─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Marina nodded and left the room. Shortly after, she came back with a stack of paper and a few other supplies.
"His Majesty will surely be excited to receive your letter, Princess. I can almost guarantee he will smile with joy!" Marina smiled as she placed the supplies on my vanity table.
"Since you cannot leave your room yet, we will write the letter here. Is that alright with you, Princess?" Marina asked.
I nodded and carefully crawled out of bed. I walked towards the vanity and sat down. I looked at neatly placed calligraphy pens, ink, and perfectly stacked paper.
Should I act like I don't know how to write and ask for help? I am only five years old, after all. I guess I could ask for help on certain words. I should just write scribbles. No. That will piss him off. Never mind.
"Here, Princess. Just like you would during your lessons, just dip the calligraphy pen gently into the ink bottle and write. Would you like my help writing or spelling?" Marina questioned as she placed the paper in front of me.
"Umm.. okay! Can you help me? I don't know how to write that well." I lied.
Marina smiled and nodded as she picked me up and sat me down on her lap.
What only took an hour to do, felt like a whole decade. Being a clueless 5-year-old is hard work. Glad that is over.
"All done! I will take this letter somewhere safely. Stay put, Princess." Marina explained as she folded the letter neatly and placed it inside the letter.
"To: Daddy, From Amara, how lovely! I can only imagine how thrilled his majesty will be!" Marina blabbed on.
I rolled my eyes discreetly and walked up to my balcony.
"What a bright, sunny day. I wish I could visit the imperial garden. Maybe next time, I could send a drawing along with the letter. Would he like it? I should be writing a letter to uncle Ezra too. After all, I like him much more than daddy." I mumbled to myself as I gazed out the balcony.
.
.
.
A week has passed. Other than the daily health check-up, everything went back to normal. Well, almost. I can have my meals at the imperial dining hall, attend classes by my professors, and let's not forget the aggravating writing session at night.
Why do I have to keep writing to that man if he doesn't even care to write back? It's been a whole week. I am sure he has received all of my letters by now. This is nonsense.
"Princess, great news! The imperial doctor and the chancellor had a discussion about your health today. Since you have not shown any signs of health issues, you may go outside! Is that not wonderful?" Marina explained excitedly as she clapped her hands together.
My eyes grew large with glee.
Finally! I am free!
I quickly closed my book and looked up at Marina.
"Can I go outside right now?!" I yelled with excitement.
"By all means! Let's go!" Marina smiled as she extended her hand.
I grabbed it and began to walk out of the Emerald Palace.
I looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.
"How about we have the maids bring out a few snacks for you to enjoy at the imperial garden, Princess?" Marina questioned.
I quickly nodded and ran towards the freshly planted flowers.
I tilted my head in confusion.
"I have never seen this flower before. I wonder what kind of flower this is." I mumbled as I gently touched it.
"They are called Dahlias, Princess." An unfamiliar voice answered from behind.
I jumped and yelped out of shock.
I quickly turned to see a boy with wavy-dark blond hair and big hazel-colored eyes.
"W-who are you?" I questioned in fear as I held my chest tightly.
"My name is Isaiah. House of Petri. I apologize if I startled you, Princess." Smiled the adorable boy in front of me.
My frightened expression quickly formed into a confused facial expression.
I have seen him before. He looks awfully familiar. Where did he come from? Whose kid does this belong to? The last time I checked, I was the only kid on the imperial grounds.
"Have we met before?" I question as I leaned in closer.
He slowly backed away, looking away from the nerves.
"Ahh… well, I am the son of lieutenant, Jahmal Petri. My father is second in charge of the Emerald Knights and owns the title of Marquess. I just finished my swordsmanship training at the academy." The boy said as he pointed at his wooden sword that rested on his belt.
"There is an academy for swordsmanship? Here? on the imperial grounds?" I questioned once again, getting more intrigued by the second.
I looked down at his wooden sword, and out of reaction, my hand reached out for it.
"W..what are you doing, Princess?! This is not a toy! Please do not touch it! You may get hurt!" the boy yielded as he stepped further away.
I crossed my arms while expressing a sour face.
"It's a wooden sword. It's not meant to hurt anyone. Do not be silly." I replied in an aggravated tone.
The young boy cleared his throat and slowly nodded.
"To answer your question, there is an academy for sons of nobles and knights who work in the imperial palace. We have dibs to be placed and attend the academy before regular Giodivonian citizens. It is quite competitive to get accepted!" The boy explained with confidence.
Pft, this kid thinks he is hot stuff even though his spot was already given to him on a silver platter for being the son of a lieutenant. That's like me saying I can attend any ivy league university in this world with ease. It is all about status in this world. Fine, Since you are the first child I have communicated with, I will play nice aside from that weird wolf boy.
"Well, It is nice to meet you, Isaiah! My name is Amara. I hope we can be friends!" I smiled as I extended my hand.
He looked at my hand and looked at me anxiously. He quickly got on one knee and placed his hand on his chest as he tilted his head down.
"It is my honor to be greeted by the Princess of this empire. It would be my highest honor to associate myself with the Princess." He replied as he remained in the same position.
I tilted my head in confusion.
Whatever, dude. I just wanted a handshake. Is that not a thing here? Now that I think about it. I have never seen anyone handshake as a form of a greeting. Whoops. My bad.
"Let's be friends, okay?" I smiled as I looked down at him.
He lifted his head and smiled.
"Only if you allow it. I would love that, Princess."