Morning arrived the next day and Elena was lying wide awake on her bed, staring up at the ceiling while listening to the birds sing. Mateo was still sleeping peacefully next to her, curled up on his side. The princess looked at him, taking in the sight. This could be the last time she saw the royal wizard – Elena was certain that Mateo would be ripped away from her the second they stepped out of her bedroom. She was also certain that her family knew they were here and she would not be surprised if Esteban had asked the royal guards to keep an eye on her room. There was no escaping from the mess they were in.
Mateo stirred and opened his eyes. Elena smiled faintly and gently brushed a strand of hair away from his eyes.
"Morning…" she whispered.
"Morning," Mateo replied, leaning over and giving the princess a gentle kiss. Elena sighed softly as she returned the embrace, pulling him closer. Mateo broke the kiss after a moment and rest his forehead against Elena's.
"I wish we could just stay like this forever," he said, giving a sigh of his own.
"So do I. I don't want to walk out that door," Elena replied.
As she said those words, there was a knock on the door. Elena and Mateo both sat bolt upright and stared at the door with wide eyes. Nothing happened for a moment, but then the door slowly opened and Elena's grandparents stepped inside, each carrying a tray laden with a hearty breakfast.
"Good morning, you two," Luisa said with a smile.
"Abuela? Abuelo? What's all this?" Elena asked in confusion.
"We thought we might bring you some breakfast," Francisco said as he and his wife approached them.
"You're not mad at us about last night?" Mateo asked warily.
"We probably should be, but we're not. We still need to talk, however. We can do that while you eat your breakfast."
"Where's Esteban? Why isn't he here?" Elena wanted to know.
"Your abuelo has pretty much banned him from this discussion. He feels we won't be able to get anything done with Esteban around and I agree," Luisa replied, giving her granddaughter a tray while Francisco gave the other to Mateo.
"You're not wrong there," Elena mumbled, her stomach rumbling at the smell of food. "Thank you for the meal."
"Yes, thank you very much," Mateo quickly added, nodding.
"You're welcome. Now eat up before it gets cold," Luisa said.
Both teenagers nodded and began to eat. Elena's grandparents watched them before speaking.
"So the two of you have been secretly dating for the past several months?" Francisco asked.
"Yes, abuelo," Elena replied.
"And your feelings for each other are absolutely genuine?" Elena could tell that question was more directed at Mateo than her. The royal wizard must have sensed that as well.
"Yes. I love Elena more than anything. I don't want the throne; I just want to be with her," Mateo said earnestly.
"Are you the one who gave Elena that beautiful necklace?" Luisa asked. Seeing the expression on Elena's face, she added: "I never truly believed you bought that for yourself."
Mateo looked at Elena in amusement. "You told them you bought it?" he said, chuckling a little.
"I had to tell them something when they asked where I got it," Elena replied, shrugging.
"I'll take that as a yes to my question," Luisa continued. "So you've been dating in secret all this time and Esteban somehow found out, which explains why he was so eager to have you engaged so soon. We managed to make that connection this morning."
"I'm surprised he didn't just tell us what was going on the minute he found out. My guess is that he wanted to avoid a scandal or he thought we'd take your side," Francisco said.
"Well, he didn't avoid a scandal since I ran away when I was supposed to be present at a ball that was meant to introduce my so-called fiancé. But… do you take our side?" Elena asked anxiously.
"While we do think that law is a bit harsh, the past cannot be ignored. This will require a lot of time and patience as we try to figure out what to do," Luisa said.
"So you will at least consider maybe changing the law?"
"We will consider every possibility, mija, and we will do it alone. We already know what Naomi and Esteban's positions are on the matter; it now takes our vote for either side to have a majority."
Elena nodded. "That's better than nothing."
"Indeed. Now, about last night –" Francisco began but Elena interrupted him.
"Before you go on, just know that Mateo had no idea of what I was going to do. And when he found out, he tried to get me to reconsider and wanted to know if I was completely sure of my choice," she said. "This was entirely my own decision."
Francisco looked at the young wizard. "Is this true?"
"Yes," Mateo replied. "I would never ask Elena to give up her crown; the kingdom needs her."
"Well, that is encouraging to hear. But, like Luisa said, the past cannot be ignored and whichever decision we make will affect future generations. But I am glad to see that your intentions are indeed pure, Mateo."
Elena smiled at Mateo, who pressed a kiss to her temple. The princess saw her grandparents smile fondly at each other out of the corner of her eye and she felt elated. Even if there was a possibility that the law would remain, it made her happy to know that her grandparents could see that Mateo would never betray her or the kingdom.
