"Thank you, Princess Zinnia!"
I waved him goodbye and made my way to the stables, holding onto the little fox.
As I approached, I saw Saddie going about his usual tasks, and I caught his attention by calling out his name. "Saddie!"
Saddie waved back at me, and I returned his gesture with a smile. As I got closer, he saw the little fox I was holding.
"I need to escort this little guy to the forest. He got lost in the rose garden," I explained.
"I see," he replied, reaching out to caress the fox's head, which made the little creature purr.
"Is Ellie still feeling grumpy?" I asked, looking around to see if he was wandering about.
"He's still by his post, Your Highness. He hasn't moved since both of you returned," he informed me.
"Alright, thanks!"
With that, I entered the stables. As I approached Ellie, I could see him munching on hay. I greeted him affectionately, "Ellie~."
He glanced at me, snorted, and then turned his head away, as if asking, 'What do you want?' through his actions.
"Hey, buddy. How about we take a stroll to help this little fox get back to the forest?" I suggested, showing him the fox in my arms.
Ellie seemed surprised, sniffed the fox, and in response, the fox licked his muzzle. Its fluffy tail wagged, but Ellie snorted once more, clearly unimpressed.
"See, he likes you! Now, shall we?"
Elli neighed angrily in response.
"If we take this little fox back to the forest, I'll reward you with a basket of strawberries!"
Ellie still didn't seem convinced and looked away.
"Alright then, I'll sweeten the deal with a basket of strawberries for two days and some juicy apples!"
He snorted again but this time, he neighed happily.
Even though he's a horse, he sure knows how to get what he wants.
With Ellie finally agreeing, I mounted him, and we set off for the forest, which was only a few minutes away from the palace. As we rode, the anger I had been feeling seemed to melt away.
"Take care, little buddy," I said to the fox, patting its head one last time.
The fox let go of the rose it had been holding, licked my hand, then picked up the rose again. It looked at us one last time before disappearing into the forest.
After some more running around, we returned to the palace, and Ellie was back to being grumpy. I made sure to inform Saddie that Ellie would be receiving a basket of strawberries and apples for two days, which seemed to lift his spirits.
It was getting dark, I decided to take a stroll to the rose garden to check if the traps had been removed.
I confirmed that the traps had been removed, but I sighed upon seeing Zemis and Theo once again engaged in a passionate embrace, nearly half-naked. They were in an area easily accessible to visitors, and they didn't even notice me staring at them.
The mixture of their pheromones was overwhelming and made me want to gag.
I couldn't just let them be after what happened earlier. I smirked and called out to them, "Hey!"
Both of them flinched and turned to look at me, disheveled and sweating. They hurriedly separated and tried to compose themselves.
"Don't you think it's a little too distasteful to be engaging in such activities where anyone can pass by?" I said, crossing my arms.
"You again?! Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Theo retorted, walking towards me, while Zemis was buttoning his shirt back fixing himself.
"You should know better than anyone where to canoodle with your boyfriend. It should be somewhere private, not a place where people might stumble upon you! I've caught you multiple times before, and I must say, it's quite repulsive to witness," I scolded.
Theo smirked, while Zemis blushed and averted his gaze.
"Are you still in love with Zemis? Come on, Zinnia, he'll never reciprocate your feelings. Don't you find it rather revolting to be attracted to someone of the opposite gender?" Theo mocked.
I raised my eyebrow. "Frankly, Theo, having you as a brother is quite the source of my disgust," I retorted.
"I don't even regard you as my sister or a princess, Zinnia. You're just pitiful."
"Theo, enough," Zemis interjected, holding Theo's hand. I turned to look at him, but his gaze remained fixed on the ground.
"What are the two of you doing?"
To our surprise, Dahlia stood a few feet away from us, her head tilted in curiosity, while my so-called 'fiancée' Euphemia stood beside her.
"D-Dahlia and Euphemia, good evening," Zemis greeted, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Good evening, Grand Duke Zemislav. It appears that a quarrel is taking place. Care to explain?" Dahlia questioned, yet remained stoned faced.
"Nothing, Sister Dahlia. We were merely interrupted by this troublesome individual," Theo replied, shooting a glare in my direction.
"Because of me, I manage to keep your pants zipped, you should be thankful." I smirked back.
"You truly have no sense of shame," Euphemia interjected, joining in the glare-fest aimed at me.
I chuckled, "Shame is a cute word. By the way, what brings you both here?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Have you both forgotten? Father has important news to share and has requested the presence of the entire family during dinner," Dahlia informed us, her expression still devoid of emotion.
Oh crap, I forgot it was today! Adie did mention it to me, but it slipped my mind.
"Zinnia, why are you dressed in commoner's attire?" She questioned, still without any emotions written on her face as she scanned me from head to toe.
"I was outside and only returned home recently. I didn't have a chance to change, especially since a certain someone barged into my room," I explained calmly, casting a pointed look at Zemis, who still avoided meeting my gaze.
"You certainly are a crude woman as they say you are." Euphemia scoffed, as Theo chuckled at her remarks agreeing with her.
"And why is an outsider like you even present here?" I shot back at her.
Euphemia's eyes widened. "How dare you say that! I was invited by the King!" She retorted.
"Remember, Zinnia, she is your fiancée," Dahlia intervened.
I couldn't care less about that.
"Let's proceed, then. I'm certain both Mother and Father are awaiting us. We shouldn't dawdle," Dahlia announced, taking the lead. We followed behind her, as expected.