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Sunlight begins to peek through the gaps of the curtains, the beams hitting the pristine sheets. The light that shines on the emerald necklace reflected specks of glitter as well as on the diamonds surrounding it. The chain seems unclasped and the state of the jewelry appears as if it was thrown aside on the bedding. Aside from this, the bed itself is neatly done, save for the tiny wet stains on the comforter that appear to be fresh.
Prince Klaus couldn’t stand to be in this room any longer. The state of the atmosphere was mainly his fault, even though he thinks he had acted like anyone in their right mind would after such a shocking revelation.
His eyes land once more on the emerald necklace laid carelessly on the bed. Back then, this meant so much to him. It was the reason he had found his beloved, the reason he had kept his head high in the clouds because he knew she was there, finally someone standing beside him rather than in front or behind.
So, naturally, when he finally finds out that his beloved is not actually the same person she was all those years ago and this woman he was married to was a total stranger from another world...
Words he never would have thought he would say left his mouth. He felt everything and nothing at the same time. Betrayal, anger, sadness… How could she stand to live with him knowing she wasn’t the one after all? How could she ruin the potential marriage of the real princess to someone else now that she’s taken her identity and gone off with him?
His mind wandered to the princess who continues to live in his wife’s world. Why was the princess not at all wondering how her life is in this world? Was she not curious at the very least, or was she actually enjoying his wife’s life in that other world and is completely fine with all of this? It certainly was causing a headache for him.
His wife took off the necklace in guilt and ran away. He has no idea where she is now or if he should even go after her. They were in his kingdom now meaning he knew the location better than her, but he couldn’t underestimate his wife for she helped him with his hiding spots back then. Who knew if she found a lot more than he could think of?
His wife, Princess Sabrina of the Flower Kingdom. Well, now she was just Sabrina of another world. The real Princess Sabrina was ‘hanging out’, as his wife claims, in the latter’s place. Sabrina explains the truth to him, after a full year of their marriage. She tells him of the two Sabrinas’ plan, and that the original was for his wife to stay for only a mere month. The two meet again shortly before their engagement, wherein Sabrina tells the princess of their relationship. The princess, being Klaus’ real childhood friend, was happy that Klaus had finally found someone to understand him, and agreed to live her days happily in Sabrina’s world for good. It seems, though, that there were other people involved in this plan. The king, who agreed to the terms as long as Princess Sabrina was fine with it, and Princess Isabel, who accidentally witnessed the two a long time ago, were all aware of it from the very beginning of their marriage.
Klaus pats the bed and remembers his wife’s tears running down her face and staining the sheets as she tells him everything. He figures now that his emotions on this no longer matter.
Princess Sabrina of the Flower Kingdom is no more. She is but a commoner living her days in the commoner world, though by the looks of it, she is finally content with her life rather than living the dreary royal bloodline. And now, the Princess Sabrina everyone knows now is his wife Sabrina, the commoner who is now living the life of luxury by his side. Now that he puts it like this, and realizing that no one had any problems with it anyway and it had the consent of the two women, who was he to get angry at his beloved who tried her best to satisfy him?
Klaus grips the emerald necklace and dashes outside the room.
--
Sabrina watches as the flowers bloom outside the gazebo. This is where she usually runs off to whenever she needs room to breathe. She knows she doesn’t deserve it, after deceiving her husband for a year and of course, deceiving her people with an unforgivable crime as identity theft.
No one in their right mind would believe such a thing as identity swapping; even though she had the full permission of the former Princess Sabrina to change lives permanently, no one would believe her unless she showed them the portal herself. Kip, however, would never open one unless in a dire situation.
Now that her marriage was in shambles but at the very least the truth is out, she sighs softly and grips the concrete. It would be best to turn herself in now than to burden her husband or the king of the Flower Kingdom once word gets out. The only thing she would wish for is that the Princess who is living her life right now is at least content with commoner life because this Sabrina is living the royalty nightmare.
She hears footsteps nearing quickly and panics, but stays on her ground. She didn’t expect guards to follow her so soon, but she supposes she should at least get on with it already.
