My dearest Daughter,

I hope that you like your birthday present. You're 10 already, you're turning into an awesome lady. I'm sure your mum is proud of you in Heaven. 

Study hard and have fun with your diary.

Love, Dad. 

I'm turning 10 today! Dad has arranged a great birthday party for me. We've danced until the break of dawn, but I was not tired! Time flies when you're in good company! There were dancers, and jesters, and noble people who gave me a lot of presents. They have given me a new horse to ride in the forest behind the castle. It is brown and white, and I have named it Caramel, because I love candy. He's really cute! But what I loved the most was this diary, it was my dad's present! I have drawn Caramel here and dad said I'm very skilled at drawing! I'm going to write everything about my adventures in the diary, it's so exciting! Dad says it will also improve my writing, but Hilda, my teacher, says I'm very good already at writing!

This is my drawing of Caramel, I'm sure we will be good friends!

I'm sorry because

I splattered some

paint on the page,

but I will be more

careful and pay more attention from now on. 

Today is Sunday so I don't have to study with Hilda! I'm so happy because I have to study very hard every day, and during the lessons I have to keep calm and quiet, which is boring. What I find most difficult is geography and history. I need to learn a lot every day about new places and their people and sometimes I forget and Hilda is angry and punishes me to repeat the name of these places around a thousand times! I like Hilda but when she is angry at me she is scary. What I like the most is literature class. I love reading what other people have written, I would like to become a writer! Dad says I can do what I want if and only if I become a good queen, and I need to study a lot. Being a princess is so tiring! 

I have drawn Hilda in the garden today and I really like my drawing! I'm very happy because this time I didn't stain the page. 

Tomorrow's Monday again, oh no!

Dear diary, today I wanted to explore the stone waterfalls in front of the castle, but Dad has forbidden me to go there, he says it's dangerous and that I could go missing. To visit the secret places in the stone garden I still have to grow up, he says. However, in the summer I love dancing under the water as it falls to the ground. So refreshing! Dad says that the waterfalls were mum's favourite place, together with the garden. She liked to spend the day there and read many books, just like me. Turtles, fish and frogs live in the pond water, and I love to play to catch them, but later I set them free. I have asked the court painter to draw me in front of the waterfall. I really love the waterfalls! 

This is the painting the court painter made for me, take a look! He sketched me first and then coloured me in while I watched him do it. I want him to teach me to draw and paint so well! 

Today I was taken by surprise, and I'm not sure if I am happy about it or not. From now on, I will study with Guillaume, Hilda's grandson. His parents died in a fire, and dad has told Hilda that he can live with her. He comes across as somewhat cute, but very stuck-up. He knows more about geography and history than me, and he makes me nervous in class. Apart from this, he has stuck his tongue out at me several times when Hilda was not looking. He's an insolent kid! As a princess, he needs to pay his respects to me. Maybe he's so cocky because he is two years older than me, but I know much more about proper spelling. He says he will read a thousand books until he's better than me! I can't stand him! I don't like you, Guillaume!

I don't like Guillaume, but I have drawn him reading books just for fun. He is cute, but illiterate from head to toe. Maybe he will learn some good manners while studying with me. 

You can read a thousand books Guillaume, but you will never be as good as I am at reading and writing!

Sometimes I forget to write in the diary because I have to study very hard and when I am not studying I like to play with Caramel and the dogs. But today something fun happened, Guillaume brought a frog to the class and scared Hilda out of her wits, she wouldn't stop screaming! I had to laugh! We both laughed while Hilda was screaming and desperately trying to catch the slippery frog. In the end Guillaume caught it and released it in the pond near the waterfalls. Hilda was so angry with him! She punished him to face the wall for two hours! And he stood there motionless all the time, he's dumb but also very strong.  He told me he's taking fighting lessons, he wants to become a knight. 

I don't know if dad would like to have such an illiterate knight but maybe he is better at fighting than at writing. Anyway I have drawn the frog, because it was so cute!

I really laughed today and I'm happy because in general my life is very boring. It is hard being a princess!

Guillaume is fun though, I like it when he pranks Hilda!

Today's the first day of spring! The sun is very warm and I enjoy being in the garden. Guillaume and I have bribed Hilda to take our lessons in the garden in exchange for a basket full of chocolates and sweets. She's got such a sweet tooth! We stole it from the kitchen! I'm slowly getting better at geography and history because I don't want to fall short in front of Guillaume. I have asked him why he knows so much history and geography, and he told me he has travelled a lot, unlike me, who am a spoiled princess locked up in this castle since my birth and reading books. Time goes by, but he's still very insolent with me. I think he's becoming better at language though, maybe he doesn't want to fall short in front of me, hehehe! 

