Meet again

Seeing the brightness of the Royal hall, a pair of eyes could barely open. So did the woman standing beside her, both squinting at the glare of the decorations.

"Are we allowed to secretly burn the main Kingdom?"

The woman beside her turned her head. "If anything happens please stay with me, Princess Elie."

They both held back their laughter because it was already quite crowded around them and they weren't the only ones who came.

The girl beside her was holding the long dress she was wearing, looking at the maroon dress that covered her legs.

"How did I end up like this?" Elie muttered while adjusting her dress.

Meanwhile, Kae, who was standing beside her, paid attention from Elie's hairstyle to the heels that the girl was wearing.

"Are you feeling heavy, Young Lady?" Kae asked.

Elie nodded slightly. "I'm not used to wearing corsets, especially since I was forced to wear them." She complained.

Kae rubbed Elie's arm. "After this banquet is over, you can open it, Young Lady."

Understanding what Kae said, Elie nodded in understanding.

"How about you, Sister Kae?" Elie turned to look at the dress her maid wore.

Kae's eyes drifted to her dress. "I didn't expect that I would be wearing a dress too, not used to wearing a crinoline like this."

Held back her laughter when she saw Kae's gloomy face, moreover, that woman prefers to wear pants over dresses or skirts.

"You are very beautiful tonight, Sister Kae." Elie gave the compliment with a smile.

Hearing the praise from her Princess made Kae's lips form a smile. "Beauty is always with you, Young Lady."

Elie chuckled hearing Kae compliment her back. While the two of them were smiling at each other, suddenly there was a clamor from behind where a woman appeared with two maids following behind her.

Elie and Kae turned their bodies, their positions were near the stairs opposite the stairs where the woman came down.

Elie's amber eyes noticed the purple dress that woman was wearing. "Look at her, jewelry around her neck and hands."

Kae also noticed how the woman who had been surrounded by the guests showed a happy face.

"Doesn't her expression look very fake, Young Lady?" Kae asked.

Elie nodded in agreement. "People just don't realize it, Sister Kae," she whispers.

At the same time, the woman Elie and Kae were referring to looked their way. Elie who saw those purple eyes stalking her made her look away.

"Don't let her see me," Elie muttered next to Kae's ear.

Kae nodded, but she didn't expect the old lady to see her as well.

Elie was shocked when she saw Kae's body turning around. "Why are you hiding too, Sister Kae?"

"She also saw me," Kae replied.

Elie sneered, "Could she not come here?"

"My daughter!!"

Hissed in annoyance after hearing the woman's voice booming up to her ears.

Kae glanced at Elie's face, who was holding back her annoyance. "It seems she called you, Young Lady."

Elie sighed harshly. "I am not her daughter."

"My daughter, Elie!!"

Quickly her face turned to the source of the sound, it was seen that her expression held anger, but she was able to hide it with her flat face.

"What did you call me for, Lady Namenva?" She replied.

People were surprised to hear how Elie answered Namenva without using the title "Mother".

"How can she not call Mistress Namenva mother?"

"That's right, even if her birth mother is dead, she should at least accept Mistress Namenva as a surrogate mother."

"What an ungrateful Princess."

Those were the whispers that reached Elie's ears. Even so, the gray haired girl paid no heed to them and passed through the humans that were crowding around Namenva.

Namenva grinned at Elie's flat face. 𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, she thought.

But unexpectedly, Elie stood in front of her, the distance between the two of them very thin. Elie's eyes looked at the chest of the woman in front of her, seeing that Namenva's dress was very open in that part.

Elie pointed her hand at the cloth that was holding Namenva's breasts, then lifted it until Namenva felt tightness.

"Shouldn't my mother cover up her assets in front of many people?" She said sarcastically.

With an annoyed look, Namenva looked up, seeing the satisfied expression on that girl's face.

"Thank you, my daughter." Namenva forced her smile.

Elie smiled until her eyes narrowed too. "My pleasure, 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫." She stressed her voice at the end.

After that Namenva took a step back, and she started to feel a piercing aura on her neck.

"Alright, since it's getting late, we better start the banquet right away."

Watching the nervous woman in front of her, Elie pretended to put on a confused face.

Elie's eyes glanced left and right, then she said. "Where is Father? I haven't seen him in a while."

Startled hearing Elie's words, Namenva turned her face to Elie who was looking around.

𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐩!