Turning around, she expects anyone but her husband to face her right now. Heaving and leaning on the pillar of the gazebo, Klaus catches his breath and sighs one last time before looking her in the eyes.
Just like the time she fell in love with him, she is trapped once again in his lovely gaze. She only hopes that he would bring one last moment of mercy on her before he sends her off to the gallows.
--
His wife’s eyes are puffy and red from all the crying she did the whole night they talked. They were about to go to bed when Sabrina had had enough and decided to shed the light on to the truth. For hours, they kept going back and forth and Klaus saw no reason to hate his beloved.
Sabrina may have lied to him back then, but he realizes now that it was a white lie. Not only to protect him, but to protect the real Princess Sabrina from her fears of dishonoring the dance competitions and her father. He knows this now and feels bad for the words he said to her.
He lifts up her hand, hearing his heart break when he catches her flinch and tense up in his grasp. He kisses the top of her hand and eyes the gold band on her ring finger. He removes it despite her surprised whimper, and before she could question him, he slides on a new ring.
An emerald ring, made from the same necklace his wife returned to him. He could never find a better owner for this emerald but his beloved. Emeralds mean unconditional love and devotion, as well as acceptance in every form.
His treasured wife put up with his silly antics when they met, helping him hide from the crazy women who chased after him left and right. She also guided him in matters he couldn’t control on his own once she began living with him in his kingdom, impressing not only his parents but also each and every one of his people with her warm spirit and great intuition.
She accepted his flaws back then when they had met, accepting that he was just as problematic as Cynthia when they had broken up. She also accepted his introvert nature, always holding a hand out to keep the interactions at a pace he could get comfortable with.
All this time, his wife had been the one accepting him. How could he notice it just now?
“Klaus…?” She whispers his name like a cautious measure, and his heart breaks once more.
Sabrina understood him. All of him. How could he get angry at his wife who did everything she could to make ends meet for everybody but herself?
Princess Sabrina wanted to live a new life, and his wife agreed.
He wanted her to remember him as a childhood friend, so his wife tried her best to simulate it for him.
The Flower Kingdom needs an exemplary leader to represent it, so his wife worked nonstop for the future her kingdom deserves.
Everything she did was for literally everyone else but herself. She did nothing that would benefit her. Although living the life of royalty had its perks, just the thought of the weight their responsibilities would be, Klaus could never imagine how strong his wife must be to keep on smiling even after tiring days.
So who was he to ever get mad at his wife, who sacrificed her all so he could be with her?
Who was he, who sacrificed nothing for her in return, to get angry at his amazing, lovable wife?
“I’m sorry,” He hugs Sabrina tightly, afraid that she might disappear from him when he least expects it. Now that he knows his beloved’s true colors, he finds that she is even more stunning than the princess of his childhood, and the image of a princess his wife tried so hard to portray. “You shouldn’t hide it anymore. You’re you, Sabrina, and I love you more than anyone else. I’d rather have you than any other Sabrina in all the worlds combined.”
She is silent in his arms and only when he pulls away does he see her tears once again present, but this time, he joins her.
He cries for his wife who worked hard to live alongside him, he cries for how ignorant he was of her feelings, he cries for his past self who always tied this childhood fantasy onto his beloved. Now that he knew who she really was, he only hopes she shows him more of herself so that he could finally set her free from this image he made her copy all this time. Now, he promises her that no matter what she does, he will accept it with a happy heart as long as she promises him that she will only show him her true self and nothing else.
His Sabrina looks down on the emerald ring. The necklace no longer means anything to him, because this is no longer a symbol for his childhood friend. This ring was a transformation, a sign that he now knows who this woman before him really is, and that he still loves her no matter what. She then looks up at him, and he drowns in those deep brown eyes of his wife that always seems to lure him in.
Her smile is what finally breaks the tension between them and he sighs in contentment. This was the life he was waiting for and now that the image of his wife is clear as day to him, he will forever cherish her true form like this for the rest of their days.
Holding their hands together like a vow of trust, the couple heads back inside the castle now with their head held high and their hearts beating as one.
Later on that day, Klaus makes a mental note to thank the former princess once he sees her again for her genius plan which gave him his happily ever after.