Emelyn thought it would be a great idea to visit the castle. She told herself that she’d have to get used to the place she was going to live for her lifetime. Emelyn knew where her chambers were located, along with the garden and the Royal Counsel Room, yet she had a lot more to explore. The libraries, the throne room, the showers, for example. 

Even though she wasn’t really in love with the idea, she had to admit that it was necessary. Rather than spending her days alone in her room complaining about Edward, Emelyn asked Jack about it. 

“You have free access to everywhere around the castle, Your Majesty. Yet you can only go to The Prince’s chambers with written permission verified by the guards in front of his room. Except that, feel free to explore around the palace.” Jack told her with a smile, adjusting his suit. 

Emelyn didn’t really care about the information concerning Edward’s chambers, since she wasn’t going there in the first place. Well, not for now. If she needed valuable information to stab him in the back later, this would be useful. Emelyn played smart, not hard. She took her time and was always seeking a perfect opportunity. 

The princess wanted to visit the library-at least before their wedding. Books always held secrets and hidden truths that were hidden to the public, sometimes. The soon-to-be-queen thought they had their own little world that you could explore if you had the desire and the courage to see. Emelyn wanted to know the whole truth. She wanted to seek the prince’s weaknesses, for a delightful revenge. Being a royal implied a lot of rights. 

She thought about it as she walked through the walls, keeping a poker face on. “Sarah” greeted the maid when they walked by, forcing her identity. The princess was amused by how easily they were eating her lies. Her name wasn’t even Sarah, as they thought she was a regular citidian. 

Emelyn pushed the library door open and peeked her head out of the opening, looking around. The room was dusty, lit by the dim light. The shelves held an uncountable number of books, and even thought if they seemed ancient, they looked even more interesting. Emelyn closed the door as a smile creeped up her face, her dress swinging with the slight breeze. The soon-to-be-queen narrowed her eyes and walked to the windows, closing them one by one. 

“Are you searching for something, Your Majesty?” A voice to her left asked, as low as a whisper. She startled and lifted her chin, shifting to face that voice.  

She found a woman in her forties, wearing reading glasses as black hair fell down her shoulders. She had a piercing yet soft gaze, yet Emelyn couldn’t figure out her expression just yet. On her shirt, the woman had a nametag with the name “Britanny” on it- so the young princess thought it was her name. 

“Ah, hello Britanny, I am searching for a book concerning the royal family. Do you still have some in stock?” “Sarah” questioned as she forced herself to smile, walking over to the woman. She leaned her chest against the countertop and brushed a strand of hair away, hoping that gesture wouldn’t look flirtatious. 

“Hm, yes, let me check this out for you, Your Grace. Just for you to know, my name isn’t really Britanny; I'm Sabrina. It’s a long story, believe me when I say this.” Sabrina snickered as she pushed her glasses over the bridge of her nose, heading to the middle row. 

Emelyn stood there and watched around, feeling a bit suspicious of that woman. The fact that nobody else then her occupied this place, and that her so-called name wasn’t her actual one gave her second thoughts. Yet she had to admit that this was making her think of herself. Faking identities? That’s what she’s been doing all her life. Everyone considered her Sarah Gray when she was Emelyn Windsor, yet they never tried to verify. The young girl was glad they didn’t have any verifying systems, all over Kordania. 

Instead of finding out why, she preferred to mind her own business and hoped that it would stay the same. Sabrina’s hands wandered around the shelves as she crunched her nose, coughing a bit with the dust. Emelyn hesitated to come to help her with it and endure it, yet she knew that wasn’t what a princess would do. Sabrina was working for her, and she was probably used to it already. 

“Here is the Official Book of the Meyers’ Origin, the OBMO, Your Highness. Please handle it with care, it is an important book for us in Kordania, and we’d prefer it if you kept it unharmed, understood?” The woman spoke in a deep voice, as she handed the book over hesitantly, as if she was scolding Emelyn with the strength of her gaze. 

“Of course, I understand. I will make sure to return it with no scratches nor torn pages. I’ll return it in no time that you won’t even recognize that it was gone. Thank you for your service, Sabrina.” Emelyn reassured her with a nod as she grabbed it slowly, walking off. She held the book close to her heart and sighed softly, containing a smile. That’s it. She had the book of every single family member of the royal family, along with their weaknesses. That was way too easy for an important biography like this, she thought... 

*** 

When she finally entered her chambers and closed the door behind her, Emelyn felt like she could finally breathe. She buried the book into a shleve in her night table, giggling softly.The young princess sat on her bed, noticing a small note on it. Her eyes narrowed as she bit her lip, knowing well it was a message from Anastasia, her personal maid. Emelyn couldn’t help but feel a wave of annoyance at the constant reminder of the true Kordanian royal family, the ones she hated the most. Yet she took herself in that messy adventure, and there was no going back. She knew that feeling wasn’t good, so she brushed it off. 

The soon-to-be-queen took a deep breath and opened the letter, reading it out loud, trying not to react to it. 

“Your Grace,  

I hope your first day at the palace wasn’t too exhausting. I understand you may be irritated by the test idea, yet please understand that’s only for our kingdom’s safety. I assure it- I don’t have any doubts about it. However, don’t rely on me for this, since it is the procedure. Thank you for your understanding with that subject. 

Let’s don’t beat around the bush and get to the main subject, shall we? Meet me at the palace’s entrance with your best dress, the bag next to you and a charming smile at 10. I’ll explain the reasons when we’ll meet there. 

At your service,  

Anastasia Rutherfurd” 

Emelyn closed the letter and shutted her eyes, pursing her lips. Why did she need to have meeting 24/7? The princess sighed softly and headed to her closet, wandering to find the perfect dress. 

*** 

“Hello, Your Majesty. I hope you had a great day for now.” Jack called out to her as she walked, offering her a hand. 

“Sarah” hesitated for a second and looked away, forcing a smile. Her eyebrows arched as she looked back at him. She didn’t really know how to decline whatever he wanted-since she didn’t know his intentions. Her meeting was in five minutes, and she didn’t want to be late. 

“Oh, Jack, I’m sorry, but I have a meeting to be in five minutes. I’ll see you later whenever you need to talk.” Emelyn said politely as she walked by him, keeping a poker face. She ran a hand through her auburn hair, taking deep breaths. Was she going to meet someone important? What if they decided she wasn’t good enough already? 

The soon-to-be-queen walked to the entrance hall, noticing Anastasia already there. Her maid smiled softly and bowed to her, as she started greeting Her Majesty. 

“Ah, here you are,Your Grace... Good afternoon, I’m glad you came. It’s not every day that my requests are accepted...” Anastasia started, locking eyes with Emelyn, softening her gaze when she saw she was clearly pissed. 

“Let’s get to the point, Anastasia. What are we going to do?” Her Highness spoke seriously, narrowing her eyes as she balanced her bag, her bottom lip quivering. “Sarah” frowned with nervosity, staring at her maid with anticipation. 

“Oh, but didn’t I tell you? We’re shopping wedding dresses.”