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CHAPTER 7

“Hurry up Caroline, I am going to be late for breakfast,” I say.

“I am sorry Your Highness, we woke up late because of last night's activities,” she says as she struggles to fix my hair.

I bite my mouth feeling guilty because it is my fault.

Three days ago, I, Lady Juliana, and Lady Zadie came up with a strategy to carry out plans. Two nights ago, I sneaked into the knight’s gear room and sabotage their weapons. It’s a good thing I wasn’t caught like last time. All the servants serving in the castle have been called in for questioning since that day. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to be dragged into this. I was clumsy hiding the weapons, few of them were left behind. I should have taken Zadie on that help when she offered it. I am just thankful nobody got blamed if not I won’t be able to live with myself.

I went back to the forest to the spot where I hide the weapons I stole the other night from the knight’s gear room but nothing was there. Somebody took them and I don’t know it was.

“I hope father didn’t find them. He will know it was me straight away,” I say to myself.

“We are done Your Highness,” Bridgette says.

I look at myself in the mirror, feeling satisfied with the appearance I smile.

“Thank you so much ladies,” I say.

They smile and curtsey as I rush past them, and pick up my books from my bed. Bridgette has the door open waiting for me. I run past her and hurry down the stairs. I hear her behind me. As I approach the dining room, the guards open the twin door for me. I hurry to take my seat at the dining table.

“Morning father, morning mother,” I say.

I take my seat as I hear mother clear her throat. I look up at her and she is wearing a frown. Knowing the reason behind her sworn I stand from the table and curtsey.

“Morning Father, Morning Mother.”

They both nod at me as I take my seat. As usual, my father always leaves a newspaper beside my plates for me. He started doing so when I started asking a lot of questions about what was going on in the kingdom. To reduce my inquisitiveness, father always has a fresh paper for me every morning. It’s one of the things I love about father. I look at father expecting him to question me about last night but he has his face covered with the papers. I look at mother who is taking down some notes and I look at Ri who I notice has been looking at me. Finally, she picks up her book to read. I take the newspaper and start reading.

“So that’s it? You are going to stop the search for the culprit?” Mother asks.

My body stiffens at what mother says. I use the newspaper to cover my face properly.

“Yes, Sir Arnold believes the new inductees into the Knight Watch Guard must have failed to get the weapons into the castle after their training last night,” Father says.

“I just find it strange that the weapons were found lying behind the court house just like that,” Mother says.

“What! The weapons were found behind the court house. I am sure I hid the weapons under the fallen tree in the forest,” I say to myself

“Hmmm, I thought it was strange but Sir Arnold assured me it was all a mix-up,” Father says.

I can feel mother’s stare digging at the newspaper. I grip the newspaper tight to save myself from her stare.

“Alright honey if you say so. Adrianna, Iris, I heard Duchess Ophelia has the ruler class rehearsing their coronation speech with your class,” Mother says.

“Yes, she has. Well, it’s not their coronation speech it’s more like what they intend to do when they become kings, queens, dukes, and duchesses,” Ri says.

“That sounds very interesting,” Mother says.

“Yes, it is but not all the time. We have been at it for days now and it has been exhausting but today happens to be the last day. Prince Leonard, Duke Oliver, Prince Jeffery, Prince Frederick, and Duke Alden get their turns today,” Ri says.

“Wow, that sounds entertaining. Prince Leonard, Prince Jeffery, and Prince Frederick are such bright boys. I see Ophelia is saving the best for last,” Mother says.

“Yes, and it’s a good thing we will be going too,” Father says.

I drop my paper.

“What!? You are coming to our school?” I ask.

“Yes, King Archer invited us to come and watch his sons give their speech,” Father says closing his newspaper and dropping it close to me.

“When you say us, who are you referring to father?” I ask.

“I mean the three great kings and some few selected dukes,” Father says.

What!?” Ri and I chorus together.

“No yelling at the table,” mother scolds.

“Sorry mother,” Ri and I say.

“I don’t understand what the big deal is about your father coming to your school,” Mother says.

“There is nothing mother. I am always when father takes a break from his busy schedule to come to our school,” Ri says.

“Thank you Ri,” Father says.

I roll my eyes at the moment.

