Courage

The sound of the silverware occasionally colliding with the ceramic plate as the Royal family ate together for breakfast in the grand dining hall was the only noise that could be heard.

The King and Queen were eating in silence. The display of mirth from last night's festivities had long left them.

Gwendolyn sat beside Ysabel while the latter sat across from her mother, who was always on the right side of the King.

Ysabel was resisting the urge to look at her parents. She concentrated on the food before her, trying to force her appetite.

She has yet to recover from yesterday's happening and how it all felt like a dream to her.

To add, the kiss she and Prince Hinrik had shared last night refused to leave her mind. The brief thought about him made the heat spread on her cheeks.

Ysabel reached for the napkin on her lap, ducking her head, pretending to dab her lips with it. She had eaten enough to fill her empty stomach and had no appetite to indulge more.

Clearing her throat, Ysabel lifted her head and looked at her father.

"Father," she began. "I had my fill. May I take my leave now?"

The King chewed on his food, finishing the content in his mouth before catching Ysabel's uncertain gaze.

He could tell from the way she had been sneaking glances at him and the Queen since yesterday that there was something bothering his daughter.

Reaching for the wine glass sitting close to him, the King took a sip and then put away the napkin on his lap. He got to his feet.

"So am I," gesturing for Ysabel, the King smiled. "Will you care to join me in my study, Ysabel? There's something we need to talk about."

Ysabel felt her heart skip a beat.

In her previous life, she had watched her father succumb to his sickness and finally died in his chamber when no one was looking.

Seeing him alive and well warmed Ysabel's heart, but also troubled her. If the events from where she came from were to be followed, her father's death was inevitable.

Unlike her mother's, the King's death was because of an illness.

Hence, Ysabel was hesitant to accept her father's invitation. She was afraid that he might ask questions she couldn't give him an honest response to.

It was eating at Ysabel's conscience.

"Go on, Ysabel," Queen Ercel spoke, distracting Ysabel's somber thoughts. She caught her mother's gaze, unable to defy her command. "Don't make your father wait."

Gwendolyn pushed back the chair he was sitting on. He then wiped his lips with the napkin on his lap, throwing it on top of the empty plate before him.

"I'm done now too," Gwendolyn bowed respectfully toward the Queen and the King. He then took his leave, his expression stoic.

Ysabel turned to her father, the King, who had extended his hand as he waited for Ysabel.

'What could possibly go wrong? Relax, Ysabel. Breathe.'

Ysabel took a deep breath. She then approached her father, taking his hand and letting him squeeze it gently.

"Don't wait for me, Ercel. But I'd be in my study should you need anything."

Ysabel watched her mother lower her head toward her father.

With a sigh, Ysabel let her father drag her out of the dining hall. Clasping her hand, the King let his gaze linger on the hallway straight ahead.

"Humor me, dear one," the King uttered, his voice sounding amused.

'Perhaps he would want to ask me about my thoughts regarding becoming Queen of Eyeris.'

Ysabel mused in her head.

The King had asked her almost every chance he would remember to share with him her feelings and opinion about her ascending to the throne after her father passed away.

"I had heard from the whispers in the palace about you and Prince Hinrik."

Not expecting her father's sudden interest in her love life, Ysabel's face had turned fifty shades of red.

She mumbled something which the King didn't catch. But he couldn't miss the embarrassment his daughter must be feeling.

'Forgive me for being nosy about the matter. But I have taken quite a liking to the young prince. Consider me intrigued by your relationship with him."

"Hinrik and I are nothing but acquaintances."

"Ah," the King didn't hide his disappointment. "But would you consider him to be a candidate to win your hand? Should the situation call for it?"

Ysabel paused, halting even the King from taking another step.

In her previous life, her father had asked her nothing of this matter. But he emphasized that a few months after her coronation, she must choose a qualified individual whom she deemed worthy to rule beside her.

The council was going to force her to find a potential candidate had she and Hinrik not been rumored to have something going on.

That was one of the things that remained unchanged despite Ysabel living in another lifetime, which she considered ridiculous.

If she had been her former self, it would have been a favorable happenstance. But Ysabel had more important things to do.

She had no time to fall in love or consider marriage.

"Is this the matter you wanted to discuss with me, Father?"

Ysabel looked the King in the eye. She enjoyed sitting down for tea or joining her father at the archery.

He was a great King. And for Ysabel, he had done his best to be a great father, too.

The King smiled, pulling both of Ysabel's hands to him. He held her gaze, looking at Ysabel intently.

"I want nothing but for your happiness, Ysabel. Prince Hinrik is a good man. If you like him and he feels the same way about you, I'll be at peace knowing you won't suffer the same fate as I. But please, don't think that I don't love your mother. I do. She is your mother, after all."

Ysabel looked away, gently pulling her hands free. She knew her father was being genuine with his words.

But this was not a matter of hers and Hinrik's feelings.

Besides, the King's words were lacking. He refused to add the 'but' that Ysabel did so for him.

"But," she uttered, slowly raising her head and looking at her father in the eye. "She wasn't like your first love. You say you love my mother, but your heart is screaming another name. I'm sorry, father."

Ysabel paused, finding conviction, before finishing her speech.

"But I have no intention of marrying anyone. I'm going to reign as a sole monarch. If anyone forces me to do so otherwise, I'd be happy to prove them wrong. I don't need a man to rule Eyeris. All I need is the courage to do it on my own."