Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 241: The Princess Who Cannot Be Named

Chapter 241: The Princess Who Cannot Be Named

Talia knew Lambert’s invitation is not an invitation since he said he received a call from their great grandmother. He is not someone who’d come visit her early in the morning for no reason and would want a company for his engagements.

Her assistant stood in front of her with his bright eyes as she got out of her room after getting ready.

"If you think this is the place for you, I’ll serve you here," he said in a pretty emotional way. His eyes were glistening with adoration and he couldn’t stop grinning. Talia just nodded and agreed.

What a cute and weird boy!

Talia wearing a red coat dress, got to the hall where the meeting was arranged. Lambert arrived just then too.

Entering the big hall, Talia was surprised the ’lads’ Lambert talked about were all around her grandpa’s age. They were all the veterans served in the war around her mother’s birth and most of them were very old.

Sir Ronaldino Russo was one particular grandpa who caught Talia’s eyes. He was more than eighty years old and had served the country for decades before retiring. His grandson who was with him, explained to Talia how he was suffering from Alzheimer and he doesn’t have longer to live. It was his last wish to attend this reunion before he passed away and so they brought him there. He was one of the very well respected generals of Rosandale, who was Knighted by King George himself and he was of higher status than other Knights because of his very prominent military career.

Although his grandson said he was lucid till then, the moment Talia greeted him, he got emotional and started addressing Talia as Princess Lillian. He thought he was in his twenties and that he was meeting the Princess in one of the official meetings.

Talia couldn’t help but blush as that old grandpa started to flirt with her. This old Knight had a very good skill of courting women.

He might have been very famous with women in his prime, Talia thought.

His grandson looked very troubled as his grandfather mentioned the taboo name in the Palace and also addressing Princess Talia by the wrong name and flirting with her brazenly.

Talia watched everyone getting very uncomfortable upon that old Knight mentioning Princess Lillian’s name, but personally she didn’t mind being addressed as the wrong person. She in a way felt happy she was misunderstood by that grandpa as her late grandmother.

Was it because I resemble my grandmother that much?

Talia wondered.

Or my way of dressing is so outdated, an eighty year old grandpa thinks that it is high fashion worn by a Princess? That isn’t good, is it...?

Talia wondered for sometime. But then her vanity got the better of her.

Although I am twenty six years old, I look like a teenage Princess Lillian. And that’s why this grandpa confused me as my grandmother. Talia consoled herself.

That grandpa asked Talia to sing an old song for him which she ( Princess Lillian) sang in their previous meet. Talia didn’t mind and used the piano in the hall and sang that beautiful song - ’Dream a little dream of me’.

Talia didn’t know that her singing that song would be recorded and would go viral later. Even the people in the meet were so mesmerised by her dreamy voice and in that very elegant attire, playing the piano, with her eyes gleaming with joy, she looked like an angel who was singing a Heavenly melody.

Talia wasn’t thinking much as she sang that song. When that grandpa asked her for this particular song, she was pleased that he asked for a song she knew. And singing that song, she could only remember the previous night she spent talking to Arthur. He even told her to dream of him when she slept and she did have dreams of Fred as they danced together amidst a million of stars.

And since the Princess was gracious enough to play them a song, they asked Prince Lambert for a song too and in the end Talia and Lambert played a duet together. The meet was extremely fun and Talia felt like she was right where she wanted to be, with those old veterans. She never felt that comfortable with people her age. But the level of comfort she felt among those old people was staggering even for her when she thought back.

Maybe I am an old person by heart! She in the end decided.

Throughout the meet, Talia could hear the murmurs among the old guards and soldiers who identified her as closely resembling the Great King George and Princess Lillian in hushed whisper.

This made Talia wonder why they had to mention Princess Lillian in such a hushed way even now.

Are they that mad thinking about what Princess Lillian did decades ago?

Noticing all these, piqued Talia’s interest towards her grandmother. The woman who chose her love over the Crown and left her beloved nation and became a refugee in an enemy country and for love faced abundant trouble and in the end died during childbirth after delivering a baby boy - her father.

And it made her wonder...

Would I ever lose this much for love? Is the love I have for Fred this earth shattering kind of love? How much am I willing to lose for Fred? Will I lose myself? How much does he mean to me? And how much do I mean to him?

Talia knew Arthur’s love was deeper than the love she has for him. He waited for ten years patiently for her after all. For her, she felt like every decision she made was very rational and after thinking it all through, rather than spontaneous and out of overwhelming emotions.

She only accepted him after knowing the fact that he really didn’t abandon her that day, right? He on the other hand... If she didn’t know that, would she ever accept his love?

Talia on her way back to her place, asked for the pictures of her grandmother to Mr Ed. She wanted to know more about her grandmother.

"You’ve seen some... There aren’t much pictures of Princess Lillian around," Mr. Ed said with his straight face and Talia knew it was a lie.

After doing her interrogation with Mr. Ed, he revealed that all the pictures were kept hidden by the Dowager Queen and no one is allowed to speak about her in the Palace.

So Talia went to meet her great grandmother unannounced. Talia knew she won’t be allowed to meet her great grandmother unannounced, but she was surprised when she was allowed in without anyone stopping her.

"How did you like your stay here last night?" her great grandmother asked as she walked in the garden. She seemed to be in a good mood. Even at her age, she preferred to walk without holding a walking stick although she had trouble walking and she still was dressed properly.

"I liked it very much, Your Highness." Talia spoke politely as she walked with a respectable distance between them.

As they walked, her great grandmother showed her the various plants and herbs she is raising in her garden and Talia was amazed, the Dowager personally knows everything around her right to the plants in her garden.

Talia never cared about these stuff. Even in the Oakley Castle, she never cared for anything. Her Grandpa would be the one who cared for everything and took care of every single detail.

I need to be more prudent and careful!

Talia decided to learn from her great grandma. If she is respected this much, she is not getting respect just for her title. She has other qualities that are very respectable making others look at her with awe.

Talia walked with her great grandma for a while and she didn’t know how to bring the topic of her grandmother with her.

As she thought about it, her great grandmother’s anger towards her daughter is not very unreasonable. Princess Lillian did abandon her duties and caused a big scandal.

Talia couldn’t help but relate herself with Princess Lillian. Like her grandmother, she too got caught in a scandal and left her grandfather to handle it alone.

She felt ashamed of herself.