Lucile/Azriel

𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐞

I've made a complete mess of my life in the last ten minutes. First, my brother ditched me and didn't take me to the event he was supposed to. And now, to add insult to injury, I was caught sitting in the lap of my worst enemy, Catherine, by my caregiver.

But it's unbelievable that instead of pushing me off, he held onto me. Maybe he was under the influence of drugs or something. With a sigh, I continue walking on this typically dreadful day. I head back to my room and lay down, finding solace in the only love of my life - my bed. I smile as I scroll through my phone, I have made a lot of friends though my father kept saying "don't be friends with commoners" like I listen to him.

When I woke up It was evening already. I missed all my lessons…I get up and look at the time

9:00 pm?! Why did no one wake me up?! This is a disaster! I hurry up and get ready for dinner….

"Why are you in such a hurry, princess?" I turned around to see who had addressed me. To my surprise, it was Duke Azriel.

"What brings you here?" I asked him curiously. He smirked and responded, "The prince requested my assistance in watching over you during the emperor and Prince Adrian's absence.

I swept my gaze across the area, searching for Catherine. Duke Azriel showed no sign of response.

"You should stop pestering her, princess. She's growing older. How is it that you manage to annoy everyone? Is it some kind of unique skill or inherited trait?' He chuckled at my expense.

I felt a pang of frustration."Be mindful of your words, Duke Azriel," I glare at him. "Oh… the princess is furious, I'm terrified she might attempt to stab me with that tiara," he mocks. I brush past him, exasperated.

He's nothing but a nuisance, bothering Audrey constantly with phrases like 'yes, Princess Audrey,' 'of course, Princess Audrey,' and 'gladly at your service, Princess Audrey.' He only knows how to just kiss some ass. Ugh….and now I am stuck with him, and Audrey If she didn't go. I walk out of my room just to find Catherine talking to Audrey…

Audrey and I were both raised by Catherine as my father is her legal guardian. I do hate Audrey a lot, but she didn't deserve being left out by her parents. they only wanted a son….which is why my father took her as his own. But…he never loved me the way he loved Audrey…I might got everything I loved but Audrey got all the love, father was never there on my birthdays…but he was always there on Audrey's birthdays….

I should stop thinking about old memories…but it just keep coming back. Every. Single. Day. I sigh and look away as I walked downstairs, Duke Azriel following me but his gaze on Audrey. I felt A pang of jealousy inside me before pushing it away. Why would I be jealous of these two stupids…as I almost walk out of the main door, Azriel held my arm, tightly.

"Where do you think you're going, princess." He glared at me.

"I'm going out for a night stroll. Let me go." I glared back. I hate it when someone glares at me.

"I am coming along"

"No."

"That was not a request, princess."

"But mine was an order" I smirked

"Who are you to order me around?" He scoffed at my response.

"I'm coming wether you like it or not."

"Fine." I roll my eyes.

𝐀𝐳𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥

As we strolled through the gardens, I kept my eyes on the princess. Though we nagged all the time, I must admit….she is beautiful. More than I thought she was.

I always saw her as a nuisance but maybe she is not that bad. Maybe we can be friends…

I push that thought aside. No. friends with her? I would rather die.

I continued walking as we reached the late Queen's personal garden…She loved roses it seems, the garden was beautiful ... .especially the roses…they seemed healthy till now ... .The princess sat on one of the benches in the garden and I kept my distance from her. I don't want to sit next to her. Well, she would get angry anyways, I had heard that the late queen was a kind person, but the princess doesn't appear that way to me. It's hard to believe she is actually the queen's daughter. As I stood there gazing at the roses, they exuded a freshness that seemed eternal. This sight reminds me of my own mother, and it brings to mind the painful truth that my father's betrayal cost her life. If only he hadn't betrayed her, she would still be here with us.

The princess appeared lost in her thoughts as I approached her from behind and softly asked, "What is causing the little princess's distraction?" Smirking, I locked eyes with her and noticed a subtle rosy hue flush across her pale cheek. Suddenly aware of our close proximity, my nose almost touching hers, I took a step back, feeling a blush tingling on my own cheeks.

"My apologies, princess," I murmured. Despite my aversion to apologising, there's just something about her that evokes a sense of guilt for every remark I make about her.

"It's alright," she said, looking at me. "I appreciate the apology."

I nodded, feeling slightly relieved. "I just want to make things right between us, princess."

She looked at me with a curious expression. "Why? We may not always agree."

I didn't have a clear answer to that question. It wasn't like me to care about what others thought of me, or try to befriend people I didn't like. But there was something about this princess that made me want to be better.I realised what I just said.

"Nevermind... I didn't mean that," I said, averting my gaze as the glimmer of hope faded from her eyes. I won't allow myself to be deceived by her manipulations. The princess remained silent, giving me a small nod before returning her attention to the roses. Sighing, I questioned why I even spoke up in the first place; feeling a hint of disappointment in myself.

A voice from the depths of my mind, which I didn't even know existed, yelled at me in disbelief, 'How could you be the cause of her sadness?'I looked up at the sky, wondering why I felt such sadness knowing that I was the cause of the princess's sorrow. It was Princess Audrey that I truly loved, not this spoiled princess before me. Without even realising it, a frown formed on my face. I resolved not to waste any more time on this princess and instead focus on finding a way to win over Princess Audrey. Once I accomplish that, I'll finally have the woman of my dreams.

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞.