"In House Valerius, the rules of the table were absolute. As the youngest and the least important, Elanore was always expected to stay until the very end. She had to sit in silence, watching her mother talk about dresses and her father discuss politics, waiting for them to dismiss her. It was her duty to be the last one to leave."
But I'm done being an audience member.
"Excuse me," I say, my voice cool and steady as I stand up. The sound of my chair sliding back was like a thunderclap in the silent room. "I find that I am already quite full. My one-week rest has left me feeling a bit dizzy and tired. If you will excuse me, I shall return to my room."
I don't t wait for my father to nod. I don't look at Orlando for permission. I don't t even offer a thankful smile. I simply turn and begin to walk away. Because I can't stand their coldness anymore.
"Elanore!" My mother finally speaks, her voice sharp with genuine shock. This is the first time she has truly seen her daughter replying that way. "What is this? Back to your room? If you are truly unwell, then go, but... this is not how things are done."
"I apologise for my rudeness but I think you can forgive me once since I've been unconscious for a week and you are my mother. " I reply her with a confident and cold face . I think she understands what I mean by that . So I leave the room without saying anything more .
Behind me the dining hall remained frozen. For the first time in twelve years, the youngest had left the table first. The "Perfect Family" was left staring at an empty chair, and for the first time, the "Indifferent" mother and the "Strict" father realize they no longer hold the leash .
As soon as the heavy oak doors of my bedroom click shut, I dismiss the maids. "I wish to be alone," I order, my voice still sounding like the "Perfect Lady."
But the moment the maids are gone, the mask cracks .
"Ugh, finally!" I groan, clutching my stomach and collapsing onto the silk sheets. "That was so suffocating! I feel like I'm going to get indigestion just from the stress of that room. My stomach is already hurting."
I roll over, burying my face in a plush pillow. Back in my old life, I'd deal with a bad meeting by grabbing a quick snack and taking a nap. "If I stayed there one minute longer, I would have had a full-blown stomach ache. I need a nap just to recover from my own family." But I can't because I feel too anxious and feel like there is someone watching me over .
So I keep thinking about Elanore and before releasing it, it becomes quite late . Then the maids ask and serve my lunch at my room . So I've a quiet lunch in my room—thankfully away from Orlando's cold stares. But when night comes and it's time for the formal dinner, I walk back down to the dining hall, bracing myself for another battle.
I push open the doors, my heart thumping... but the long table is empty.
No Duke. No Duchess. No Orlando.
There is only the flickering candlelight and the sound of my own breathing. After the high drama of the morning, the silence of the night feel even stranger. Actually I lingered in my room until the clock struck a late hour. It's not like I was not hungry for the food; I just wanted some peace . I come to know that the Duke is likely buried in paperwork in his study, and Orlando has already retreated back to his Academy.
But the Duchess... Elanore's mother... was still a threat and I wanted to avoid her at all costs.
I intentionally waited, counting the minutes until I was sure the main dinner service was ending. I didn't want to sit across from a woman who had ignored Elanore's cries for help for twelve years. A mother who saw her daughter's "troubles" as a nuisance rather than a tragedy. So when I see the deserted dining hall, I feel relieved .
I eat my dinner in total silence, the only sound being the distant ticking of the clock. For the first time in my life, I enjoy the silence.
The maids are waiting when I return, moving like silent shadows to prepare me for sleep. They help me to get into a nightgown made of the finest, softest silk I'veever had . It's light it feels like wearing a cloud.
Looking at my reflection—the soft lace, the glowing skin, the beautiful room—I fell like I've stepped into the pages of a fairy tale. I look like a princess who should be loved by everyone. But as the maids bow and leave the room, the silence reminds me the truth.
"What a tragic life you had, Elanore", I wisper, sinking into the massive, comfortable bed.
"She had the finest clothes, but no one to tell her she looked pretty. She had the softest bed, but no one to tuck her in. She had everything that money could buy, but a "family" that was as cold as the stone walls of the palace. It was a beautiful life on the outside, but completely broken on the inside".
As I stare up at the canopy of the bed, my eyes grow sharp. The sadness for the "old" Elanore turn into a spark of fire.
"I won't let them keep doing this," I whisper into the dark room. "They think they can just ignore me until I disappear? No. I'm not the little girl who cries in the corner anymore. I'm going to change this. I'm going to change everything."
I close my eyes , the silk of the Valerius bed feeling like a soft cloud beneath me . The silence of this place feel absolute."I've set the stage", as my eyes are growing heavy I keep thinking. "I've shown them I'm not a child anymore. Tomorrow will be like today—I'll wake up, I'll face their cold stares at breakfast, and I'll keep building my new life. I just need to keep playing the part."
I feel a small sense of victory. I believe I understand the "Game of Valerius" now and I know exactly what to expect when the sun will rise.
But as I drift into a deep sleep, I've no way of knowing that my "predictable" new life is already over. I've no idea that while I'm sleeping, the wheels of a much bigger machine are turning.