Meanwhile, in Solara, the ceremony of the blossoms was in full swing. Present guests were having fun and joy. They were playing games, and doing activities, and discovering new things. Seeing the blossoms, and their magic and secrets.
The young royalty kids played in the jumpy castle, and the slide, and the maze. They were laughing, and cheering, and screaming. Bouncing, and sliding, and running.
They were having fun, and being happy, and blossoming themselves. They did not know, or care, or fear of anything.
Adella and Amira were having a blast in the jumping castle. They bounced up and down, giggling and squealing with delight. They felt like they were flying in the air, surrounded by colorful balloons and streamers. The ceremony of the blossoms was the most fun event of the year, and they wanted to enjoy every moment of it.
Suddenly, they heard a loud murmur from the crowd outside. They looked over and saw a group of people making way for a special guest. They heard someone announce, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Prince Andrew of Noctis!"
Adella's eyes widened. She recognized the name of the prince from the neighboring kingdom. He was rumored to be very handsome, but also very arrogant and cold. She had some sort of issue with him but non the less she decided to go greet him.
She turned to Amira and said, "Amira, I think we should go and greet the prince. It's the polite thing to do, even if he gives me a headache."
Amira nodded. She didn't care much about the prince, but she didn't want to be rude either. She followed Adella out of the jumping castle and smoothed her dress. She hoped the prince would be nice to them, or at least not too mean.
They walked towards the entrance, where the prince was being greeted by the other royal princesses and princes. They waited for their turn to introduce themselves, but they felt a bit nervous. They wondered what the prince would think of them, and what he would say.
Meanwhile, Amira felt a bit thirsty. She decided to get a drink from the nearby table stall, where a servant was serving beverages. She asked for a lemonade and thanked the servant. She took a sip and felt refreshed.
But as she drank, she couldn't help but overhear the servant gossiping. They were whispering and pointing at her, and she heard them say things like, "Look at her, the cause of everything!" and "She will make everything a disaster!"
She turned and saw two other girls of her age. Whispering and also pointing at her, "She doesn't deserve to be a princess!"
Amira felt a surge of anger and hurt. She knew they were talking about her, and the prophecy that said she was the chosen one to save the world from the dark lord. She hated being the center of attention, and she hated being judged by people who didn't know her. She wanted to be a normal girl, with normal friends, and normal problems.
She yelled, "Hey, stop talking about me like that! You don't know anything about me!"
The servant and the girls looked at her with surprise and fear. They quickly shut their mouths and bowed their heads. They knew they had crossed a line, and they hoped the princess wouldn't punish them.
But before Amira could say anything else, she felt a force pulling her back. She almost stumbled but managed to balance herself. She looked up and saw a few group of royal kids gathered in front her. They were grinning and smirking at her, as if they had just played a prank on her.
She recognized some of them as the princes and princesses of other kingdoms. They were all dressed in fancy clothes and jewelry, and they looked like they were having fun at her expense.
She felt a wave of humiliation and resentment.
She glared at them calling them out "What do you want? Why did you pull me like that?"
One of them, a boy, said, "We just wanted to say hello, princess. We're so glad you're here. You're the star of the show, after all."
He said it with a sarcastic tone, and the others laughed. They knew he was mocking her, and they joined in.
Amira felt her cheeks burn. She hated being called a star, or a hero, or a savior. She didn't want any of that. She just wanted to be left alone.
She tried to pull away, but the boy held her tight. "Don't be shy, princess. We just wanna talk."