching the butterflies fly by.

"Have a seat," she said.

I sat in an empty seat in front of her. When I looked at her, our eyes locked. I quickly looked away because I felt my heart stop beating temporarily. Every time I look into her eyes, I could only see hatred and disappointment.

Do you really hate me that much, Mom? It's been fifteen years. It's been fifteen years since that happened.

"How are your lessons, Princess Aurette?" She formally asked, sipping her tea.

I gulped. "I t-think I'm doing great, Your Majesty."

She cleared her throat. "That's not the answer I expected from you, Princess Aurette. You think? So you're saying that you are not confident in your performance then?"

I bit my lower lip. "T-That's not what I meant, Your Majesty."

"No excuses. You are not just a princess, Aurette. You are a symbol of Ruilux. A leader. A future queen. Do not forget your place," she said.

I tightly closed my eyes and nodded. "I won't forget, Your Majesty. I'm sorry, I'll redouble my efforts."

She stood up elegantly, so I stood up too. She turned her back to me, so I bowed respectfully while holding my hand tightly.

I thought she was going to leave completely, but she turned her attention back in my direction.

"You must understand the weight of this crown, Princess. You cannot afford the luxury of mistakes. One wrong move and this will cause a massive destruction to our kingdom," she seriously warned.

"I understand," I muttered bitterly. I have learned to swallow the bitterness even though it is threatening to choke me.

When I finally felt that the presence of the queen was no longer there, I slumped down and sat down on the elegant iron chair in the garden.

The words left by the queen are repeatedly playing in the back of my mind. My chest feels even heavier, as if I'm carrying the whole world.

I have to protect the crown I don't want. I have to study things I'm not interested in.

I slowly took the crown off my head and stared at it. It had vine-like curves and sapphire-blue gemstones. The most striking feature was the large teardrop-shaped stone in the very center of the crown. There were also small stones that looked like leaves in the vine-like design of the silver tiara.

I smiled bitterly. I, Aurette Evigheden Beecker Roosevelt, would carry it, whether I was ready or not.

༺｡° .ᘛ𓆩♡𓆪ᘚ. °｡༻

"Where are you going, princess?" Wanda immediately asked me as I was about to turn the knob of my chamber door.

I winced slightly. She really didn't want me to lose sight of her. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. But I know she's just doing her job, and that's keeping a close eye on me.

"I'm just going to the royal library, Wanda. I'm not going anywhere, don't worry," I told her and opened the door completely.

"In that case, I'll go with you, princess," she insisted, which immediately stopped me.

"No. Just take a break or talk to the other servants. I might have to stay there a while because I want to study something important."

I didn't wait for her to say anything and just walked towards the stairs down to the first floor where the huge royal library of the Roosevelt palace was located.

Before I could even get down, my eyes fell on a hallway that was a bit dark. I knew that hallway because there were pictures of the Roosevelts hanging there. At the end of that hallway, too, was my father's office.

Before I finally went down, I decided to go there to see the photos hanging there again. I can't remember the last time I toured the entire palace because I was too busy with my duties.

My lips curled slightly when I saw the photo of the former king and queen of Ruilux, King Gunter Reiss Roosevelt V and Queen Elyzabeth Prestcote Roosevelt. They were my father's parents but unfortunately we never got to meet them but according to the conversations I overheard from other servants, they were very kind to their people.

The photos of my father, mother, and brother Gunter were updated, but my photo with Aldwus, especially mine, remained unchanged. It's still a photo of us when we were only seven years old in separate frames. Aldwus' photo is at the bottom because he is five minutes younger than me.

I took a deep breath and pushed away all the negative thoughts that were about to enter my mind. I closed my eyes and was about to continue my way to the library on the first floor, but my feet automatically stopped when I heard laughter. I didn't notice that I was already close to the office of the king.

"...Aurrette." I had no intention of staying there any longer, but my ears pricked up with curiosity upon hearing my name.

I slowly walked closer to the door to better understand and hear what was being said inside. I noticed that the door was slightly ajar, allowing noises to come from inside.

I swallowed. I could feel my heart beating so fast for some unknown reason. I knew what I was doing was wrong. It was very wrong, but I didn't think they would know if I was just careful.

"I can't wait for the upcoming alliance between Vulon Kingdom and Ruilux Kingdom, my queen," my father said.

I heard the queen giggle. "That's why we need to be stricter with Aurrette in her lessons, because we can't let the Cosux down. She will be the first official royal consort of King Korigo Kyrarax Cosux. We need this large alliance of their noble guards. We can't let this opportunity slip from our fingers, my love."

My eyes widened, and I couldn't help but hold my mouth open. I felt my hands tremble as my brain processed what I had heard. My breathing became heavy, as if at those moments there were palms completely strangling my neck.

"I've wanted to get that girl out of my sight for a long time. It's a good thing you stopped me from killing her before, now we can use her life. She'll be out of our way forever, we'll have a very strong alliance. We're in a win to win situation."

That's when my world completely collapsed. I was so shocked by what I heard and the mixed emotions that I barely managed to make a sound with the heel of my sandal, which echoed throughout the hallway.

My eyes widened, and I quickly ran while holding my sandals and hid in the large vase just near where I came from. Fortunately, the clothes Wanda had me wear today weren't too big so I didn't have too much trouble.

"Is there anyone there?" the queen asked coldly, echoing in the hallway.

I held my breath and silently prayed that they wouldn't see me here. When I heard the doors close, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I still can't get out of my mind what I heard. I thought they were pressuring me to properly lead our people here in the Ruilux Kingdom. That's why I'm trying to understand even though I don't want this title.

But from what I heard today, everything has become clear. They want me to learn everything, they are teaching me because they don't want to be embarrassed in the Vulon kingdom, not because it's for the good of our people.

