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— Kalim, is everything all right?
Jamil stood in front of the door to Kalim's room. She hadn't shown up for dinner, even though Jamil had personally warned her about the imminent meal, to which she had chirped something like, "Of course, Jamil, I'll be right there!" But she never came. At first, Viper chalked it up to her friend's forgetfulness and decided to wait, but when Kalim still hadn't appeared after 15 minutes, worry began to grow, though she didn't let it show. The students who arrived later also said they hadn't seen the prefect, which was what had brought Jamil here. She knocked again. No answer, just as before.
— Fine, Kalim, I'm coming in! — she called out, opening the door.
The heiress was sitting by the bed, her face buried in her knees. Her snow-white curls cascaded from her shoulders as if she were a princess from a fairy tale — which, to many, she seemed to be. Beside her lay a phone, its screen periodically announcing new notifications that she clearly didn't care about.
— Kalim, we talked about this, — Jamil rubbed the bridge of her nose. — If you're feeling unwell or don't want to eat — write to me, after all, I worry. — Kalim didn't answer. The tall girl stepped forward, lowering herself to her knees beside her.
— What happened?
No answer. The heiress's shoulders trembled, and then a sob was heard. Right now she seemed so small and defenseless that it made Jamil worry even more.
— Kalim… — Jamil carefully reached her hands out to the older girl, lifting her head. Her face was swollen from the tears that wouldn't stop falling, and her makeup was smeared. Jamil looked at her, waiting for an answer to her question. One thing was clear: something serious had happened, something that had deeply hurt her superior. Maybe something had happened at home? Had one of her numerous siblings been hurt, or was it connected to Jamil and her family?
Suddenly, Kalim's quiet voice was heard.
— Jamil, I… I got a call from home and… — she faltered, feeling a lump rising in her throat. — Mom said they've arranged a betrothal for me.
Viper froze. This news was truly terrible.
— A betrothal? Wait, Kalim, are you sure you heard correctly? Maybe they just want to introduce you to a potential suitor again, whom you have the right to refuse, as always?
— Yes, Jamil, a betrothal! — the fair-haired girl jumped to her feet, beginning to pace feverishly around the room. — This time I have no right to refuse, there's already a date. He and I will have time to get to know each other before it, but after that… Jamil, I don't want this! — Kalim's voice was trembling. — I won't be able to live with a man I don't love and can't come to love! And I also won't be able to love the children that might be born in such a marriage. I'm awful, Jamil, I know, but doing anything about it is hard for me.
Tears streamed from her eyes again. Jamil slowly walked over to the other girl, carefully embracing her. She had heard from Kalim more than once how sick she was of all these meetings about a possible marriage, and how many times she had tried to talk to her parents about it, but in vain. "Such is the fate of an heiress, We're sorry, sweetheart." But why does an heiress need a stranger in the family's affairs, a man she doesn't love? "It's necessary, it's the right thing."
Jamil gently stroked Kalim's head, continuing to hold her with one arm. She tried to find words of comfort, but what do you say in such a situation? She only hoped that her presence would be enough.
A moment later, Kalim's voice was heard.
— I just want to be happy, Jamil. With you, — she said quietly.
Such was Kalim's selfish wish. A wish that carries no weight in the system into which she was born and of which she and Jamil were victims. She had always been indifferent to those wealthy boys from influential families who were offered to her as potential partners. "I'm sorry, but you don't interest me" — that was the answer they received. Kalim wasn't shy about speaking directly, about defying her father on this matter. She was disgusted by the thought of a forced marriage for profit, where love has no place, for all her life she had dreamed of being truly loved. And she was loved, but to her parents' great disappointment — not by another suitor, but by a simple servant who had been by their daughter's side all her life and whom she had been able to fall in love with.