4 Confusing happiness

After the discussion, Vincenzo and Lukas quietly led Calluna back to the Princess' quarters; it was there that they reunited with Eleanore. The Captain took initiative in retelling the tale of what had happened to the maid and the Prince, using very grand gestures and animated facial expressions for emphasis.

"My Lady…" Eleanore was flabbergasted after hearing the events that had transpired in the Councilroom only fifteen minutes prior. She had no words to express her concern, and in the end only managed a quiet exclamation of her mistress' name.

"It was pretty impressive, honestly," Vincenzo said with an airy laugh, and leaned his muscular frame against the wall. "You really should have seen it, Ella, I didn't think she had it in her!"

"Sister… is becoming the king in my place?" Lukas asked after having remained silent during their recount of the meeting, his soft brown eyes downcast and pensive.

"Yes," Calluna responded coolly, trying to speak with confidence to reassure him.

"But I don't have a lot of responsibilities, and… and I'm the prince! You already have to do so many things… Isn't being king just more work for you?" He asked, looking up at her with his bottom lip protruding in a pout.

"I'm nearly thirty-'' she managed to stop and correct herself, but the slip-up earned her a cocked brow from Vin and a skeptical frown from Eleanore, "twenty! I'm nearly twenty, I've had plenty of time to be without responsibility. You have barely started learning your princely duties, Lukas. Please don't worry about it."

"Not only that: you're still a growing man!" Vincenzo added, moving over to put a reassuring hand on the prince's shoulder. "Your body's still weak from fighting illness, and overdoing it all the time will stop you from getting big and tall like me."

"What?! Really? But I want to be strong too…" Lukas thought for a moment then furrowed his brows in determination. "Fine, Calluna. I will let you be king, but once I'm strong like Vin I will take the crown back from you so that you don't have to work as much."

Calluna grinned at his declaration and brought her hand up to his thick mop of blond hair. She rested the tawny skin of her palm atop his head, then patted him a couple times and said quietly, "I wouldn't have it any other way. You're going to be a great king one day, I will just keep the throne warm for you until then."

"Eww… Don't actually make it warm, that would be gross," he contorted his face with exaggerated disgust. The reaction made Calluna snort, his expressiveness refreshing.

"Young Prince, isn't it about time for you to have supper and take your medication?" Eleanore suggested, then added with a giggle, "I can call for your retainer if you'd like some help…"

"No, you don't have to get him! I'll get going now…" Lukas laughed nervously and turned to Calluna once more, taking her hand snugly between his small fingers and pulling her knuckles to his lips in farewell, "I'll see you tomorrow, King Sister. Goodnight!"

"I'm not King just yet-"

He ignored her statement and left the room with a small wave to the others, and the large wooden door slammed shut behind him. The title 'King Sister' made all three of them smile, but silence fell over the room like a blanket as its occupants each went deep into thought. Calluna had made a spur of the moment decision, but even afterward carried a very strong resolve; on the horizon there were an insurmountable number of trials to overcome, and as such, there was much to think about.

Though the other two in the room had sworn their loyalty to her and seemed genuine, she had no choice but to remain wary. There had been an attempt on her life by an unidentifiable assailant, and the original owner of the body she was in seemed to have been very disagreeable based on what she was told. It certainly wasn't ideal to live in someone else's shoes, but Calluna had decided that if fate had for some reason given her a second chance at life, she ought to take it.

She took a breath deep enough that it made her tired lungs feel as though they were trembling within her ribcage, then opened her mouth to speak with a well-rehearsed tone of authority.

"I plan to work hard, and I implore that the two of you assist me in this transition," she stopped a moment to catch her breath again, "I made a big commitment on impulse before I even understood what I was signing up for, which was incredibly irresponsible of me. I understand if you're hesitant to help, but allow me two weeks to earn your trust. That's all I need."

"Your Highness, you really don't need to-" Eleanore said, seemingly saddened by the fact Calluna even felt the need to ask. Her deep, blue eyes were gentle and affectionate as she looked at the new crown prince. "Of course I will help you."

"Your wish is my command," Vincenzo replied and shrugged his shoulders, "I'm looking forward to seeing you in action."

"What would you like me to do for you?" Eleanore asked softly.

"Eleanore, prepare writing lessons for tomorrow onward. I will study with you for two hours each day," she requested in response, "I must make haste to improve my literacy."

"Yes Pr-..." The raven-haired woman stopped, then bit her lip and corrected herself: "Yes, Crown Prince. I will do as you say."

"Vincenzo, the person who killed the King and Queen is still walking free. I would like you to first and foremost assign your most trusted subordinate to guard Lukas; I will need you to protect me, since you're the only one capable of being a guardian that is also aware that I have… amnesia. In addition, start an in-depth investigation in search of who betrayed us. It could easily have been someone you know, so please remain unbiased."

