To Be A Princess (court life)

17- Apology

Rose' POV
"Rose, how was your night?" Catherine exclaimed, gushing with excitement as I threw the double doors leading into my room open. She gasped as she took in my shaken form.
"Oh, have you been crying?" She asked, concern coating her delicate facial features.
No. I shook my head. I didn't cry. I would never cry.

But here I was, crying. I, Rosalind Ravenswood, was crying. 

"I never cry. Lady Rosalind Beatrice does not cry." I stated. Catherine giggled quietly.
"Dear Rosie, everyone cries."
"But not me!" I exclaimed, breaking down into more tears.

We continued our conversation, her questioning me as to what was wrong and me refusing to answer. She undressed me and I washed my face. The intricate hairstyle was undone and my nightgown put on. I crawled up to a chair by the fire and Catherine left at my insistence. She came back moments later with two hot chocolates in hand.

"I'm not going to tell you what's wrong, you know that." I said.
"Yes, of course I know that, you've told me already. I'm just here to support you because I can tell you are sad..." She hesitated before continuing her sentence. "...and that's just what friends do." I stood up at that moment and embraced her in a large hug. She regarded me as a friend? She smiled and sat down in the opposite armchair. We sat silently, sipping our hot chocolates. My body was in that armchair but my mind was elsewhere.

My thoughts were consumed with Theo. Or should I say Prince Adrian? I didn't know what was real anymore. He lied to me. This whole time he was the prince.
"How ironic." I thought to myself. I did just the same. Except I wasn't a prince, or a princess. I was a noble lady.

But the thing that destroyed me the most was how different Theo was. I thought I knew him. Sure, he was a tad arrogant and needed to get off his high horse, but he was kind, sweet, compassionate and caring. I thought back to our night spent in the secret passageways. How we laughed and danced. Tonight's dance was slightly different.

I pondered these thoughts for a while longer. Wondering how Theo could be so nice when he was then the Stableboy, yet so mean when he was Prince Adrian. And all the stories I'd heard about the prince, I know now that they were real. He was an arrogant monster. A spoilt prince. I was wrong about Theo.

After hours of thought, I decided something. Theo was dead to me. As far as I was concerned, he didn't exist. I wasn't friends with spoilt, nasty, little brats. I would simply ignore him for the rest of the season, and then leave this damned castle and return home to my revoltingly nasty governess and absent father. I sighed, my thoughts making me grow tiresome.

And then, I fell asleep.

Theo's POV

How could I? How could I make Rose upset? How could I have done that? Stupid Theo. stupid Theo. and she was a noble? She wasn't a maid? What? I did not understand. I could not possibly come to admit that we could have both been lying to each other about the same thing. I was so distraught at her leaving. And she hasn't left. That could have been perfect. Everything could have been perfect.

But it's not. I messed up. I shouted at her. I called her pathetic. I cared for her. And she probably hates me now. No, she definitely hates me. I'm such a screw-up. I can't believe myself.

I needed to make it up to her. I wanted to win her heart over again. But then again, why should I? She insulted me. She said crude things about me, not knowing I was he prince. She was arrogant and spoilt and stupid and ugh.

I hated her.

That was a lie.

But shouldn't she be the one to come crawling to me, her voice filled with apology? Shouldn't she be feeling sorry?