A GIFT TOO FAR

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: PULLING A THREAD ~ KERRY MUZZEY &ANDREW SKEET]

Sophie, as the dutiful daughter, was the first to arrive at the table as she waited for her family members. The next person to enter the room was her younger sister.

"What are you wearing, Oriana, and what's with your hair? Which maid attended to Princess Oriana?" Sophie barked, clenching her fist, which was on the table.

Oriana closed her eyes briefly, then she sighed shallowly. "Crown Princess Sophie, even if you don't respect anyone, respect the food on time. Don't make it tasteless with your baseless anger, when I know deep down you would like to wear it too. You can tell me, I won't tell anyone about it." The girl winked at her sister, who glared at her.

Bessie, who stood at the door, noticed her legs trembling out of fear. What was she going to do if they decided to punish her for letting the princess dress like that?

The governess, who had joined them for lunch, bowed to the crown princess.

"Lady Adeline, I can't believe you let Oriana wear this when she's going to be meeting her future husband," Sophie remarked with a pointed look on her face.

The governess raised her face, turning to look at the younger princess, then back at the crown princess, but words failed her. Before the woman could find any words to describe her situation, the door opened, revealing the king and queen of Orion.

"Can't we have a moment of peace in this palace?" Queen Saline stepped inside, age looking like it had gone backwards in the woman's case. She still looked the same as she was years ago, with a tiny streak of grey hair on the side of her hair.

Oriana held her dress tightly when she saw her father walk in after her mother. She moved her face to the side; no matter how much she tried to act rebellious, she still feared her father more than anyone.

"Mother, look at Oriana's dress. Is this how she's going to meet the Minister's son?" Sophie reported.

Queen Saline, who hadn't noticed her daughter's dressing, didn't say anything; all she asked was, "Who was the maid in charge of Princess Oriana?"

"There was no maid; I dressed up by myself," Oriana said before Bessie could step inside and speak. The maid bit her lower lip, praying that she wouldn't be dragged into the crossfire.

At Oriana's words, her father raised his eyes to look at her, and the girl looked down at her leg.

"The minister and his family have arrived," the lady-in-waiting announced.

Queen Saline composed her expression. "Make sure you act your best today if you don't want to double your punishment," the woman warned sternly with a deep frown on her face, which disappeared the moment the door to the dining room opened.

"Long live the King and Queen of Orion," the minister and his wife bowed. Standing beside them was their only son, who was holding a small box wrapped in silk. The minister and his wife moved to the side so their son could introduce himself.

"Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Arnold, son of Minister Cavendish," the young man bowed deeply.

Oriana, who was not interested in the greetings, had her eyes on the food, getting frustratedly tired of waiting as she hated eating her meal cold. She didn't even understand the reason behind the pleasantries when it was already planned out before now; she shook her head slightly.

"Lady Cavendish, you have raised a fine young man. He speaks so elegantly," Queen Saline praised.

The Minister's wife smiled, with her hand covering her mouth. She bowed, "You flatter me, Your Majesty. Still, the Crown Princess remains the best face of Orion." The woman threw the compliment right back.

"Haha..." The queen's small, polished laugh was heard, while Sophie smiled gracefully, acting all modest at the compliment.

"Let's have lunch before it gets cold," King Curtis finally added, pointing for his guests where to sit.

Mrs. Cavendish said before sitting, "Arnold here has prepared a gift for Princess Oriana, Son," the woman motioned for the young man to make his move.

Oriana sighed internally; she was already done with this. A man who has to be told what to do at every point in time? No. She marked an X in her head, and a family that spoke until the food turned cold, another X. She almost inhaled loudly but saw the piercing gaze of everyone at the table now looking at her.

Arnold walked to where the younger princess sat with a small box in his hand; he bowed deeply before saying, "I looked around but couldn't see a gift that would match your beauty, but I found these pearls. Even though your beauty still outshines them, accept my humble gift."

The young man's words caused Oriana to cringe hard in her chair at the cheesy choice of words. She had second-hand embarrassment for him, and she covered her face with her hand.

"Look at that, my sister is so touched that she doesn't know how to react," Sophie chimed in, and everyone at the table clapped happily.

Even the governess was happy with the progress, though her heart still hadn't relaxed. But this one had lasted longer than others. She was almost relaxing when she noticed a small laugh on the princess's face, even though her hand still covered her face.

"Oriana, you're keeping the young man waiting. Accept your gift," Queen Saline reminded her daughter.

Oriana nodded, trying to suppress her laugh. She raised her finger, like telling the queen to give her a moment. When she raised her face, it had already turned red from suppressed laughter. "Thank you, I'll cherish the gift," she said, stretching her hand to take it, but the young man held it in his hand and planted a kiss. If it was just a kiss, Oriana would have ignored it.

But the young man went further to stick out his tongue and lick her skin. Oriana quickly pulled back her hand and took the gift. She felt like tiny insects were now crawling on her body, but she was the only person who noticed this.

The young man gave her a knowing smile before pushing out the chair opposite Oriana to sit.

"Let's eat," Queen Saline said with a smile, and everyone concentrated on their food except Oriana, who had lost her appetite.

She couldn't get the image of what the young man had just done out of her head. If not for the fact that she had promised to be of good behavior, she would have almost smacked his head against the wall for pulling such a stunt.

The young man, on the other hand, didn't stop looking at Oriana's sister as he ate. His eyes and whole attention were on the Crown Princess, and this made Oriana scoff.

"Seems like our dear Princess is already smitten by Arnold here. You both can go and have tea and maybe get to know each other better," Queen Saline suggested.

Oriana nodded her head; she needed time alone if she was going to confront this man. She quickly dropped her spoon and got to her feet. "I would love that!"

The young man, who didn't want to leave the table as he enjoyed watching the crown princess, had a look of refusal on his face. But he saw the hard stare from his mother, and he agreed.

Lady Adeline, who had been watching Oriana, wished the queen hadn't suggested this, and she had a very bad feeling about it.