"Your majesty?" as soon as Hariah opened her eyes, it was Cavi's face whom she first saw. He was standing at the side of her bed, looking at her.
"H-how long had you been there?!" she went flustered, pulling the blanket half her face to cover it.
Cavi only nonchalantly turned around, hands crossed at waist level on his back.
"Too long enough to see the drool drip from your mouth. Prepare and let's have breakfast together."
After saying those words as if they meant nothing, Cavi left the hall with a victorious little grin. Even Adil and Trey who witnessed this knew in an instant that he had teased the lady again. and this time, he succeeded.
After a quick half of an hour, Hariah went to the pavilion at the garden where she was told that Cavi was waiting for her. At first, she was hesitant to approach him because of what he said. but when she saw a glance at the foods served in the table, her stomach complained and she immediately run towards it.
"Wahh! What occasion is it, your majesty? they served too much food! They seemed delicious too!" Hariah' mouth watered as she smelled the foods, making her gulped couple of times.
Cavi shook his head at her odd attitude. "It's just a simple meal. Serve yourself."
"Thank you, your majesty!"
Hariah was about to gobble the foods again but then, her eyes caught the servants behind them, along with the guards.
"Did you already eat? Why don't you join us?" her simple and innocent words, instead of bring joy to the servants, only made them kneel in fear.
"Lady! Please spare us!" all of them pleaded as they bowed at them, heads on the ground.
Hariah was too stunned to decide what to do. "I just asked them to eat with us…"
Cavi picked a meat from his plate using his chopstick and packed it in her mouth, stopping her talk again.
"I knew you have good intentions. But a servant eating a meal with his master in public defies the principles. So, if you force them eat with us here, they will surely be punished." With his explanation, Hariah was lost at words.
Surely, she couldn't understand their reasoning.
Sighing, Cavi waved his hand to dismiss the servants so she won't be able to see them anymore. that was, she could eat at peace.
"Slowly. you'll soon learn how our kingdom works."
But inside him, he doubted that.
***
"I was supposed to show you around but there are still works I must do. So, let Adil show you around."
With a big smile, Hariah nodded at him, holding a money pouch he gave. He told her she can buy anything with it. and if it wasn't enough, she can ask Adil for more.
After fixing the cape she was wearing, Cavi looked into her sparkling eyes and couldn't help but be mesmerized by her child-like stares. It's as if, she was a little girl who just met the person she admired so much.
"Wear this." Cavi handed her a piece of silk cloth.
"What is this?" Hariah asked as she carefully check it, and found it familiar. "A mask?"
It seemed the same as the one she used in Guzheng Port but this one seemed to be higher in quality and had some small gems embedded to it too. taking it from her, Cavi decided to put it to her himself. He tied it at the back of her head.
"You should avoid drawing too much attention."
With his words, Hariah remembered her conversation with Nanny Elis yesterday while they walk at the surroundings of the palace.
"Nanny Elis. Am I really that beautiful?" she asked in a whisper, glancing at the servants who looked at her with sparkling eyes. and she was not a fool not to recognize it as admiration. Though it felt good to be admired, she somehow finds it scary and creepy.
The old lady laughed at her question and patted her head. "Indeed, you are. But if you still don't believe it, why don't you ask our majesty? Little Cavi is a king. He won't lie to you."
As Hariah stared at Cavi, unconsciously, she uttered the words that just appeared inside her brain.
"Your majesty. Am I really beautiful?"
Cavi almost bit hit own tongue. Like Trey and Adil, he ended up coughing to hide how his face turned red in embarrassment about her question.
"Your majesty? are you okay? Are you sick?" the unaware lady even holds his arm, stopping him with his escape using his coughing.
Behind them the two men suppressed their laugh while Nanny Elis who was the culprit all this pretended innocently wiping the table.
"I'm fine." Cavi pulled his arm away from her, unable to look at her eyes anymore. "W-why did you ask that?"
He couldn't believe he's even stuttering.
Hariah pouted as she looked at the opened door where the servant and some guards were trying to peek. Pointing at them though they all run when they were caught, she turned to him.
"Look. They're all looking at me with weird eyes."
Turning around, cleared his throat and after several seconds, he spoke. "You're just a normal-looking stupid woman. Don't let your head get big because of lies."
Leaving, all mouths fell to the ground with his answer.
Trey could only slap his own forehead while Nanny Elis wanted to hit her Cavi's but like what she did when he was still little.
"Silly boy!" she sighed in dismay and annoyance that both Trey and Adil agreed at.
The king just wasted a good chance!