Morning sunlight spilled across the palace corridors like liquid gold, and the day had barely begun before the Queen was already moving with purpose through the halls. Papers waited, ministers waited, and somewhere in the kingdom another problem likely waited as well. Royal life had the charming habit of multiplying responsibilities overnight.
She was halfway down the western corridor when she noticed something… suspicious.
A tall figure in royal blue was tiptoeing.
The Queen slowed.
The figure glanced left, then right, then attempted the least convincing act of casual walking ever performed by a prince.
Adrien. Sneaking.
Her eyebrows lifted.
"Where exactly does His Highness believe he is going?" she murmured to herself, preparing to step forward and catch him in the act.
Before she could move, another voice arrived first.
"Adrien."
Anastasia stood at the end of the corridor with her arms folded.
The prince froze like a boy caught stealing sweets from the kitchen.
"You are sneaking," Anastasia said flatly.
"I am… strategically relocating," Adrien replied with a hopeful smile.
"Strategically avoiding your lessons," she corrected.
His smile weakened. Anastasia walked closer, her expression sharpening with every step.
"Do you know how childish this looks?" she continued. "Future king of the realm fleeing from lessons like they are dragons."
Adrien gave his best wounded expression. It had the full power of soft eyes and a slightly tilted head. "Numbers are far more terrifying than dragons."
Anastasia glared.
The Queen, hidden behind a pillar, pressed a hand over her mouth to suppress a laugh.
"Come with me," Adrien said suddenly, grabbing Anastasia's wrist before she could lecture him further. He hurried down the corridor and pulled her into his private study chamber. Ledgers covered the desk. Tall stacks of tax records and trade reports waited patiently like an army of numbers ready to march across his brain. Adrien collapsed into the chair dramatically.
"This," he declared, gesturing to the mountain of documents, "is why I was escaping."
Anastasia stared at the papers. Then she looked back at him. "You are aware kings do not personally calculate every grain tax in the kingdom, correct?"
Adrien brightened instantly. "Exactly!"
"But," she added calmly, "they must understand what they sign."
His excitement deflated. Anastasia walked to the desk and opened one of the ledgers. "If a minister tells you the treasury gained five thousand gold from trade," she explained, "but the port records show only three thousand ships entering, would you notice?"
Adrien frowned slightly.
"And if someone changes tax percentages," she continued, flipping a page, "how will you know if it harms farmers or merchants unless you understand the numbers behind it?"
She tapped the ledger. "Knowledge is protection."
Adrien leaned back slowly, considering her words. "You are saying I could be cheated by my own ignorance."
"Exactly." She smiled gently. "Power attracts clever people. Not all of them are honest."
Adrien rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That… is annoyingly reasonable."
Anastasia laughed softly. Then, to his surprise, she leaned down and kissed his cheek. "There," she said. "Encouragement."
Adrien blinked. "You are bribing the prince to study."
"I am motivating the future king." She pulled another chair beside him. "Move over. I will help."
Adrien shifted obediently while she began explaining the columns with surprising patience. Outside the slightly open door, the Queen watched the scene unfold. Her son, once allergic to paperwork, was now listening carefully while a determined girl guided him through ledgers. A slow, satisfied smile spread across her face. Without disturbing them, she turned and continued down the corridor. The result is already revealing more than she expected without any test.
After spending nearly an hour helping Adrien untangle columns of numbers and tax records, Anastasia finally closed the last ledger. "You survived," she teased lightly.
Adrien stretched his arms dramatically. "Barely. But with an excellent tutor."
Anastasia rolled her eyes and slipped out of the study before he could trap her into another hour of accounting. Instead, she headed straight for the palace library.
The towering room smelled of parchment and polished wood. Sunlight filtered through the tall windows as she moved along the shelves, carefully searching through titles most nobles never touched. Eventually she gathered several thick books in her arms.
Principles of Trade Management.
Textile Markets of the Northern Provinces.
Garment Production and Distribution.
And another about managing merchant ledgers.
Balancing the stack against her chest, she stepped out into the corridor again. Halfway down the hallway she nearly collided with someone. The Queen. Anastasia immediately bowed.
