84. Camden

The first memory I have is of Celosia forcing me to lift the crown. I was around three or four. She took me to the throne room and told me not to leave until I had succeeded. The naive little boy in me wanted to please her so I promised her I would do it without realizing it was impossible. I thought I could thaw her coldness towards me if I did what she said. She left me there for a whole day and night without food or water. By the time Jovita, my nanny found me, my hands were bleeding because I refused to accept I couldn't do it. It was the first time my mother had paid attention to me. I couldn't disappoint her.

The memory is still so vivid because it was also the first time I suspected she didn't love me. I wondered why she didn't send someone to bring me a cup of water. To be able to do it, I needed strength. Feeding me once would have sufficed. A few years later, I found out that she didn't care about me at all. She was telling Morena how useless I was a