Close to the walls of the King's castle, the main garden of the royal palace was situated there. It was enclosed by lined trees and shrubs, symmetrically divided into two sections: the upper close to the castle, and the lower part at the entrance.
The air wafted with the blooming flowers and the rustle of the leaves swaying from the breeze.
Guests of the previous royal assembly could gaze at the palace garden from their accommodation mansion, where they were waiting for Princess Vanetta's upcoming debut before they would return to their lands.
The driver pulled the reins, and the horses responded with a neigh. The carriage moved slowly, with its wheels crunching on the road, before it soon stopped as it reached the entrance of the palace garden.
Inside the vehicle was Elucina, who came at Vanetta's invitation the other day. She peered out the window reluctantly, swerving the curtains before the doors opened. Stepping out of the carriage, she stood at the entrance and looked around.
'Vanetta, you are bold for choosing this place for our tea party,' Elucina scorned inwardly, seeing they would be having it in the public, and in the royal palace garden at top of that. 'I am sure the nobles will be talking about this.'
Instinctively, she threw a glance over the nearby accommodation mansion and the King's castle.
But Elucina would not back down from a challenge given to her, so she embraced it. She confidently walked toward the main pathway, where she spotted the circular fountain located in the middle.
And there, her eyes caught sight of Countess Lenné, who was supposed to fetch her by the time she would arrive at the venue.
"Princess Elucina," Countess Lenné greeted, showing her curtsy before she held out her hand, gesturing towards the direction of the tea party.
"...Countess Lenné," Elucina said it back.
Though she felt somewhat disappointed and salty by her friend's distant greeting, she pushed aside her feelings and followed behind her tracks.
Their walk was filled with silence, except for the sounds of their heels hitting the ground and the occasional snips of garden scissors from servants they passed.
Countess Lenné guided Elucina away from the neatly trimmed hedges, where their nostrils immediately caught the scent of freshly cut leaves.
They then continued forth, walking through the pergola. Its wooden grid was covered in vines, which crawled down from the marble columns supporting the roof.
Elucina followed the stone slab path, before in the distance, she soon saw their end destination – the gazebo, standing within the heart of this section of the garden.
When they finally reached it, Countess Lenné promptly stepped forward to notify Princess Vanetta, who was waiting in her seat with her heels dragging and swinging on the gazebo's floor.
"Your Highness," Countess Lenné called before announcing, "Princess Elucina is here."
Vanetta turned her head toward their direction, her face lighting up with a smile. "Your Highness!" she exclaimed, rising from her seat. She clasped her hands from excitement as she watched Elucina ascend from the short stairs through the threshold of the gazebo.
Elucina, rather than matching her energy, gracefully curtsied as she greeted, "Princess Vanetta."
"Ah, uh," Vanetta fumbled from where she was standing. She had forgotten the most basic of the meeting – to greet her guest with a curtsy.
Trying to mirror the same gesture, Vanetta started bowing. However, she was trying hard to keep up, and her efforts only resulted in her foot snagging on her dress yet once more. It would happen so frequently that it became common whenever she attempted to curtsy.
Despite the visible stumble, Vanetta continued and pushed through her embarrassing clumsiness. "Pri, Princess Elucina," she managed to stammered out. "Thank you for coming. Um, please, have a seat."
Vanetta extended her hand, trying to maintain a sense of composure. She motioned toward the empty chair across from her at the table.
"Thank you," Elucina said with a nod as she sat down.
Vanetta gave her another smile and moved to the tea portion. She attempted to pour a cup for Princess Elucina, but her hands trembled slightly, causing the tea to spill over the rim of the cup, adding to her embarrassment.
'...Ah, oh no!' Vanetta inwardly muttered, her cheeks immediately flushed slightly.
Elucina watched as Vanetta placed the teapot down, noticing that her teacup had been filled to its brim. She silently judged her with a knowing look.
Of course, Vanetta would be this clumsy. But Elucina had to keep a straight face and stop herself from smirking as Vanetta continued to fumble.
It got her thinking about how she would do in her debut in front of the noble society.
When Vanetta handed her the teacup, Elucina took a sip, her hand steady enough not to make any spills despite the cup being full. Vanetta watched her eagerly, awaiting her reaction while she drank it.
But the tea was strangely familiar to Elucina's taste buds, making her eyes narrowed in suspicion. When she lowered the cup, she glanced at Vanetta who wore a nervous expression on her face.
'This… isn't her brew,' Elucina thought to herself.
Keeping a neutral face, Elucina gave a dry compliment about the tea, aware that Countess Lenné had made it. She said, "It tastes good, Your Highness."
Vanetta nodded at her and proceeded to pour herself some tea.
While Vanetta was concentrating on her cup, Elucina took the moment to mention, "I heard you will be having your debut very soon. It's less than a week, isn't it?"
Vanetta nodded in affirmation, setting the teapot on the table. "Yes, but it's, um, a bit overwhelming," she admitted.
"Aren't you looking forward to it?" Elucina pressed, noting her tone.
Vanetta hesitated, holding the cup in her fingers, before answering, "I am. I'm both excited and nervous to experience it. Since I have heard stories that palace debuts are grand and sparkling."
Vanetta glanced at Elucina, finding comfort in the familiar golden gaze looking at her. "But it's still unreal for me to be here, being addressed as 'Your Highness' and everything–"
"–I, myself, can't believe that this is happening, too," Elucina confessed, her words obviously carrying an underlying meaning.
But, again, Vanetta completely missed the hint.
"Isn't that right?" Vanetta giggled naively. "I still can't believe I'm here in the royal palace. If it weren't for my uncle finding me, I wouldn't be experiencing all of this!"