Chapter 25Amelia
Chapter 25
Amelia
Well, what a to do! Your royal correspondent is positively pulsating with exclusive news that will make your royal-watching hearts soar.
Princess Amelia has finally returned to the palace after her mysterious absence, just in time for tonight's Summer Ball.
After my bombshell revelation about Prince Max's suspicious yellow Ferrari sighting (you're welcome, readers), Princess Amelia was spotted in tears being escorted from a town festival by none other than her Brother in Shining Armor, looking decidedly un -festive.
Even more scandalous? She was dressed all in black, making her look more like a goth at a funeral than a happy festival goer.
And yet more scandalous? The tall, handsome man dressed as a goth she was seen canoodling with has been identified as none other than Ethan Roberts, star of the American fantasy series, It Came One Winter .
Be still my beating heart.
Talk about a royal-Hollywood liaison that would utterly tantalize even the most cynical among us.
What will happen now that the two alleged lovers have been forcibly separated?
Will King Frederic ban all Netflix subscriptions at the palace in retaliation?
And will our Amelia ever get all that dreadful goth eyeliner off?
Stay tuned, my devoted readers. Answers will follow as soon as this royal correspondent uncovers them.
Fanning herself with Summer Ball invitations,
Fabiana Fontaine xx
#MadMaxOnAMission
#PrincessReturned
#GrabTheMakeupRemover
I haven't slept. I've barely eaten. My mind is a battlefield, two sides fighting it out, both determined they’re in the right.
The last eighteen hours have been a blur.
Max arriving at the lake, whisking me away.
His insistence that I do not return to the lake house, leaving my belongings behind.
The short flight on the royal jet back to Villadorata.
The way the palace feels both familiar and suddenly alien.
The realization that I may be back where it all began but I can never go back to the person I was before.
And now, being in the family drawing room with Max, Sofia, and my parents, all watching me with concern in their eyes.
Memories of last night fill my mind. Ethan and I together, enjoying the festival, sharing crêpes by the lake. Ethan telling me he loves me. Me telling him I love him back.
Ethan.
I look down at my hands in my lap. Gone are my Montelac clothes: my goth outfit and comfortable shoes. Instead, I'm in my “off duty royal” outfit, the clothes acting like a straitjacket.
“We are so grateful that you were there, Max, but the fact you had gone to visit your sister without telling us?” Father replies.
“I know. I should have told you. But I thought I was doing the right thing by Ami. She asked me not to say anything to you, and I was respecting that because I understand why she wanted to escape for a while. The moment I learned Fabiana Fontaine was at the festival, I headed back as soon as I could. That woman has a lot to answer for.”
“But don't either of you see? This entire thing was utterly foolhardy. You could have been hurt. Or worse.” Mummy’s voice cracks as she speaks, her hand flying to her mouth.
Max bows his head. “I know. It was irresponsible and I apologize.”
Mummy purses her lips and nods, and I can tell she's only just holding back a flood of emotion.
“It's a good job we knew where you were all along, Amelia, even if we didn’t know about the filming,” Father says.
My jaw drops. “How did you know where I was?”
“You might have invested in a ‘burner phone,’ as they call it, but we had palace security following you when you spent a day in Tleurbonne, and then on the train to the coast. We had to scramble when we saw that you took a helicopter of all things to Montelac, but we followed you there, too.”
My heart sinks to my toes. “So I never really escaped.”
“As I said to Sofia when she left the palace herself, you are a member of our family and you are important. You need protection, whether you like it or not.”
I lift my eyes to Sofia’s and see concern etched on her face. “I’ve been so worried about you, Ami.”
I want to yell that I didn't need their protection, that I could look after myself, but I know that Ethan stepped in to save me more than once. If he hadn’t been there? I don’t even want to think of what might have happened.
“You're both grown-ups. We understand you're not children anymore. But you need to accept that you're not normal people, either. You are royalty, and with that comes a different set of rules,” Father says, his tone harsh.
