The grass rustled and crunched beneath their heels as they walked. Elucina was strolling next to Princess Vanetta, with their handmaidens trailing behind quietly.
"It's really a surprise to see you here, Princess Elucina," Vanetta said, her eyes lighting up with the same golden-brown color as Elucina's, a sign of their royal blood. She flashed up a smile and asked, "How have you been, Your Highness?"
Vanetta glanced over at Elucina, expecting an answer from her. Elucina, however, had been silent, just listening to Vanetta speak. From the beginning, she talked about how majestic the castle was, praising it, and how she did not expect to see it in her entire life up until now.
Vanetta had not stopped enthusiastically rambling, going on about the hedge maze. She described it as something fun to explore, and that without Countess Lenné's help, she might have been lost in the maze today.
"Princess Elucina?" Vanetta called.
Coming back to her senses, Elucina realized that she had not replied to Vanetta yet, who was still waiting patiently.
"I did not expect to see you either, Princess Vanetta," Elucina said back while reluctant to have eye contact with her, looking ahead as they walked. She inquired, "Earlier, you mentioned that Countess Lenné toured you around the castle, yes?"
"Hn," Vanetta nodded and said, "I heard that Her Highness lived here, and that you really liked the hedge maze. Did you come here just to visit it again?" she asked, slightly tilting her head to the side.
"..."
Elucina flicked her head towards Vanetta, her eyes locking onto Vanetta's serious expression, observing her as she asked the question.
'Is she this ignorant?' With a raised eyebrow, Elucina found herself questioning Vanetta's behavior inwardly, unsure if this was all an act or if Vanetta didn't catch on.
But observing her, Elucina could not figure out whether she was just putting on a show. But if it turned out Vanetta to be feigning it…
Elucina paused to take a moment to gather her emotions. And instead of getting upset by the thoughtless question, she chose to be a better person today than be triggered by it.
She soon replied calmly, "You can say that, Princess Vanetta."
"I see," Vanetta nodded, and her face quickly shifted to a smile that reached her eyes.
As they strolled around the castle, they soon entered the open courtyard where they caught the attention of some servants. Elucina and Vanetta walked by, and the servants they passed bowed deeply to show their respect to the princesses.
"Um, hello," Vanetta replied, returning the bow shyly.
Elucina strode ahead as she took a corner to lead the group, leaving Vanetta behind when she stopped to greet the servants.
When Vanetta hurried to catch up, her foot got caught on her dress, causing her to stumble slightly. Recovering clumsily, Vanetta looked at Elucina, asking curiously, "Have you ever had a pet, Your Highness?"
"Why… did you ask?"
"It's, um…" Vanetta hesitated before replying, "Just being in this castle, it felt so eerily big, almost lonely with only one person living in it."
With her gaze dropping to the floor as they walked, she continued, "The maids here also seemed distant," she mumbled, her voice trailing off uncertainly.
"Because their duty is to serve, Princess Vanetta. They are not here to leisure and have fun," Elucina explained firmly, moving her hand in the air to emphasize her point.
Vanetta fell silent, looking ahead at the other bowing maids they passed by.
"But to answer your question earlier, I did have a pet once. It was a beautiful black cat with the fluffiest fur," Elucina said.
Vanetta's eyes widened as she raised her head toward Elucina. "Oh, where is it?" she asked eagerly, wanting to hear more about the pet.
However, to cut her excitement, Elucina had to bring the truth to her, revealing, "It has to be thrown away." Her voice hardened as a memory from her childhood soon flashed in her mind.
When Elucina was still little, living with her mother, she found a stray black kitten near the Queen's garden.
Hearing its cries and seeing it abandoned by its mother, she named him 'Dusk' and took him as her pet. She hid him in the garden, sneaking out to feed him twice a day after her classes.
Dusk was Elucina's first companion before her white stallion that the King gifted her. She spent most of her cherished moments with Dusk.
But one day, her mother, Queen Esteria discovered her cat. The Queen saw Dusk as the bringer of bad luck and quickly called someone to take the cat away from the palace.
"...I, I'm sorry for asking," Vanetta apologized, snapping Elucina from her recollection.
"But I still get to see him," Elucina reassured. "He comes to visit me whenever I need him."
On most tough nights, Dusk would emerge from the hedges when Elucina would come to the hedge maze. He would meow softly and rub his fluffy fur against her dress.
"I see," Vanetta muttered, nodding.
The silence settled between them as they moved forward. Their heels reverberated on the cobblestones, echoing through the courtyard as they made their way toward the castle driveway.
But the second they stepped there, Vanetta broke the silence and nervously asked, "Princess Elucina, would you mind having tea together sometime?"
Elucina looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Not believe what she was hearing.
Vanetta fiddled with her fingers before she continued, expressing, "I really needed someone to practice besides Countess Lenné. I… I know she has been so kind to me, b, but I also understand it must be draining for her to mentor me all the time."
Elucina stared at her with a blank expression on her face. It was amusing for her to realize… that Vanetta was really ignorant by nature.
It was not an act; Vanetta was actually oblivious to Elucina's thoughts about her. Vanetta did not seem to understand how strained their relationship was.
Vanetta suddenly took Elucina's hands, surprising her. She said, "I, I really think that it would be a great opportunity for us to bond as sisters!"
Elucina was dying of laughter inside; the words that Vanetta used, of them being 'sisters' suddenly made her feel nauseous. She was too stunned to speak that Vanetta could not see the elephant in the room.
Elucina shot a quick glance at Countess Lenné, who avoided her gaze.
Slowly returning her attention to the person in front of her, with a deadpan tone, Elucina soon responded, "...Of course, Princess Vanetta," plastering a forced smile on her lips that did not reach her eyes. "I'd be so thrilled to join you for tea–"
Excitedly, Vanetta embraced her tightly, then pulled back, exclaiming, "I'll send you a letter tomorrow with the time and venue, Your Highness!"
While Elucina was processing what was happening, her ears perked from the sound of wheels rolling over the driveway.
"Oh, that must be my carriage," Vanetta said, spotting it as it pulled up nearby. "I'll meet you then, Princess Elucina!" she shouted, waving enthusiastically before climbing into the carriage.
Elucina stood there with an unreadable expression that crossed her face, silently observing as Vanetta left.
"Your Highness–" Daleah announced her presence behind her as she whispered.
"Hah," Elucina let out a dry laugh, her eyes narrowing as she watched Vanetta's carriage disappear into the distance. Painting a smirk on her face, she turned to her handmaiden.
"I cannot wait for the tea party, Daleah," she declared, her grip tightening on her diary.
Daleah flinched under Elucina's intense glare, sensing the anger boiling within her mistress.