Little Princess In The Mirror
The queen glared at her 5 year old daughter, as if there was no love from the gaze she gave. Princess Seraphina was stunned, trying to digest the words her mother had just said.
"Seraphina , you understand, don't you? This is my lifetime wish!" She said.
"I became Xavier? How?" She asked innocently. Even though she couldn't understand, she somehow felt something sad.
Queen Alexandra kneeled, holding tightly to the shoulders of her shaking little Princess, ever since she had pulled her hand roughly a few minutes ago.
"Listen to me, we have no choice but to do this. From now on, you must switch places with Prince Xavier!"
"B-but why? I doesn't want to be Xavier!" Princess Seraphina started to cry, she could not fulfill her mother's request.
"You have to want, I depend on you. Do it for me, Seraphina!" The queen's eyes began to tear, even though she knew this would make her daughter difficult. However, this is the only way for her descendants to continue to be heirs to the throne as they should be.
Seeing her mother crying, Princess Seraphina became discouraged. Although she didn't fully understand what to do if she became Xavier.
"Mother, please don't cry! I will be Xavier just like you said, don't cry, Mother!" She said, wiping her mother's tears.
"Don't say this to anyone, especially to your father and grandmother. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I promised not to tell anyone. You don't cry again, ok?"
"Thank you, my dear. I love you so much!" Said the queen, hugging her daughter tightly.
The Queen called Diana, her personal butler to Princess Seraphina's room. Diana comes hastily asking Jia and Helena to come with her.
"Here I come, Her Majesty Queen Consort Alexandra." She said.
"I have something to say to you and also, I want you to help me!" Said the Queen.
"Whatever it is we will do, Your Majesty!" said Diana, while Jia and Helena just bowed beside Diana.
"Helena, please cut Seraphina's hair just like Prince Xavier's haircut. Jia, please bring some Xavier's clothes to this room!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" They said in unison, then rushed to carry out the orders.
"Come on, Princess!" Said Helena persuading Seraphina who looked confused.
Princess Seraphina, who was still confused, could only follow Helena's instructions to sit quietly on the chair, while Helena prepared tools to cut Princess Seraphina's long hair.
"Why is my hair cut? Isn't it pretty?" She asked innocently, she was shaking her legs.
"Your hair is so beautiful, Princess!"
"Really?"
"That's right, Your Highness!" Said Helena patiently.
When finished, Princess Seraphina looked in the mirror to see her new haircut. The result, made her scream hysterically.
"W-why is it like this? No way, why my is so short? It's so bad, Helen!" She shouted crying. She was shocked to see her long hair that was hanging beautifully turned into short hair like a boy.
"My princess, I'm so sorry. But this is because the queen asked for it," said Helena, who tried to calm Seraphin. Actually she didn't have the heart either. In addition, all this time Helen has been taking care of her, including taking care of her hair.
"You cruel, I hate you!" She said as she ran and intended to run out.
"Where are you going to, Sera?" Asked Queen Alexandra, stopping her daughter who almost made the door to the room.
"I wants to go until my hair is back long-" she said.
"Come here!" Call the Queen, Seraphina immediately went to her mother.
Her face was downcast, she didn't dare look into the eyes of her mother who she knew always made her weak.
"Why are you looking down like that? Look at me!" Asked the Queen, Princess Seraphina obeyed. Slowly she lifted her face and looked into her mother's eyes.
"Why?" Asked Seraphina while holding back her tears.
"Why?"
"Why do you have to cut my hair? Don't you like it, Mother?"
"I really like your hair. But, didn't you promise to fulfill my request?"
"But, what about Xavier?"
"Xavier is fine, later I will tell him when he wakes up, the important thing is now you have to help him, okay?" The Queen looked gently at her daughter. The young princess could only try to understand the situation.
"Will Xavier get well then?"
"Yes, he will definitely get well!"
"Very well, I will try for Xavier," she said with a sweet smile, Queen Alexandra immediately hugged her daughter.
A few minutes later, Jia who was asked to get Prince Xavier's clothes returned to Princess Seraphina's room in a hurry, her face looking nervous and anxious.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I just came back!" She said with irregular breath
"What's wrong Jia? why do you look scared?" Asked Diana.
"Forgive me-"
"What happened, Jia?" Asked the Queen.
"Earlier, when I was going back to Princess Seraphina's room, Lady Valerie saw me and asked what I was doing in Prince Xavier's clothes," she said.
"So, what did you tell her?"
"I told her that I was going to sew these clothes, because some of them were torn. I'm sorry, Your Honor. I was really nervous and confused about what to answer,"
"What is that woman going to interfere with? Does she look suspicious?"
"Doesn't seem, Your Majesty-"
"Alright! Helena, please change Princess Seraphina's clothes with the clothes that Jia brought!"
"Sure, Your Majesty! Come on, Princess. We will change clothes first!" Said Helena as she took her hand to the locker room.
"If I may know, what exactly did the Queen want to do to Princess Seraphina?" Asked Diana who had been waiting for Queen Alexandra to tell her something, because she knew that she was Queen Alexandra's personal butler who had served her since Queen Alexandra first lived in the palace and also, as someone she could always trust.
"Before I tell you about it, can you promise to keep this a secret from everyone? Expecially to the king and queen mother, also that woman!"
"You can trust me, Jia and Helana, Your Highness. We will never betray to you!" Said Diana. Jia nodded in agreement with Diana's words.
However, before the queen continued her words, Helena returned with Princess Nathania, who was already wearing Prince Nathan's clothes.
"We are back, Your Majesty!" Said Helena, taking Princess Seraphina's hand, who looked shy and hiding behind Helena's back.
"What's the matter? Come here, let me see you!" Said the Queen as she stretched out her hand. The little princess grabbed her mother's hand and showed her new appearance that was exactly the same as Prince Xavier when he was still healthy.
"Is this Princess Seraphina or Prince Xavier?" Said the Queen teasingly, making Seraphina smile until her cheeks turned red.
"I am now is Xavier, right?"
"Yes my dear, from now on Princess Seraphina will be Prince Xavier in front of everyone, understand?"
"Yes, Mother, I understands. I wish Xavier recovery, so I can return to being myself," she said. The Queen stood up and grabbed her daughter's shoulder.
"From now on, Seraphina will pretend to be Xavier to trick everyone, especially the King. As you know, Doctor Franz said that Xavier is very sick, I don't want the King to find out about it and make him think of getting Prince Xavier out of his way heir to the throne. Don't let the woman's son replace my son's position,"
"I understand, Your Highness. I also don't want Prince Sam to become Crown Prince," said Diana.
"From now on, you have to help me cover it all up, so that no one will find out and also keep an eye on Princess Seraphina, because she still doesn't understand what to do. I don't know this will happen so long, obviously, it will take quite a while long."
Every word that comes out of her mother's mouth, she can only listen to and try to understand that from this second, everything will change. Yes, that will really change.