Inside the castle, she was known by her true name—Famoura Felóenz.
But beyond the walls of Château de Chambord, the world knew her by another name: Princess Marie II.
On the day of "The Ceremony of Powers," King Francis had ordered the entire castle grounds to be beautifully decorated. For the first time, the gates of the magnificent château were opened to the common people.
Long tables filled the courtyard, covered with food and drinks for everyone who had come to celebrate.
With a single clap from King Francis, the royal servants began serving the feast.
Unlike the other royals, Princess Marie II—Famoura—preferred a simple life. Instead of sitting with the nobles, she quietly joined the common citizens and began eating among them.
While she was eating, a sudden commotion came from the nearby table.
A young girl screamed and quickly stood up.
"A frog!" she cried in fear.
The small frog had jumped onto the ground beside her chair.
Famoura calmly stood up and walked toward the frightened girl. With a subtle movement of her fingers, she used her Phobokinesis ability.
In an instant—
The frog vanished.
The girl stared in amazement.
"Thank you!" she said gratefully. "My name is Elizabeth Félix."
Famoura smiled and shook her hand.
"I'm Marie II," she said. "But… would you like to be my friend?"
Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock.
"A princess… wants to be my friend?"
But soon her surprise turned into happiness.
"Yes! Of course!"
Just then, a boy about a year younger than Elizabeth approached them.
"Hello, Princess Marie II," he said politely. "My name is Anthony Félix. I'm Elizabeth's brother. It's nice to meet you."
Famoura shook his hand as well.
"Well then," she said playfully, "will you also become my friend?"
Anthony smiled.
"Of course, Princess."
Famoura opened her bag and took out a folded letter. She handed it to Elizabeth.
"We can study together every day," she said. "The address is written inside this letter."
Anthony suddenly spoke again.
"I have a request, Princess Marie II."
Famoura turned toward him.
"Yes?"
"Well… if you and my sister both go there… you'll be two girls, and I'll be the only boy."
Elizabeth began laughing.
"Stop laughing!" Anthony complained.
Famoura shrugged lightly.
"If you don't want to come, that's fine. I don't mind."
She began walking away.
"No, no!" Anthony quickly said. "That's not what I meant! I just wanted to ask… can I bring two of my friends? They're very smart and could help us study. They're one year older than me—about the same age as you and my sister."
Famoura paused for a moment.
Then she nodded.
"Alright. All of you may come. But remember—this must remain a secret between the five of us."
With that, she walked away.
Meanwhile, Anthony grabbed the letter from Elizabeth's hands.
"Give it to me!" he said.
"I'm older than you!" Elizabeth argued. "And the princess gave it to me!"
Anthony ignored her and opened the letter.
He read the address aloud.
"Sylvester Woodland Library…"
His eyes widened.
"That's really far from the castle… and it's just an old library."
Elizabeth thought for a moment.
"Famoura loves studying," she said. "But according to the kingdom's rules, women aren't allowed to study after the age of ten."
Anthony nodded slowly.
"Then she must be planning a secret study group."
The Next Day
The following day, they arrived at Sylvester Woodland Library.
Elizabeth and Anthony arrived first.
Anthony looked around with disgust.
"Eww… this place is ancient," he said. "Look at all this dust. Maybe Princess Marie II invited us here just to clean it."
Suddenly—
The sound of the door opening echoed through the quiet building.
Anthony froze in fear.
"Sorry, Princess! I didn't mean it like that!"
Before he could react, someone suddenly appeared behind him and placed a knife against his neck.
"Why should I forgive you?" a cold voice said.
Anthony recognized the voice and relaxed.
"Oh… it's just you."
The boy holding the knife laughed.
"I'm Victor Laurent."
At that moment, the door opened again and Famoura walked inside.
"What is happening here?" she asked.
Anthony quickly pointed toward the boys.
"Princess Marie II, these are the friends I told you about. They're brothers. The older one is Edward Laurent, and the blond one who almost stabbed me is Victor Laurent."
Both brothers bowed respectfully.
"Our apologies for the disturbance, Princess."
Famoura frowned slightly.
"First of all," she said firmly, "stop bowing to me. I don't like it. If you want to bow, bow only before God."
Victor leaned toward Anthony and whispered quietly.
"I've never seen a royal child like her."
Edward then asked politely,
"How can we help you, Princess?"
Famoura crossed her arms.
"First of all, my name is Famoura."
Everyone stared at her in shock.
"Famoura?" they repeated.
"Yes," she said calmly. "And secondly—don't call me princess. I want to live as your friend."
Elizabeth smiled.
"Thank you… Princess—sorry—Famoura."
Famoura laughed softly.
"In friendship, there is no sorry and no thank you."
Edward then asked curiously,
"But why does everyone call you Marie II?"
Famoura shrugged.
"To be honest… even I've never discovered the reason."
Victor looked thoughtful.
"The name Famoura sounds familiar," he said slowly. "It feels like it belongs to something important… like an ancient history… or even a war."
Famoura smiled slightly.
"Maybe. But that's not why we're here."
She looked around the old library.
"I came here to create a secret study group. I believe in women's rights, and I want to learn the real history of the world."
For a moment, the room was silent.
Then all four of them spoke together.
"We'll help you, Famoura Felóenz."
And in that quiet, dusty library deep within the forest—
A secret alliance had just begun.