Prince Maxen soon forgot about the dress and went back to the bedroom. He noticed a similar light fixture in her bedroom that looked like his in his room. He just had to ask.
"Is this chandelier from the same company that I bought your ring from?"
"You mean Silver Raven? Yes. How do you know that?" asked Elizabella as she closed her closet door behind her.
"I have the same one in my room. Have you not seen it in there?" asked Prince Maxen as he looked at Elizabella.
"I have not stepped inside your room to look around. I know you have gone to my room that one time, but I have not gone into yours," said Elizabella as she sat on a chair, motioning for Prince Maxen to sit on another chair near hers.
"Why have you not gone into my room? It would look and sound weird as a married couple to not even know how each other's rooms look," said Prince Maxen as he sat down.
"I have never had the chance to go in there. Every time we see each other, it is always outside our rooms as we are heading somewhere together, in most cases. When would I have had the time to hang out in there? Besides that, we have been busy since we got married. This is the first time that we have had time to even talk together over matters that were not important," said Elizabella as she remembered that this would indeed be their first time being alone, without any eyes on them. "I will treat this as a vacation. You should try and relax as well."
"Fine. But I am not used to not doing anything. Even in my past vacations, I still would have to do some official duties, like check on some managing or greet the head person of the town or company. There would always be some formal feasting. I have to say that this would be my first time having an informal feast. Well, it looked like a feast at least," said Prince Maxen as he laughed at Elizabella and her younger brothers, who practically ate the whole thing by themselves.
"Hey, if you cannot quickly get what you want at the table, you will not be able to get any!" said Elizabella as she looked away while crossing her arms playfully. "Well, I am sure that if you did not get your fill, Yacub would be glad to make some more. You could even ask for any preferences as he loves to satisfy people who eat his food. He has traveled the world in pursuit of learning more about cuisine."
"Oh? Has he ever owned a restaurant?" asked Prince Maxen as he noticed that Princess Aphra seemed more animated talking about one of her servants, probably because he makes her food.
"He did at one point. But he wanted to travel and learn more, so he had to give his restaurant to his younger brother. The restaurant's name is called 'Bandits.' It is in the Kingdom of Howolan, the land of beastmen," said Elizabella as she turned to look at him again, making him give a surprised look.
"You have a beastman under your employment? I would have thought that he would be a guard or in charge of this place's security. After all, their instincts make them better suited for that type of business," said Prince Maxen as he was curious to learn more.
"That is true, and I do have other beastmen under my employment that are not just guards. I like to think that one can express their individuality however they like. You tried his food already. What do you think? Should he go and only guard?" asked Elizabella as she had signaled a passing maid for tea from her opened bedroom.
"I did enjoy the food. But I am one to believe that the atmosphere also makes the food taste great. I thought that the mood felt inviting, and that is what made the food taste enjoyable," said Prince Maxen as a maid came in with a trolly that had a teapot and tea set. "You live a life of pure comfort and even know how to relax. I quite envy your lifestyle."
"My lifestyle is not that enviable. I have worked hard for what you see. To keep it all, I still need to work hard," said Elizabella as the maid poured them some fresh tea before taking her leave and closing the door slightly. "The reason I know to relax is because I know how to work hard. Relaxing is the most luxurious thing I can possess."
"You are that busy?" asked Prince Maxen as he took his cup of tea and sipped.
"Of course. Most of my business is in Edalelia, but I still work from home. However, being a Crown Princess has left me busier than ever. I can only manage my things during breaks. During school, I do it after classes are over with," said Elizabella as she sipped her tea. "Even now, I am planning on doing some work. You are welcome to explore the house. I can have my little brothers give you a tour around the grounds. It is a lovely day today, so going into the gardens would be a good option. You should not worry too much with prying eyes as the servants know to keep their mouths shut and their sights elsewhere. If you run into trouble, guards and servants are patrolling everywhere. You can also rest in this room if you are still not feeling well."
"Are you going to leave me alone?" asked Prince Maxen as he realized that Princess Aphra was giving him options on what he should do next.
"Momentarily. I must seek out the Head Steward to talk to him about things with my businesses and any relevant changes to the household," said Elizabella as she stood up and curtsied to him. "Forgive me that I cannot accompany you today."
