chapter 1

EARLY AFTERNOON—

"How's maple doing?" the duchess asked, "she doing fine madam", the butler responded. "Has she eaten yet?", asked why looking through some documents "she didn't eat yet, madam" the duchess looked at the butler "does she not have an appetite to eat?" the duchess question again, "yes, she doesn't eat the meal that was given to her this morning" the butler said, "arrange a meal for me and for maple, since i hadn't ate anything yet this morning", "yes madam" as the butler bow and left the office.

Maple arrived in the dining hall and sat next to the duchess, "why didn't you eat the breakfast that was given to you earlier?" she asked as she took a bite of her meal "I wasn't hungry, duchess Mathilda" maple response as dry as always, "from tomorrow on we will eat breakfast and dinner together, since i heard you sometimes don't eat dinner as well" the duchess said and drank water. Maple looked at her to question, but was fed by the duchess when she opened her mouth "don't question and eat, your food would be cold or would you prefer i feed you?" Maple shook her head and started eating her breakfast.

While maple was still eating the duchess waited for her and finally finished, the duchess said "tomorrow a tutor will arrive to teach you how to read, write and etiquette." Maple didn't say anything and left for her room. The duchess just sighs since the little girl wasn't a talker.

LATE AFTERNOON—

A knock from the door "who is it" the duchess asked "it's the butler madam" the butler said "you may come in", the butler came in and gave the duchess a letter "did the king send it?" she ask the butler, "yes, it was just delivered" she said, and the duchess opens the letter and read it "it's said an important guest would be staying with us" as she saw the name of the guest she stood up and took her coat with her "my lady where are you going?" the butler asked worried, "i'm going to meet the king, and please finish the documents on my desk while i'm gone Henley" she said in a rush and close the door, "this is why she needs to hire an aide *sigh*" she sat down and began to examine the remaining documents.

"Your highness, Duchess Matilda Rowan Farrow has came to discuss with you" the knight said, "let her in" the king said, "greetings to the light of Kamaria, King Aldelio Fotis Kamaria" the duchess bowed as she greets the king and the door of his highness was closed "you can sit now" the duchess sat down "what's the sudden visit, rowan" the king ask after signing the last document and walk to sat on the chair in front of the duchess "Lio, why would the headmistress stay in my duchy and not here?"

He leaned his back to his chair "she requested to stay at your duchy, for the international entrance exams and the ceremony would be held here in the kingdom this time. And she'd arrive next month, second week" he said to her as he sips tea " if you're about to ask me why i approve it would improve your image as the duchess and that she told me she would like to open a shop here in the kingdom and i recommended your duchy because it's the coastal region and there's a lot of foreigners there" he said when he sense that she might ask him for a reason

"At least now I know the reason why she would stay at my palace, and is there something wrong with my image?" she asks while eating some biscuits and sips her tea "the people of the kingdom have liked you since before you were given the title, but the problem is that most nobles don't favor you" he said to her "why?, wait, are you referring to those obnoxious nobles I didn't approve of doing business in my duchy?" she questioned "well there are some that didn't you favor because of that, but it's mostly because you're too unfriendly to most of them"

"I'm one of the kindest noble there is in the kingdom" she said to him "well you are towards the citizen to the kingdom, but don't you think you're being cold towards to some nobles, for an example when marquise varosh hosts a party, you went there to congratulate his second daughter's 5th birthday and you only gave attention towards the children and to the host. i also heard when someone talks to you, you immediately change facial expression as if you're about to kill someone"

She nods her head as she thought he wasn't wrong at all "are you really agreeing to what i'm saying right now" he said sarcastically " you're not wrong, and those nobles just talks about boring things all the time, and children are more fun since they only like to play and i get information about their family without being a suspicious person" Lio was a bit shock about the last part which made him choke while drinking tea

"What do you mean, getting information from nobles by using children?" he asked a bit. "Well no noble or anyone would be suspicious about me asking questions while playing with little children, of course i need to confirm what they said with some of my spies in their territory. Most of the time they are saying the truth, sometimes they say something but as children they won't understands what adults are doing or saying so they just tell me their interpretation of they saw and of course again i need to confirm it with what actually is happening" king lio was speechless from what he heard and thought what if the duchess plant a spy in his palace "don't worry lio, i wouldn't dare plant a spy in your palace since i have nothing against you or that you anything against me at all, as i am always going to be neutral with you and others" she said and ate the cookie and sips some tea

She looked out the window and saw that it's about to be night "it's getting late now, and maple would still be in her room. Thank you for giving me your time lio and sorry about the abrupt visit, i'll be visiting next week, say hi for me to the twins, good bye" she stood up and took her coat and exit's King Adelio office.

While sitting there he thought to himself, how could she look warm to children but cold to adults. "How did the parents not know about these? I mean isn't it risky since children might say something about their play with their parents. It really confuses me so I'll just not question about this to her" he said to himself, thinking how could a 21 year old be that sly and dangerous that he quiver of the thought what would happen if they were enemies and not close friends.

He stood up and was about to leave his office when the door was open, which made him look and saw his children come running in "papa where's sister rowan?" they ask while looking around wondering where she is. "She left 10 minutes ago, did you only go here to see rowan. Here i thought my children miss their papa, but they care about rowan" he pouts childishly to his children "papa we always see you everyday, and we don't often see sister rowan" the oldest said " *sigh* papa can't we just go to sister rowans house to play?" the youngest ask, King Lio

"Well maybe, if only the two of you pass the test tomorrow morning then maybe you guys could have a sleepover the day after tomorrow at her palace" he said to the twins "you promise we could go?" they ask and he nods as a response to the both of them.