Fatima: The Slave Princess

He walks across the long hall with a trail of guards and servants following him. The atmosphere in the lounge suddenly became stagnant as the bystanders bowed their heads and whispered quietly among themselves. He is the picture of perfection from head to toe, and I could not resist the urge to gawk in shock when our eyes met.

"You look as though you have seen a ghost, Fati." He said in a soft tone as he halted before me.

The people's gaze turned towards me while I struggled to wrap my head around the situation. At first, I thought he was merely posing as the crown prince, however, that does not seem to be the case based on everyone's reaction. To be honest, the glaring truth had always been laid bare in front of my eyes. Nathan, or rather Prince Nathaniel, has been the crown prince all along. Aside from the fact that he did not blatantly announce it to me, everything about him was different ever since we met. Besides, I can't even accuse him of deceiving me, since I myself am doing the very same thing, and I'm about to get caught.

"Your highness?" a female voice called from behind him.

She was incessantly tapping his shoulder, yet he remained motionless with his gaze focused on me. He was looking at me with expectant eyes, as though he wanted me to react in a certain way. 

"Haaa!" I sighed loudly.

"Ha? Is that all you wish to say to me?"

My mouth moved on its own, and I do not know how to rectify the disturbing noise it made. I meant to say 'Hello' but only the gibberish part came out. It seems I am still shaken. What should I do?

"Your highness, please turn around and face me." whined the woman, while she continued to tap on his shoulder.

He drew a frown on his face, let out a deep sigh, and swiftly turned  around to face her. Only then was I able to see who had been pestering him this whole time. It was none other than the woman we saw outside of the hotel earlier.

"At ease! You may all go back to your affairs."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" shouted the knights as they bowed to him.

They walked away together while she clung to his arm. He glanced back at me and let out a faint smile before shifting his gaze forward as he engaged in a conversation with the girl. It was the first time I had ever seen such a pleasant grin on his face. It's making my heart feel strange.

++++++

Ever since I was a child, the people at the palace treated me as the crown princess. My parents, as well as their subjects, all regarded me with great respect and affection. My father doted on me so much that he would often permit me to partake in important meetings while sitting on his lap. However, that only lasted until my brother was born. Everyone's attention suddenly shifted to him leaving me nearly isolated.

"Come Loraine, say hello to your little brother." 

I hated him the very first day I beheld the sight of him. I wanted him to disappear from the face of the earth for coveting what belonged to me. However, three years later, my mother gave birth again, and this time to a girl with silver hair and red eyes. She did not inherit father's blonde hair and blue eyes, nor mother's dark hair and brown eyes. Her features were so rare that the queen was instantly accused of promiscuity, which is illegal in Ecchelon. However, those allegations were soon proven wrong when a paternity test revealed she was indeed my father's child. 

Then on his tenth birthday, my brother was to be baptized as per custom. It was during this event that the priests discovered his special ability. At first, they thought he was a Sant; however, God's mark was nowhere to be found on his body. Based on his powers alone, he was instantly placed on a pedestal.

"All hail the future king of Ecchelon." cried the priests as they groveled at the child's feet.

From that day onward, my sole mission was to eradicate my brother. I was born first; so, it's only right that I inherit the throne. Because of the church's declaration, the king and queen had decided to officially appoint my brother as the crown prince before he came of age. Hence, three years later, my thirteen-year-old little brother's coronation day was upon us.

"Hold Charlotte's hand, Loraine, and do not let her wander. You know how friendly she is; therefore, you must not let her out of your sight under any circumstances. Understood?" 

"Yes, mother. You have said this countless times already." I grumbled in frustration.

"Today is a very important day for the royal family. Therefore, everything must be perfect."

Right…Everything must go according to plan.

"Sister, you're hurting my hand." She whined as she wriggled her tiny hand in my grasp.

She pulled so hard, she tumbled on the floor when I released her, which alerted the guards that were following us. Thankfully, we had already left mother's side and strayed into the nearby garden, so no one could hear her annoying wail.

"Are you quite through?" I questioned angrily.

She continued to cry while rubbing her eyes until a few maids came to escort her away. I hated how annoying she was, yet her existence did not pose a threat to me, so she was tolerable to a certain extent. As I admired the scenery of the yellow rose garden, an unexpected announcement reached my ears. When I rushed to the assembly hall where the supposed coronation was to take place, I was met with a commotion among the nobles.

'On his way back from parading the streets of the capital, the prince's carriage mysteriously caught on fire'. An accident in which he did not survive. This news shook the kingdom to its core and caused an unsurmountable amount of grief to the monarchs. 

A few years later, the throne was finally mine for the taking. That was until the wretched day that my little sister decided to save my life from the vicious bite of an aracnocrobe. As a result of successfully extracting the deadly venom from my body, she suddenly collapsed and was immediately taken to the temple. That is the day when the mark of God was discovered on her arm by the priests who were tending to her. 

-Present Time-

"Your highness, a small package has arrived for you. I shall place it on the dresser as usual." said the maid before scurrying out of the room.

"Ha! Right on time."

This little thing will decide the fate of my doubting parents today. 

+++++++

"Father, mother." 

My voice echoed in the air as I knelt before the king and queen. The guards were dressed in complete armor as they stood motionless on both sides of the throne room. The atmosphere here feels as intimidating as I remembered it from my youth. However, I am no longer the scared little princess I once was.

"Speak, princess." Scowled father while glowering at me.

It seems I came at a bad time; however, I cannot leave here without accomplishing what I set out to do. A few days ago, the queen went to visit the place where my sister's alleged corpse was being preserved. Although I gave specific orders not to let anyone in under any circumstances, they could not defy her command. I'm not sure what she saw, but I was told she was screaming so much that she had to be escorted out. She kept yelling that the corpse was fake, which aroused many suspicions. Even that of the king.

"I've brought something that will help us cope with my sister's passing. While our men were scouting the area where Char's body was discovered, they found this." 

I extended a piece of cloth containing Charlotte's amulet over to them with my head bowed. I forced myself to sound aggrieved, when in reality, I was laughing the entire time. The queen quickly rose from her seat and ran towards me, as the king followed her in haste. When she grabbed the necklace from my hands, I raised my head, only to be met with her tearful face. Father took the item from her hands and held it in the air, towards the reflection of the sun.

"Loraine." He called in a sinister tone.

"This pendant is a fake. How could you have been so easily fooled that you can't even recognize a replica?" he scowled angrily.