Darelle

10

After the nerve-wracking dinner, Darelle went to bed, disposed of her patience and troubled by the words of the prince. As the dawn broke without the usual elation of being free of education and not having a guest to entertain, she started her day.

"Hurry up, we are short of time." Marisa told her.

"How are we?" she asked her friend unlike her usual grumpy morning self, but rather blankly.

"You woke up at six this morning and spent time gazing at nothingness, giving the maids a fright at such an hour." Marisa decided to inform her of how miserable she was.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the energy to respond or banter with her lady-in-waiting, but she did on the sake of their friendship. "Isn't that so?" she asked, drily.

"Yes, your highness." Marisa answered. "We can't keep your guest waiting any longer."

A sigh escaped her lips to her friend's annoyance at the unladylike manner she carried herself. But none of that mattered to her than knowing the fact she would've the prince at her table and be forced to contribute to whatever nonsense he shew out under the watch of the guards, her uncle commanded to watch her and the prince's progress in her very front, a day before the prince arrived. All while trying not to keep her new tutor in wait.

Making her way to the dinning hall with the train of maids behind her and a dying appetite, she stopped in her tracks and thought about her whole day. The prince was up to no good, seeing her like a fool to be won and would no doubt made mockery of her certain limitations in her own home, and as the princess of Mae she wouldn't entertain that ideology. She would've him know she was no small poodle capable of only barks and no bites. That wasn't to her liking to act as a mindless poppet.

"Change of plans, we are heading to the study room." she said to her lady-in-waiting as she hurriedly stepped toward a man who was to be said the lesser evil.

"You can't miss your meal with the prince. Your uncle can have our heads for this or a punishment I don't wish to partake in." Marisa flawlessly matched her pace and took an exasperated sigh in their morning walk before she continued. "Stop this minute, Darelle!" she said in a commanding tone, which the princess ignored with her increased pace.

"I heard from a man that missing a meal does wonders, I'm sure uncle would understand a lady's way of making her fiancé to miss her presence at the table." she said, and a sly smile lifted her face as her mood brightened before her lips fell again into a straight line, but of the relaxed sort often full of contentment.

"Not even a blind man would believe that." Marisa refused to support her claim.

Long past the dinning hall and closer to her destination, Darelle slowed down and tilted her to her friend. "Not if you're able to deceive his remaining senses." she paid respect to biblical story before hitting full speed and cutting through the halls, and staffs who greeted her morning with a subtle bow.

A low dip of her head in their direction sufficed, before they were cleared of any person and she muted out her friend's reasons for turning back for the beautiful melody of a classic orchestrated in her mind on her journey to discover what man her tutor would be like unwrapping a mystery gift with one's mind.

Once the door to the study was in sight, she reached for both handles to the doors and pushed the door open to find the man she would spend days if not months learning from already there . . .

She had no plan in facing her new tutor so soon as she expected to enact the act of surprise on him, only to see him there and she couldn't help but look at the man who was reading from a black journal a second ago with awe as he maintained control in her gaze.