Amy seemed to notice how quiet I had become, how my mind had drifted somewhere far away/ she gently folded the last piece of cloth, her hands moving with practiced care, before rising to her feet. She did not speak right away.
Instead, she bowed her head, just like she always did before, deep, graceful, and with respect.
As if I were still the princess the empire believed in… as if my name had not been dragged through the mud, as if I had not been accused of stealing someone else's life… as if I was not viewed by the emperor himself as a fraud.
"Have a good day, Your Highness," she said softly, her voice calm but tinged with something else, something sad and careful. "I have to go now, I do not want anyone suspecting anything… I have already been missing for an hour."
She straightened her back again, her posture composed, though I could tell she was hesitating to leave.
