Bitter Realities

Posted on Wed May 7th, 2025 @ 1:31am by Amalie Cochrane & Empress Cosima Orsini & Crown Prince Paolo Orsini

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Terra
Timeline: Date 2372-01-10 at 0900
4349 words - 8.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Paolo ducked underneath a roundhouse kick, his head barely making it under the swinging leg of his opponent. He was doused with sweat to the point where his blue sleeveless shirt was dotted with dark stains. Though far from presentable, his fitness was obvious. Standing, he resumed his ready position, preparing to dodge the next blow.

“Very close next time, Imperial Highness.” Said the dark haired and mysterious man who was training him. “You must move faster.”

“Yes.” Paolo seemed to agree just as his opponent through a punch at his head which he avoided by darting his head to the side.

“Take down!” The man shouted, and Paolo’s hands were on the attacking arm for an instant, raising it into the air violently and stepping forward with impressive speed. With a sweep of his leg, his opponent lay on the ground. The mysterious man gave a stern grin. “Very good, Highness. Very good.”

“I’m getting the hang of it, I believe.” Paolo said, breathing heavily and wiping sweat from his eyes.

“You are, sir. Now, run home for a shower.” The man said, and then started to gather the opponent from the ground.

Paolo grabbed a towel from a nearby rack and started drying himself quickly. He pulled his water bottle into the air and squirted clear liquid into his mouth. It was only a few moments before he was in the hallway, making his way back to his apartments.

As he was walking down the hallway, one of the women he would recognize as part of Amalie’s staff was approaching him from the opposite direction. On seeing Paolo, her eyes widened slightly - she had been expecting to give her message to one of his valets, but this would be even better.

“Highness.” She greeted and curtsied prettily to him. “If you have a moment, I have a message from Lady Amalie.”

Paolo noticed the young woman immediately. He looked into her pretty eyes and offered a smile more manly than he would have been able to manage just months ago.

“Of course. Go on.” He said, pausing in his path and watching her expectantly.

“She was hoping you might meet with her somewhere. Something… rather unfortunate has transpired, and she simply wants to see you.” The girl replied, keeping her eyes averted from him.

“Of course.” Paolo said, his brow furrowing in concern. What could be so bad that she needed to see him right away? “Does she have some place in mind?”

“She enjoys the gardens, sir, but she was willing to meet anywhere that suited you if need be.” The young woman replied easily.

“The gardens are lovely. I’ll meet her by the statue of Apollo in a half hour.” He said with a nod that held confidence. “Thank you for delivering the message.”

“Of course.” When he dismissed her, she backed away a few steps before finally turning around to head back to Amalie’s quarters located in a completely different wing of the massive estate.

—

The gardens this time of year were not as bright and vibrantly colored as they were in the spring, but they were still beautiful and immaculately kept. The air had a distinct chill to it, but the sunshine above kept it from really settling into the body in an unpleasant way. Under the statue of Apollo sitting on a bench, Amalie sat with the servant woman who had come to relay the message to Paolo. She was wearing a modest dark purple knit dress with long sleeves that came down to her knee, the turtleneck helped to keep her warm. She was clearly upset, holding the other woman’s hand tightly, her pretty face blotchy from having been crying.

After a quick shower, Paolo headed down to the gardens by himsef. More and more he was seen with young men or boys his own age around the palace during this visit, but he made a point of coming alone on this occasion. He wore a royal blue mandarin collar shirt under a gray blazer and slacks. His belt and shoes were expensive brown leather and he smelled strongly of a spicy cologne. It was a new touch for him, but his valets helped him put it on in perfect proportions, helping him avoid a key mistake of many boys his age. When he saw Amalie, his heart sunk to see that she’d been crying. He sat down next to her immediately, turning toward her.

“Lady Amalie..what’s wrong?”

The servant gave Amalie’s hand another squeeze and then moved to stand. “I’ll be just over there.”

With that she moved off to give the two room to talk as privately as possible while still keeping an eye on what was happening.