"Your Majesty."
The Queen's sharp eyes dropped to the pile of books in her arms. "That is an unusual selection," she said slowly. "Trade manuals? Textile commerce?"
"They are not for me," Anastasia replied politely. The Queen raised an eyebrow.
"They are for Cinderella," Anastasia explained. "She plans to restart our father's clothing business."
For a moment the Queen simply stared.
"A young noblewoman… running a business?" she said, clearly surprised.
Anastasia shifted the books slightly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Queen's confusion deepened. "Why would you encourage such a thing?"
Anastasia answered without hesitation.
"Because I want both of my sisters to stand on their own feet." Her voice remained calm but firm. "I do not want them to marry simply because they must survive. I want them to marry only if they truly love someone."
The Queen's expression slowly changed.
"If they have their own work," Anastasia continued, "their own income and purpose… they will never have to depend on a husband for security." A small smile appeared on her face. "They can choose happiness freely."
She bowed again. "Please excuse me, Your Majesty."
With that, Anastasia walked away down the corridor, the books held carefully in her arms.
The Queen remained standing where she was. Inside her mind, thoughts tangled together in quiet turmoil. A girl who thought not of wealth, not of status… but of giving freedom to the people she loved. The Queen looked down the corridor where Anastasia had disappeared. For the first time since planning her test, doubt crept into her certainty.
Night settled over the palace like a deep blue velvet curtain. Most corridors had grown quiet, the bustle of servants fading into distant whispers.
Inside her chamber, the Queen stood beside the tall window overlooking the moonlit gardens. The silver glow painted soft shadows across the marble floor.
But her mind was far from peaceful.
Her fingers rested lightly against the cool glass as thoughts circled endlessly.
Her son. Her kingdom. A mother's heart and a queen's duty were rarely allies.
Adrien had finally fallen in love. That alone felt like a miracle after years of watching him hide his feelings behind polite smiles and royal discipline. Yet the girl who held his heart was not a noble lady raised among courts and politics.
Anastasia.
The Queen closed her eyes briefly. A thoughtful girl. Courageous. Honest. Perhaps too honest for palace life.
But was that enough?
Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. The Queen gasped softly in surprise. Then she relaxed. Only one person in the world would dare approach her like that.
"You look as though the stars themselves offended you," the King murmured warmly against her hair.
She turned in his embrace and smiled, resting her hands against his chest. "You startled me."
"That was the intention," he replied with quiet amusement. They stood there for a moment, wrapped comfortably in each other's arms. The Queen finally sighed.
"What should we do now?" she asked softly. "Our son has fallen in love."
The King tilted his head slightly. "That sounds like good news."
"For a father perhaps," she replied. "For a queen, it is complicated."
He chuckled and gently guided her toward the window seat. "Do you remember the first time we met?"
Her expression softened instantly.
"How could I forget?" she said quietly.
The memory returned like a familiar melody. A grand royal gathering, filled with nobles and foreign dignitaries. She had stood proud and confident, already known for her intelligence and composure. And then there had been him. A prince with an annoyingly relaxed smile who had ignored every formal introduction rule and simply asked if she hated court banquets as much as he did.
The Queen laughed softly at the memory.
"You were terribly improper."
"And yet you married me," the King pointed out proudly.
Her smile faded slightly as reality returned. "But I was still from a powerful family," she said. "A noble house equal to yours."
"Status," the King waved dismissively. "A decorative cage nobles adore."
She frowned lightly. "Anastasia does not come from a family of great influence."
The King looked at her with calm certainty. "After marrying the future king, she will possess the highest status possible." He gently lifted her chin. "So do not examine her title. Examine her character."
The Queen hesitated. Then she admitted quietly, "As a person… she is perfect for Adrien."
The King smiled knowingly. "Then why are you worrying?" Before she could answer, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Trust the boy," he said gently. "For once, he is choosing with his heart."

The Queen rested against him again, her thoughts finally growing lighter under the quiet moon.
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SIDE NOTE: I have a surprise for everyone tomorrow. Please look forward to it ☺😉
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