CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Morgan noticed that Bjorn's eye bags are gone.
"Have you been sleeping well?" Morgan asked him. Bjorn glanced sideways at him but did not answer. Morgan shrugged his shoulders, since he was used to being ignored by the Captain.
"This armor and cape must be really expensive," Morgan wondered as he stared down his clothes. The king specifically assigned a designer for both Bjorn and Morgan since they will be escorting the royal siblings to the party.
Morgan is wearing a copper colored chest plate with the rerebrace and pauldron. An ochre colored cape dripped around his shoulders and is clipped together with a pin that had the kingdom's military crest.
Bjorn wore something similar. His armor was silver and a black cape draped over only one side of his shoulder, covering his other arm. Weapons are not allowed in the party so they can't bring swords or daggers or any sharp objects.
"Sir William," Bjorn bowed his head in respect when William arrived. He nodded at Morgan and Bjorn and stood beside them at the foot of the stairs waiting for the siblings to come down.
"Tatiana, walk faster! We're going to be late!" Elliot ran down the stairs. As William walked toward the stairs to greet the prince.
"Prince, you should not run down the stairs like that. It is dangerous."
"I'm sorry, William," Elliot immediately apologized.
"No worries, your highness."
"Elliot! Wait for me! Why is it so hard to walk in this dress!"
They still can't see Tatiana yet but they could already hear her loud voice complaining.
"This is why I told you to sleep early, your highness," Emma's voice echoed, "you are very hard to wake up. Manuel did not have the time to make the necessary revisions."
"I know!"
Elliot looked up to Bjorn and grinned at him, "my sister is really pretty today. You won't even recognize it's her."
Bjorn went back to looking at the stairs when Tatiana walked over to the edge. He was used to her wearing dazzling and beautiful outfits since they both grew up together and attended formal events. Seeing her in another dress won't surprise him anymore.
But he was wrong this time.
Tatiana walked down the stairs wearing a violet colored satin dress that contrasted her bright red hair that is braided around her head like a crown. Strands of curled hair dropped on the sides of her face which made it look even smaller.
Her lips were the color of sakura flowers when they are in full bloom and the lashes around her emerald green eyes became defined. Her cheeks were slightly blushed and the earrings dangled off of her ears and glimmered every time light reflected on it.
The shoulders drooped low on her arm exposing her shoulder blades and neckline. The corset fitted her waist which shaped into a V then became wide at her hips.
"Wow," Morgan breathed. He forgot that Tatiana was a princess since was always running outside in a simple dress. Now that she's all dressed up, he feels more distant.
Bjorn swallowed hard. Tatiana had that effect on him. He never once looked at her like he does not. It was like there was a glowing halo behind her that shined when she moved closer. He immediately looked away from cursed light.
"You look beautiful," William complimented her as he received her hand when she took the last step down.
"Really?" Tatiana asked and felt conscious in her own body, "I thought that this isn't my style but Manuel said that it would suit me. It's also tight around my waist, I don't know if I could eat enough at the party."
William smiled at the princess and assisted her to the carriage, the others followed. Once they were settled in, they waved goodbye at William and Emma.
"I can't breath," Tatiana complained as she shifted uncomfortable in her seat. She was trying to reach the tie of her corset at the back to make it looser around her abdomen.
"People who invented corsets are a menace to society," she complained but imagined Emma telling her that it's a blessing that will make many men kneel before women.
"Tiana, I don't think it's a good idea to do that. None of us here know how to tie it back and both Sir Bjorn and Sir Morgan are uncomfortable." Elliot told her.
That's when she realized that they weren't the only ones in the carriage. Bjorn and Morgan were sitting on the bend across them while Tatiana was struggle to untie her corset.
Morgan was looking at the window when his ears were blazing red while Bjorn closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Tatiana froze and her face heated up.
"I totally forgot," she whispered and cleared her throat. "So, why is Bjorn with us when Morgan alone can come?"
"Morgan is not ordained to be your personal knight yet. And you won't be debuting into society for the next four months," Bjorn answered, "And I am the captain of the knights. Who would you think the king would entrust his children to?"
