Just a Princess with Anger Issues

Chapter 1: The Princess Who Hated Being Called One

Everyone thought Princess Aurelia was spoiled. She preferred to think she was misunderstood. There was a difference. She lived in a palace filled with mirrors, flowers, chandeliers, silk curtains, ancestral portraits, and people who smiled before they spoke. Everything around her was beautiful enough to make ugliness feel like a personal failure.

Aurelia had always believed she was destined to inherit the crown. She had been raised for it. Lessons in diplomacy. Lessons in etiquette. Lessons in history. Lessons in smiling while being insulted. She knew which fork to use, how long to maintain eye contact, how to wave from a balcony, and how to conceal disappointment beneath diamonds.

The newspapers loved Aurelia. They also hated her. "Princess loses temper at charity event." "Royal tantrum sparks controversy." "Is Aurelia fit for public life?" Her face appeared everywhere.

Then came Julian. He wasn't impressed by the palace. He didn't bow deeply enough. He didn't compliment her dress. And worst of all, he laughed when she became angry. "You're laughing at me?" "No."

Aurelia had an unusual habit. She collected apologies. Every apology she had ever received remained stored somewhere inside her. Her mother's: I'm sorry you're so sensitive. Her father's: I'm sorry you misunderstood. Her brother's: I'm sorry, but you always overreact. Her former lover's: I'm sorry you made me do this.

There was a portrait of Aurelia's grandmother in the west corridor. Everyone avoided it. Aurelia had never understood why. One night, she noticed the portrait was slightly crooked. Behind it was a door.

Aurelia stopped trying to eliminate her anger. Instead, she began translating it. Anger became: I am frightened. Anger became: I feel invisible. Anger became: You crossed a boundary. Anger became: I don't trust you. Anger became: Please don't leave.

Aurelia had blamed her family for everything. The palace.

Aurelia began changing. Therapy. Journaling. Silence.

She became calmer. But then another problem emerged. She became obsessed with becoming "the healed version" of herself. She monitored every emotion. Judged every reaction. Punished herself for being upset.

The biggest scandal of Aurelia's life happened after she had supposedly become emotionally stable. At a royal press conference, a journalist insulted her mother. Aurelia stood. Everyone expected restraint. Instead, she walked across the room and slapped the journalist. The palace erupted. Julian was furious. Her mother was devastated.

The DNA report arrived anonymously. Aurelia was not the biological daughter of the king. The palace had concealed her birth. Her mother had been pregnant before marriage. The king had adopted the child to preserve the royal succession. But there was more.

Her father finally told her the truth. He had never wanted Aurelia to inherit the crown. Not because she was unstable. Because he knew the monarchy was unstable. He had protected her by making her believe she was unwanted.

Aurelia was offered the throne. The entire country waited. The palace prepared a coronation. Designers created gowns.