"You better finish up your breakfast. Your mother will be here soon to bring you home, Mateo," Luisa said.
"There's also a request we would like to make," Francisco said as the two teens finished their food. "While we are making our decision, we would prefer it if you did not see each other during this time."
"What? Why?" Elena cried, as Mateo looked dismayed. "I thought you could see that Mateo's intentions are pure?"
"It's just a precaution, mija," Luisa said reassuringly. "We just don't want anything to compromise our decision."
"I-I guess that makes sense," Elena said quietly. She understood her grandparents' reasoning – she truly did – but it still broke her heart to know she would not see Mateo for an indefinite amount of time. The princess looked at the royal wizard and saw he appeared as heartbroken as she felt.
There was another knock on the door and Armando stuck his head inside the room.
"Pardon the intrusion, your Majesty, but Mateo's mother has arrived," he said cheerfully.
"Thank you, Armando. Please tell her we're on our way," Elena replied.
Armando nodded and retreated. Elena looked at Mateo. "I guess it's time for you to go…"
Mateo nodded. "I guess so…" he replied quietly.
"I'll get changed and give back your clothes."
"Okay. I'll wait outside."
Francisco and Luisa took the trays and brought them out of the room, Mateo following closely behind them. Elena sighed and got up, making her way towards her closet. She changed into her favourite red dress and tied her hair into a ponytail before folding Mateo's clothing. She picked up his clothes and hugged them to her chest for a long moment before joining everyone in the hallway. Her grandparents gave the trays to the servants and led the way to the entrance hall. The princess gave the royal wizard his clothes as they walked and he took them with a faint smile before grasping her hand. Elena gently squeezed his hand and kept her head high as they went down the stairs.
They reached the entrance hall and found Rafa waiting for them. She was carrying a bundle, which Elena recognised as her ball gown. The princess gave Mateo's mother a small smile, who curtsied in return.
"Good morning, Princess Elena. I have brought back your dress for you," Rafa said, presenting the bundle.
"Thank you, señora de Alva," Elena replied, taking it from her. "That was very kind of you."
"It was my pleasure, your Majesty." Rafa turned to her son. "Mateo, I was so worried last night! I had no idea where you were until Gabe arrived with a note informing me of your whereabouts."
"I'm sorry, Mama," Mateo said guiltily, hunching his shoulders.
"We'll talk when we get home," Rafa said sternly, before looking at Luisa and Francisco. "Thank you so much for watching over him, your Royal Highnesses."
"It was no trouble. Mateo is a wonderful boy," Luisa replied warmly.
"Thank you. I'm glad you think so." Rafa turned back to Mateo. "Come, Mateo. We have much to discuss."
"Yes, Mama," Mateo replied quietly. He looked at Elena. "I guess this is goodbye…"
"Only for now, hopefully," Elena whispered solemnly, tears filling her eyes.
"Yeah, hopefully… Can I kiss you?"
The princess nodded and closed her eyes, causing the tears to spill down her cheeks. Mateo cupped her cheek and kissed her lovingly. Elena could feel everyone watching them but she did not care – the only one who mattered in this moment was the royal wizard standing in front of her.
Mateo pulled away and Elena was saddened to see he had tears in his own eyes as well. He stroked her cheek before turning around, quickly wiping his eyes as he made his way to the doors with his mother. The princess watched them go before running across the entrance hall and rushing up the stairs, ignoring her grandparents' calls. She ran all the way to Isabel's room and knocked on the door. Her sister immediately answered and one look at Elena's face appeared to give the younger princess everything she needed to know.
"Oh, Elena… Come in," Isabel said, stepping aside.
Elena went inside and tossed her ball gown aside without caring where it landed before sinking down on the bed. Her sister sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Did abuela and abuelo say they're not changing the law?" Isabel asked.
"No… They haven't decided yet. But I'm not allowed to see Mateo until they do and that could take forever," Elena answered tearfully.
"I'm so sorry, Elena… But the fact that our grandparents are undecided is a good thing, right? It means that there's a chance things will change."
"I know, but it'll be hard not to see him and he feels the same way: Mateo had tears in his eyes when he kissed me goodbye. It was so heartbreaking."
Isabel gave Elena a tight hug. "Whatever happens, I'll be right by your side. I promise," Isabel said.
"Thank you, Isa. That means a lot to me," Elena replied.
"What are sisters for? Come on, let's go do something to take your mind off of this for a while. A little sister time will do you some good."
Elena could not help but smile. "Okay."
Isabel grinned and sprinted towards the door. Elena got on her feet and followed her, eager to forget her troubles even if it was only for a short amount of time.