"Ro! Ro, wait!" Antonio was hurrying after her as she walked briskly through the courtyard.
She stopped and turned around, allowing him to catch up to her and wrap her up in an embrace. As soon as his arms were around her, she felt her steely resolve break, and hot tears began to fall from her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I went about it all wrong. I should've left out that I wanted to marry you."
She looked up at him, anxiety coursing through her. "Do you no longer wish to marry me? Now that you know I'm not a princess?"
"It doesn't matter to me. I want to marry you no matter who you are. But you are a princess, and you are Princess Rosella. Genevieve just isn't willing to see that. She doesn't want someone taking her crown."
"But Rosella was- I'm her- God, this is confusing to speak of." she sighed, laughing a little. "Genevieve believed her sister was dead for years. She's already grieved for her, and I don't want her to have to mourn her sister all over again."
"But she gets you back! She doesn't have to grieve anymore!"
She shook her head, smiling sadly. "That doesn't matter if she doesn't believe I'm Rosella. And maybe I'm not. I hardly remember anything from my life before the island, Genevieve would certainly know better than I."
"She just needs to speak to you, to get to know you better. My family is already having tea with her and her sister this afternoon, I'll just inform the staff that you'll be joining us."
"Antonio-"
"I'll make sure that you're given something suitable to wear. Everything will be alright."
She found herself sighing in frustrated resignation, because when he looked at her like that, she couldn't help but believe him.
A few hours later, she walked nervously behind the valet who was showing her to the gazebo where the two royal families would be having tea. Ro smoothed her hands down the pretty pink frock she'd borrowed from Antonio's sister Margherita. It was a little shorter than what was proper, but considering Ro was a good two inches taller than Rita, it couldn't be helped.
The pavilion was beautifully decorated, with climbing flowers all over the pillars, and a large round table in the centre. Antonio stood and bowed when she entered, and Genevieve's younger sister gave her a nervous smile, but no one else moved. She curtsied in everyone's general direction, and then took a seat.
Rita cleared her throat. "That dress looks lovely on you, Miss. . er. . ." She looked around the table for guidance on the proper way to address Ro.
"You can just call me Ro, if you like. I don't know my surname or anything."
"What kind of animals lived with you on your island?" piped up Isabella, earning her a discreet glare from Genevieve.
Ro lit up. "All sorts! There were birds and dolphins and turtles, and there were crocodiles too, but we weren't especially friendly with them."
"And who is we? Was Robinson Crusoe stranded with you? Or is Ro short for Robinson?" asked Genevieve, a saccharine smile on her face, her eyebrows raised in challenge.
Ro found herself matching Genevieve's expression, raising her eyebrows before turning to the rest of the table.
"There were no other humans on the island, but I spent most of my time with a small group of animals who also weren't native to the island. They were all shipwrecked too, so we formed our own family of sorts." Then, looking at Isabella, she answered the question the girl hadn't asked yet. "Tika is an elephant, Azul is a peacock, and Sagi is a. . .what did Frazier say he was called again, Antonio?" she asked, turning to Antonio.
She saw the incredulous looks on the faces of the other guests, before realising it was because of her use of Antonio's given name instead of his title. However, she chose not to correct herself. It wasn't as though they were in public. She knew that royal families only used formal titles at special occasions (she wasn't sure how she knew this, exactly, but she knew).
Antonio, too, ignored the reactions of those around them. "A red panda."
"That's right. Thank you."
An uncomfortable silence settled over the table, save for the stirring of milk and sugar in tea. Ro put three lumps of sugar in her tea, and watched as Princess Isabella did the same, resulting in a mischievous smile exchanged between the two of them.
"Sister, why don't you tell His Highness about your embroidery?"
Isabella gave her sister a rather childish scowl, before addressing Antonio. "I'm unfortunately rather good at it, but it takes so long to finish a project! I prefer watercolours, but I'm not quite as natural at that."
Ro smiled at the girl. "What are watercolours?"
Before Isabella could answer, her sister smiled at Ro and said, "Of course! How could we expect you to know! Paint is mixed with water and put on paper, to make a lovely picture."
"Oh, how lovely!" She turned to Isabella again. "I'm sure my island would be an excellent subject."
"I'm sure my sister will never have the good fortune to travel there, it is so far from our family after all."
"Genevieve-" Isabella began.
But Genevieve had already stood up. "Thank you for the lovely tea, Your Majesties. I'm afraid I must retire, I am not yet used to the Apollonian heat." she said, plastering on a smile.
Before anyone could respond, Genevieve had curtsied and left the pavilion, increasing her pace as she got further and further away. Isabella looked anxiously after her sister.
"I must agree with my sister, this climate is much warmer than our home. Thank you again!" Isabella bobbed a curtsy, and hurried after her sister.
The King whirled on Antonio. "Why the hell did you think it was a good idea to bring your whore here?"
"Peter! There is no use for that kind of language, especially in front of the girls." The queen admonished, nodding her head to where Antonio's sisters sat, looking rather sheepish.
"And Ro is not my whore, Your Majesty. I intend to marry her." Antonio said, defiantly grabbing Ro's hand over the table.
Peter scoffed. "Don't be naive. The Palladian connection is essential for the wellbeing of this kingdom. Do you not care about your subjects?"
"We're not losing Palladia! She is Princess Rosella, even if her sister is too blinded by ambition to see it!"
Both men were now standing up, inching closer and closer to one another while Ro, the queen, and the princesses looked on anxiously.
"Who the hell cares who she is? If her family doesn't recognize her, she is no one!"
"I am marrying her no matter who she is, none of that matters to me!"
"Make her your mistress then, I don't give a damn! But Princess Genevieve will be your wife and queen, end of story."
Before Antonio could respond, Ro had stood up, addressing both of them.
"Antonio, perhaps your father is right. You have a responsibility to think about more than just our own happiness. We can discuss what my role in your life will be after the wedding."
Everyone was silent, but King Peter looked at her with something akin to respect. Deciding to end on as high a note as possible, she curtsied deeply and left the pavilion.