"Why the hell were you yelling like that?" The king asked Mr. Jasper in annoyance.
Mr. Jasper continued his grin and pointed at the flowers. "Her Highness wanted a suggestion on the flowers".
The king frowned. "My suggestion? Since when?"He asked turning to his sister.
Mr. Jasper pointed at Mariana. "Miss Clifton and I gave an opinion too".
The king looked at her and his frown vanished. He eyed the princess who looked down and then eyed, or rather glared at Mr. Jasper and looked back at her.
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty", Mariana curtsied as best as she can with Ross in her arms, with uneasiness because of everyone's attention at her
He gave a nod. His white shirt and black trousers gave him a relaxed yet handsome look.
Eyeing Mr. Jasper, he ordered, "Go ready my horses, Jasper".
"Gladly", Mr. Jasper dissapeared out of the room.
The king folded his arms to his chest and looked at his sister. "My opinion?"
"Yes", the pincess smiled and nodded. "Which one do you like?" She getured at the flowers.
The king sighed and looked at the flowers.
"How can someone select one. Use all the flowers".
Mariana blinked realising he just voiced out her own opinion.
As if he heard her thoughts, the king's beautiful sapphire eyes landed on her, and then on Ross in her arms.
Mariana was just about to smile at him when he smirked. She rather frowned then. He surely was upto something.
Both siblings walked to the chairs. The king gestured for Mariana to sit and she sat back. The princess took her seat and said to Miss Harlow something, who went to the princess's bed chamber then.
The king sat on the chair beside his sister, turning the innocent chair into a throne by the way he sat. His tall and broad body was now much closer to Mariana that she was able to inhale his sandalwood scent.
He looked at her. "So, Miss Mariana. How are the preparations of our clothes going on?"
"It's going well, Your Majesty". She smiled.
He gestured to sleeping Ross. "Is it your ferret or ours?"
Mariana blinked. "It's Ross, Your Majesty".
"Ross loves Miss Clifton". The princess said.
Mariana stroke his fur. "He's so lovely. I have never seen such a calm ferret before."
Miss Harlow returned with few papers and handed them to the princess who gave them to the king. "The finance of the town's printing press". The king took the papers and started scanning them precisely.
The princess smiled at Mariana. "Aunt Daisy treats us with such lovely creatures everytime she comes. You should've seen the hedgehog she brought once. Whenever anyone wanted to sit anywhere, they got their bottom pricked". The princess and Miss Harlow laughed along with Mariana. The king chuckled recalling the events, his eyes still on the papers.
"My aunt Daisy saves any creature she thought needed help", the princess continued.
Mariana gave a warm smile. "Lady Daisy is too kind".
"Miss Clifton, can you do me a favour?", the pincess asked out of no where.
"Oh, anything, Your Highness".
"I have a dress that was a gift to me from my eighteeth birthday. It is really precious to me but it's skirts are torn. Can you attach another layers of skirt over them without making it look very obvious".
"Certainly, but can I see it first?" Mariana was excited to do something creative.
Miss Harlow opened the princess's wardrobe and returned with a very faded peice of fabric.
Mariana spared a glace at the king who had his head bent down in the papers, his black head howering up.
The princess unfurled an old but pretty gown, in yellow and pink that had faded with time, but appeared to have been once very bright shades.
Mariana carefully picked up Ross and placed him slowly on the nearby chair, the ferret's body lied limply there.
Taking the gown from the princess's hand she spread it over her lap and found so many tears over the skirts. The bodice of the dress was passabe.
"I can sew new skirts for it". Mariana said with a nod. "But, if I may ask, why does Your Highness need such an old gown repaired?"
The princess smiled. "It's a bit short but fits me well and is really comfortable. I like to wear it for my riding lessons".
Now that she heard, Mariana rubbed the fabric in her hands and found it was indeed very soft. "I will bring it back in a week".
"Thank you".
"Miss Clifton never let anyone go empty handed, even from her shop in the village", Miss Harlow praised her suddenly.
The king's eyes shot up and looked directly at Mariana and she felt her colour rising instantly under his gaze.
"You are very talented, Miss Clifton", the princess said. "Where did you learn all this from?".
Mariana smiled fondly. "My aunt taught me everything. It was her shop I have now".
"Who else is in your family?" The princess asked, curiously leaning forward in her chair.
"It's just my aunt, my little cousin and me. My parents died shortly after I was born".
The king leaned forward too, looking at her, listening intently.
The princess's brows pinched together in sadness. "I'm so sorry.
What about your uncle?".
Mariana shook her head. "My aunt was never married. The man she loved died before they could marry. Few days later she found out she was expecting his child. She never loved any other man after that. She stayed strong and raised me and her daughter alone".
Mariana found her voice getting weak. She still remembered how aunt Penny used to work in the shop clutching little Voilet to her chest who was an infant. Mariana had suggested she would help her or get a job elsewhere to lend a hand to the house but aunt Penny never let her. She had said she wanted Mariana to enjoy her time as much as she can. Her little shoulders were not for carrying responsibilities but for shaking and laughing.
The princess covered Mariama's hand that was clutching the dress on her lap, with her own. "Your aunt is really brave. I love her already."
Mariana smiled at the princess whose blue eyes held shiny tears and she wanted to tell the princess how much she loved her already.
"If I may ask, how did he die?"
"He died in the war our kingdom fought eleven years back. He was a soldier in our kingdom's army".
"He died for our kingdom?" The king asked.
Mariana looked at him and nodded.
"Did his family or your aunt get any help from the former king?" His blue eyes looked at her intently.
"Nothing that I know of".
The princess looked at her brother. "I don't think father had any amount reserved for the martyrs then. And you haven't taken over by that time".
The king sighed and looked down.
Mariana knew that the king provided funds to the martyr's families now. And she could see he felt bad for it wasn't available then. This small gesture of him touched her deeply.
The next moment, a maid appeared in the princess's chamber. "Her Majesty asked for you, Your Highness".
The princess nodded and the maid left the chamber.
The princess stood up and Mariana did too. "Thank you for coming, Miss Mariana. I hope to see you soon".
"Thank you, Your Highness. I'll take my leave then".
The princess nodded and along with Miss Harlow, strode out of the chamber.
Mariana looked at the king who got back to the papers in his hand. Once again she found herself alone with him in a room.