"And Tiana's fiancé," Elliot added. "Though lately Tatiana keeps on complaining the she wants to call off theâ"
Elliot was not able to finish his sentence since his sister immediately covered his mouth and grinned at Bjorn. She looked at Elliot with wide eyes until Elliot nodded.
"Did you finish reading the books I gave you?" Tatiana asked him, changing the topic.
Elliot nodded, "most of the books were poorly written and are not backed up by facts but it was fun to read. I like the story of the little prince the most."
"Those were just cheap books from the book sale so it makes sense that you wouldn't enjoy it as much." Tatiana answered and nodded her head in agreement.
"What did you think of the other book? About the girl who lived an ordinary life?" Tatiana chose that book so that Elliot would have an idea what it's like to live as a commoner in this world. When she first read it, she cried a lot and then got angry and then laughed.
"I liked that too. I was amazed at how a single bread could feel a family of five. But I wonder why her mother's hand got cut off for not paying the debt."
"Hmm?" Tatiana turned deaf. She never read that part of the book.
"And her sister was sold to a brothel because they had no foodâ"
"Elliot," Tatiana called him, "was that the book I gave to you? I don't remember reading those parts."
"Oh," Elliot said, "it was a second volume where their lives went down."
"Huh?" Tatiana's forehead creased, "Iâthere was a second volume?"
"Yes."
Bjorn and Morgan stared at siblings with awe in their faces. They did not understand a thing from what the siblings were talking about. It was like a foreign language to them. They knew how to read and write but not to that extent where they both discuss societal issues that surround the kingdom and lives of its people.
They could also see how the siblings' attachment with each other grew and how far they have come. It all started with Tatiana ignoring her brother's existence and Elliot's desperate plea that his sister many one day notice him.
Tatiana smiled at his brother and caressed his cheek. The side that the queen slapped. When that incident happened, she realized why the original Tatiana did not acknowledge her brother's existence.
If she loved and treated him the way he is being treated now, Elliot will get hurt for being with his sister and he might someday be used against her. The best possible solution for her back then was to ignore him like he did not exist in this world.
She started to think that Tatiana was not a bad person after all, just misunderstood. She did not know that there are other ways to solve the problem without anyone getting hurt. Maybe that's why the fake Tatiana was brought to this world, to change her mistakes and look for the best solutions.
"If you get a girlfriend, you should introduce her to me first," Tatiana joked and messed up her brother's hair.
"What's a girlfriend? A female acquaintance?"
"Pfft" Tatiana burst into laughter after hearing the term. She shook her head and said, "no, uhh, a lover. Male or Female, I don't mind."
Elliot's face turned red and his eyes widened.
"I'm too young for that!" he said and covered his face with his hands, "I don't even have a female acquaintance!"
Tatiana laughed once again and patted his back.
"Don't worry, we have Morgan and Bjorn to teach you all about the ladies," she said and turned to them.
They sat there clueless about what the princess was talking about and when they realized it, their faces turned red and they looked away in embarrassment.
"Eh?" Tatiana tilted her head, "you-you never had girlfriends before?"
None of them answered.
"Oh my gosh," Tatiana started laughing again. All of the boys looked at each other then looked away out of humiliation.
"As if you have a lover before," Elliot said then turned to Bjorn, "Bjorn doesn't count because he doesn't like you back."
Tatiana stopped laughing. The carriage turned silent with awkwardness but Tatiana cleared her throat.
"Bjorn can call off the engagement if he wants to," Tatiana said, "also, I had a boyfriend before"
She lifted her chin with pride and crossed her arms.
"You're lying."
"No, I'm not," Tatiana insisted. She remembered the boy he had a crush on way back elementary. They dated for two days and held each other's hands for at least two minutes. They never talked to each other again after that but they occasionally played with each other at the school's playground.
"Then when did you have a boyfriend then?" Elliot challenged her, "you've been engaged to sir Bjorn ever since you were ten."
"I had a boyfriend when I was nine!"
"Who was it?" Bjorn suddenly asked, "was it the son of the duke that kept following you around?"
Tatiana shook her head and smiled dreamily while looking outside of the carriage window and said, "he was cute too. And he once gave me a ring from that toy that had a candy on top of it and then we held hands for two minutes."
"Butâ"
"Excuse me," the coach man peeked through the small window. "We've arrived."
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END