Amalie took a deep breath and turned to Paolo, immediately finding his hand and taking it without thinking. She licked her lips and looked into his eyes, dismayed. “Oh something terrible, Paolo. My governess…”

His stomach sunk further, if such a thing were possible, and his mouth hung open in a sort of dumb surprise for a moment.

“Oh…uhh.. what happened to her?” He asked, not knowing the answer to his question. All he knew is that something was going to happen, having kept the details beneath him.

“She was brutally attacked outside of her apartment when she left here last night.” Amalie sniffled, reaching up to touch her face with her free hand to touch her face and try to prevent tears. “She’s in the hospital now.”

“Oh, Gods.” He responded, staring at her and realizing what his few words had done. He found himself suddenly thirsty. “Who did this to her? Do the police know?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t been told much.” Amalie frowned and looked at Paolo earnestly. “I… I was hoping you might be able to help. She might be harsh at times, but I think she truly wants what is best for me; I’m really upset someone did this to her.”

“Help?” He asked, his hand holding hers more tightly as his heart ached terribly for her. It had honestly never occurred to him that this move might hurt her. “What could I possibly do?”

“I thought maybe somehow you might be able to find out who did this.” Amalie admitted, seeming to realize then that it might be an inappropriate thing to ask. She frowned then, but looked into his eyes slowly. “She didn’t do anything wrong.”

Paolo looked into her big, radiant eyes and blinked rapidly. He felt terrible, but he was also fairly certain he did what he had to do to protect her. His other hand moved to his leg, and his leg directly next to hers.

“I didn’t realize you cared so much for her.”

“She’s very strict, but she is kind. She’s a good teacher outside of… well, the things we discussed. Is that really her fault though?” Amalie frowned, the question more rhetorical than anything. “This is the mandated education, she’s simply teaching what she is supposed to be teaching. I can’t fault her for that, it wouldn’t be right.”

But I can, Paolo thought. “Her teaching is harmful and the mandated education needs to be changed as soon as possible.”

Paolo frowned, looking at her with heavy breath. “Who would want to do this to her? Does she have enemies?”

“I don’t know. She doesn’t tell me those types of things; I’m her student.” Amalie shook her head slightly. “The system is harmful, she’s a good woman just doing her job. If she tried to do something different, she could be punished or dismissed.”

“There’s always a way to do what’s right.” Paolo said with conviction. “Like teaching little girls that some touches are bad touches and some tells are good tells. A bit of effort would have been nice.”

His grimace made it clear how angry he was, truly. All of these excuses made him sick. Of course, none of them know the true cost of the Governess’s work.

“Not if they don’t know what’s right to begin with.” Amalie pointed out quietly and finally looked away from him.

“And how can they if they won’t take a lesson?” He asked aloud without meaning to. He regretted saying it and bit his lower lip to stop himself from talking. After some time passed in silence, he spoke again. “Thank you for coming to me, Amalie. It means a lot to me.”

Amalie heard him, but she wasn’t sure what to respond and even if she had an idea, she wasn’t sure it would be a good idea. Instead she gave him a small, sad smile. “Do you think you can help?”

Paolo hesitated. He wasn’t willing to lie to Amalie; he knew that right away. But at the same time, he certainly couldn’t tell her the truth. He wasn’t sure what to say, but before he could even make an attempt, the sound of shoes approaching drew his attention away from Amalie. Approaching, the Empress came with a horrified expression on her face, her large breasts pulled close to her chest and raised high in her flowing Scarlett dress. She was flanked by two attractive aging women who looked at Paolo and Amalie as if they were preparing to be thoroughly entertained.

“PAOLO!” She shouted, putting a bit of stomp in her step.

Amalie was startled off of the bench immediately at the Empress’ approach and the way she shouted at her son. She curtsied, and then hastily moved out of the way with a confused look on her pretty young face.

“Mother.” Paolo said, his heart racing a mile a minute as he watched the woman approach. She stopped in front of him and, before he knew it, he was moving back in a jerking motion and narrowly avoiding the swift movement of her hand at his face. She had never struck him, so his mouth was open wide. “Mother, calm down!”

“What have you done, Paolo?!” Cosima shouted. The women behind her barely restrained their surprised and amused expressions. “I would expect this from anyone else but you. Vera? How could you do this to her?”

