Unveiling True Colours
Later that evening, Apple sat with Rosabella in her dorm. The air smelled faintly of Apple’s signature perfume—hints of roses and something warm, like honeyed tea.
Apple sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. “Darling still hesitates every time someone sees us together.”
Rosabella, sprawled across Apple’s bed, flipped a page in her book. “She’s scared.”
Apple frowned. “I know. I just… I wish she wasn’t scared of me.”
Rosabella glanced up. “She’s not scared of you. She’s scared of everything around you. Your parents. The legacy. The expectations.”
Apple sighed. “I hate that she feels like she has to prove she’s worthy of me when I already chose her.”
Rosabella sat up. “Then tell her that.”
Apple gave her a flat look. “I have.”
Rosabella smirked. “Tell her again. And again. Until it sinks in.”
Darling had never been good at talking about her feelings.
Swinging a sword? Easy. Coming up with battle strategies? No problem. Even playing matchmaker for Rosabella and Daring was fun.
But sitting here, in Apple’s dorm, with the weight of her own emotions pressing down on her? Terrifying.
“You’re overthinking again,” Apple said softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Darling’s ear.
Darling swallowed hard. “I just… I don’t know how to stop.”
Apple tilted her head. “What’s on your mind?”
Everything.
Darling’s family. Her father’s expectations. The hero legacy she was supposed to uphold. The fact that she had spent so long trying to fit into a role that wasn’t meant for her.
“I—I’m scared,” she finally whispered.
Apple frowned. “Of what?”
Darling let out a shaky breath. “Of not being enough.”
Apple reached out, fingers brushing over Darling’s cheek. “You are enough. You always have been.”
“I’ve spent my whole life being told what I should be,” Darling whispered. “A hero. A prince. The kind of person who saves a princess, not—”
She stopped herself.
Apple’s gaze softened. “Not what?”
Darling hesitated, then whispered, “…Not fall in love with one.”
Silence.
Then, Apple smiled. “You’re ridiculous,” she said, shaking her head.
Darling blinked. “What?”
Apple leaned in. “You fight for what you believe in. You protect the people you care about. And most of all? You make me happy.”
Darling swallowed. “I—”
Apple pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her cheek.
Darling stopped breathing.
“I don’t care about what anyone else thinks,” Apple whispered. “You are my hero, Darling Charming. And I love you for exactly who you are.”
Darling melted.
For the first time in what felt like forever, the doubts in her mind grew quiet.
She was enough.
She was worthy.
And with Apple by her side… maybe she didn’t have to be scared anymore.