Oriana stretched herself on the bed with her eyes still closed, moving her body side to side in the bed until she finally yawned and opened her eyes, sitting up on the bed.
"I’m so hungry," Oriana muttered when her stomach made a rumbling sound. She hadn’t been able to eat the previous night, and it was all because of Adric. He had promised her that they would discuss the dynamics of their marriage if she acted well, but he didn’t. Did he lie? Oriana stood up from the bed, walking towards the bathroom to wash her face. Somehow she slept better than when she was at home. Though the place was foreign, she wasn’t scared about anything; she slept comfortably. When the water splashed on her face, Oriana inhaled deeply before rinsing her face and mouth.
Walking back inside her room, Oriana noticed the tray she hadn’t seen earlier. It was food! Her eyes sparkled.
"Look at those babies! Why are you sitting out there alone in the cold?" The princess said, going to raise the napkin. It was rice and a side dish, with a red apple. The food had already gone cold. Oriana picked up the apple, wiping it clean on her dress, she took a bite.
"We should heat you up," she covered the food, biting more from the apple. She needed to dress up and heat her food, but Adric said she was to wear only what he gave her, yet there was no sign of him. Oriana walked back to the mirror to look at herself, maybe if she could use her hair to cover her chest, run to the kitchen, and heat up the food quickly, nobody would notice. She was really hungry, and it was beginning to make her really tired.
"Princess Oriana, you have a message from His Highness," the voice of Adric’s personal guard was heard.
Oriana dropped her half-eaten apple and opened the door. The guard quickly turned his face to the other side. Rowan cleared his throat; the princess was not just dressed in something thin, her hair also looked disheveled.
Oriana furrowed her brows at the guard’s reaction, she raised her hand to touch her hair. "Oh, don’t mind my hair, I’m just waking up. Hehe,"
"His Highness has asked that I deliver these dresses to you," Rowan bowed, stretching his hand forward, giving the dresses to Oriana.
"Thank you," Oriana struggled with the dresses, finally using her stomach to balance it so it doesn’t fall. "What about Prince Adric?" She asked, stretching her neck to see if there was any sign of him lurking around.
Rowan, with his head still bowed, replied, "His Highness is having a meeting with the palace officials at the moment. He said he would come by later,"
Oriana nodded, "Alright, thank you,"
"If that’s all, I’ll now be leaving," the guard bowed before leaving.
Oriana walked back inside her room, she dropped the dresses on the bed before going to lock her door. After choosing the easiest dress among all, Oriana brushed her hair and carried the tray of food looking for the kitchen where she could heat it up. She finally found the kitchen, and when she walked inside, everyone bowed.
"Please don’t mind me, continue with your duties. I just need where I could heat this up."
The main cook was the one who came to stand in front of the princess, "Please let us know if you need anything through the maids; you don’t need to come by yourself."
Oriana nodded, "That’s fine. If it’s not a bother, heat this up for me," she gave the man the tray, while waiting around until it was done. She noticed how some of the maids looked at her at intervals, but she didn’t mind.
"Here, if you’d also prefer to eat something else, please let me know. I’ll have a maid inform you when it’s time for breakfast," The cook handed the tray of hot food back to Oriana.
"I’ll really appreciate it. Thank you," she took the food back to her room. Oriana ate her food, wondering why Adric allowed her to eat with his family but had brought food for her. She knew he was the one who had left the food; there was nobody else if not Adric. When she was done eating, she decided to take a little stroll to familiarize herself with the new environment.
The princess noticed how big the palace was, two times bigger than the one at Orion. They had a lot of trees, but there was just one cherry blossom tree. Oriana started walking towards the cherry blossom tree when a small ball touched her leg.
"Please pass the ball," a young boy waved. It was the youngest son of Princess Jasmine.
Oriana bent down to pick up the ball, then she stretched her hand forward for the boy to come and take it.
"Thank you," Little Walter bowed, taking the ball. Then he pressed his lips, "Can I call you auntie now? Since you’re going to marry my Uncle,"
Oriana hummed, "Well, sure. You can. So what’s your name?"
"I’m Walter, and my brother’s name is Kai. He is over there," the boy pointed, his face turning sad.
Oriana noticed this and asked, "What is the problem?"
"I wish to have someone to play with because I love playing every day. But Kai has to finish reading the books mother gave him before he can play with me." The boy pouted, kicking his leg in the air.
Oriana smiled; she loved the little boy’s innocence. And she was happy to see that the boy was still allowed to play like a child. She sat on her heels, holding the boy’s shoulder,
"You can help Kai read his books; that way, you’ll have more time to play with him," she suggested.
Walter shook his head, "No! I don’t understand anything in the book. I just want to play," his voice turned very sad.
"I wish I could help," Oriana tried to console the boy. And when she said this, a mischievous smile crept on his lips.
"If you and Uncle make smaller babies soon, then I can have people to play with," the boy suggested happily.
Oriana almost choked; she had to hit her chest to be able to talk properly without cracking. "Walter, it’s not how it works,"
The boy frowned, "But that’s what Kai told me. He said that if you start sleeping in Uncle’s room, the next day, little children will start coming out. I want to have a little sister first, then a boy. Can you bring her out tomorrow?"
Oriana turned around; how was she supposed to explain to the little boy that it didn’t work that way without hurting his feelings? Her face had already turned red with the questions. "Um- I’ll have to ummm...Walter, can we have this conversation later?"
"Auntie? Are you someone wicked?" The boy persisted; he wasn’t having it that his request was being denied.
Oriana gulped, "No, why?"
"Then why have you refused to give me a little cousin I can play with? Is it because you hate me and Kai?" Walter fired Oriana with his innocent questions.
"I-" Oriana stuttered, but then the boy started crying, and she didn’t know how to control the situation. Oriana almost started crying with the boy.
"Walter, your auntie needs her rest," a voice of hope came to Oriana’s rescue.
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