The next morning was just another morning for Oriana, except her head ached and her nose was blocked like someone was holding it. The cold from last night now weakened her entire body, and she was feeling sick. Oriana groaned, touching her forehead, which was now burning up.
After having her bath, she sat in front of her vanity. Her skin was looking paler than normal. Adding more powder to bring out her color, Oriana got ready to meet her family. Today might actually determine if she was going to stay in Avon or not. She wasn’t the Crown Princess, and Sophie wouldn’t hesitate to take over her position, especially now that Adric was involved.
"Why am I worried?" Oriana asked herself. She was supposed to be happy. The freedom she had been praying for was finally here, and maybe she would now have a chance to explore her own life. She remembered the kind young master she met yesterday, but what if he doesn’t accept her? Oriana looked at herself in the mirror as the maids brushed her hair, fixing up her jewelry for her.
After dressing up, Oriana was led to the dining room for breakfast. If Oriana had known that Adric wouldn’t be at the table, she would have gone to the kitchen to eat. Right now, it was Adric’s two sisters, stepmother, and nephews who sat at the table. When she entered the room, she could feel the air of hostility, indicating that she wasn’t welcomed. Oriana tried not to look at Gwen in the eyes after what she heard last night. It was difficult to look at the woman’s face, and Adric had advised her not to say anything.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," Oriana bowed, with her hands on her stomach. The woman grumbled a reply and continued eating. She turned to look at the other two princesses, but they were busy eating their food or so she thought.
"Auntie, come sit here!" Walter waved his hands excitedly. He wasn’t done asking for a little sister.
Though worried that the boy would continue asking her difficult questions, Oriana was happy to receive a welcome. She gave him a smile but stopped when the boy’s mother glared at her.
"Walter! Haven’t I warned you? She is not your auntie!" Jasmine nudged her son’s head.
Adelaide, who was focused on her food, raised her face, "Jasmine, leave the child alone."
"If she’s not my auntie, then who is she? Since she is married to Uncle Adric, then she’s my auntie, right?" The small boy turned to ask his elder brother, who nodded in agreement.
Gwen pushed her spoon down, "Can we have a peaceful breakfast, please?" Her glare was directed towards Oriana, who was still confused about where to sit. She finally sat two seats after Adelaide, who gave her a small smile.
Oriana raised her plates to dish food, making sure it wasn’t noisy before she started eating. Somehow, the food was not digesting properly, as she could feel two persons glaring daggers at her.
"I heard from the maids that you and Brother Adric can’t keep your hands off each other. I have children here, be mindful of your actions," Jasmine said after a few minutes of silence.
Gwen raised her eyes, "What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"Yesterday, some maids saw them near the pond, touching each other’s bodies and even kissing. I heard it was a sight to behold," Jasmine reported with a sneer on her face.
Oriana coughed, a grain of rice had gone down the wrong pipe. First, what type of rumors were the maids carrying around, and also what if the Queen suspects that she was also at the pond last night? Yet each second that passed, her cough increased.
"Last night? What time last night was she there with Adric?" Gwen asked, now looking at Oriana with new suspicion.
Jasmine shook her head, "I don’t know; the maids just informed me."
"You, what were you doing at the pond?" Gwen asked.
Oriana hit her chest to stop herself from coughing. This entire breakfast was a disaster; now her nose was heavy, and the headache returned. "I-" she coughed.
Adelaide raised her face, pushing a cup of water to Oriana. She replied, "Was it not after a maid informed you that His Highness was at the pond? I saw you leaving to go and meet him," her eyes staring back at Oriana.
Oriana drank the entire cup of water. Was this Princess helping her? That wasn’t the problem at the moment; she just needed to agree. "Yes," Oriana nodded, "I was informed by a maid that His Highness was looking for me."
"Yay! Auntie and Uncle will soon have other babies. Right, Mother?" Walter turned to look at his mother, who was now glaring at him.
Gwen cleared her throat, "I don’t know what it is you think you have with Adric, but you should keep your body. For all I know, you’re not the Crown Princess of Orion, and all your lies will soon come to the surface. I guess you are yet to learn your punishment, so the earlier you stop trying to seduce Adric, then the better it would be for your remaining dignity," The Queen said, pushing her chair back she left the table.
Oriana sighed, the chastity she was supposed to keep was already taken and given out willingly by her to Adric. But the woman wasn’t far from the truth either, she was just a sham, a fake. Sophie was the true Crown Princess of Orion and not her.
"Also I want you to stay away from my children, they are children so they don’t understand. You should know better than corrupting their minds," Jasmine warned.
Oriana nodded, "I will be sure to keep my distance," when she bowed she saw Walter winking at her and she smiled. Oriana noticed that the other son wasn’t talking but kept nodding to everything his brother said.
"What are you looking at?" Jasmine asked, shielding her son with her body. She turned to him, "Kai, Walter let’s leave,"
Kai stood up and bowed to everyone, "Thank you for breakfast," he said without looking at anyone’s face.
Walter refused to stand up, "But I’m not done eating," he stubbornly refused, Jasmine dragged out of the table.
Oriana’s eyes followed the boy who was now waving at her, she waved back. Feeling sad that their breakfast was cut short because of her.
"You like beans?"
"Huh? Oh yes, I enjoy eating beans."
Adelaide smiled and nodded, "That’s peculiar," she muttered.
Oriana dropped her spoon, "Tha-" the screeching sound of the princess’s chair caused her to stop.
"Did you say something?" Adelaide stood up from her chair and asked.
Oriana opened her mouth to talk, she wanted to show appreciation for the help the princess offered to her.
"Argh!! Your Highness, I knew we were meant to be!!" A loud scream distracted the both of them.
Oriana furrowed her brows, she knew that voice very well. "Sophie?"
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