Amalie had retreated to the safety of her servant to watch what was happening from a slightly safer distance, but still easily able to hear what was happening too. When Cosima nearly struck Paolo, Amalie gasped, her hand going to her mouth. The shock didn’t wear off as Cosima mentioned Vera’s name. What was going on?

“I didn’t touch her, Mother.” Paolo said, looking around feverishly. The entire concept of being in trouble was new to him. “I’ve been here all day.”

“And yet I know you had something to do with it. She told me about your visit yesterday, Paolo. How you threatened to expose some scandal with her daughter. I suppose she wasn’t responsive to your strong-arming, so you decided to just have her killed, is that it? Is that the best I can expect from both of my sons?”

Amalie’s hand lowered from her mouth slowly, revealing a deeply concerned frown as she looked between Cosima and Paolo. Surely Cosima didn’t have it right? Paolo wouldn’t do that to a woman, would he? Her pretty brown eyes settled on him, her apprehension clear as she waited for what he was going to say in response to his mother’s accusations.

“I didn’t have her killed, Mother.” Paolo said, averting his gaze. “I wouldn’t do that. I simply..ask that she be convinced to stand aside.”

“Yes, you wanted her to resign from her job.” She said, looking at Amalie for a second. “Well we’ll have to see if she regains consciousness in order to know if your plan worked.”

Amalie looked at Cosima, frowning deeply and clearly afraid. She didn’t think Paolo had something like this in him, and as his future wife, it scared her quite deeply. She averted her gaze, looking down to the grass as she tried to keep from crying again.

“I..I did it to protect Amalie.” Paolo admitted, turning his sad gaze tk the girl he loved and seeing her sadness as well. “I did it to protect you. I didn’t know what they’d do, I swear.”

“You didn’t know because you didn’t want to know.” Cosima said, shaking her head. “Shame, Paolo. Shame on you.”

“What do you mean, ‘protect me’?” Amalie questioned, frustrated. “She’s been a kind, trusted teacher. I know maybe you don’t agree with what she is teaching me, but why would you do this to her? She’s only doing her job, what is expected of her,” Amalie gestured to Cosima. “What she was ordered to do by the Empress.”

“And shame on her for ordering it.” Paolo said, turning his eyes to his mother. “You know what her teachings did to our family. The simple fact you would give her charge over my future wife is an insult to me, to Amalie, and to Giana.”

“How dare you speak to me that way-“ Cosima started, but was interrupted by Paolo. His voice was raised, and his tone was sharp.

“He raped her over and over and she..said..NOTHING. Because she was told to say nothing.” Paolo shouted, scowling. “And I’m not going to pretend like that is okay. It’s not happening again; not to Amalie. Not to my family. I told Vera to resign and she refused. I tried to get her to do so to protect her daughter, and she refused. So I did what Father would do: what works.”

Cosima blinked at her son, beyond frustrated, but the shreds of guilt she kept hidden held her back from chastising him again. It was true that she had failed her daughter. She tried to ignore it and pretend it simply hadn’t happened, but she knew it was true.

“I..” she started, but stammered. “It still wasn’t…”

Tears had started flowing down Amalie’s face again as she listened to the exchange. Was what Paolo said true? Amalie liked Giana, though there were certainly aspects she didn’t like. Hearing everything now, she now understood more why Giana was how she was and her heart broke for her sister-to-be. She licked her lips and looked at Cosima directly.

“Is that true?”

Cosima looked at Amalie, her silent brown eyes growing deeply sad. Something between them had been crushed for her; a chance to do things right with another daughter, perhaps. Tears formed in her eyes and she breathed out slowly.

“Gods. Amalie.. it’s not that simple.”

“It IS that simple.” Paolo said, stepping over to Amalie and grasping her hand in his gently. His emotions were raw on his face. “And I won’t let it happen to my Amalie. She will trust me and know she can tell me ANYTHING she needs to at any time. And no one is going to teach her otherwise, do you hear me, Mother?”

Cosima blinked in total, mournful surprise. Paolo had never spoken to her this way, and she found she couldn’t fight it.

