"Well… I really shouldn't have said what I said at the party the other day. I didn't mean it. I just thought that you were any other lady in the kingdom that I hadn't met before. Please your highness," Jasmin blurted nonstop, momentarily shocking Adeline.
Her eyes widened for a moment, then when she realized Jasmine had stopped talking, sputtered with laughter, holding a hand over ger mouth.
Nora smiled in amusement, whereas Jasmine had a look of confusion, not knowing if Adeline's laughing was a good thing or a bad thing.
Having lived with nobles half of her life and knowing how things in the high society worked, she knew that she could get crucified for the things she said to Adeline, especially because she even mentioned Prince Sylvan. She was just being her usual self, talking. But right afterwards, she was so scared that she couldn't even tell her husband she had already met the princess. Even when she got the invite to the palace, she almost cried, until she heard Nora was also invited.
After her laughter subsided, Adeline turned to look at Jasmine. "Ah, you're so funny," she said, and Jasmine gave a stiff smile, which only made Adeline want to laugh again.
"I already told you, I wouldn't say a thing to anyone. And I did enjoy your company," she said, ans Jasmine sighed, her eyes still trying to decipher if Adeline meant what she said.
"I told her the same thing. But she got so worried, you would think she killed someone," Nora chimed in and they both laughed at Jasmine.
The tension on Jasmine's face eased a bit and her face relaxed, then she blew out some air and gave a low chuckle. "God. I couldn't even eat properly since then. This morning I almost cried when I got the invitation," she laughed, thinking back to how stupid she was.
"So you thought you were being called to get executed?" Adeline asked jokingly and Jasmine shook her head.
They resumed walking, with Nora between Adeline and Jasmine. "It is expected. You're just different," she remarked, to which Adeline slowly nodded her head.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Oh, definitely a good thing," Jasmine jumped in. "I didn't even tell Arthur that I had met the princess at the party, knowing how much he wants to be acquainted with the royal family."
"Is it contagious?" Nora asked sarcastically, but Jasmine was slow to get the joke.
"What?" she asked, a bit lost. Nora rolled her eyes while Adeline chuckled.
It was so refreshing to have such women to talk to and spend time with.
"How did the two of you become friends?" She asked out of curiosity, and the two opened their mouths at the same time, but Jasmine was too eager to answer the question.
"We have been friends since way back. I was, well… I still am a daughter of a peasant," she joked and they laughed in unison. "… And Nora, the daughter of a noble. The story is quite funny, though. We met at one of the village celebrations that happens every season. Nora had been forbidden to eat by her father because she was so fat…" she paused to laugh and Nora slapped her shoulder with an annoyed expression. She didn't like retelling stories from her childhood, but she enjoyed hearing how their friendship started.
"As you can tell, I was still a troublemaker when I was a child. So when she told me how she wasn't supposed to eat anything, I brought her a whole cake and we ate together. Then her father found us."
They turned another corner and Adeline continued to listen with interest, a vibrant smile on her face.
"Lord Stark. He was so scary. He almost beat us up, but you can guess what I did at that critical moment," she let the suspense float in the air, but Adeline was too immersed in the story so she asked hurriedly, "What?"
"A scandal. I started screaming how the lord wanted to abuse us for nothing. Ut was so embarrassing because there were a lot of people. My parents had to drag me out of there," she said and Adeline laughed along, trying to visualise the scene in her mind.
"I regret ever telling you my problem that time," remarked Nora and Adeline's gaze shifted to her.
"Why? Weren't you happy to get back at your father? It was bad of him to forbid you from eating," asked Adeline in bewilderment and Nora and Jasmine stared at her incredulously.
"Embarrassing a Lord at a public event is the worst thing you can do as a peasant," Jasmine commented, her smile now dropping as she remembered what the Stark family made their family go through just because of that incident.
Nora nodded in agreement. "It was so bad at home. They almost starved me because of that. Good thing my mother still had some sense," she shook her head solemnly, also reminiscing the past memories of her childhood.
Adeline's face also dropped and now she imagined how the nobles always love to trample over the commoners. It was no surprise that they would avenge that incident.
Seeing how the atmosphere changed to, Jasmine decided to lighten up the air. "But I would say it was all worth it. After that we did even more daring things, getting on Lord Stark's nerves every time. We became closer after that."
"Yes. I would also say it was worth it. Even my mother was happy that I was enjoying my childhood. Well, despite the parts where I would get punished for going with this lowlife."
It turned quiet again, each one of them lost in their own thoughts. Adeline was almost certain that the other two were thinking about their childhood, and she didn't know if she envied them or felt sorry for them.
Even she was privileged to have a colourful childhood because of Adler and Carlton, but unlike Nora and Jasmine, she was forced to separate from them, and now here she was.
The three were now walking towards the stables without realising it. Adeline was the first one to notice and stopped walking.
"It seems we walked too far. Would you like to go back ot should we continue walking?" She asked and the two ladies raised their heads.
"Oh, no. We're quite enjoying the walk. You're not the only one who's tired of sitting at home all day. Sigh, being a noble is hard," said Jasmine in an exaggerated sigh and they laughed.
So they walked ahead, until they came across Sylvan and Solanine on their horses, riding away.
Adeline stopped walking and watched with her eyebrows furrowed, and the two ladies, noticing her expression followed her fixed gaze to the two. Sylvan rode a black, majestic horse which seemed to be bigger in size than an average horse, while Solanine rode a brown horse.
Adeline's eyes followed them until they disappeared into the woods, but even then, she didn't look anywhere else and seemed to be deep in thought.
Turning uncomfortable with the awkward silence, Jasmine cleared her throat noisily. "I noticed you and Solanine don't seem quite close despite living under the same room," she commented and Nora threw her a look but she brushed it off and turned to Adeline.
"Yes. I don't really like her," Adeline admitted, surprising both women. "I just don't understand her connection with the Lowells."
"Solanine is like… an extended member of the Lowell family," Nora said dryly. "Although she is not related to them by blood, she has been here for the longest time."
Adeline's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"
Realising she had talked more than she ought to, Nora hesitated for a moment, turning to look at Jasmine for help. Jasmine twitched her mouth and decided to explain better.
"What she means is that, we've known Solanine is connected to the royal family since we both got married. Even before that. She has always been around. Also, she has always gotten along well with everyone, it's a surprise that you two don't like each other."
A discovery, or an addition to her confusion, Adeline wasn't sure.
"So she's not just a guest?"
"Oh, no. Because she lives here? She has always lived here. There are times when she leaves to, I don't where, but she always comes back. That's why I said she's like an extended member of the family," Nora explained, wondering if there was a misunderstanding somewhere because of how seriously Adeline inquired about Solanine. Everyone liked Solanine.
Nodding her head in understanding, Adeline turned to the forest on the far end of the palace grounds, her eyes narrowing as the wheels of her head started turning again.