Early in the morning,
Orla and Lothar watched Alora sprinting out of the palace holding her basket. They were glad her spirits weren't down but her fearless actions weren't good for her either.
Well, it needs a lot of guts to be courageous and disregard the possible trouble on her way.
Lothar hissed when Alora stopped a gardener and used her bare hands to soil the plants in the right way. Then he smiled helplessly when the gardener went on his knees and started apologizing to Alora who repeatedly asked him to rise.
Orla shook her head in resignation watching how the gardener dropped his fear and started blushing while looking at Alora. "She will bring us a lot of trouble." While the commoners would easily accept her for her kindness, nobles would condemn her every action.
Lothar was in a great mood watching his granddaughter so he humored, "I will assist my granddaughter to have a harem of handsome and strong men."
Orla: "…"
Lothar shrugged and justified his statement, "A few to soothe her eyes and others to protect her."
Orla couldn't believe her husband just said that. She nodded as if agreeing to him but added, "I should have had a handsome lover to soothe my eyes."
Lothar's expression froze. He ignored the fact that she addressed him as a strong man and argued with her as they got inside their chambers, "How am I not handsome?"
Then the couple started bantering.
Downstairs, Alora washed her hands when the gardener poured water for her. She grabbed her basket and was going towards the river to get some flowers when a cold voice rang behind her, "Princess Alora."
Alora turned around and identified Arihan from the day before night. He wasn't in his uniform but in relaxed trousers, boots, shirt layered with a tasteful jacket. Yet he looked refined and elegant.
Alora had heard a lot about him and his achievements. She felt like Wayne was right about each word he described for the man. Arihan might be good looking but he looked fierce with a poker face.
She truly wondered if Arihan never smiled. How could one not smile?
Alora was a girl who smiles just by looking at a small bird flying in the sky or a beautiful flower. So it was hard for her to believe Arihan never smiled.
Alora didn't wait for Arihan to reach her. She quickly approached him as she hadn't got the chance to apologize to him on the previous day. She addressed him appropriately, "General Darwin, I…"
Arihan cut her off. He was obliged to train her, other than that he was interested in nothing. "Your training starts today. Change your attire and come to the Eastern garden."
Alora was wearing an off-shoulder dress that reached her knees, covered her arms, and bared her slender neck and shoulder. There was a small tiara on her crown that was barely visible.
The Eastern garden was a private garden of the King and Queen. Lothar had allowed her only so it was a bit surprising their classes will be in the eastern garden.
And why was Arihan Darwin, a military general, going to train her? There were many people and also professional trainers to coach the princesses.
Nevertheless, Alora was stunned for another reason. Arihan was speaking so casually with her as if they have known each other for years. Even Mirela and the other three don't speak so casually.
Anyway, it wasn't something that bothered her. She wanted to apologize to him for slapping, 'Why is General Darwin so impatient?' She thought while looking at Arihan who was walking away without sparing another second.
"Wait…" Alora called out.
Arihan would have ignored her if she wasn't a princess. He forced himself to pause. He was frustrated just thinking that he will have to face her almost all day from that day on.
Alora blinked looking at the long distance between them. 'Wasn't he just in front of me?'
Did he perhaps use magical powers?
But using the magical powers in the palace was prohibited and punishable if there was no valid reason.
Shrugging off her thoughts, she sprinted and stood in front of him. Lifting her head to look at his poker face, "General Darwin…"
Arihan again didn't let her speak, "Don't waste time, Princess Alora." It sounded like a warning. He was about to take a step aside to pass through her, Alora shifted and blocked him again, bewilderment evident on her face.
"General Darwin, could you please listen to me?" Alora requested hurriedly, hoping for him to listen to her. She would be restless without apologizing to him.
Alora waited for a response but the man stood like a statue that had no life or emotions. She innocently blinked wondering if he was scared of her, but his ink blue eyes displayed nothing. His upright posture was unmoving with no hint of fear.
Alora got rid of her thoughts and apologized, "General Darwin, I am sorry for causing harm to you. It was…"
Arihan expected no apology from her. It didn't matter to him either as it wasn't intentional and she was indeed tormented by the dark power. Thus he didn't waste time, "It's alright." He cut her off and passed by her.
Alora: "…"
For the first time in her whole life, Alora met a person who didn't have an ounce of patience to listen to her words. She quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts, 'He must have felt humiliated by my actions.' So a sorry might not be enough.
She turned around and saw he was already much far in the blink of an eye. She glanced at her legs and his long ones. "General Darwin…" She quickly shut her mouth when her voice echoed in the silent hallway.
Arihan: "…"
For the man who hardly speaks with anybody, for the man who couldn't accept her as the Alora, her actions were wild for a royal or noble lady. She runs around and speaks loudly. And what was there to talk with him?
Meanwhile, Alora had to run so that she wouldn't 'waste' his time waiting for her to walk. "General Darwin, it wasn't intentional when I lifted my hand at you. If you are dissatisfied with my apology, you may ask anything in return." Her thoughts were pure. She wanted to make up for her mistake. "I will try my best to fulfill it."
Arihan: "…"
Alora pursed her lips sensing him getting angry. His ink blue eyes were getting darker. She uneasily smiled, discerning the Darwin family had everything he could want. So she didn't know how to handle the situation.
She swallowed hard when a most unladylike thought appeared in her mind. She looked at his fist twice the size of hers. 'Holy lord!'
Hesitantly, she pointed to her cheek with her shaky finger, "If striking back helps you calm down." She closed her eyes, assuming he would slap her.
Arihan watched the hair lock that fell on her cheek and her brows that started quivering. He concluded the redhead lady was out of her mind and walked away.
As the silence grew, Alora started to squeeze her eyes as she clenched her teeth awaiting the sharp pain.
'Tap… tap… tap…'
She opened her eyes and saw there was nobody. She looked in the direction where Arihan was walking away.
Alora: 🤨
There was finally somebody who could vex her. She was just trying to apologize to him and he was ignoring her.
She went upstairs breathing long and deep to keep her calm. Eugenie and Zander who came out of their room noticed her pass by holding a basket in her hand.
Zander asked, "Alora… Are you going to get flowers… Here!?" They were in the palace so he didn't expect she would still wish to do what she loved to do.
Alora complained as soon as her eyes fell on them, "Father, he is so annoying. I wanted to throw this basket on his head." She gestured with the basket-like throwing it at someone, voicing her true thoughts.
Eugenie and Zander: "…"
Eugenie pinched Zander's arm and heard him hiss. "I thought I was dreaming." Then she exclaimed in disbelief, "My daughter isn't a goody-two-shoes."
Rather than getting angry at her, Eugenie had a proud smile. Her daughter was amusing her every day with something new.
Alora: "…"
It was true Alora was well-behaved and always tried to do the right thing. Because she had no choice and she had nobody to get angry with either.
But did her mother think of her as goody two shoes? That was heartbreaking.
Zander accepted that those grumpy tantrum words were uttered by his elder daughter who was always so courteous, soft-spoken, and took every unjustifiable reason calmly.
Rather than worrying about Alora, there was a tease in his tone, "My dear daughter, who irked you early in the morning!?"
Alora pouted her lips sensing the sarcasm in his tone, "Father, you too!?"
The couple laughed heartily, extremely curious to know who was able to get this side of Alora out.
Freya, who came out of her chambers at the far corner of the hallway, looked at her parents laughing while Alora tapped her feet on the floor repeatedly like a child, saying something, which made their parents laugh more.