Miss Rosette accompanied Lady Lara, and they walked through the open corridor. As they passed by Rohan from the opposite direction, both of them bowed respectfully.
"No one informed me about the presence of a new lady-in-waiting for Her Highness!" Rohan wondered. Lady Lara inclined her head and politely replied, "His Majesty did not want to disrupt your work with such a trivial matter, Your Highness."
Rohan muttered in annoyance, "Disrupt?!"
Then he looked at Miss Rosette, who became tense, and asked her, "And who is this lady?"
She began to stammer, remembering that she had to step aside and introduce herself. "I am Rosette B., Your Highness," she said.
"Understood!" Rohan commented.
Lady Lara interjected, "She is a herbalist and will organize the Princess's dosage schedule to prevent any further mistakes."
"Do you mean she's from the bee colony?" Rohan asked.
"Exactly," Lady Lara confirmed.
Then she pressed her lips together while Miss Rosette looked at them both in complete ignorance. At that moment, Rohan concluded his conversation, saying, "Well, thank you for your hard work."
They both bowed and went their separate ways. Miss Rosette started asking, "Do they refer to the palace staff as the bee colony?"
Lady Lara replied playfully, "Oh, yes! That's because it resembles a beehive."
Then she looked at her with a smile and said, "Isn't that right?"
But Miss Rosette looked at her in astonishment when she noticed her sad expression. She whispered, "But I don't like that name."
"Hush! Don't take it personally. It's not meant to offend," Lady Lara reassured her.
"Just like His Highness seemed unhappy with my presence, it seems we don't make a good impression here," Miss Rosette said.
"Oh!" Lady Lara seemed to have put Lady Lara in a deadlock. She laughed, surprising Miss Rosette with her reaction. She looked at her with a question, and Lady Lara replied, wiping away her tears, "You're funny, Miss!"
Then she calmed down and said gently while wiping away her last tear, "But I think your conclusions are wrong!"
...
Rosette stepped out into the garden during her break, finding it difficult to adapt to the atmosphere inside. She noticed a Nawras examining one of the plants, and Rosette understood, tears welling up in her eyes. As soon as she saw the Nawras, she leapt towards it and embraced it.
"Nawras!" Rosette exclaimed.
The Nawras remained frozen in place, its round eyes staring in astonishment, making it appear even more bewildered. Rosette lifted her head and smiled upon seeing the Nawras's silly face. Then she moved away from it, wiping away her tears. The Nawras admired Rosette's new outfit, and when Rosette noticed, she lifted her dress and twirled around, asking, "Do you like it?"
The Nawras nodded, smiling sweetly. Rosette quickly moved towards it, grasping its arm, and they started walking towards the fields, with Rosette saying, "You won't believe what happened there! It's terrible!"
With no other choice, the Nawras listened, and they eventually ended up sitting on the grass near the river. Rosette finished her story, saying, "In the end, the head of the staff stood up and said, 'What do you expect from the bees of the beehive!'"
She sighed in anger and continued, "Who does she think she is? At least we, the bee colony, possess knowledge, while she only knows how to give orders."
A soft voice emerged from the Nawras, who had her hand on her face and was laughing. This made Rosette smile affectionately.
"By the way, Nawras!" Rosette exclaimed with excitement, catching the Nawras's interest. "I saw the rumoured heir to the throne, the one they say will be the next crown prince!"
The Nawras displayed surprise and admiration, and Rosette continued, twisting and sighing, "Ah! If you only saw him! I can't believe I even spoke to him. Oh, I'm melting!"
The Nawras smiled broadly, almost bursting into laughter. Rosette suddenly grabbed her hands and looked at her with her starry eyes.
"You won't believe it, he's even more handsome than they say and very kind!" Rosette exclaimed.
The Nawras lowered her head, attempting to suppress her laughter, while Rosette stepped back and hugged her arms in annoyance.
"Oh, heavens! Nawras! I thought you would encourage me!" Rosette exclaimed, but the Nawras fainted from laughter.
...
In the princess's chamber, the air was heavy with gloom as the princess sat lost in thought on the window sill. Rosette silently prepared the medicine, her tension and unease evident, occasionally glancing at her mistress.
"You!" The lady's voice surprised her, and Rosette jumped in her place. The lady added, "What is your name again?"
"Ro... Rosette, my lady," she stammered.
"Ah!" The lady sighed and returned to her daydreaming. Then she whispered, "Rosette, What would be your reaction if your son's birthright was taken by someone gloating, while his mother prepared to seize power?"
Rosette lowered her head, unable to speak. It seemed that deep troubles weighed on the princess's heart. Rosette held the cup containing the medicine and approached her, offering it with a smile.
"Perhaps he has his reasons too, Your Highness. Maybe luck has eluded him this time, and he needs support," Rosette suggested.
The princess looked at her in surprise, seemingly not having considered that perspective. Rosette became tense from what she had just said, but the princess smiled gently, brightening her face once again. She took the cup from Rosette and whispered, "You're right, Rosette!"
Then she drank the medicine in one gulp, handed the cup back to her, and smiled. "Thank you!"
Rosette appeared bewildered, not grasping what had just happened, so she simply smiled, bowed, and took the cup before leaving.
...
Lady Lara entered the servants' restroom, surprised by the commotion in the conversation. It was unusual because she hadn't heard any recent rumours, and such a scene only occurred when a rumour reached her ears.
"Lady Lara!" the young lady-in-waiting hurried towards her, and Lady Lara wondered, "What's going on, Ray? What's all this fuss?"
"Don't you know? Everyone is talking about the duel between Her Highness and Prince Lucas," Ray replied.
"What?" Lady Lara exclaimed in astonishment. The room fell silent, and she placed her fingertips between her eyes and closed them, then said, "Ah, don't mind me. I was just a bit surprised!"
One of the maids commented, "That's strange! You always hear the rumours first, Lady Lara!"
"I must have missed this one," Lady Lara replied.
Everyone seemed surprised as Lady Lara smiled with a touch of resignation. Then she looked at Ray and said hurriedly, "Anyway, we have to be present, or things could turn for the worse."
But what further astonished her was the presence of the knight Rohan in the inner courtyard, while the princess was wearing her equestrian attire, and Lucas stood before her, sweating profusely.
"Your Highness!" Lady Lara rushed towards Rohan, who looked at her innocently and whispered, "Don't worry. It happened to me too!"
And he smiled gently, but she looked worried. Suddenly, the clash of swords echoed through the air, and Lara gasped in terror, covering her mouth with her hands. The swordplay stopped momentarily, and Lucas appeared exhausted. The princess screamed at him, "Lucas!"
He raised his gaze towards her, his eyes filled with anger and determination, as she lunged at him, striking with her sword. The sound of sword strikes filled the air as Lucas struggled to resist her blows. She stepped back and attacked with speed, eventually injuring his shoulder. Lara gasped in fear, but Rohan remained calm.
Lucas collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. Lara approached him, throwing her sword next to him, startling him with the sound. Firmly, she said, "Do not consider yourself part of this family until you reclaim your position!"
Then she screamed, "Do you understand?!"
His eyes glistened with tears of pain, and the shock widened. The princess turned to Rohan and whispered to him, "Take care of him."
Then she hurriedly left. Lara was stunned, astonished, and disbelieving of what had just happened, but Rohan smiled cunningly and said playfully, "Take it easy, Lady Lara. You know her when she's angry."
He approached the motionless Lucas on the ground and knelt beside him, grabbing the sword stuck in his trembling hand. He whispered gently, "Come on! Let's clean up this mess."
...