★★★
"He is," Bella agreed with her friends and then dialed Alex's number to see if she could at least make a call that would be okay for her. She had not seen him since morning and the feeling was bad.
His phone was off, and she could do nothing.
"You look tense. What happened now?" Beth asked when she looked at Bella's face and then followed her phone. The way she stared at the black screen looked disappointing.
"Nothing. So, when are we leaving?" Bella asked, putting her phone back in the bag.
"Of course, after meeting your dad. It will take three hours to reach Demia City. Then we'll rest in our suite and on the night we'll be attending the royal party," added Beth.
"Glad to hear. Will there be kings and queens there, too? What kind of feast is this?" Bella raised that point again because she didn't know that the king and queen were still there. If they existed, why had she never heard of them?
"I do not know exactly. But my father told me there would be royals. And no one will dress like a king and queen because it's not their kingdom, but the theme of the party will be very authentic." Beth gave them the rest of the information she got to know from her father. And that's it. If they asked more, she will send them first there.
"Hmm! I hope there's good old wine," said Danny, who was all she thought when she heard about the royals.
Everyone went to Bella's home to meet her father. Bernard hugged his daughter. Ah! It felt like decades since he hadn't hugged her. Then he welcomed her friends, who made their way straight to the kitchen.
"Bella, you look thin. What are you eating there?" Bernard asked when he saw his daughter's thin back slumped on the couch.
"Dad." Bella laughed at her father's words and shook her head. She had become thin because of living and eating elsewhere, which her father was trying to tell her. Oh, dad!!
"What? You can't hide anything from me," Bernard said and came to her.
"Are you okay?" Bella asked when her father sat next to her. Although she knew the reason, her father was upset because she was away from home. She wished she could have brought Alexander home too so that her father would know why she was away from him. But Alex won't be with her for long. Time will fly in a blink and she will be back home soon. So, no need to introduce them.
"No, I feel lonely," Bernard whispered. Bella smiled and hugged her father by the side and said, "Just one month, dad."
"I know." Bernard released a disappointed sigh while his words expressed his unhappiness.
"Dad, what do you think about the wedding?" Isabella said, but she wasn't kidding this time. She'd been thinking about it for a long time. It was not about one day. If she settled somewhere else for work purposes, her father would be alone. She knew how much miserable he would feel. Her sweet father deserved to be happy and she will fulfill it.
"You have time for the wedding. Don't have to think about it now," Bernard replied, rubbing her daughter's hair.
"It's not about me; it's about you. I think you should think about it now," Bella further said with great hope that her father would at least once consider her suggestion.
"Why not? If your mom comes back to life," Bernard said, a futile request that could never be true. But what goes into speaking, that's why he spoke his mind.
"If your words were true, we would have been very happy, wouldn't we, dad!" said Bella with a smile and rubbed her father's back.
Just then, Beth and Danny's fight was heard in the kitchen. Bella and Bernard went and found them holding a pot where Bernard had made pasta for everyone.
"What are you two doing?" Bella asked and made her way to them. She stared at both of them and then snatched the pot from their hands.
As soon as the fragrance went inside her nose, she knew what was inside it, and it made her angry. They wouldn't change.
"I told her to let me taste first, but no. Greedy lady," Danny hissed over Beth, who rolled her eyes over the fuss Danny had made. She couldn't bear to wait, just like her.
"Girls, why don't you go outside? Then I can serve food to everyone as soon as possible," Bernard suggested.
"It's your fault, uncle Bernard," Beth said and walked out, and so did Danny, saying, "She is right."
"Hah! What?" Bernard questioned them. Isabella put down the pot and patted her father's arm while saying, "You make the hungry wolves wait. Now, come on."
Later, when they were about to leave, Merry entered who had stuff for Bernard he asked her to buy.
"My darling is here?" Merry hugged Isabella with a kiss on her hair.
"What are these?" Isabella asked, checking the stuff that looked like a long stick wrapped in paper.
"Hey, old man. Take your fishing rod and for this, you'll cook for me tonight," Merry said to Bernard with a smug and gave him the fishing rod.
Bernard sipped the drink and smiled at the new rod but didn't forget to give her a reply. "In your dream, stinky woman."
"Alright, we all leave now because we people have more work," Beth said because it was getting late and they had a lot to do. Thankfully, her father made all the arrangements for their makeup and dresses, which was a big headache for them because they had to be dressed like the maidens and princesses of earlier times.
"Yes, dad. We are leaving, bye," Isabella spoke and left the house with Danny and Beth. Merry had come to the door, but Bernard was busy with his fishing rod with gleaming eyes.
In a few seconds, his interest had shifted from his daughter to that thing.