Let's Meet

After her conversation with Cecilia, Viola made her way to Amelia's room. Alexander had already left by the time Viola arrived. As soon as Viola entered, she noticed something was off. Amelia wasn't doing needlework or any of her other hobbies. She leaned against her window and her eyes were visibly puffy and red. Viola approached her slowly. Once she saw Viola, she tried to put on a smile but it was useless, it wasn't nearly enough to fool Viola. Viola was troubled by her melancholic expression. However her attempt to find out what was wrong was futile as Amelia avoided the topic. Instead she helped Viola get cleaned up for the meeting. Since she didn't want to discuss it, Viola decided not to force her.

Meanwhile, Lady Dillon had made her way to the Queen's office.

"Are you certain?" asked the Queen.

There was a tense atmosphere in the dimly lit room. The Queen sat in front of the window with her back turned to her desk and Lady Dillon.

"Yes, my Queen," answered Lady Dillon in a reassuring manner.

"Good, very good…" said the Queen as she rose and turned to face Lady Dillon. She couldn't help but smirk.

Lady Dillon' s face brightened at the sight of the Queen. It was as though she felt recharged.

"Should I call for the Princess to discuss plans?"

"No need, my daughter seems to be doing fine all on her own."

"Once she gets the Blossom on your side you can rest easy my Queen!"

"It won't be that easy to control a Blossom, but having her... would be the best tool to protect William's throne."

"Yes, my Queen."

Alexander was back in his room. He lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He had never noticed it before but there were actually patterns which formed a swan. It was so subtle that it could easily be missed. As he lay there, Alexander thought of the talk he had with his mother. It wasn't something that he'd thought much of before. At first he thought he was fascinated by her beauty, her sometimes indifferent but warm aura, her figure that didn't turn away from him, but he didn't realize how deep his feelings ran. Was it really love at first sight? If it was, it was one doomed to end sooner or later. He thought he had gotten used to living a life without desires but now he had found himself in a trap of his own creation. His foolish heart that couldn't help but react in her presence seemed to become his enemy. An enemy he couldn't hope to defeat. At that moment, Viola's face appeared in his mind. As the wind blew her hair, she smiled. Alexander placed his hand on his chest and felt his heartbeat.

"You fool…" mumbled Alexander as he gripped his chest.

He got up and moved towards the edge of the bed. As his feet touched the floor, he had to prepare for what was to come next. For now, he had to lock his feelings away. He soon changed his clothes and left to attend the meeting which would begin soon.

As William left his room, he stopped by one of the windows. He could see the different generals arriving one after another. He knew what his focus should be on but he couldn't help thinking about what his mother said. Viola couldn't stay forever so he couldn't understand why his father wanted him to take her as his concubine. If Viola was just a normal girl, she would've been his Queen. Instead, she was a powerful weapon their kingdom could use. William didn't like the idea of relying on Viola. Was their kingdom now at a point where they couldn't survive without the Blossoms? William sighed. He put those thoughts to rest then headed for the conference room.

While Delima waited for the Princess, she read through the different texts that were written about Blossoms. Although the Blossoms had been supporting the kingdom for many years, all the information related to the Blossoms has never been shared with the public. Delima would notice that some texts had some data that others lacked. It made it difficult to determine the validity of some points. Delima was so wrapped up in her work that she didn't realize when the Princess arrived. The sound of the door closing drew Delima's attention. Delima quickly turned to see who entered.

"Oh, you're back," said Delima.

"Yes but I'm afraid I couldn't get any today," said the Princess as she removed her hood.

"I see. Are you okay, Your Highness?"

"Yes. I was with Viola. She was... quite different from what I expected."

"Is that a good thing, Your Highness?"

"It is. Today, we spent a lot of time together. I had… fun."

"You must have been so happy, Your Highness!

The Princess smiled.

"Since I didn't get what we needed we'll reschedule our session. You're free to do whatever you'd like during this time"

"I understand, many thanks to Your Highness."

Princess Cecilia left Delima to her work. Without having what was needed, Delima was at a loss as to what to do next. She sat and stared blankly for some time before going back to the books on Blossoms.

It was almost time for the meeting to start and everyone began to make their way to one of the conference rooms. It was the largest conference room in the castle. It was normally used for hosting diplomatic meetings or the military Generals. The room was not only spacious and elegantly decorated but also had special features. One of which were the earth and wind stones embedded in various areas of the room, creating a powerful barrier to block sound waves from leaving and would cause unnatural sounds to be heard by anyone who tried to listen by the walls. It was perfect. The King was still wary of many in the castle and although he couldn't completely trust all the generals, he found nothing suspicious when they were surveillanced and investigated.

Each general filled the room, one after another. Inside, there was a large rectangular table in the center of the room. The placement of the chairs was deliberately arranged so there wouldn't be anyone to face the King at the other end of the table. The generals subconsciously each chose seating that they felt appropriate for their rank. While they waited some happily greeted each other while some glared. As Viola entered the room, all eyes were on her. She remained unfazed. She had her hair in a low ponytail and wore a light blue pants suit similar to the design of some general's uniforms. She exuded confidence and power. She took a seat close to the end of the table. No one spoke against it. Some actually felt she should have sat closer, after all, there was no one in the kingdom who could match her strength. They didn't dare to speak these thoughts out loud though. Outside of the room, Alexander and William met at the door and entered together. They were both dressed appropriately for the meeting. The generals greeted them both as they walked by. After greeting Viola, the Crown Prince took the seat to the right of the King's chair. Alexander took the seat next to him. At first he hesitated but he was a Prince, it was only right. He was now between the Crown Prince and Viola. He briefly greeted Viola. She could tell there was something off but she had learned that there was a time and place for such things so she didn't inquire about it. After seeing the trio seated, the generals took their places as well. The King was the last to enter. Everyone stood and greeted the King. He surveyed the room to ensure all were present. He then had them take their seats. Everyone was now present and it was time for the meeting to begin.