{Music Recommendation: 6.6 Gigue ~ Peter Gregson & Richard Harwood}

. . . . . . Several days later

"Kai, quick! Let’s go inside." Walter tugged his brother’s hand. "The girl with the silver hair won’t be coming, and if we waste any more time, Mother will scold us. You know how she is now."

Kai sighed, moving his eyes away from the palace gate. He finally gave up waiting for his new friend. "Let’s go. The celebration will start soon."

As the two boys ran inside, they tried to avoid bumping into the servants who were carrying either food or flowers for decorating the palace. The first person they passed was a struggling Madame Rosalie, who was trying to lift something off the ground. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"I need help!" Madame Rosalie shouted. "These tables need to be set for where my girls will be dancing."

Malcolm, who was talking with one of the guards, quickly let go of what he was doing and ran to help the woman. "Rosalie, you should let the men do this. Hold on," the general muttered.

"You two, come carry these," he called to two guards who quickly came to carry the table. Madame Rosalie smiled, giving Malcolm a thumbs up.

"Thank you, Malcolm." She winked at him before both of them walked away.

Some maids who had just witnessed what happened formed a small circle, and one of them started;

"Is the general really trying to court Madame Rosalie?"

Another one chuckled, "I don’t think so. I heard the general has never done it with any woman... but who knows? You should never trust men when it comes to..." The maids giggled at their own gossip.

"Is something funny?" a man’s voice was heard, and when the maids turned, they saw Louis carrying a heavy bowl with steam rising from it. "There are too many things to do in the kitchen. Quick, one of you should take this to the hall. The rest, with me."

The maids quickly dispersed, some of them trotting behind Louis and the rest going about their work. The next person they passed was Jasmine, who now stood with a cane, looking at some maids with a stern look on her face.

"All four of you," Jasmine called out, her voice firm. "What were you thinking, serving the royal family with plates that weren’t properly cleaned?" She sighed, shaking her head. "Follow me. I’ll watch you wash every plate thoroughly before the event starts." The four maids trotted behind her as she led the way.

Meanwhile, Sophie and Galen walked out of a room, their steps swift as they held onto a heavy dress that belonged to Oriana.

"The Queen should be dressed before the feast starts," Sophie muttered. Getting to Oriana’s door, they knocked twice, and Freya opened the door to take the dress, bowing slightly to the princess before she entered inside.

Freya walked straight to where Oriana was standing, looking out the window peacefully. "Your Majesty, your dress is here," the young girl announced with a small bow.

Several days had passed after the execution of the evil mastermind, and slowly everyone tried to move on, forgetting the bad and unpleasant memories of that day and the one before it.

Though it wasn’t easy for everyone, especially Oriana, who had blamed herself for so many reasons, being surrounded by her family and loved ones helped her heal and let go of things she couldn’t control. Oriana turned, revealing her stomach that had now grown bigger and heavier. She gave Freya a small, tired smile.

"I really hope it works this time; none of my dresses fit anymore," she sighed, letting Freya help her fit into the dress. Finally, when the dress was on, it looked better and not so tight, especially around her stomach.

"The Queen is ready," Freya announced and gently took Oriana’s hand, helping her step out of the room where Adric was waiting.

Adric smiled when he saw his wife, stretching out his hand, and took hold of her hand, kissing the back of her palm softly. "You look so beautiful."

Oriana smiled. "I know," she whispered.

Fidelis, who was standing close to his son, touched his daughter-in-law’s back. "My son really made the best choice with you," the man smiled. "Let’s go now," he said as they made their way towards the hall where the feast was going to be held.

Rowan, who was walking behind Adric, watched Freya from the corner of his eye. He noticed how the girl always paid attention to whatever she was doing without looking at others beside her. He also noticed how she was still limping, as her leg was still in the process of healing.

When they reached the feast hall, the door was opened, and everyone inside stood up when they saw the King and his Queen. Now present in the room were all members of the royal family and their friends.

Adric stepped forward once the small crowd had settled. "Today, we gather for the Feast of Appointment," he began, his voice clear and commanding. "We will fill the vacant positions in the royal court with individuals who have proven their loyalty to the throne and are dedicated to serving it."