“We’ll figure it out, Paolo. But you can’t go down this path. You were supposed to be different.”

“Yes, well many things were supposed to be different.” He responded in an uncharacteristically bitter tone.

“Excuse me.” Amalie finally spoke before Cosima could respond to Paolo. It was a quiet interruption, but it was resolute. She looked at Cosima. “How is it not ‘that simple’?”

“Giuseppe was a spiteful and manipulative boy. He taught Giana that no one would help her. It wasn’t Vera, Amalie, it was him.” Cosima answered.

“They were accomplices.” Paolo corrected. “They may not have known it, but they were both teaching the same lesson.”

“That’s not true!” Cosima hissed, scowling at her son. “That's not true!”

“It is true!” Paolo protested. He wished he was back in China at this moment, and part of him wished he hadn’t visited at all. He had become inconvenient for everyone since the incident with Giuseppe, it seemed. “You’re allowing your guilt to stop you from reasoning. It’s classic denial. I’m not betting Amalie on it.”

Amalie reached out, sliding her arm around Paolo’s as he stood next to her and seemed to lean into him a bit. “If you knew he was doing that, why didn’t you stop it? Why didn’t you help your daughter? How did you not know?”

Cosima looked down. She could storm off and refused to answer the questions, but she knew from experience they wouldn’t just go away. She sniffed and licked her ruby lips. The woman behind her had almost dropped all semblance of decorum in their listening, as if they were watching a reality television show play out before them.

“I noticed she was becoming withdrawn and I would spend extra time with her. We would go shopping together or horseback riding and we would talk.” Cosima stated. “But when I asked, she told me everything was alright. She even told me I was the best mother any girl could ask for..”

“She said what you wanted to hear.” Paolo said. “It’s in the curriculum, Mother. Right there in black and white. The recipe for helpless, emotionally stunted victims who hate their parents and pretty much everyone else.”

“Do you like your daughters?” Amalie asked, her voice still quiet but encouraged by Paolo.

“What kind of question is that, Girl? Of course I do.” Cosima snapped at Amalie, her expression disapproving. “How could you even ask me something like that?”

“I didn’t ask if you love your daughters, of course you do. I asked if you like your daughters. Just as people, not as your girls.” Amalie clarified patiently.

Cosima looked at Amalie, her hesitation and distress as plain as the nose on her face. She didn’t answer for several seconds.

“Everyone has moments when they aren’t likable. It’s a part of being alive.” She said quietly. That doesn’t mean I dislike my daughters.”

“A moment is one thing, a lifetime is another. Do you like your daughters?” Amalie asked again, her voice louder this time but certainly not raised to the Empress.

Paolo looked at Amalie’s beauty. He admired her bravery in persistently asking the question. Unfortunately, Cosima seemed unwilling to say anymore.

“I don’t need to dignify that with a response.”she said, and then turned her nose up at Amalie and angled her body away as if to leave. She took a few steps away before Paolo called out to her.

“When she wakes, Mother, accept her resignation. I have a replacement in mind all three of us will like.”

“Do you? Who?” Amalie asked, looking at Paolo with surprise and interest.

He watched as Cosima and her entourage departed. Once she was gone, he turned to Amalie.

“Constance Delacroix. She was Jessica’s Personal Secretary before the wedding to Giuseppe. She transformed her from low nobility to an exceptionally popular royal. She understands people, and I’ve been talking to her.” He answered frankly. He frowned at her. “Amalie, I didn’t see any other way. My mother refused to see reason, as did Vera. I never meant to hurt you.”

Amalie hesitated a moment. “I don’t know her at all, but… do you think Jessica was taught it would be okay to share her feelings? I… don’t see that going over well with your brother. I’m not trying to question you, Paolo, I’m just… Giana is still the most popular royal by far with the people, you know that and I know that. Is it right to force Vera away when the curriculum could simply be adjusted?”

