What?
Elsie's mind reels in utter disbelief. Could it be? The King of Levica, known across kingdoms for his sheer arrogance and brutal nature, is actually advising her father against offering an apology?
Elsie's senses are overwhelmed by the absurdity of the situation. She had anticipated a volcanic eruption of rage or perhaps even a merciless punishment, but this unexpected twist plunges her qinto a state of incredulous shock.
Elsie's eyes widen in surprise as she witnesses the unthinkable. With a mere hand on her father's shoulder, the King of Levica commands him to rise from the floor. The amiability of the act sends shivers down Elsie's spine, her disbelief reaching new heights as she struggles to comprehend the scene unfolding before her.
"You too," the king's words cut through the air like a whip. Elsie's movements are frantic as she scrambles to her feet, her body trembling with a mixture of fear and shame. Elsie's head bows so low, it's as if she's trying to burrow into the ground beneath her, unable to summon the courage to lift her gaze. Every fiber of her being is consumed by an overwhelming sense of humiliation, and Elsie's entire world is reduced to the shameful pattern of the palace floor beneath her.
With all the fire of her courage, Elsie finally dares to lift her gaze. What she sees pierces her heart like a dagger. Her father's face is contorted in a mask of shame, his complexion drained of color, making him appear ghostly pale. The weight of his father's humiliation hangs heavy in the air, and Elsie's chest tightens with the realization of the pain she has caused. Guilt washes over her like a relentless tide, threatening to engulf her in its merciless grip.
Elsie's father's plea for forgiveness trembles in the air, each word laced with desperation and remorse. "Please forgive my daughter, My Lord," he implores, his voice quivering with sentiments. "She's young and naive, unaware of the gravity of her actions. Please forgive her foolishness, as she lacks the wisdom to comprehend the consequences of her deeds." The weight of his words hangs heavily in the room, a pathetic plea for mercy in the face of youthful discourtesy.
Elsie can only bow her head in shame, overwhelmed by the volume of her father's plea.
"I understand," The King's simple yet deep words wash over Elsie like a soothing balm, catching her completely off guard. But it's not just the words that surprise him; it's the slight smile playing at the corners of the King's cherry lips, a gesture so unexpected that it fills Elsie's heart with warmth.
When she meets the King's gaze, Elsie is struck by the genuineness reflected in those midnight black eyes, a flicker of understanding and empathy that exceeds the barriers of status and power. In that moment, Elsie feels a glimmer of hope flicker within her, reassured by the unexpected kindness of a ruler known for his stern demeanor.
Elsie's hopes begin to flicker like a dying flame, but then a nagging thought creeps into her mind like a shadowy specter: What if this display of understanding is nothing but a carefully crafted act? The realization sends a chill down her spine, casting a cloud of doubt over the fragile glimmer of hope she had dared to entertain.
She struggles to suppress the rising ripple of suspicion, her heart torn between the longing for rescue and the fear of being deceived once again. Elsie braces herself for the possibility that this fleeting moment of kindness may be nothing more than an illusion, fated to crumble at the slightest touch of reality.
"Please, Your Majesty, step inside," Elsie's father invites graciously, bowing respectfully as he gestures towards the grand doors to their main quarters, cutting Elsie off of her wandering thoughts.
Her father refuses to even gaze at her way, acting as if Elsie's an invisible ghost to his eyes. She lets out a sigh that threatens to suffocate her, head still hanging low as she hears the King's and her father's feet bonding with the floor as they walk for the main quarters.
Elsie looks up, eyes immediately falling on the Queen who has disappointment etched on her elegant face.
When she rushes into the opulent main hall, the King and his courtiers are already seated upon their gilded thrones, casting expectant gazes upon her. Her sisters send wary glances her way, their eyes filled with apprehension, as if dreading what is to fall upon her for her thoughtless deeds.
"Go and change out of that scandalous attire, Elsie." Her father tones.
Despite witnessing the shame her father had to go through, not even more than a few moments ago, Elsie defiantly chooses to rebel, her determination unyielding in the face of familial expectations.
"I can't, father." She manages, voice wavering.
"Why can't you?!" Father's voice booms, causing Elsie's body to jerk involuntarily, the intensity of the outburst echoing through the room.
"Because I didn't wear this just to dress out of this within minutes after I did." she argues, surprising herself by doing so. Because never in her life had she been the one to talk back to her father, that too in front of the guests. "I'm sorry." Elsie blurts out, a mix of defiance and contrition in her voice.
"How dare you!" The queen's voice cuts in sharply, her tone filled with astonishment and disapproval at Elsie's audacity to challenge her father's authority.
"Oh god, how foolish the princess is," the whispers circulate among the guests, all hushed behind their gold-cladded hands, their murmurs echoing sentiments of disbelief and disapproval and succeeding at reaching Elsie's ears. "How can she talk to her father like this?" One asks, catching eyes with Elsie when she tips her head up to the voices. The woman's brown gaze indeed arrows disgust at Elsie.
"She's a disgrace," they silently lament, throwing judgmental glances toward Elsie who dares to defy her father's authority in such a public manner. "I don't know why His Majesty has to choose this disgrace to be our Queen. Such a shame it is."
Oh, goddess, what has Elsie done?
"Go and change out of that scandalous attire before I lose my last shred of patience!" Her father's voice roared with fiery intensity, leaving no room for an argument.