─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Morning came sooner than expected. I could hear birds chirping outside my window.
I yawned as I rubbed my eyes.
"Where's that book? It seems that I slept with it last night. Hmm… That's odd." I mumbled as I looked around my bed.
"Good morning, Princess. Are you ready for your bath?" Marina questioned as a few maids came behind her, setting up for today's attire.
"Uhm... Marina, I was sleeping with the black book that you read me last night. Did you by any chance place it somewhere?" I questioned as I climbed out of bed.
Marina expressed a confused look and shook her head gently.
"Princess, I am afraid I am not sure what you are talking about. The book I read last night was a violet color. It was about the fairy princess, remember? There were only two books that I was given. The other one has a red cover. Perhaps you are mist-"
"No! You read me a book that was black with gold lettering! You even called it an 'odd' book, and… it was about twin boys who were…" I interrupted in frustration.
"Now now… see? You do not even remember yourself. Let's get you ready, so you can have breakfast and attend your daily classes." Marina smiled as she walked me to the bathtub.
I know I am not going crazy. She read that book to me… I even slept with it last night. There is no way I dreamed all of that.
"Princess, are you alright? You seem to… be a bit confused this morning." Marina expressed her concern as she gently brushed my wet hair.
I wrapped my arms around my bent knees and shook my head.
"I am fine… perhaps I did dream that." I said in a gloomy tone.
What if she didn't read that book to me? What if that was all a dream? How strange. It felt so real. No matter. Let's move on—no point in crying over spilled milk.
As I ate my breakfast in the imperial dining room, I looked at the empty chair that daddy would always sit on. Even though we often had minor disagreements or he would lose his temper off of the smallest of things, I miss him. Maybe I should be more thoughtful and caring when writing my letter to daddy. He is so far away. I am sure he is struggling with the war. Skilled or not, It is hard to fight in such a dangerous battle.
I sighed gently and continued the rest of my day with boring lectures and ballroom dancing.
After dinner, I made my way to the imperial garden. Upon my arrival, I could see Isaiah looking at the flowers by the garden.
"Isaiah! Hi!" I yelled with joy as I ran towards him.
His eyes grew in shock.
"Wait! Princess! You should not run so carelessly! You can get-"
I tackled Isaiah to the ground playfully. I began to laugh as I was on top of him.
His face quickly turned red, and he looked away.
"P...princess, please… get off of me. This is not how a lady of your status should act like. Please consider your behavior as the princess of this empire." Isaiah lectured as he tried to remove me from him.
"Not until you call me by my nickname, Zay." I commanded in a teasing tone.
His facial expression changed quickly.
"Z...Zay? What?" He questioned.
As I got off of him, I fixed my sun hat and smiled.
"Zay, it is your nickname. Just how mine is Amie, your nickname is Zay. We have officially established a real friendship. What do you think? Do you like it?" I explained.
Isaiah quickly got up and dusted off his clothes with his hands. He combed his hair back with his hand and cleared his throat.
"I… suppose it's fine if it is coming from you, princess." Isaiah replied nervously.
"I said to call me by my nickname, Zay!" I yelled as I pinched his cheek.
"OW! Okay! Okay! Amie… there, I said it!" He screamed in pain.
"Good. Now let's go have our dessert. Have you ever tried honey milk? It is a combination of earl tea, milk, and a hint of honey. It goes well with maple cake." I explained as we walked to our usual spot under the tree.
"Honey milk? I am unfamiliar with that. Tea is considered to be a delicacy and is hard to find. It would only make sense for you to have tea since you are the princess after all." Isaiah stated.
"Actually, It was my daddy that introduced me to this type of drink. He used to have it as a child." I said as I gave him a teacup filled with honey milk.
"Princess, I mean… Amie, do you miss his majesty? I am certain he misses you dearly."
I cringed at the word 'love' and 'miss.'
"Since we are friends, I will be honest with you, Zay. I would be lying if I said I did not miss him. He is my dad. But love? That word does not exist for us. We have a mutual relationship. I am his daughter, and he is my father. That is it. We have titles. Easy as that." I explained in a serious tone.
I could see Isaiah's facial expression slowly change.
"Hmm… I see.v He responded awkwardly.
"Do you miss your dad?" I questioned as I took a sip from my teacup.
"Of course, I miss my father. We have a close bond with each other. He has taught me everything I know. He is my mentor and hero." Isaiah smiled as he grabbed another cookie from the snack tray.
"Must be nice to have a real relationship where love is shown and treasured. I am happy for you, Zay." I replied in a monotone voice.
"Let's call it a day. I will see you tomorrow. I am not feeling well." I said as I got up and walked away.