Elie stared at Namenva with her hands clasped. "Didn't you say Father would come?"

Namenva shook her head slowly. "Elie, did you forget that your father is sick?"

Wide eyed at this, Elie put on a sad face. "Ah yes, I forgot, I'm sorry, Mother." She lowered her face limply.

But what people don't realize is that Elie is smiling behind her straight face.

"Let's see." She mumbled.

Putting her focus back on the nobles who had already arrived, Namenva smiled at them.

"Let's start the banquet," she said.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳-

The noble guests who had arrived started cheering after the banquet started. Meanwhile, Elie, who was standing as if nothing had happened, was silent near a table filled with cakes and other sweet snacks.

"Look now I'm not considered." Elie chattered watching the guests who had started to enjoy the sound of musical instruments.

"Young Lady."

Elie's face turned when she heard Kae's voice coming from beside her.

"You are back, Sister Kae." She replied with a sour face.

Kae noticed that ever since Elie left to meet Namenva, that girl had a sour face on her face.

"Did something happen?" she asks.

Elie shook her head. "I'm just sick of seeing the shining knick-knacks." Her hand grabbed a small cake on a plate beside her hand.

"I'm already dizzy looking at it too, Young Lady."

Elie and Kae returned to paying attention to the activities of the nobles who were talking to each other and some were also drinking tea.

"Crown Princess."

Elie flinched after a child's voice came from behind her, as well as Kae who immediately turned to a boy behind them.

"Prince Chael?" Kae said.

Elie's face slowly turned back, saw the little boy who was holding a lollipop in his hand. Elie lowered her body, leveling her height with Chael.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you, Chael." Elie smiled warmly.

Meanwhile, the little boy in front of her did not reply, only put on a somber face.

"What happened, Chael? Aren't you supposed to be at the Qavec II Kingdom building?"

Chael gripped the lollipop handle tightly. "This morning I heard that Big Sis returned to the Kingdom."

Elie saw Chael's shoulders tremble, then she moved to hold it. "Don't be afraid, I am right here." She whispered soothingly.

Chael swallowed his saliva and raised his face downcast. "But when I wanted to run to meet sister to eat together, suddenly Mother's maids stopped me and locked me in the room."

Hearing Chael's explanation made Elie's gaze heat up. "Then how did you get here?" she asks.

"I brought him."

Elie turned her face towards the source of the voice and saw a boy taller than Kae appear beside them.

"Zavei?" She mumbled.

Meanwhile, the caramel haired boy smiled at Elie's surprised face.

"Did I startle you?" he asked hopefully.

Elie was pensive for a moment, then she shook her head abruptly. "I'm just surprised that you're still alive."

Zavei forced a smile. "It looks like you don't want to meet me, do you?"

"It's not that I don't want to, but I just didn't expect to meet you here."

Zavei saw Elie's braided hair. "You look beautiful tonight, Sister."

Elie and Kae turned at the same time to Zavei who was immediately confused by the stares directed towards him.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Ah no, I'm just amazed you could say something like that."

Zavei frowned. "What's wrong with me saying that to my sister?"

Chuckling at that, Elie put on a smile. "I am glad to hear that."

Suddenly from the front, Elie was presented with a lollipop that belonged to none other than Chael. Confused to see the lollipop held out for her, Elie looked at Chael's blue beads.

"You gave it to me, Chael?" Asked Elie to make sure.

Chael nodded nervously. "I want to give it because Big Sister is very beautiful tonight."

Not only from Zavei, but also from Chael he received praise. With a smile on her face, Elie put her palms on the top of Chael's hair, then caressed it gently.

"Thanks for the lollipop, little Brother." Happy reply.

Hearing the word "Little Brother" made Chael's eyes light up until Elie, who saw him, was confused.

"Did he eat something wrong?" Elie muttered could not hold back the sparkle from Chael's blue eyes.

"That's a sign he's really happy, Elie."

Elie was nervous. "Is he going to keep looking at me like that?"

Kae chuckled at Elie's flustered face. "It seems he likes you very much, Young Lady."

Elie smiled faintly, she couldn't avoid Chael in reality.

"Okay, then how about sitting over there?" Elie asked glancing at the empty sofa.

Chael nodded, then Elie turned to look at Kae and Zavei who were standing beside her.

"I agree." Zavei nodded slowly with a straight face.

And Kae nodded in agreement.

Elie smiled with satisfaction. "Let's talk more!" she cheered.