"I already told you that you could skip all formalities with me. Especially when we are in your parents' home," said Prince Maxen as he stared at Elizabella. "That is one of the privileges you have of being married to the Crown Prince. You only need to show such formalities to my Royal Elders."
"Fine. I will try to cut back on all of the formalities when we are together," said Elizabella with a playful smile, making Prince Maxen wonder he has seen that smile before. "I will leave you here then. Just go down to the first floor, and you will see my little brothers."
"Alright," said Prince Maxen in a daze as he watched her leave the room, leaving him to ponder to himself. "I am confident that we have met before. I am not sure where it was that we met."
**********
During the feast, Walliams had gone to find the Head Steward Josaf to report everything he had seen and heard in the palace. He quickly found him giving orders to the other servants, so Walliams merged into his shadow.
Head Steward Josaf felt him enter his shadow, making him aware of his presence. He continued to finish his orders before leaving to go inside the study room and closed the doors behind him. He gave a few steps inside when Walliams came out of his shadow.
"Are you here to report, Walliams?" asked Head Steward Josaf as he saw that Walliams gave a fierce look. "What is wrong?"
"Humph! That little Crown Prince has a lover on the side. Our Lady even knows about it; however, she is keeping quiet about the situation," said Walliams as he puffed out his cheeks, giving him an air of youth and immaturity.
Head Steward Josaf was stunned to hear what Walliams had just declared. He could not believe that his Lady had married a man that was already unfaithful to her. He took a deep breath to calm down.
"Start from the beginning, Walliams. What happened?" said Head Steward Josaf while Walliams plopped down on a chair and began to tell him what happened the night prior.
"He had been gone from my Lady's side for too long that another guest asked about him. When she excused herself to find him, he had a rendezvous with another Lady or who cares who she was. The point is, they were alone together for who knows how long. When my Lady found him, she stood from afar to watch. I even heard her sigh a sigh of disappointment when she saw that Lady," said Walliams as Head Steward Josaf felt like he had been given too much information at once; he had to sit down.
"And then?" he asked after he sat down.
"My Lady did not let me interrupt them as we stood there watching them for a while. Soon, Prince Zander came with reporters, and my Lady decided that that was a good time to interrupt them. The reporters almost caught them, and they even wanted to interview that Lady, probably because she was seen hanging around the young royal couple. Soon, we went back to have dinner, and after that, we left for the palace. When I tell you I was fuming, I was fuming mad!"
Head Steward Josaf took in everything that Wallimas had said to him, and he wondered if there was something that Walliams had missed. From what he understood of his Lady, she would not let such an embarrassing thing happen in the first place. Indeed, she would have intervened the moment she saw the couple together.
"Walliams, did she say anything on why she would not come between them?" asked Head Steward Josaf as Walliams gave a pensive look.
"Before finding them, she had said, 'Whatever you see and hear, please ignore it,' and so I did," said Walliams as Head Steward Josaf continued to ponder over his words.
"I believe that maybe, our Lady was already aware of this affair. It seems that she even covered for him and did not even tell you," said Head Steward Josaf as he continued to think while Walliams looked up at him. "I am sure our Lady knows what she is doing. But just in case, we should probably ask what she wants us to do."
Hearing his words, Walliams frowned. He did not like the idea of his Lady covering up an affair for another man who should be her husband.
"I do not think that this is proper!" opposed Walliams as Head Steward Josaf stood up and looked at Walliams.
"Maybe not, but remember that our Lady married under an assumed name to the Crown Prince of Glear. Tell me, what is proper about that?"
The Head Steward's words made Walliams deeply ponder. He would never have thought that his Lady would be in the wrong. It is true. His Lady has lied to the Royal Family and even the country about her identity. True that she is not a criminal, but coming in pretense to the Royal Family could be considered a criminal act. He frowned as he realized how grave the situation really was.
"Could she have covered for him so that she would not get into too much trouble when she is caught?" asked Walliams as Head Steward Josaf tidied his suit.
"Even if she were to get caught, remember that she has the backing of the Queen of Edalelia. What can the Royal Family of Glear do, then?"