Chapter 122: Now You Have My Attention Too
Melania fixed her big eyes on the opened guest book, placed before her by her lady-in-waiting, and began the slow task of perusing the names inscribed there. Assigned by one of the wedding planners to ensure that all guests who had accepted their invitations were duly listed there, the princess felt a pang of insignificance and even mockery.
’I feel like a troublesome child given a trivial task just to keep them occupied with something," she mused inwardly. ’I do not even know who most of these people are, and I could not care less if some of them are omitted. Just as they could not care less about me. Even if none of them comes in the end, it does not matter at all.’
Once more, she idly scanned the lines of unfamiliar names carefully outlined in black ink, her brown eyes filled with a growing sense of overwhelming melancholy.
’So many people... Yet not a single one of those I truly long to see. Neither my family nor my friends. Mother’s illness renders her unable to travel, and Father would never depart her side. I had hoped that the presence of others would ease my adjustment to this place, but instead, I find myself perpetually alone. It is as if I am a captive within my own mind. My head is my own prison.’
As the wedding date drew near, the princess found herself engulfed in idle solitude within the Royal Palace. Each passing day seemed to stretch into an eternity, the hours elongating beyond comprehension.
No matter her efforts, Melania could not shake off the persistent boredom that enveloped her. Despite receiving numerous tea party invitations from noble ladies, she could not muster the courage to attend. Melania dreaded the inevitable: the pitying glances of those who sought to curry favor with her, and the falsehoods she’d have to perpetuate in return for their feigned affections.
To the, she felt, she was nothing but an exotic doll, something to play with because she was royalty. She missed her true friends dearly and did not believe she could find them in Geraldion as well.
’It will all change once I am married. I will have no choice but to engage with them and their families. I can only hope that among them, I will find a genuine friend.’
As she continued to look through the guest book, comparing names to the replies, one name stood out, remaining a complete enigma to her.