He glanced around at the assembled guests, then turned to Oriana, giving her a smile before continuing. "Before I announce the names and positions of those chosen, I want to make it clear that, while no one is perfect, these individuals have shown time and again their loyalty to the crown. Under my reign, women are now also eligible to serve as ministers, a role previously limited to men."

Unfurling a parchment, Adric continued, "By royal decree, Princess Jasmine shall assume the role of Mistress of the Royal Household. Louis shall become the Keeper of the Pantry. General Malcolm shall retain his position as General of the kingdom. And Madame Rosalie shall serve as our Royal Advisor."

Gracefully, Adric raised the parchment, and everyone clapped, cheering for the newly appointed ministers.

"Congratulations, Madame Rosalie," Oriana hugged the woman, careful not to press too tightly because of her stomach. Rosalie had helped her in many ways, and she was now more like family to her.

Madame Rosalie smiled. "Thank you too..."her voice trailed.

Freya joined in the hug with a bright smile on her face. "Me too! I want to hug too!" As she joined in, Walter and Kai also reached out for a hug.

The others who had gathered laughed at this, especially Fidelis, who stood close to his son with a drink in his hand.

"Now, this is what family looks like...peaceful and with no evil intent," the older man remarked, smiling brightly.

Adric nodded in agreement with his father’s words. "Mother would be so proud," he replied, clinking his wine glass with his father’s before taking a sip.

Malcolm and Rowan joined them, both holding their own drinks.

"Your Majesty, about the Crown Prince of Eridor inviting you for his coronation; what do you think?" Malcolm asked, glancing at Madame Rosalie, who was laughing about something Freya had just said.

Adric hummed. "I know it’s just an appearance to prove to his father that Avon is on good terms with them. I’d have loved to go, but I can’t put my Queen through the stress of the rough roads." The young king replied, turning to Rowan.

"Maybe you can go, as an envoy. I’ll be more at ease knowing you’re there not that I trust you to keep a good reputation."

Rowan tutted. "I don’t see myself wearing a robe and dining with ministers exactly the reason I declined when you asked me to be the prime minister. I’m only made for the battlefield."

"You’re right," Adric and Malcolm nodded, seeing Rowan in a minister’s robe would be very funny.

Louis joined them after he was done receiving congratulations from other servants he worked with in the kitchen.

"Chief of the Pantry! Well deserved." Rowan raised his wine glass for the man.

Louis let out a small laugh. "I can’t wait for more celebrations to happen so I can really show my cooking skills. We need more royal weddings," the man suggested.

Oriana nodded, hearing the man’s words. "I agree. I mean, Sophie, what do you think about you and Galen?"

The princess cleared her throat, looking at Galen shyly. "Well, Galen and I still want to get to know each other...we are planning on leaving the palace and exploring other places...so no wedding yet."

"Ohhh..." Oriana raised her brows, giving Adric a knowing look. "Then that leaves us with...ah, Madame Rosalie... should we be expecting..." she turned to look at Malcolm with a playful smile.

Malcolm chuckled. "No, Your Majesty. Rosalie and I are just friends...good friends, but I’ll support her if she ever finds a man she wants to marry."

"Malcolm," Madame Rosalie rolled her eyes; the man never hesitated to clarify their relationship. "I hope you don’t regret it when I get married."

Louis raised his hand. "And my daughter! I am ready to give her away for marriage."

"Pa!" Freya nudged her father, her ears burning red with embarrassment. She didn’t like that all the attention was now on her, and she wanted to hide.

Malcolm added, "You’re right, little Freya is becoming a woman. I’m sure she will make a good wife."

"Then, if it’s not a problem, let me marry her," Rowan’s voice was heard, his expression relaxed as he said the words.

Everyone gasped, covering their mouths in surprise at Rowan’s bold declaration.

Louis clapped his hands in delight. He had always hoped the king’s royal guard would take an interest in his daughter, especially after Rowan had saved his life countless times. "Yes-"

"No!" Freya interrupted, with a defiant tone. "I have no intention of marrying someone like him. I’d rather not marry at all."