Just then Chef Oscar comes in with our breakfast and the servants follow behind him. The servant drops my food in front of me. I look at the cutleries beside the plate. I am conflicted about which cutleries to use for the meal. I have never understood the lessons mother gave me concerning what cutlery goes for which meal. I close my eyes, and slowly I breathe in and out. This dilemma has never allowed me to have a proper meal with my family. Mother always scolds me when I fail to pick the right cutlery for a meal or the way I eat. Because of that, I rather eat somewhere else away from the drama. I look around the table and everyone has started eating.

I turn to Bridgette who is standing at a corner behind me.

“I will have my breakfast at the usual place,” I say standing up and gathering my things.

I curtsey to father and mother and turn to leave.

“I will join you.”

I turn to Ri and watch her signal to her head maid Veronica who helps her gather her things. I watch her peck Mother and Father as she joins me.

“Are you sure?” I ask Ri as we walk out of the dining room.

“Yes, I am sure. It’s been a while since I was out in the forest. A little dirt here and there won’t kill me. Besides, you and I need to talk about your little stunt last night.”

I look at her in shock

“How did you know?”

“Let’s just say I had a little talk with Zadie,” Ri says.

“What! You threaten Zadie?” I ask.

“I did no such thing,” Ri says.

I groan at her and she sighs and rolls her eyes at me. Ri doesn’t look it but she can be very intimating when she wants to be. So whenever she says ‘she had a little talk’ it can only mean one thing.

“Well, it wouldn’t have come to that if she just told me what I needed to hear.”

“What you needed to hear?” I ask.

“What you were up to,” Ri says.

“Oh my God Ri…” I say disappointedly.

“She left me no other choice Iris. I was worried about you. Esmeralda had to threaten to tell Lord Alden she has a crush on him and she caved in.”

I stop in my tracks

“Esmeralda was in on this too?” I ask

“Yes, she was,” Ri says with a hint of pride in her voice.

I run to catch up with her.

“How did you ever talk Esmeralda into joining your little act?” I ask.

“Oh, that was easy. I just told her you were up to something and she was ready to declare war with me,” Ri says.

“Esmeralda really needs to prioritize her life options,” I say.

Ri laughs as we enter the forest.

“Wait, back to Zadie. Did you just say she has a crush on Aiden? You mean Lord Aiden of Vakapor, the young Duke?” I ask.

“Yes, that one,” Ri says.

“Wow,” I say.

“I was shocked myself when Esmeralda mentioned it,” Ri says.

“How did Esmeralda know…”

“Esmeralda has her ways. She isn’t called “The Vixen” for nothing,” Ri says.

“What of Octavia?”

“Distracting the teachers.”

“Of course, she was,” I say to myself.

And then it hits me

“Juliana! What did you do to her? She isn’t one to break that easily.”

“Oh, she was a hard one. She refused to crack. She kept going on and on about how her loyalty to you was important to her,” Ri says jumping over a log

I smile to myself, feeling proud of Juliana.

Ri sighs

“I have to give it to her. She is truly her father’s daughter.”

“Zadie told you guys everything didn’t she?” I ask.

“Yes she did and she cried as she spilled everything,” Ri says.

“Poor Zadie,” I say to myself.

“With the information Zadie provided, I was able to predict where likely you would hide the weapons while Octavia and Esmeralda came up with plans to have father and the knights search somewhere else while I and Sir Arnold took care of the weapons,” Ri says.

“Wait, what? You and Sir Arnold? How did you get Sir Arnold…?”

Ri stops talking and turns to me.

“What nonsense question. I am his Princess. After father and mother, we fall in next for authority. Of course, he was going to do whatever I said,” Ri says and continues walking.

“Thank you, Ri,” I say after a moment of silence.

“Next time Iris please come to me when you have a ridiculous plan like this one,” Ri says.

“Alright, I will.”

“I mean it, Iris,” Ri says.

“Alright Ri, I will,” I say.

We continue in silence.

“So how did you and Sir Arnold get the weapons to the courthouse? I mean father tightened security; you both shouldn’t have been able to get…” I ask

“That is one piece of information I won’t be telling you,” Ri says

“Ri…”

“That is your punishment for keeping me in the dark.”

“Fine,” I say.

We finally reach my favorite spot in the forest and we have our breakfast.

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