They're shaping me to become the best version of myself to get rid of me.

I smiled widely. Do I deserve this?

AURETTE EVIGHEDEN ROOSEVELT

I continued heading to the palace library, but nothing was entering my mind. My thoughts were far too occupied with what I had overheard-there was no more room for new information from the book I was holding.

"I wish I never heard that," I whispered.

"Hey, what did you hear?"

"Oh my God!" I screamed when someone suddenly spoke behind me and grabbed my shoulder.

My heart was pounding fast as I glared at Sevesan, who was now clutching his stomach and laughing uncontrollably. If deadly stares could kill, he would've already been sprawled lifeless on the floor.

"That was priceless, Aurette!" he exclaimed while wiping the corner of his eye.

"Huh! There's nothing funny about it!" I snapped, rolling my eyes and returning my focus to the book I was reading.

"You're reading a book on medicine agai-" I didn't let him finish and threw another thick book at him, making him groan in pain.

I glared at him. "Can you please shut up, Sevesan? Our servant might hear you-or worse, the King! What are you even doing here? You're supposed to be at the border right now, aren't you?"

He is Sevesan Darkwolf. He is the Marquess of the Ruilux Kingdom and also my friend. We are the same age, which is why we became close so quickly. At the age of twenty, he inherited the position of Marquess of our kingdom after his father, the former Marquess, passed away two years ago. In fact, he is the youngest member of the Royal Council in our kingdom.

"Ouch, you're so harsh. Can't I get some rest? And don't worry about your kingdom, Your Highness-my battalion of Noble Levies is doing their best to protect the borders," he said, sounding reluctant to call me Your Highness.

"Whatever," was all I said as I returned to reading.

Honestly, I was happy to see him here safe. His last visit had been two months ago since he had been busy with his duties as Marquess. I felt so comfortable with him because he was the only person who wasn't afraid of my title.

He talked to me casually and joked around when we were alone, but whenever we were in front of others, we became formal with each other.

"What herbal medicine is effective in curing fever?" Sevesan suddenly asked.

"It's tanacetum parthenium. Well, it's a kind of flowering plant in the asteraceae family. You can dry it first before boiling it into tea or place the leaves on your forehead. It's effective for headaches, especially migraines," I replied unconsciously while flipping the pages of my book.

We were enveloped in a deafening silence after I said that. Only then did I realize what I had just said. Eyes wide, I slowly looked at Sevesan, who was now staring at me seriously.

"Did I just say what's on my mind?" I asked in disbelief.

He nodded. "This is serious, Aurette. You need to be more careful next time. You know the King and Queen will be furious if they find out you're studying medicine even though you're not a royal healer," he said firmly.

"I know," I muttered.

This is what I want. This is what I'm interested in. I've been fascinated with healing since I was a child, when Aldwus got a cut on his finger. Wanting to avoid being scolded, we tried to treat it ourselves without the royal healer's knowledge, because we were sure he'd report it to the King and Queen.

Since then, I've been secretly going to the library to read books about medicine. I've lost count of how many books I've finished. Aside from treating myself when I get sick, I have no other experience in the field since it's strictly forbidden for us to study it.

In fact, Wanda has never even seen me fall ill. She thinks I simply have a strong immune system, but she's wrong. I easily catch colds, coughs, and other ailments, but I never show it. I treat myself before it gets worse.

Thankfully, there are plants growing in the garden that many probably don't realize can cure various illnesses. That's why I don't even need to leave the palace to find medicinal herbs.

༺｡° .ᘛ𓆩♡𓆪ᘚ. °｡༻

A few days had passed since I overheard the conversation between the King and Queen, yet I still hadn't heard anything more about it within the palace walls. There were no whispers, no gossip circulating-as if no alliance was about to take place at all.

I've been restless for days, though I made sure not to show it. I didn't want them to find out that I already knew about their plan. For the past few days, I had also been planning how I could escape this madness. I can obey everything my parents command-but not this. This time, I just can't.

"You truly are skilled in archery, Your Highness. I'm certain you will become a fine queen-one capable of defending the entire Ruilux Kingdom," praised my instructor, Miss Sigunda Ludovicus, who came from the farthest kingdom of Yaunus, the Mouvia Kingdom.

"I wouldn't have learned this if not for your guidance, teacher," I replied sincerely, lowering the bow and arrow I held. Wanda quickly approached to wipe the sweat from my forehead.

When my lesson for the day ended, I quickly returned to my chamber to change and rest.

I was about to head straight to the bathroom to take a bath, but I froze when I saw a large yet somewhat slim blue box placed on top of my bed.

Instead of going to the bathroom, my feet carried me quickly toward my bed. I didn't know where the nervous feeling in my chest was coming from as I stared at the box.

"Wanda, do you know who placed this in my room?" I asked my personal maid seriously.

She quickly shook her head. "No, Your Highness. But if you wish, I can ask the other servants if they know anything."

I nodded. "Please do. Thank you."

Once Wanda had left the room, I turned my attention back to the box before me. It was impossible for it to be from the King or Queen-we only had scheduled days for buying or tailoring clothes in the Ezanao Kingdom.

Curiosity won over me, and I slowly opened the box.

I gasped when I saw a beautiful blue gown. One glance was enough to tell it was worth over two hundred Solarn or gold coins.

Before I could be completely captivated by the dress's beauty, I noticed an envelope made from high-quality paper. There was no writing on the outside, so I opened it immediately. I took the folded letter and read what was written inside:

"For beauty as rare as yours, may this gown remind you of the honor bestowed upon you-to stand beside a king, even if not on a throne."

-King Korigo Kyrarax Cosux of Vulon Kingdom