In the evening princess Sam made her way to the area bordering the capital which was a land covered with cornfields. Minister Hesse's manor and estate stretched across this land. Sam casually rode her horse to his old manor. She asked the maids gathering around not to make a fuss about her arrival and walked straight towards Naomi Hesse's courtyard.
"Did you announce my visit to your miss?" Sam asked her maids.
"Our lady says she is not feeling well and will not receive any visitors." said a maid bowing down.
Sam furrowed her eyebrows. "If she is not well,then all the more reason to visit her."
Saying this Sam walked straight to Naomi's room and knocked on her door.
"I don't want to see you." Came a voice from inside.
"What did you say?...I can't hear you." Said Sam opening the door and getting inside.
Naomi Hesse was minister Hesse's eldest daughter and Sam's old friend. She had light brown hair and large brown eyes that were now staring at Sam in anger.
"What is the reason for suddenly...honoring me with your presence, your highness?" Naomi asked bitterly.
"Look what I have brought for you." Said Sam hurriedly opening a package she had brought. She brought out many books from the package and showed it to Naomi reading out the titles on their covers.
" Look ... 'THE ROMANCE OF THE SEVEN SEAS' .....'THE SWORD OF MY SECRET KNIGHT' 'THE DESERT PRINCE AND THE SKY PRINCESS' and look at this..."
Sam showed her another book "This one is an authentic imported pirated copy from Gregoy-'THE METEOR NIGHTS' - all three volumes!! This is a very popular series abroad ...It's about ...about this meteor that fell from the sky and transformed into a handsome man..hahaha you don't want it?"
Naomi turned her back to the second princess and muttered, "I don't read such stuff anymore."
"Eh?" Sam was puzzled. What did Naomi read these days? She took up the books that were lying on Naomi's table, looking at their titles.
'LOST IN SEA OF SORROW' 'THE DEATH OF LADY WINCAST' 'THE ETERNAL BROKEN HEART'
Sam frowned. She switched from romcom to tragedy? Only last year Naomi had given her a list of romance books to look out for while traveling outside Hebelone.
"What happened?" asked Sam in confusion.
"What happened you ask! Of course, you would know nothing! Your highness is a royal and will not bother with the affairs of lowly people like me..." Naomi's face was red and there was bitterness in her voice.
"I was kind of busy Naomi..." said Sam apologetically.
"I know...I know everything about you...you came back home, then dueled with that Keirish prince, then you went after some rebels, got imprisoned for a couple of months, now you are a Superior marshal of the army...you are quite busy... I do not blame you.."said Naomi in one breath.
"You seem to be well informed...haha.." Sam kept her hands on Naomi's shoulder turning her friend back to face her.
"Everyone in the capital knows about these affairs..So you suddenly came to find me... don't tell me it's on official business??" Naomi asked pushing Sam away.
"Hahaha....no way...I thought it was time to pay my good old friend a visit...So what happened to my sweet bookworm...you suddenly have a thing for tragedies..." Said Sam.
"I am getting married next week!" said Naomi looking at Sam and then turning back to walk out of her room.
"What!" Sam followed Naomi out asking her a ton of questions.."When was this arranged...Wait who is the groom? ...Naomi! ..."
Naomi did not reply but walked through the backdoor of the manor into the lush cornfields outside with Sam following her hurriedly.
"It's the son of the minister of finance, I am marrying well..." said Naomi still walking across the fields with Sam close at her heel.
"His second son?" asked Sam.
"No, his first son.....who was widowed recently. Now I get a rich husband and two grown children as a bonus! "said Naomi her voice cracking and Sam's face grew dark.
"Who arranged this?" asked Sam stopping her.
"They proposed to us, we cannot reject them...their status is way above us...I am marrying well, don't show that face to me, Sam." She turned around and continued walking and Sam followed her with her eyes lowered.
They stopped when they reached an intersection in the middle of the field. The sun was setting and the sky was a mix of orange and red. Naomi sat down on a wooden plank and Sam sat down beside her putting an arm around her.
"I used to read those romance novels Sam ...and you know what...I never, not once wished to have a prince on a white horse...nor a knight in shining armor..." Naomi began sobbing, large tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
"But Sam...I thought I would at least fall in love with my future husband!" Naomi started crying out loud and Sam's eyes moistened feeling her pain. She could only watch as her friend bitterly cried into her sleeve.