"I'll do as you command, Your Highness," he said, tipping his head in respect.

The Captain and her handmaid were prepared to leave, but Vincenzo's choice of words reminded Calluna that she didn't want them to use honorifics or titles with her. It felt uncomfortable, especially since they were supposed to be like her family. In the body of Romy she only ever had a mother, and she had passed away recently; it was because of this loneliness that she had always wanted to form connections with others, but her strong-willed and motivated nature ended up working against her.

'I have another chance. I will learn to work well with others.'

So, she steeled her resolve and called: "Ah wait! Before the two of you go, I realized something."

Both their gazes turned to look at her in anticipation for her to speak; Vincenzo standing with his arms crossed and his foot kicked out, resting on its heel, and Eleanore's hands clasped neatly together in front of her.

"Could you call me by name when we're alone?" Calluna was nervous to ask; she didn't know the customs of this strange land yet, but she desired to befriend them rather than keep them at arm's length as subordinates. It was easier to trust a friend than a colleague.

Eleanore only nodded her head in agreement, bowed slightly, and continued out the room with a smile. Calluna naturally turned to look at Vincenzo and awaited a response, but from the way he bit his lip to hide his smile only made her afraid he was just going to cause mischief.

"Sure," the man responded with a smirk and a cunning fire alight in his eyes, "but only if you call me V and I'm allowed to call you Luna."

"Didn't… didn't you say that you'd like to be called Vin or Vinny?" The girl frowned, the last part of the question escaping her in her brief confusion.

"I did," he chuckled, "but I changed my mind! It's a special nickname for only our dear Crown Prince Calluna to use."

"I suppose that would be alright. I will call you V."

"What about the second part of my deal? May I refer to you as Luna?"

A smile made way onto her face; the dryness of her lips made it a little uncomfortable but it still reached her eye. She had always liked the name Luna, and the fact that he had come up with it on his own without even knowing of her attachment was heartwarming.

"Sure."

"Alright, Luna. We've made a deal," he said, "but before I leave… Do you have any other questions? I feel like you've been taking everything in stride for someone with amnesia?"

"Ah- I…" Calluna stuttered, looking down. She had lots of questions, but didn't want to ask them. Being overly independent had always been one of her biggest flaws, but since she wasn't in her own body she couldn't exactly explain that to him.

He looked at her and waited for her to think of something, seeing that she was stumbling on her words. Vincenzo didn't rush her at all, which made her relax a bit and gave her enough time to fish the questions from her mind. There was one that she definitely needed to ask, so she looked back up at him and queried:

"How does… becoming the king even work?"

"I was wondering when you'd ask," he replied, sitting at the edge of her bed and making eye contact. "It's a bit of a complicated process. Since you declare yourself King and Lukas has no objections, you are now the Crown Prince. Your coronation will be held soon, I'm sure that the judiciaries will decide the date for you; but it won't be sooner than a month away, which is good for you since there's a lot you need to learn.

You'll still be acting as king, making final decisions and whatnot, since the monarchs are dead; there will just be a bit more hand-holding for the first several weeks."

"I see…" Calluna spent a moment digesting the new information he gave her. It was good that she wouldn't become king immediately, and she desired to get to know the kingdom before ruling it.

'It can't be much different than running a business, right?...' She thought, trying to console herself.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Please try to get some rest, there's a lot we need to do in the coming weeks! If you need anything or are in pain, ring the bell Ella left on your nightstand. She will come running," Vincenzo added quietly after a brief silence.

"Goodnight, V." Calluna said, testing the way his new name rolled off her tongue. It was easy, she liked it.

"Night, Luna."

The sound of the wooden door closing indicated that she was alone once again. She let herself lie back on the mound of pillows Eleanore had brought for her, and released a big sigh that she had been holding. With the excitement of the day now over, Calluna found herself looking out the nearest window.

The sun was set behind a distant mountain range, but still cast a purple twilight into the bedroom. Everything was serene, beautiful; a hundred metaphors and a thousand poems could hardly describe the surreal feeling that began to blossom in Calluna's chest.

Becoming Royalty, having a family, living in a castle. It was something out of a fairy tale, and it's every young girl's dream to have such a life.

"So why does it hurt so badly?" The young blonde woman asked herself aloud, tears welling in her good eye. It wasn't long before she brought a pillow to her face and began to sob, all of the mixed emotions that had been pushed aside bursting uninhibited.

She missed life back home, the people that she knew, and all of the accomplishments that she had made. It felt as though her life had been stolen from her, but at the same time it filled her with a foreign sense of excitement at the possibilities of this new world.

Calluna fell asleep like that with feelings spilling from her amber eye and decorating her silk sheets. Feeling both agony and bliss, the tempestuous waves tumbling within pulled her unconscious mind through confusing happiness for the rest of the night.