"Strawberries, Princess? You are allergic to Strawberries," if Lela could bury herself six feet into the ground, she would. How had Kimi not told her that the princess had allergies all this while? Now she had gone and put herself in trouble. How was she going to get herself out of the mess she just put herself in? Lela was scared to look up, scared that if she did, everyone would figure out what she was hiding and sentence her to death by stoning, or whatever gruesome death plan they had in the kingdom.
"Right, I am. Silly me," Lela's voice was tiny, shaky, and unsure. She could feel her face becoming hot and her grip on the table knife she was holding tightened as she blinked multiple times in one second. She pushed herself to the edge of her chair, bopping her left leg uncontrollably under the table. Lela's anxiety was skyrocketing, and no matter how hard she tried to look normal and undisturbed about her slip up, she couldn't wipe the awkward smile on her face or the awkward smiles on everyone's faces. With shaky hands, Lela picked up her teacup filled with tea that she hadn't touched yet, then downed it, swallowing the hot content in one go, which earned her confused looks again, this time she didn't care, she just wanted to get out of there.
"If his Majesty will excuse me, I need to go prepare for my little trip around town," Lela pushed herself out of the chair, bowed and power walked out of the dining area, not waiting to hear what the royals had to say about her.
"You didn't enjoy breakfast?" Kimi's eyes were lazy and wandering about the Princess's face. Lela didn't answer her, she didn't want to say anything, not while they were still in the hallway and that creeping Cora was nearby. Who knows where she'd go to hide to listen in on their conversation.
Lela kept walking until she reached her room where she collapsed on her bed, then yelled into her pillow, fisting the soft material of her bedspread.
"What happened princess?" Cora rushed to the princess, her worry instincts heightening. What had happened to the princess at breakfast to make her yell in such a short period?
"Why didn't you tell me about the allergies, Kimi?" Lela raised her head, taking in controlled breaths. Kimi cocked her head to the side, her eyebrows furrowed.
"What allergies, Princess?"
"My allergies. I had no idea I am allergic to strawberries and I asked for some!" Lela explained, her ears turning red just remembering what happened.
"I did not expect that your body would forget what it likes and hates, Princess," Kimi spoke slowly in case she got the princess annoyed. Lela shut her eyes and took in a deep breath. In a way, Kimi was right, sometimes it was possible to forget everything but the body will remember, Lela thought. It was her fault though, if she had asked Kimi if there were things the princess was allergic to, what happened at breakfast wouldn't have happened.
"I'm sorry princess," Kimi bowed her head. Lela shook her head, waving her hand in her face.
"No, it's my fault. I didn't think of the possibility of allergy. I didn't ask the right questions," Lela pressed her lips together then pushed herself up from the bed.
"The first Prince is taking me around town today as per the King's orders, I need to get ready," Lela's lips curved into a smile. The opportunity to leave the palace was the only good thing that came out of breakfast, Lela thought. She had been thinking of ways to leave the palace walls and in just one sitting, one meal with the King, she got what she wanted with a tour guide.
"If that is the case, then I better get you ready," Kimi rushed to the Princess's closet, shuffling through different clothes to find the right one.
After an hour of getting ready, Lela smiled at her reflection in the mirror, feeling content with herself and how she looked. She placed her palms flat on the soft baby pink dress, smoothing the lines on her body. On cue, there was a soft knock on the door, Kimi rushed to open it only to reveal the first prince and Cora behind him. Kimi bowed, mentally rolling her eyes at Cora, then stepped out of the way for the princess to pass.
"You- you look good," Teagan pointed out, running his eyes down Lela's body. She smiled sheepishly, pushing a portion of her jet black hair behind her ears.
"Thank you," she bowed.
"I think we have wasted enough time. Can we go now?" Cora stepped out from behind Teagan, a strained smile on her face. Although Kimi was worried the princess was going out, and with Cora, Kimi smiled, she was happy the princess was smiling. She was happy the princess was happy.
"Enjoy yourself, Princess," Kimi bowed, and the royals left with Cora trailing behind them.
Lela never imagined life outside the palace walls. It was loud and lively and it was beautiful. King's town, Teagan had called the part of Oswind they were passing through; it was where the palace, as well as other noble's houses and lands, were located. Teagan had said it was the busiest of all places in all of Oswind, and Cora nodded.
"In a way, I am happy Mama and I do not stay in King's Town. It is noisy up here," Cora chipped in, rolling her eyes. Lela wanted to ask where Cora and her mom lived, but she was afraid Cora might've told the princess before the accident, and if she asked, Cora would be sure something is up with her, so Lela pressed her lips together, enjoying the carriage ride.
"The First Prince is coming through, make way for the heir of Oswind," Lela heard
"The heir of Oswind,"
"Long love the heir of Oswind," people praised. Curious, Lela poked her head outside to see people lined up at the side of the road, throwing flowers and pieces of cloth. All of them had wide smiles on their faces, and in light of being in a good mood, Teagan waved at them, a bright smile on his face. If the maids, guard, and huge palace weren't enough to prove to Lela that she was in a different world, this carriage ride proved it. Lela was living a life straight out of a movie, out of a Disney production.
"The red prince to fight battles, the First Prince to rule," a new group of people started chanting a little too aggressively.
"The cursed prince to take off our enemies' heads, the first prince to rule," some others joined. It made Lela uncomfortable. Lela didn't need Kimi to tell her who the "red prince" and the "cursed prince" was, she knew it was Fayan. She remembered someone calling him a cursed prince. Lela didn't like Fayan at all, if anything, she was scared shitless of him, but there was something about the way the people were putting him down that didn't sit well with Lela. It was okay, totally understandable if they wanted to praise Teagan, but bringing Fayan down just because they wanted to praise Teagan was a low move. Fayan didn't deserve that. The smile on Lela's face disappeared, and she sat quietly, watching as Teagan waved at his people.
"Are you okay, princess?" Cora asked Lela. Lela passed her a short smile and nodded her head. That caught Teagan's attention. He turned to the princess who was sitting beside him. She looked annoyed and bored.
"We should have taken horses, and worn cloaks," Teagan smiled awkwardly, looking at Cora to help him out.
"That would have worked since the people know your carriage and are always excited when you show up. All we have to do now is get out of here, Cousin," it was the first time Lela was grateful to Cora. Teagan nodded and commanded that the carriage be turned around.
"Do you remember the first day we met, Princess? The places we snuck out to?" Cora asked, she had done what the prince wanted, to be nice to Princess Solela, it was time to do what her father wanted, to confirm if the princess was okay or not.
Lela was taken aback by the sudden question, but she masked it with a smile. Was Cora asking because she wanted to make conversation or was she asking because she was suspecting that something was wrong with her, especially after breakfast?
"How we went to the market and tried beer," Cora continued. The princess must've really liked Cora if she could stand Cora and have her convince her to take her out. Lela couldn't move her mouth, she couldn't open her mouth because she knew no words would fall out of her lips. She couldn't talk because she suspected that she'd be found out if she said the wrong things.
Where were Fate and Order when she needed them?
"Princess? Don't you remember the fun we had that night?"