Letting go is harder than holding on.
Estella thought just before she entered the council chamber. The last time she had set foot in this room was to defend herself and prevent her engagement from being annulled. She had come armed with the attendance logs to expose the contradictions in Mille's testimony.
Today was different; she had come to annul her engagement.
The council chamber of the Royal Palace. Morning light streamed down from the high ceiling, casting a white glow on the stone walls. Three chairs sat upon the platform. A civil official's desk was placed in front of the chairs. Royal guards stood at attention on either side of the platform, and two more were stationed at the entrance.
The same scene as before but the intentions were different.
Estella entered the hall with her lady-in-waiting and took her designated seat. She wore a near-formal attire with a brooch bearing her house's crest. She straightened her back and took a deep breath.
Duke Viktor was already seated on the right side of the hall. Their eyes met, and he gave a small nod. Her father had his usual expression on.
Alvin stood to the left. He was dressed in the Crown Prince's formal attire. He looked dignified, but the aura around him was different from when he had tried to annul the engagement in this very room. The aggressive rigidity from that time was gone. In its place, a restless unease was shown in his eyes.
Naturally, Mille was nowhere to be seen since she had been expelled from the court and banned from high society. That girl was no longer present in this hall.
Leonhardt was seated at the civil official's desk; his official seat as an administrative aide in the same spot as last time. He was perfectly composed and maintained an equal distance from both Estella and Alvin.
Three figures took their places on the platform.
The King in the centre, the Queen to his right and the Chancellor to his left. The King spoke once they were all seated, "We will now begin deliberations regarding the engagement between Crown Prince Alvin and Estella von Granzheim based on the request submitted by House Granzheim."
His voice was quiet, yet it carried to every corner of the hall.
Alvin had wanted to annul the engagement in the previous meeting.
This time, they were reviewing the annulment by mutual agreement. The process was different. The meaning was different.
The King turned his gaze to Estella.
"Lady Granzheim. State your reasons for requesting this reconsideration."
Estella rose and bowed deeply toward the platform.
She took a deep breath.
She would not cry. She would not act. She would speak the words she had rewritten over and over at her writing desk, just as they were.
"Your Majesty. Your Grace, the Queen. Your Excellency, the Chancellor. I am grateful for your time."
Her voice was steady; she didn't tremble and she didn't speak emotionally.
"I wish to request the amicable dissolution of my engagement to His Highness Alvin."
The mood in the hall dimmed.
"I have no intention of speaking ill of His Highness. However, I have come to believe that maintaining an engagement devoid of trust serves neither His Highness nor myself."
She chose her words carefully. She wouldn't belittle the Crown Prince but she wouldn't distort the truth.
"This engagement was established as a treaty between the Royal Council and the ducal house. I am aware of the gravity of that decision. However, I, as one of the parties of this engagement, can no longer find trust in it."
The three on the platform listened in silence. The King's expression was unreadable. The Queen lowered her gaze ever so slightly. The Chancellor remained expressionless as he checked the civil official's transcription.
"I request that you review this engagement."
She bowed and returned to her seat.
She had perfectly controlled her voice but she could feel her heart pounding fiercely.
The emotional control that she had honed in her past life working in customer service, the skill of crying when it was time to cry and staying silent when it was time to stay silent, was now being used to express her words without tears, without performance.
It was the same skill but the way she used it changed.
The King turned his gaze toward Alvin.
"Alvin. You heard what she said. State your thoughts."
Alvin stood up.
There was a long silence.
The mood in the hall grew tense. Estella kept her gaze forward and kept breathing steadily. She could see that Leonhardt was sitting perfectly still at the civil official's desk from the edge of her vision.
Alvin opened his mouth.
"I also..."
His voice faltered.
"I acknowledge that this engagement did not make Estella happy."
It wasn't an apology. Nor was it a full admission of his own wrongdoing. But Estella could hear a hint of sincerity in those words.
His pride as the Crown Prince prevented him from offering a sincere apology, but he acknowledged part of the truth. Estella could imagine how significant that statement must have been for Alvin.
"I agree to the annulment."
It was a single, brief statement.
He said nothing more. He bowed to the platform and returned to his seat.
The King exchanged glances with the Queen and the Chancellor. The Queen gave a small nod. The Chancellor checked the civil official's record and nodded.
"We have confirmed that both parties agree. The engagement between Crown Prince Alvin and Estella von Granzheim is hereby amicably dissolved as of today. Lady Granzheim's status and rights as a daughter of the ducal house shall remain entirely unaffected."
The King's voice echoed throughout the hall.
It was over.
Estella bowed deeply to the platform. Her vision swayed for just a moment when she got up from her seat. She wasn't crying; the tension had just dissipated.
The Crown Prince's fiancée.
That title was officially behind her.
Estella von Granzheim. Daughter of Duke Granzheim. That was all she was now.
As she left the hall, her eyes met Leonhardt's.
He had no expression on his face, the same as the previous hearing... no, it was different. He had dipped his chin slightly last time but this time his gaze lingered on her for just a little longer. That was the only difference in his actions but Estella could sense what was lying within his gaze.
Outside the hall, in the corridor leading to the waiting room.
Leonhardt caught up to her. He had documents in hand; normal for someone who was sitting as a civil official.
"Just one thing."
He lowered his voice and spoke as they passed each other.
"The fiancée issue no longer stands between us."
Estella's steps faltered.
She thought about the implications of those words. The fiancée. Estella, Alvin's fiancée, and Leonhardt, Alvin's brother. The thing that had stood between them had now vanished.
Estella couldn't form a reply.
She couldn't find the words. The skill she had cultivated in her past life, the ability to choose the most appropriate words, failed her at this moment.
Leonhardt didn't wait for an answer and walked down the corridor with documents in hand.
Estella entered the waiting room with her lady-in-waiting and sat down on a chair.
She felt free; a lightness that came from being free of obligation.
But she also felt loss at the same time. She hadn't lost love or trust. It was only an engagement in name only; a relationship based on obligation, and yet she was weighted down by the end of that relationship.
And then, there were Leonhardt's words.
"The fiancée issue no longer stands between us."
What did he mean by that?
Estella wasn't ready to think about it yet.
Outside the window, the bells were tolling the afternoon hour. A new chapter was beginning but she wasn't ready to move towards the next emotion.