“I know. I won't do such a thing again. You have my word, Father,” Max replies.
Father turns his attention to me. “Amelia? What do you have to say for yourself?”
I take a breath and lift my eyes to his. Swallowing, I prepare to recite the words I've practiced in my mind. “I know what I did was both inexcusable and foolish. I deceived you in pretending I was going to India with Stefania. She had no idea of my plans. The only person I told was Max, and I only told him because I thought I needed a safeguard in case anything went wrong.”
“Which it did,” Father says, his features pinched.
“It did,” I confirm, my heart aching. “I know I did wrong, and I accept full responsibility for my deception. I'm prepared to face whatever consequences you deem appropriate.”
The room falls into silence, and I return my attention to the clasped hands in my lap, my heart sinking like a heavy brick, settling in my belly.
“You do remember that I left the palace myself and no harm was done,” Sofia says, coming to my defense.
“You needed to be pointed in the right direction, darling,” Mummy says. “You were planning on marrying a man you didn’t love. We needed to help you see what true love was.”
“But can’t you see this might be the same thing for Ami?” She turns to me. “Because you love him, don’t you?”
I nod, my throat tight. Because I do love Ethan. I know we had a moment of doubt during the chaos at the festival, but that’s all it was. A moment. I love him and I trust him. Wholeheartedly.
“Why did you do it? Why did you leave?” Mummy asks, her voice small.
“Because I wanted to experience life beyond the confines of the palace walls, beyond all the rules that go with being me. I wanted to live, really live.” I take a breath. “I know you won’t understand, but I knew I couldn't do what I wanted to do as Princess Amelia. I needed to escape my everyday life, so I could have that experience. I got to do things I never would have done, experienced life as a regular person, extracted the joy out of little things.”
My heart aches as I picture Ethan in his pink Francine’s apron, his smile lighting up his face, the deep pools of his eyes sparkling—with love.
Love for me .
I escaped my life and fell deeply in love with the worthiest of men.
A man who, the last time I saw him, questioned whether I had betrayed him.
Pain twists in my belly.
I look down, my shoulders slumped, defeated. “I know you won't understand.”
“And what of this Ethan Roberts?” Father questions. “An actor who had cameras recording your every move. When we learned about that?—”
“Don’t blame Ethan!” I say with gusto. “I know he had nothing to do with the filming. He was just as shocked as I was with what we discovered. And besides, he helped me more than once, starting on that first day when he saved me from the con man.”
Mummy sucks in air as Father harrumphs.
“It's not exactly reassuring that you willingly went to a house with a strange man who rescued you from a con man , Amelia,” he scolds.
“You weren’t there. You don't know. Ethan is the kindest, most genuine?—”
“Most duplicitous man you have ever had the misfortune to meet! A man who double crossed you to take advantage of your status as a princess to make a quick buck,” Father spits.
“No! He would never do that. It was Fabiana Fontaine and … and … some other people,” I insist, not having any clue who the other people might be but knowing, as I know myself, that Ethan would never do anything to hurt me, let alone exploit me for notoriety or financial gain. “Ethan made me feel like he saw me, really saw me. Not as Princess Amelia. Not as a member of the royal family. But just as me .” I press my hand to my heart, looking imploringly at my parents.
There was truth in all of it. I know there was.
Father paces the room and comes to a stop in front of me. “We didn't realize how unhappy you were, Amelia,” he says in a tone so much softer than I was expecting that it brings tears to my eyes, my throat tight.
“I was unhappy, but this time away has shown me that I’m capable of so much more than just cutting ribbons and being a figurehead of charities. I can do more. I can be more, and with your help, I’d like the chance to show you and the country who I really am.”
My parents share a look.
“I think we understand, darling. It’s not easy being a member of this family,” Mummy says.
I press my lips together, holding back my tears at the unexpected understanding.
Father says, “Let us bring more meaning and purpose to your role. We can make adjustments to your royal duties. We can find you more substantive charitable work, something you can be passionate about.”
