"Lilly, Lilly!"
The moment Zadhea entered her chamber, she started looking for her cat.
"Lillian! Where are you?" This time her voice sounded impatient and angry because she didn't get a response in return. Was this queen hunting a poor house lizard again?
Zadhea facepalmed herself as she recalled rescuing a house lizard from her pet not so long ago.
"Queen Lillian, I request you to appear in front of me!" Finally, she gave up and uttered respectfully.
Although she named her cat as Lillian, most of the time she called her queen Lillian because the cat acted as arrogant as a royal queen, reminding her of her own mother.
Fortunately Queen Margaret had no idea about her daughter's mischievous behaviour. What if she knew that her daughter addressed a cat equally as her because they acted similar?
Then it would be the death of Zadie!
"Meow!" It seemed like in the end, the cat decided to meet her owner.
"Awww!" Zadhea's previous resentment towards her pet vanished without a trace as she picked Lillian up from the floor. "How cute!"
Lillian had blue eyes similar to hers. She was a fluffy white cat who was able to capture everyone's hearts including Zadhea's strict mother and warrior father.
Although Zadhea could melt her father, she couldn't do the same with her mother. It was a different story when it came to her cat. Lillian even succeeded in receiving her mother's love too.
Sometimes, because of that, Zadhea felt a bit jealous of her.
One day she had even asked her mother that, "Am I your daughter or is Lillian your daughter?"
But the queen just brushed it off by saying, "The poor thing is just a cat."
Zadhea felt wronged. She was the poor thing, not the cat!
"You are so beautiful, you know?" Zadhea kissed the cat's cheeks a few times. "I love you so much!"
"Mmm, hmmm!!" Lillian grunted in annoyance as she turned her face away from Zadhea.
Zadhea wasn't surprised. She was already used to her cat's behaviour. Even though Lillian loved her owner more than others, she was never clingy to her. She just wanted to stay close to her, avoiding physical contact.
Zadhea was well aware of this fact. However, she couldn't help squeezing her every time she saw Lillian. Because of that, Lilian hid in a corner where Zadhea couldn't find her and then slept peacefully.
As a result, Zadhea called out to her countless times until Lillian showed herself. This happened frequently.
"Naughty cat," Zadhea scolded her while gently pulling her whiskers.
Lillian: "..."
Zadhea sometimes wondered that the cat and the person who gifted her the cat was a bit similar.
The original villainess tried to get too close to him which irritated the prince. As for Zadhea, she only tried to distant herself from him, igniting his interest.
It was the same with Lillian.
Initially, she showered Lilly with hugs and kisses which made the cat unhappy. When she realized that, she decided to let her be and did her own things until... She felt someone softly scratching her knee.
Lillian made a pitiful face with the help of her big round blue eyes that looked like marble balls while meowing at her.
Needless to say, Zadhea's heart melted instantly.
Time passed quickly. Lillian was now an old lady... Ehem, cat lady.
"Don't leave me alone, Lilly." Zadhea hugged her as she threw her sword onto her bed before sitting on the edge of it (bed) with her cat in her arms.
Lilly looked away as if she didn't hear her plea.
Zadhea was about to say something more when she heard a tapping sound on her window.
She frowned and rose to her feet still holding Lillian before approaching the window. With a click, she opened it wide only to see...
A crow?
Lillian became impatient and struggled in her arms, trying to pounce on the ugly bird.
Zadhea quickly put Lilly in a small cage before averting her gaze towards the crow again. With a single glance, she could tell that it wasn't a normal crow.
The black bird's beak touched its own leg as it showed her something tied to its foot. Zadhea tilted her head, confused.
"What? Ooof!" She could finally see what it was when the crow looked at her again.
There was a small piece of paper tied on its foot.
Zadhea was now even more confused.
In this era, people communicated with one another by sending doves as messengers, not crows.
Only wizards and witches used crows as messengers...
Zadhea gulped in fear.
However, she quickly untied the string and took the paper. The next second, the black crow let out an ugly sound before flying back.
With trembling hands, she started reading the note.
