Anything Left To Throw Away (1)

Bianca couldn’t get rid of this weird feeling as Joshua’s strange expression continued to linger in her mind. Her son just said that he had already removed Ariad from his heart but she still wasn’t sure if it was real. However, it was good in so many ways. She remembered Ariad’s acrimonious voice, announcing, ‘The seat next to Joshua? I’m afraid I can’t give it up.’ It came out quite bold that it was troublesome. Still, she was grateful for Ariad’s smart decisions. She ran away first without having to work hard.

Seated on a wing chair while embroidering flowers on a white cloth, Kelly murmured without realizing it. “At least we’re now on the same page.”

“What did you say?”

“No.“ She glanced up at Joshua. “I’m just talking to myself.”

When Kelly smiled before lowering her head again, Bianca observed the girl’s careful fingers as she embroidered flowers on the white cloth. By her standards, this child seemed perfect from the inside and out. She was good at everything and if there was one big flaw, it was her bloodline. Nevertheless, if Bianca helped her, that flaw could be covered to some extent.

“Didn’t I say I was going to help you?”

A modest, make-up-free face stared at Bianca.

“What?”

“I told you I’d let you sit next to Joshua.”

“Oh, I remember.”

Kelly clenched her fist and loosened it, feeling nervous the moment she remembered staring at Joshua’s back as he disappeared to find Ariad. What happened? Did they meet in the end? Did it change Joshua’s mind, somehow? As a series of questions popped up in  Kelly’s mind, Bianca could address everything simply.

“He divorced Ariad in the end. It’s for the best.”

“Ah.”

“I said it before but I don’t want to burden you right now.  Despite looking fancy on the outside, becoming the crown princess can be exhausting. As much as you’re praised, you will be criticized a lot.” She said calmly as if she was referring to her daily life.  “I don’t want to force you.”

Kelly thought about it before replying urgently in case the queen changed her mind, “I’ll do my best. Please help me, Your Highness.”

Picking up the anxiety in her voice, Bianca chuckled and added sharply, “You have to endure a lot as if you’re heart is on the line.”

“I already know that.” Kelly’s pupils trembled as she fiddled with the cloth in her hand.

“You shouldn’t be surprised since it’s even more obvious at this age.” Bianca seemed to be trying to appease, but it took quite a while for Kelly to regain her composure.”Joshua told me that he had completely removed that girl from his heart.”

‘He’s lying.’ Kelly stopped herself from blurting that out.

“Now, fill out the space she left as much as you can but I can’t help you win Joshua’s heart.”

“….”

“Since you love him, you should be able to endure such a burdensome position.”

Bianca lowered her head again. At the same time, Kelly’s blue eyes landed on the transparent glass at the table. While holding the embroidered cloth, Kelly’s little finger seemed to have a distorted reflection on the glass. Kelly squeezed out her unsightly fingers. At first, she was just happy to be looking at him. Her love for Joshua, which grew bigger than before as time passed by, urged her to stand next to him as the crown Princess. In the end, she achieved it on her own. As Kelly thought about it, her love suddenly filled the distance between them. She couldn’t believe to have accomplished something impossible. She thought it would only happen after the sneaky things she did were forgotten. After she had effectively gotten rid of Ariad from the crown princess’ position. She would never be able to do it the second time. ‘Don’t even dare to come back, Ariad.’ Upon reaching that conclusion, Ariad lifted her eyes from the glass. She clenched her fist as if she was clutching something.

“Ariad arranged a meeting with me before she left.” Bianca was still concentrating on her embroidery. “She told me why she wanted to run away from here.”

Her brows furrowed when the needle poked Bianca’s fingertips. Soon, she tossed the cloth to the side. Upon seeing that, Kelly added, “She had another man’s child.”

Their eyes met.

* * *

The crown prince’s palace was turned upside down thanks to the empress who came in followed by a lot of maids. Despite the unexpected situation, the servants quickly bowed their heads as Bianca flashed past them. The maids stationed in front of the office were surprised and tried to alert Joshua about it, but it was already too late. Bianca had burst in the door. As usual, the man who was calmly rummaging through the documents raised his head.

“Did you know?”

The loud voice scratched Joshua’s eardrums. In the late afternoon, the sunlight coming through the window poured over Bianca’s face and it made her blood-red eyes burn fiercely. In front of her, Joshua rolled the pen on his fingers in comfort.