“The curriculum is just words on a page, Amalie. Anyone who could teach a little girl these things without rethinking their career is unacceptable In this role.” He answered, calmly but not without feeling. “Jessica had different lessons than you would, obviously. They wanted her to be popular and approachable. The point is she was taught much of what she needed to know to survive. The only reason she didn’t make it in their marriage is because Giuseppe went crazy after being displaced as heir. Trust me, things will be different with you. I was quite impressed with her insights about you just from seeing you in the press. She’ll be an excellent advocate.”

“Insights about me? Like what?” Amalie asked, frowning slightly.

“Well, for one she thinks you and I need to appear together in public much more often and that your schedule should be filled with social events in Court. Normally it would be but..my mother is a bit distracted.” He answered, being polite. “Constance wants to push for more opportunities for you to learn the role of consort.”

“Well… there hasn’t been much opportunity for us to be together.” Amalie pointed out quietly, not directly accusing him, but she had a point. “It is very understandable of course but… I’m hoping since you decided to return to court, that might change?”

Paolo looked slightly conflicted. He was enjoying life away from it all, but it seemed he had fallen into an agenda and a purpose beyond learning to fight with his friends in the wilderness. He also felt he had a responsibility to be with her, even if it was just to protect her from the rest of the Court.

“Of course we can.” He said, looking into her eyes. “We can do whatever you’d like.”

“Is something wrong?” Amalie asked, having seen his conflicted expression, but not understanding what could have been the underlying reason enough to not ask him.

He shook his head, looking down at her with affection and a hint of pain in his eyes.

“No, I’m just not at my best right now. I still haven’t figured out what kind of man I want to be besides the fact that I want to fight for what’s right.” He admitted, grasping her hands in his. He looked at her lips, his desire to kiss them stronger than ever. “I felt I was being reborn in China. I’m worried I haven’t learned everything I'm meant to learn.”

“I don’t think anyone ever really stops learning.” Amalie noted, squeezing his hands gently. “But only you can decide what kind of man you want to be… and if you decide poorly, you can change your mind and work to be what you want. It doesn’t have to be so set in stone, does it?”

“I suppose not, but I have been taught that a person’s habits are very powerful things. So many who want to change just continue on doing the same old things until they die. And there are some lessons best learned at specific times.” Paolo returned. He shook his head then and offered a smile. “I’ll be around more and make time for you. You’re very important to me.”

Amalie nodded. “Maybe there are better times than others, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you will miss out on learning the lesson entirely.” She squeezed his hands a little longer and smiled at him. “That makes me really happy. You’re important to me too.”

He looked at her lips again, his teenage hormones playing their tricks with him again. He glanced in the direction of her chaperone and found the young woman certainly looking at the two of them. The rules being as they were, he never would have attempted a kiss several months ago. But now, he leaned forward slowly, his intent clear but slow enough for her to stop him.

For a moment, she looked confused, then she figured out what was going on and a pink blush immediately appeared on her youthful cheeks. She didn’t pull away, but didn’t move forward either.

“Lady Amalie.” Her attendant called out, gentle but firm, and it was enough to make Amalie step back and look over toward the woman instead of at Paolo. She was giving the two teens an apologetic, understanding smile, but it was clear she was going to do the task assigned to her.

Paolo glanced to the woman, irritation playing at his features for only a brief instant before they softened. She was only doing her job, and he wasn’t going to fault her for that.

“Where would we be without you?” He asked, though he was starting to have some ideas of what the answers to that question might be. He turned to Amalie and kissed her hand instead. “I’m sorry, my Lady, but there’s a Secretariat meeting soon and I actually intend to be there for a recent change.”

“Of course, Highness.” Amalie nodded and gave him a small curtsy, though it was coupled by a youthful, sweet smile. “I hope it goes well. If I can help you with anything please just ask.”

“The gesture is mutual.” He said and then leaned down to kiss her hand. With a smile, he released her and stood up straight again, his suit creasing around his increasingly fit body. His brown eyes lingered on her for a second longer than they needed to. “Until next time.”

Amalie gave another smile and nod then finally turned to go to her attendant who smiled and gave a deeper curtsy to Paolo in farewell before extending a gentle arm out to Amalie to collect her. The two departed the garden then, leaving Paolo with his thoughts and the lingering warmth on his cheek from his mother’s strike.

END