I have asked the court painter to draw the basket of sweets for me on this page. I wish I knew how to draw so well! He did it in less than 20 minutes. I wish I could show it to Guillaume and Hilda but this diary is a well-kept secret! I only showed it to Dad.

Hilda loves sweets as much as I do!

We ate the sweets in the garden while reading poetry. I loved it!

This is a chocolate stain.

Dear diary, today has been a somewhat sad day. It's my mum's death anniversary, and the court painter has finished a portrait of her. It is hanging in the hall, next to my picture. I feel sad today... Dad is always with a heavy heart lately and it saddens me that I can barely remember my own mother. She died when I was only five. I wish I could recall her... Guillaume has teased me a lot today because of my sad face. He told me he misses his mum and dad too, who died horribly in a fire. My mother died of an illness. I guess Guillaume's parents' death is more horrible. I can't imagine what it would be like to die in a fire. I feel sad for Guillaume. 

I have asked the painter to paint me too, beside my mother's portrait. Thus, somehow we will be together. Dad liked it a lot but he still had these sad eyes... I'm starting to notice when he's not feeling well. I pray that mum is watching over us. 

Dear diary, today was a strange day. I was riding Caramel and he got scared of something (I don't know what) and he reared up all of a sudden. My heart missed a beat, I fell to the floor and hurt my ankle, racked with pain. Fortunately Guillaume was around, he heard me crying and he ran to see what happened. I couldn't stand up and I couldn't stop crying either. Guillaume didn't tease me as usual, he held my hand and told me softly to calm down. He tried to lift me up and he couldn't, and he called me fat, and I cried even more. I really hated him then, but he apologised. He thought for a moment, and left riding Caramel. A few moments later he was back and Caramel 

was drawing a cart full of hay. 

Guillaume was finally able to lift me up, he took me in his arms and put me on top of the hay. It was a strange moment, because I had never been so close to him. His skin is really warm, and he smelled of Hilda's lavender handmade soap. I think he blushed a little when he held me, but maybe it was because of the effort of lifting me up, I don't know... He was nervous, that's for sure. He made sure I was comfortable (I was still crying though) and softly led 

Caramel to the castle. My foot hurt a lot and I could see it swelling because it looked huge when you compared it to my other foot. Guillaume said I was lucky because I could have been very badly hurt and that was nothing. I felt so scared!

When we arrived to the castle the doctor examined me and told me I had a sprained ankle. This is a new word I learned today. He told me to get some rest for a few days and bandaged my foot. I've learned a lot of new words during all this tragedy! Unfortunately, Guillaume became his usual nasty self again and laughed at me for crying so much. As I'll be in my room for a few days and I can't play outside I have plenty of time to read and to write in this diary. I don't know what is worse, the sprained ankle (it hurts!) or the books of history and geography I have to read during my convalescence. This is another new word that I learned today. I'm a convalescent princess!  

The only good thing is that I have time to draw in detail. I have drawn the moment in which Guillaume rescues me with Caramel and the cart. I'm very proud of this drawing, it took me four days to complete it!

I'm not fat Guillaume, you spoiled brat! Have some respect!

Caramel I know it's not your fault and I love you a lot.

I'm finally recovered! It was nice to be able to run again around the gardens. During this time, Hilda has sewn a fairy costume for me, with wings and all, to celebrate my 11th birthday! She gets angry when I don't behave well or study hard, but then she makes me this kind of presents that make me want to hug her tight! Guillaume, dumb as he is, told me that I looked like a blue bee, but I didn't pay attention to him because my costume is so gorgeous! I have asked Dad to arrange a costume party, and he said yes! Guillaume will be dressed as a knight, and I will dance with him. I'm not sure if I want to dance with him, but sometimes he can be nice, like when I sprained my ankle. 

Dad told me that the ball will be next Sunday, and that all our friends will come. It will be wonderful! Guillaume asked Hilda for a costume too (he's jealous, hehe!) and I can't wait to see him dressed as a knight. I made a drawing of us today.

I paid special attention to colour in the bricks properly!