Astonished, I reply. “I … I have some ideas of my own.”
I’d expected punishment, to be well and truly told off, and deservedly so. Not this. Not understanding .
Mummy moves to sit next to me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “We love you, darling. We want the best for you.”
Her touch opens the floodgates, the tears I’ve been holding back for so long now falling freely down my cheeks.
“Oh, Ami,” Sofia says, coming to sit on my other side and taking my hand in hers. “It will all be okay. You’ll see,” she soothes.
“As members of the royal family, we all share responsibilities,” Father says. “We will do what we can to accommodate your wishes, Amelia, on one condition.”
I know what his condition will be before the words even leave his mouth.
My already sunken heart sinks further, hitting the floor with a thud.
“As long as you have nothing further to do with that actor,” he says.
“But Father,” I begin only for him to cut me off.
“That man participated in filming you without your consent. He exploited your position, Amelia. If we had known about it, we would have pulled you out of that town immediately. I cannot countenance you having any contact with him whatsoever from this day forward.”
I rise to my feet and take a breath, resolved, empowered by my new sense of self-worth, my new sense of who I am as a human being. “Ethan loves me, and I love him. That I know is true.”
“You cannot see him,” Father says, his nostrils flared.
I clench my hands at my sides.
I am Princess Amelia. I am a strong woman in charge of my own destiny. I may be part of this family, I may have a royal duty, but that will not stop me from being the person I’ve become.
I don't care if Father forbids me to see Ethan again. I've never been one to do as I was told. Not without a fight, anyway.
And I'm not going to start now.
How many times in your life do you get to feel the kind of love Ethan and I share?
I’m not going to allow it to slip through my fingers.
“I can’t accept that, Father. Ethan has taught me what love is. He’s taught me that if you love someone, truly love someone, you let them be who they are. You support them in whoever it is they choose to be. I’ve been put in a box, labelled as a princess since the day I was born. And I thought that was my destiny and there was nothing in my power to change it. Ethan helped me see that I can be more than just that label. I can be me .”
“You can be you without that actor,” he replies.
According to my father, Ethan is the villain of my story, and there’s no changing his mind.
“Ethan seemed to me like he had Ami’s best interests at heart, Father. I saw him arguing with that Fontaine woman and the producer. He was as blindsided as Ami was,” Max says.
I throw him a grateful smile.
“Ami might be impetuous at times and loves to break the rules, but it seems to me she’s fallen in love with this man, and he reciprocates that love,” Sofia says.
Both my siblings’ support falls on deaf ears.
“We will support you in a new role, Amelia, but that’s where it ends,” Father says. “Now, we must all prepare for tonight’s ball.”
I look into his eyes and see his commitment to his words. “In that case, Father, you leave me no choice. I know Ethan is true and that he had nothing to do with the filming. I love him and he loves me. If you can’t accept that, then I will be forced to pack my bags and leave to find him.”
“Amelia!” Mummy exclaims.
“I will attend the ball tonight, but after that, I will go,” I say, the reality of my words hitting me with brute force.
I’ll be leaving my family, my home, my life.
But I’ll be leaving it to find the man I love, the man my parents misguidedly see as the villain in my story. The man I know is true.
Ethan is not the villain. He’s the hero.
“But darling, what if you’re wrong? What if he was involved in filming you? What then?” Mummy asks.
I shake my head, confidence in who Ethan is hardening my resolve. “He won’t be. You’ll see.”
Father studies me for a beat. “Don’t leave. We’ll invite him here to the palace. We can meet with him and he can explain himself.”
The tension I’ve been carrying around with me since last night at the lake lifts, my heart filling with hope. “Then you’ll see that he’s not the man you think he is. You’ll see that he’s a good man, the best man, and I cannot believe my luck that he’s fallen in love with me.”
Father frowns, his lips pulled into a thin line. “We’ll see about that.”
I lift my chin and smile at him. “Yes, Father, we will.”
