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I jolted awake in the dead of night, disoriented by the darkness that enveloped my room. The sound of shuffling outside my bedroom door sent a shiver down my spine. My heart raced as I fumbled for the lamp, casting a weak glow that barely illuminated my surroundings.
I sat straight up and listened carefully. Maybe I dreamt the sound. The palace was old and creaking noises were a regular occurrence. Growing up, we had been told plenty of ghost stories that kept us nice and scared. I was a grownup. I couldn’t be afraid of a bump in the night.
There!
I heard the noise again. It was footsteps. There was no reason for anyone to be walking around our wing in the middle of the night. The housekeepers were in bed. Something told me I needed to investigate. Something was off.
Swallowing my fear, I stumbled out of bed, my vision still blurry with sleep. I quietly opened the heavy door a few inches. My sister, Nora, was standing in the dimly lit hallway, bundled up in winter attire, a large bag slung over her shoulder. Panic surged within me, and I whispered her name. Her head whipped around toward me.
“Emilie, be quiet,” she hissed, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and determination.
Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I gasped, barely able to form the words. “Are you running away?”
Nora’s fingers clamped around my wrist, and she dragged me back into my room, closing the door behind us with a soft click. The faint light showed the lines of worry etched across her face.
“Why, Nora?” I demanded in a hushed tone, struggling to maintain my composure. “You can’t just run away like this. You have responsibilities as the eldest sister and the heir to the throne. You have a match waiting for you this Wed season. You can’t turn your back on all of that.”
Nora’s gaze remained fixed on the floor, her voice barely above a whisper. “Emilie, you don’t understand. I can’t go through with this. The idea of being forced into a loveless marriage for the sake of duty? It’s suffocating me. I need to escape, even if just for a little while.”
The weight of her words hit me, and I couldn’t accept her decision. “Nora, we’re bound by tradition, by our roles in the kingdom. Running away won’t solve anything. It will only make matters worse. You’ll be shirking your responsibilities, abandoning our people, and our family.”
Her eyes welled with tears, and her voice quivered as she spoke. “I can’t marry someone I don’t love, Emilie. I won’t condemn myself to a lifetime of misery. I need to find my own path, even if it means defying tradition.”
My heart ached for my sister, but I couldn’t let her escape without a fight. “Nora, there has to be another way. We can talk to Father, explore other options. But running away is not the solution. It’s reckless and irresponsible.”
She shook her head, her resolve unwavering. “I’ve already made up my mind, Emilie. I’m leaving tonight, and I need you to understand why.”
Tears welled in my eyes as I stepped closer to her, my voice trembling with emotion. “Nora, I love you, and I want what’s best for you. But abandoning your responsibilities, our family, me? It’s not the answer. Please reconsider.”
Nora’s gaze met mine, filled with a mixture of sorrow and determination. “I wish I could, Emilie, but I can’t live a life that’s not my own. I hope one day you’ll understand.”
My heart ached as it understood she was determined to flee. Her eyes glistened with tears, but her gaze remained unwavering. I knew my sister. She could be very stubborn.
My mind raced as I tried to find the right words, the ones that would make her reconsider. “Nora, people do fall in love during Wed season. It happens all the time! It’s not just about business. It’s about finding a partner, someone who can share in our responsibilities and support us. Love matches have happened.”
She shook her head, her expression pained. “Emilie, I can’t take that chance. I can’t gamble my happiness and my future on thepossibilityof love. I’ve already found it, and I can’t let it slip away.”
My heart sank. She was already in love, and it was clear that nothing I said could sway her. “Nora, please, tell me who it is. We can talk to Father, find a way to make this work. You don’t have to leave everything behind. You don’t have to run away. We can convince him to let you marry the man you want. If you leave, I don’t know what happens to us. I don’t know if we’ll get to see each other again.”
Nora hesitated, her emotions battling within her. “His name is Leon. He’s a commoner, Emilie. Father would never approve. I can’t bear to see him hurt because of me. I love him.”
I felt torn between my loyalty to my sister and the weight of our family’s traditions. “Nora, you know the consequences of this decision. Father will be devastated, and our kingdom will be thrown into turmoil.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she placed a hand on my arm. “Emilie, I know it’s not fair to you, but I can’t live a life that’s not my own. I hope one day you’ll understand.”
With a heavy heart, I watched Nora gather her bag and make her way to the door. There was a sense of finality in the air, and I knew that our family was about to face a storm I wasn’t sure any of us were ready for.
“I love you, Emilie,” Nora whispered, her voice trembling.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I embraced my sister one last time. “I love you too, Nora. Please be safe.”
With those words, she slipped out of my room and disappeared into the night. I was left standing there, alone, the weight of her decision pressing upon me like a heavy burden.
Despite the turmoil, I couldn’t help but hope that Nora had found the love and happiness she sought with Leon. It was a choice she had made with her heart, and while it would bring pain and upheaval, I couldn’t fault her for following her own path.
I went back to bed and stared up at the ceiling. Tomorrow was going to be hell. When my parents discovered Nora was gone, it was going to be a disaster.
I couldn’t sleep. My mind raced with thoughts of my sister and the choices she had made. As the night wore on, I finally drifted off, only to be jolted awake by a loud banging at my door.