The ball was marvellous! I'm so happy because I'm already 11 years old. Dad says I'll be a woman soon and that I will be a phenomenal queen! I want dad to be proud of me so I promised him to study harder from now on. All the people who came to the ball were very nice with me, and the musicians played beautiful music. But what I liked best was playing with Guillaume, who looked very cute in his cardboard armour. We danced together for hours, but at some point dad was angry (I don't know why) and told me to stop dancing with him and to sit beside him. Guillaume got very serious then, and left the ball soon after. I wonder if he got angry with me? 

The court painter made the cutest painting ever of the two of us. I think I will remember this happy day for a very long time! Dad said that mum was with us too and she was very happy, watching over us from Heaven and dressed as an angel. 

I am 11 years old already mum! Please be proud of me and watch over me, Dad, Hilda, and Guillaume.

Today's lesson with Hilda was about how to be a proper lady. Guillaume was not present, he was taking his fighting lessons. I'm finding it even harder than history, geography, or math... There are many things I have to do and many others that I shouldn't do. I asked Hilda if I could fall in love with someone I like and she said no. This gave me the heebie-jeebies. What if my dad marries me off to someone I don't like? My life is very boring. I want to have fun and play with Caramel and tease Guillaume for the rest of my life, but Hilda said that this will not be possible. There are days when I would really like not to be a princess, but the villagers' lives are no better. At least I have food and a home. I should be grateful for that. 

What I find it funny is that Guillaume will be my knight and he will protect me from all harm. It will be his duty! Hahaha! This makes me strangely happy. I have drawn him as a knight, and I think I'm becoming better at drawing!

Hi Eleanor! You left your diary in the garden, you careless child. I have laughed a lot reading your musings! Haha! And all these drawings of me? I bet you are madly in love with me. 

I'm not going to protect you, you conceited girl! I'm going to go to war and kill evil people who threaten our kingdom. And I'm not going to marry anyone!

I can't wait to see your face when you discover I found your diary and read all your secrets, hahahaha!!

Here is my drawing of me, you, and Caramel in the castle. Is this your girly dream? You look more beautiful in my drawing than in person hahahahaha!!

This is outrageous! I have to be far more careful about my diary. Today has been a very bad day! Guillaume scoffed at me while repeating "Eleanor is in love with me" once and again and again. I pursued him all around the castle until I bumped into Dad, and he gave me a mouthful for running around the palace. Then I started crying. I hate Guillaume so much! I told Dad that he said nasty things about me, and Guillaume scurried away like a rat. I want Dad to punish him but he only gave me the cold shoulder. He said he will speak with Hilda. I feel so bad, I'm still crying! I hope Hilda punishes him severely. I don't want to see this boy near me ever again! 

I don't feel like drawing on this diary today. I feel really sad, because of Guillaume and his pranks, but there is something else. I don't know why I feel so sad... I'm very tired. I don't like being a princess. Everybody is laughing at me or ignoring me. I want to grow up fast and become a queen and command my will to everybody in this kingdom. And I don't want to write anything else in this stupid diary. I just want to be left alone and cry. 

I HATE YOU,

GUILLAUME!

Oh my, such sweet memories! I just found this diary under a pile of forgotten books, and I feel delighted reading my memories again. I laughed so hard when I read Guillaume's page! I need to show this diary to him, he'll be in stitches for sure! Oh dear, things have changed so much... I miss my 10-year-old me. Now Hilda's dead - may she be in Heaven, watching over us with mum -, and there is this damn magician bossing around at court. There is something about him that I don't like at all, something evil in his eyes, I'm completely certain of it. Not that he's impolite, his manners are exquisite, cringey as he is. But the 16-year-old me doesn't trust him a single bit. Hilda would have said it's only jealousy, because he's always with my father, counselling him. But I'm sure it's something else. 

I've talked with Guillaume extensively about this. He says he looks like a predator looking for his prey. But apparently we are the only ones at court that don't trust this individual. He is even very popular amongst the court ladies, go figure... 

He even had the audacity to ask for a court portrait! 

That's him in the previous page, always doing God-knows-what in that damn tower my father allowed him to build nearby the castle. Guillaume says he's doing some sort of black magic there, although he always says he's merely a peaceful healer. By the way, things are hard for us now. My dad has started arguing with me if he sees me with Guillaume, he says he belongs to the lower class and that it's not proper. I call it bullshit (it's my diary, right? I can use foul language here if I want). Guillaume has been my only friend in this castle since I was ten years old, and I couldn't care less about him belonging to "the lower class". It is ridiculous, we have started meeting in secret, like two bandits plotting together. I really can't stand it.

This is him now, dressed in his armour. He looks handsome in this portrait I painted of him. He really is.