Ollie was really excited about this picnic that they would have tomorrow, which was why he could not stop brainstorming ideas of how he could make it fun for everyone, especially Maddie, it was Maddie's reaction that he was most worried about.
"What else do you think that I can do to make the picnic more special?" he asked obviously referring to Maddie's reaction as Annie and Matt could decipher.
"If you ask me, I don't think that there's anything more you need to do. The idea is already special enough to me, and you don't need to care about Maddie's reaction, she's really hard to please." said Annie as she frowned and Matt laughed.
"I can't believe that I'm hearing you admit that for the first time ever." he said as she laughed and Annie frowned at him.
"Oh but she is, and I've learnt that if you're convinced that you're doing the right thing, you don't need to please her... she will come around sooner or later, even if she won't dare admit it, she will." she said.
"So, don't stress yourself Ollie, I'm sure that we will have a wonderful time at the picnic tomorrow." she said as she gave him a pat on his right shoulder and smiled.
"You're right, thank you." he said as he smiled, Annie was always so easy to talk to and get along with, on the other hand, Maddie was the exact opposite.
"You don't have to thank me, anyway, I'm going to look for Maddie, I wonder where she ran off to." said Annie as she walked ahead of them and shook her head, Maddie couldn't just wait for them, besides, the rain wasn't as heavy as she thought it would be,
"So dude, do you have any idea what type of foods that Maddie likes? I know that Annie said I shouldn't bother myself with trying to please her, but we all know that Maddie hates my guts and if I don't reach her standards she might never want to come visit me again, and she will somehow find a way to convince you guys not to visit me as well." he said as Matt laughed.
"It's so funny how you literally fear her and her convincing skills." said Matt as he laughed.
"Like it or not, Maddie has good convincing skills, you won't even know that you're agreeing with her until you do." he said.
"You make a good point, but I do agree with Annie, you shouldn't bother, but since you're so worried, I will help you and give you some advice." said Matt as Ollie smiled.
"Thank you dude." said Ollie as he smiled.
"Don't mention it, anyway, Maddie is a foodie, she wasn't like that before, I don't know what happened, but every since we returned from Caligo, she can eat anything, so I wouldn't worry about food, she will eat literally anything, as long as it looks good though." he said.
"Alright, then what about her favourite juice or something?" he asked.
"Well... that I can say, Maddie's favourite juice is apple juice, she just loves it. She said that she would drink it every single hour of every single day if she could." he said as he laughed.
"Got it, apple juice, at least there should be one thing she can't complain about, thanks Matt." said Ollie as he smiled.
"You sure do really want to please her." replied Matt as he laughed and Ollie laughed.
"Anyway, I'll catch up with you later, I need to check on a few things." he said as he walked in the opposite direction.
"Alright, see you later." replied Matt as he smiled.
...
Adi yawned as she walked out of her room, she was done with all her duties for the day which meant that she was free to roam the Castle and go to her favourite place here, which was the garden.
So here she was, in the garden, taking a refreshing calm walk when she was suddenly startled by the appearance of Ollie.
"Oh... my prince, I did not see you there, you startled me." she said as she laughed.
"I apologize about that, I was looking for you and was told that you had completed all your duties for today, so I was certain that you would be here." he said.
"Oh, well here I am... do you need anything from me?" she asked as she smiled.
"Yes, I do, but first, I need to apologize for earlier, I pretended as if I needed to talk to you while in reality it was Maddie that wanted to apologize to you." he said feeling really bad.
"Oh... that... It is alright your highness... it is just that I was surprised, and confused, and scared, you were not there." she said as she looked down.
"I know, I just did not want you to fear. If you had known that I was only calling you to speak to her, you would not have come, or maybe you would have, but you would be scared." he said.
"I understand your reasons your highness. I know that you would never do anything to put me or any of the other staff in harm's way." she said as Ollie smiled.
"I am glad that you think so. How did Maddie's apology go? How did you feel?" he asked her.
"Well, I will be honest your highness, at first I was terrified when I didn't see anyone but her in the kitchen, I was sure that she was going to harm me for telling the truth, but I was surprised when she said that she was sorry and she actually apologized and seemed really sincere too." she said as Ollie smiled.
"Imagine how surprised I was when she gave me a bowl of cookies that she said Annie made and she helped with. I thought that they were poisoned and she even went as far as tasting one blindly to assure me that they were not." she said.
"I cannot lie to you my prince... I never thought that someone like her would actually care about other people's feelings." she said.
"I am glad that you accepted her apology, and Maddie is not bad at all, Everyone just has a prejudice against her just because of one factor she cannot change and that is that she's Azazel's daughter." said Ollie as he shook his head.
"Is it possible for me to disown my own father the King?" he asked as Adi shook her head.
"Even if you did... you would still remain his son in blood and name." she replied as Ollie nodded.
"That's the same way the bad name and deeds of her father follows her everywhere. She's not like her father in anyway at all, she can be sweet when she wants to, she's smart, she's bold, and most of all even though she pretends like she doesn't, she actually cares for others." he said as he smiled.
"Everyone keeps spreading bad rumours about her. She's nothing like what everyone makes her to be. Do you really think that I would befriend someone who I believe is a possible threat to the peace of our realm?" he asked as she shook her head.
"Exactly, I know better than that. Do you think that Annie would be close friends with someone who could harm her in any way?" he asked as Adi shook her head.
"Do you think that the Chancellor herself would be fond of a dangerous person?" he asked as Adi shook her head once more.
"That's why I absolutely hate that everyone can't put their feelings behind them and get to learn to know her." he said.
"You really care about her a lot my prince." said Adi.
"She's my friend, and I care about my friends a lot. Everyone should stop with their notions about her, why make her something she's not?" he asked as Adi sighed.
"I'm really sorry my prince... I have joined them in speculating and spreading rumours about her... everyone thinks that she has... bewitched you." she said as she whispered the last two words.
"The only thing that I am bewitched by is the harsh injustice around me that makes me angry." he said as he sighed.
"But it's alright, as long as you know the truth and you begin to see her in a different light." he said as he smiled and she smiled.
"Yes my prince." she said as she smiled.
"So what would you have me do?" she asked him happily.
"I need you to do a favour for me." he said as he remembered why he was here.
"Anything." she replied.
"I need you to order for freshly squeezed apple juice from Agricola, it's for a picnic tomorrow." he said.
"Consider it done my prince. How much do you want?" she asked him.
"Enough for two weeks, I might as well make it a going away present." he said as she smiled.
"Alright my prince. I will go do that right now." she said as she smiled.
"Thank you Adi." he said as he smiled.
"It is no problem my prince." she replied as she bowed and went on her way.