Hey there,
Don't be afraid. I'm Dewinn. Hope you still remember me. I wish to see you when the sun goes down.
Place: Where we met for the first time
Zadhea turned the other side of the paper to find something more. But it seemed like that was all. He hadn't mentioned anything else.
Dewinn...
She almost forgot about this guy because she was busy with the Rodwef prince's cake!
They had a deal. Zadhea promised him that she would help him to take revenge but... It wasn't the right time yet. She was able to convince him that day and of course, he agreed. But why did he want to visit her all of a sudden? What if someone found out...
Meeting him secretly would be dangerous. Zadhea felt like she was having a headache.
However, to be honest, she was curious too.
She looked at the sky. It was still afternoon.
With a sigh, she took Lillian out of her cage when she heard a knock on the door. It might be a maid.
"Come in."
The maid bowed down to her. "Greetings to your highness! Her grace Queen Margaret wants to remind you to join the tea ceremony in the evening."
"Oh I see," Zadhea said half-heartedly.
"What is it?" She asked when she saw the woman lingering there without leaving after conveying the message.
The maid hesitated.
"She said... She expects a lady instead of a lad."
"...I know."
Zadhea could remember the first time she went to a tea party hosted by her mother. That day, she forgot to change her pants and shirt to a gown before coming. She was exhausted after a difficult training session. When her mother saw her, she almost fainted in fury.
Actually, it was still Zadhea's mistake. She forgot that... She had to keep everything as a secret from the nobles. She quickly came up with an excuse that she was doing a roleplay in an ancient drama.
Luckily, others believed her.
As for today, she didn't want to do any mistakes.
With a heavy heart, Zadhea approached the closet her mother arranged for her with loads of dazzling dresses. When she opened it, her eyes almost blinded by the colours of the dresses. There were gems and pearls all over them like she really had to do a roleplay later.
These dresses were simply too much.
She thought of choosing a simple one which was quite difficult like she had to find a needle in a haystack.
Just like that, the whole afternoon was wasted for a dress.
A freaking dress!
Zadhea gritted her teeth in anger. She despised tea ceremonies! Why did her mother want to drag her as well to these boring parties? She could attend all by herself, couldn't she? Moreover, listening to the middle-aged women sharing gossips elegantly was something hella boring. She had to pinch herself from time to time or else, she would doze off there without a warning.
Lady Gagani Hydra's eyes lit up when she saw the princess coming towards them. She subconsciously blurted out, "I wish Evelyn is here too."
Zadhea greeted everyone before taking a seat without making a sound. She nodded her head at Lady Hydra to show that she agreed with her.
"I think Evie... I mean Lady Evelyn is busy with her books. It's fine actually."
'Aaah! I also wish she's here so that I can share my burdens with her!'
"Hmm. She does love books so much."
There was a short silence after that.
'Ha ha. So awkward!'
Zadhea was naturally an introvert. But she wondered how she survived to this day in this strange world. Wherever she went, the attention would be drifted to her. But no, she didn't want it!
It was the karma of being a princess. She had to kiss goodbye her isolated form.
But still...
She was so uncomfortable with so many people around her waiting for her to speak while staring at her like they wanted to swallow her whole.
Maybe she was just delusional. Maybe they really didn't look at her like that. Nevertheless, she always felt like that whenever she gained others stares especially strangers.
They looked at her like they were unhappy with her, like she had done something wrong to them, like she had debts to pay.
A sunny lady spoke this time when she realized the princess became silent for too long. "Wow! You look so beautiful, your highness. Your simple dress and makeup really specify the natural beauty you owe. Nice choice." She gave her a thumbs up.
Zadhea became relaxed when she heard it. Giving her a sweet smile she expressed her thanks.
Another silence.
Zadhea was becoming impatient. Her hands were clenched into fists on her lap as she tried hard to breathe without a sound.
'Ugh! Mom, where the hell are you? Am I too early?'
"Can you dance?" A duchess asked out of nowhere.
Another one chimed in at the same time, "Can you sing?"
Zadhea: "..."
Her face darkened.
Is this a kids' reality show now?