Chapter 43 – Deep Bonds

It seemed that Alexandra was intending to talk about the incident that occurred two years ago, about which Edwin was adamant to keep silent. Tiana didn’t much expect her questions to be answered here. She had no memory from before the accident.

Tiana didn’t know the details, but if somebody had indeed decided to enter her body, she thought nothing good would have come out if she had refused the entity. That must be why Edwin had reacted so violently. He had been involved with whatever happened with the person who had possessed her. She had already been in two accidents and had lost her memories in both cases. Since Edwin had been there during the first, it couldn’t have been easy for him.

He was either a foe or a writer. Tiana wouldn’t have thought of ever going back; the possession came as a blessing in disguise. If she hadn’t been possessed, all hell would have broken loose.

“You did a terrible thing to Lucius, too!” said Alexandra, wiping her eyes.

So, that’s what it is! thought Tiana. It was all connected. It made sense that he was intimidated from the first time they met. What on earth did Edwin say to him? Tiana wondered. If he had already told Alexandra, he must have twisted the words and said something worse to Lucius. How dare he?

Tiana seemed absolutely fine from the outside, but it was possible that someone had possessed her, and the personality that she exuded was entirely different from who she was before. She herself didn’t know who she was before; she was a mess at this point.

She wanted to know who would do something like that to her. If they were a foe, she would grab them by the collar and demand an answer. And if they were an author, she would make sure their books went to waste. She decided on the greatest revenge and looked at the princess. Fortunately, she had stopped crying and was dabbing away at the tears.

She grabbed Tiana’s hand and sniffled. “Forgive me,” she said, “for losing my composure like this.”

“No, no…” said Tiana, “It’s perfectly alright.”

Alexandra nodded and smiled gratefully. She had looked at Tiana square on the face with confidence, now she turned away coyly. She didn’t let go of Tiana’s hand. Tiana noticed that the tea on the table had already turned cold. She rang the bell and Alfred entered the living room.

“At your service,” he said, a little startled at the scene there. He quickly composed himself.

Tiana smiled and indicated towards the teacups. “I am afraid the tea is cold. Could you bring us some more?” She asked, “Please bring the same kind of tea in the same cups.”

“Understood,” said Alfred, “I’ll fetch them right away. Will only be a moment.” Alfred bowed and left the room with a smile to refill the teacups. If he felt any unease, it was nowhere to be seen.

“Your Royal Highness,” said Tiana, addressing Alexandra. She had finally stopped crying and turned to her. Tian held her hands. “When the tea comes back up,” she said, “I want to have a proper conversation with you. Not as a royal, but as Alexandra. Is that okay?”

“Yes,” said Alexandra, “Let’s do that.” Their clasped hands provided some form of comfort that soothed them both. Alexandra directed her emerald-green eyes towards Tiana and smiled, looking so beautiful that she shone vividly before Tiana.

***

“It tastes absolutely divine,” said Alexandra, sipping the tea from the teacup held in her delicate hands.

“Indeed, it does,” agreed Tiana, relishing every sip.

The two nodded in satisfaction. The deep, rich taste was different from the ones she had tasted in the past. She slightly resented Alfred for not introducing the tea earlier to her. Alexandra seemed to have loved it as well. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the lingering taste with her cheeks flushed. Tiana was relieved to see that she was finally okay.

She opened her eyes and pouted a little when she saw Tiana looking at her. Tiana smiled. “I am glad you liked it,” she said, “Alfred has good taste. This is my first time drinking this.”

“No, it isn’t,” said Alexandra.

“Pardon?” asked Tiana, eyebrows raised.

“This is your second time drinking this tea,” Alexandra said, “The first was when I presented it to you. We drank some together before.”

“Really?” asked Tiana, confused.

“Then too, you said the same thing,” said Alexandra, “I guess you really are back.”

Tiana smiled awkwardly, while Alexandra stared at her in earnest as though making sure it was really her. She keeps saying I have returned, thought Tiana, is my personality akin to the old me then? Even with Lucius, there had been so many overlapping incidents. It seemed the people who knew the old Tiana before the possession felt relieved to see her now.

If she showed a similar personality to the old Tiana, people could believe that she was in her normal state again. She wondered if it was a coincidence, her likes and her nature being so similar to the old Tiana. She was relieved that it would help her blend in. There were plenty of advantages for her if the old Tiana and the Tiana now appeared similar. She wouldn’t need to be concerned about so many things.

“Anyway,” said Alexandra gratefully, “thank you for returning to me. I really missed you, Tiana.”

“I, um…” responded Tiana, “I still don’t have my memories.”

“I know,” said Alexandra, “people talk. And I got your letter as well. But it’s alright. You can take it slow. You will get them back.”