The sun was hot but Lily walked safely under the parasol that Mary had held up for her. Bringing it was surely a good choice.
They soon arrived at the garden where everybody was gathered and Lily frowned at the large gathering of children. How long did it take Camille to organize something so big? And not a single adult was invited.
She scrunched up her nose, wondering if she should just leave, however, considering the fact that most of these children were heirs to their respective households, it would not be too bad to form a good relationship with them now.
She took a deep breath and walked towards them and all heads turned.
"Sister?" Camille's smile broke, her wide eyes slowly scanned every inch of Lily's body, "Why are you wearing that?"
"Wearing what?" Lily feigned ignorance as she looked around. The surprised and proud faces of the children was annoying to look at, so she just glanced past all of them and a smile formed on her lips when she didn't see an empty chair.
So this was your plan all along, huh? To humilate me.
"Ah." As if suddenly recalling something, Camille placed her hand over her mouth and said, "However, I forgot to bring more chairs, what should we do now?"
Speaking properly now, are we? Lily scoffed.
"Stand up." Lily ordered in an authoritative voice, and the expression on the faces of the noble children changed. They wondered who would dare to order the princess as no one knew what the first princess looked like, and the hat she wore hid her hair and eyes from their view.
"What?"
"I order you, Camille de Florain to stand up!" Her blue eyes turned cold in mere seconds, and using her authority like this was fun anyway.
"Ah!" Camille whimpered, leaving the chair at the speed of light.
"Oh." Lily blinked, thinking that she would have resisted a little more, but, her reaction was amusing nevertheless.
"What do you think you're doing?!" A greenhead yelled, however, Lily simply took off her hat and sat on the hostess' seat.
"Gasp." The sound of gasps echoed in the now silent garden as Lily drank the tea that Mary had just poured for her.
"Hello." She smiled, raising her head at the nobles.
"Ah! It's the first princess!" A shrill scream broke the unnerving silence and pretty loud murmurs followed.
"Silence!" Lily yelled in a strangely commanding tone, causing Lily to turn to her in surprise.
"Wow." Lily shock her head in utter disbelief as Mary raised both of her thumbs and smiled brightly.
However, what mattered is that it worked and the garden was now in utter silence, accompanied with the fact that Camille had ran off to God knows where.
"I said hello." She maintained her cold smile that sent shivers down the spine of the young children.
"Greetings, Your highness!" They greeted in unison, bowing their heads to the rumored first princess, who had ate poison in place of the king.
"Hmm." Lily nodded calmly to their greeting. She would have most definitely shrank in fear if such a thing had happened before her regression, "My dear younger sister invited me today to join you all-"
"What?" A sudden voice interrupted her words, "You yelled at the princess and scared her away!" The tiny voice came from the greenhead that sat two seats away from her.
Lily frowned at her, knowing fully well that some of them concurred with her and it wouldn't end well if she left it at this.
"Isn't it right for a host to provide enough seats for the people she invited? And giving up hers to a person of higher status is only right, or..." Lily paused, "Do you perhaps think that I am in the wrong?"
"Huh?" The greenhead shrivelled in her seat, backing away as her lips trembled, probably in haste to say something. She had heard from Camille that the first princess was modest, shy and a total pushover, but what was this she way seeing?
"Right. The first princess cannot be wrong." A voice echoed followed by a million more.
"Yes, truly her highness is wise."
"How dare a baron's daughter even talk to her highness in such manner?"
Lily clicked her tongue, even the children of nobles were already good at bootlicking even at such a young age.
"I'm not wrong, am I, Sister?" She turned to Camille who had just returned.
"What?"
"The second princess must see it too, right?" A noble child spoke, asking a question that struck a nerve for Camille, however, she couldn't afford to destroy her reputation by saying anything otherwise.
"Right." Her smile slowly pieced back into place, "Lady Rosella shouldn't have spoke to sister like that. Since-" She paused, putting on a sad face, "I didn't think sister would be coming and I failed to prepare a seat for her an-"
"Is it true that your highness drank poison?" A shrill voice interrupted her pathetic act.
"It wasn't in the drink but in the meal, My lady." Lily answered with a smile, she also didn't have the strength or will to deal with Camille's pathetic act this time.
"Oh! That's truly brave." The little girl's eyes sparkled, such true sparkle that could only be found in the eyes of innocent children. Her features were not particularly outstanding but her black short hair paired with her deep green sparkling eyes made her look much more beautiful than anybody else. And that feature reminded her of a certain someone.
"What's your name, My lady?" Lily asked, flashing her a smile.
"M-me?"
"Yes."
"I-I am Christina Capulet, da-daughter of Count Capulet." She stood up and bowed, while holding up her skirt.
"Come sit beside me, Lady Capulet." Lily tapped on the chair that Camille's maid had just brought in.
"Ah-ah. But that's the second princess's seat."
"No worries, Camille wouldn't mind. Or would you, Sister?" Lily looked up at the fuming princess who begrudgingly shook her head negatively while trying to maintain the false smile on her face.
"Good. Now, Lady Capulet, come on."
* ~ *
Camille bit the inside of her mouth hard to maintain her smile, meanwhile the cause of all this smiled and laughed happily.
Not only did she take her seat but also gave a mere country-side Count's daughter the seat she brought for herself.
She fumed as she watch the nobles who once flaunted over her try so hard to win Lily's favour.
"How dare her try to steal my spotlight? Taking the title of first princess was not enough? Having to wish for something from father was not enough?"
What should she do to get back at that wench?
Camille stumped on the budding flowers and soon a sudden memory popped up in her head.
"Right. As long as mother is here everything would be just fine." She giggled happily as she ran towards the second queen's palace.