* * *
A couple of hours later, I make my way to the ballroom in my red satin gown that sweeps the floor, silver embroidery like feathers climbing up toward the fitted bodice that hugs my waist, emphasizing the fullness of the skirt. My hair is swept up, and on top of my head sits a sparkling tiara, my face fully made-up, my lips glossy red.
Anyone would feel regal in this dress. Powerful. Beautiful.
I’m announced and join the ball, smiling and greeting our guests like I’ve been trained to do all my life.
“Good evening, your Royal Highness,” a man says as he bows before me. Looking up, I recognize him as Victor, the Duke of Carmania, a man I have suffered through several balls with, and a man who loves to drone on and on about his horses.
“Hello, Victor,” I say with a fake smile.
“I must say it's jolly good to have you back in the fold where you belong. A fine filly like you shouldn’t be let loose to roam the countryside.”
“Thank you,” I reply, ignoring the fact he just referred to me as a horse.
“I heard you were working at a café of all places, serving people drinks and food. Surely that’s not true? A princess serving others? It's unconscionable.”
I think of Francine’s and how happy I was there, waiting tables and folding napkins and dancing with mops with Ethan at my side.
I lift my chin and reply, “That's right. I did work at a café, Victor.”
He gives a derisive snort, his top lip curling in judgement. “Wasn't that a little beneath you? You're a princess, not a common worker.”
I picture Francine’s with its extreme amount of pink, like a big fluffy marshmallow. I picture the people I worked with, Francine and Pierre, the regulars that came in, always with a smile and a happy hello.
But mostly I picture Ethan, in his goth costume with a pink, frilly apron tied around his waist. How he knew how to use that espresso machine. How he took to being a barista so easily even though he had found fame as an actor. He didn't think working in a café was beneath him. Not for one minute.
“Actually, Victor, working in that café was the most rewarding thing I've done in my entire life.”
He blinks at me as though I've just told him that I am in fact an alien and I'm now going to suck his brains through a straw.
“And before you ask about Ethan Roberts—which I know you will, because everybody is talking about him and me and this town we lived in—I want you to know that he had nothing to do with the filming, and that he's the best man I have ever, ever known.”
He opens his mouth to reply when there’s a sudden commotion and whispers ripple through the crowd.
“What’s going on?” Victor asks, clearly unimpressed.
And then the guests part and my heart stops as I look across the room. Standing in the doorway, inexplicably here at the palace, at this ball, is Ethan.
My Ethan.
Our eyes lock across the crowded room and everything else fades away.
He came for me. Ethan came for me .
My eyes slide over him as he takes his long-legged stride across the room, aiming for me. He's wearing a black dinner suit with a white shirt, the standard uniform of men at these events, but on him it looks beyond debonair, a handsome vision in formal attire.
When he comes to a stop, his eyes are focused solely on me with such intensity it feels like my heart has stopped.
“You're here,” I breathe.
“I couldn't stay away.”
He came for me.
“How- how did you get in?” I ask, knowing these are invitation-only, exclusive events, and there’s no way Father would have allowed Ethan on the list.
“Max,” he replies simply. “Ami,” he says and there is such a depth of emotion in the way he utters my name that all I want to do is throw myself into his arms and tell him I love him again and again and again, never letting go.
Instead, with my heart beating like a drum, I simply stare at him.
“I had to come back for you. I love you,” he says.
“I love you, too, and I'm sorry I let even the tiniest amount of doubt creep in. I trust you and I love you and everything between us has been true. Everything. I promise you that.”
“I'm sorry, too. I accused you of something you're totally innocent of and I've been kicking myself ever since because I let you go.”
“Amelia!” Father's voice cuts through our moment, his face is like thunder, his anger barely contained.
Max appears at his side, his eyes darting between Ethan and me.
“Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness,” Ethan says as he bows. “Please forgive the intrusion.”
Someone has learnt his royal protocol since I last saw him.
“I'll do more than forgive it. I'll have you thrown out!” Father exclaims, and if they weren't watching us before, every person stops and stares to see what will happen when the actor meets the King.