WISH TO BELONG

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: A ROYAL AFFAIR ~ RUTH BARRETT]

"Princess Oriana," a maid called after the small girl of about eight years old, who was hiding behind the clear garden. It was a game of hide and seek, but the maid could see the princess clearly. She had to pretend not to see her to avoid breaking the girl's little heart.

"Where are you, Princess Oriana?" the maid said, checking everywhere except where the girl was hiding.

Oriana giggled, covering her face as if all she needed to hide was her face and not her entire body. It was the innocence of a free-spirited little princess who had nothing to worry about.

"I'm coming to get you!" the maid shouted with her back facing the girl and her hands clasped together.

Oriana took a step back, still sitting on her heels. She brought her hand down from her face, looking for another place to hide. When she got to her feet, she started walking close to one of the trees.

"Boo!" The maid ran in front of the girl, startling her.

"Ah!" Oriana gasped, losing her balance as she wasn't expecting the maid to show up in front of her. This caused her to graze her hand on the sand, resulting in a small cut.

But it didn't faze the girl; she continued laughing, her childish giggles enveloping the garden. She was having the best time of her life.

The smile on the maid's face fell; it was only fun until the princess got hurt. This could lead to her losing her head if the king were to hear of it.

"I'm sorry, Princess. I deserve to die. I'm sorry," the maid, who was evidently older than the girl, got on her knees with her forehead touching the ground, begging for mercy.

Oriana cleaned her hand on her dress and reached for the maid. "Stop, I'm fine. It's just a little scratch. Nana said it's okay to fall; what's not okay is falling and not getting up." Saying this, the princess stood on her feet and brushed off her dress.

The maid had a pleased look on her face; she was glad this wasn't the first princess, as the entire kingdom would have gathered to console her screams.

"Thank you, Princess Oriana," the maid bowed deeply.

Oriana looked around, then tugged the maid's dress. "I've told you, Aunt Amara, you can call me Oriana when we are alone."

The maid furrowed her brows. "Please don't call me aunt. Your father would send me into exile if he hears of it." Worry marred the maid's face. She enjoyed the innocence of the little girl, but the world doesn't work that way. All humans are not equal in the society they live in, even if the age gap is large; it doesn't matter. A higher class is still a higher class.

In this little girl's case, it was even higher; she was not just anyone but a royal blood. The highest class in the Kingdom of Orion.

Oriana frowned. "Why can't I call you aunt? You cook for me, clean for me, and brush my hair. That's what aunts do. When I go for my etiquette class, I hear other girls talk about their aunts. Why can't I have one?" Her voice turned sad.

Despite being afraid of losing her head, seeing the girl sad caused the maid's heart to break.

She looked around, then got on her knee. "Shh, it's okay. When we are alone, you can call me aunt, but make sure you don't do it in front of people, especially your sister, okay?" Amara asked, rubbing the little girl's hair gently.

"Yes, yes!" Oriana's face brightened; the innocent smile returned to her face again as she clapped her hands excitedly.

"Promise?" The maid brought out her pinky finger and locked it with that of the princess.

"What is going on here! How dare a lowly maid touch the hair of a princess!" The little excitement was killed off when the voice of the first princess was heard.

The maid quickly got to her feet with her head deeply bowed. She greeted.

"Greetings, Princess Sophie."

The princess rolled her eyes. "That wasn't my question. Why were your filthy hands on my sister's hair?" She asked, her eyes narrowed.

The maid fidgeted, trying to make a good statement but not lie. "I-it was..."

"Sister, don't scare her. She was only helping me to arrange my hair after the wind ruffled it," Oriana spoke up to defend her maid.

But her elder sister didn't buy it; she sucked her teeth. "Did she now? Then if the wind was too strong, she should have taken you back inside, unless she wants you to get sick," she said in reply.

"I'm sorry, My princess. I've committed a great offense." The maid got down on her knees and apologized.

Oriana twitched her lips; she didn't like that her maid was being treated this way. As young as she was, she believed that maids are humans too.

"It wasn't even an offense. Stand up," Oriana tried to help her maid up.

Her sister stopped her by pushing her hand away, touching the small cut she had earlier.

"Don't even do that. I see that the governess in charge of you is failing in her duties. And how many times have I told you not to call me sister? It's Princess! And when I become the Crown Princess, you call me Her Highness!" The older princess scolded, with a frown on her face.

Oriana took a step back. "I'm sorry," she apologized. When she felt her hand sting, she scrunched her face in pain but tried to hide it from her sister.

"What is it?" Princess Sophie asked with a frown, walking closer to her younger sister she raised the hand she was hiding.

"Who did this to you!" Sophie turned to the maid who was still on the ground.

"You even went as far as to harm royal blood!" She raised her voice as if attracting the attention of their parents.

Oriana shook her head. "She didn't know I fell; the wound is not from today."

Sophie walked to where the maid was kneeling and pushed her. "You've even imbibed the art of lying to the princess."

Oriana ran to defend the maid, who did nothing but stay quiet. "She didn't do it!"

"What is going on here?"

Everyone bowed when they heard the king's voice from behind.

Oriana cowered in fear, her hands trembling beside her when she heard her father's voice.

"Your Majesty," Sophie bowed like a dutiful daughter. Then she pointed at the maid.

"This maid here deserves to be punished to teach others a lesson. Not only did she leave Oriana outside, but she also taught her how to lie," the girl explained.

If it was just with her sister, Oriana would have tried to defend the maid. But her father was a different case; she couldn't find her voice.

"Is that true, Oriana?" Her father's deep voice reverberated, sending a cold chill down her spine.

Oriana gulped, her face down. She wasn't able to say anything.

"How many times have I told you that a royal seed must always keep her head up." The King's voice thundered. "Do you not learn anything from your sister?" He questioned.

The girl flinched in fear, taking a step back while her elder sister raised her head up with pride.

Turning to the maid, the king ordered."Send the maid to the dungeon, give her the punishment she deserves and replace her from serving Oriana."

Oriana wanted to protest, but she couldn't. This was her father she was talking about. A man she couldn't even look in the face, the King of Orion.

"You're really the bad sheep of the family, learning nothing from your elder sister" Her mother spat following her husband behind as they left the place.