Her mother remarked, “We need to work on your dancing.” Abigail dropped the fork she was holding on top of her plate. 

Alexander added, “I thought Duke Oliver was going to run to the hospital,” with a laugh. 

“Duke Oliver got off easy. Did you see her dance with Sir Nightingale? That poor man,” Alfonso said as he glanced up from the morning newspaper.

“Yes, he indeed did get the short end of the stick,” said her father.

“Abigail, you will resume your dance lessons. Five days a week. No exception!” said her mother.

“Fine,” said Abigail. She wished this conversation would end. She had told everyone that she didn’t want to dance, yet these two gentlemen would not take no for an answer.  Sir Nightingale was the worst dance partner since he acted like they were engaged throughout the evening. He made so-called cunning remarks about the palace and how he would remodel it once they were wed. She smiled at him every time and apologized every time her heel stabbed his foot. Luckily, her mother did not notice her smirk during last night's dance. Sometimes, the fact that her family knew she could be rather clumsy saved her from extensive scrutiny. 

Everyone then turned their full attention to their morning feast. Finally, the meal concluded when their mother spoke. She said, “There will be a mandatory meeting at 7 o'clock sharp.”.

The entire family nodded their heads and left the table. As always, Alexander was the first to rush out the door since he could not stand being idle for so long, even if it were to enjoy a good meal. Next was Abigail; she simply needed a breath of fresh air to contemplate this morning. Abigail realized that she never knew who was next to leave the room after she left. She had a feeling that it was her father. After all, he was the King. 

Princess Abigail finally reached the garden. The garden had been a gift from her late grandfather on her fifteenth birthday. He had stepped down as the King of Palatium to focus on his health when she was ten. As a result, she spent every waking moment with her grandfather walking around the palace. She missed him, but the garden reminded her that she was not alone, and as the future ruler of Palatium, she took solace in that fact. 

Her morning walks lasted for an hour. The garden had unique statues that reflected the kingdom’s past and, by extension, her family’s past. There was the statue of Queen Arabella, who adopted a dragon as her pet.  Then, King Adolphus rescued his wife from the burning castle despite their tumultuous marriage. The garden held so much history because her grandfather wanted her to know the stories of her family. 

She went further into the garden and discovered that the gardeners were planting a new variety of flowers. She looked around and finally saw a gardener heading towards her. 

Before seeing his face clearly, she said, “What is the meaning of this!”

The gardener stopped and stated, “We are replanting some of the flowers that wilted.” 

For a moment, Abigail’s anger diminished due to the warmth and deepness of his voice. However, remembering that her grandfather had designed the garden before his death as a gift to her she knew her anger had been justified.

The gardener, who wore the emblem of the royal palace on his shirt, proceeded to stand near her. When she finally saw his face, she took a step back. The man was the man from her dream that morning. It was him.

“Princess Abigail, I was given orders by the head gardener to replace these flowers since they had wilted”, said the mysterious gardener.

Abigail tried to recover from the shock of seeing the man of her dreams in front of her. Her voice shook slightly as she said, “Please bring the head gardener here; I would like a word with him. Also, bring my maid Alice as well”.

“Of course,” said the mysterious gardener. 

A few moments later, Alice, the head gardener, and the mysterious gardener approach Abigail sitting on a bench waiting for them.

Alice spoke first, “Please drink this, Princess Abby.”. Alice was concerned because it seemed that Princess Abigail was suffering from another attack of her nerves. However, she was well after a few seconds.

“Thank you, Alice,” said Abigail. Alice then moves to stand behind Princess Abigail.

“Mr. Townsend, Why are those flowers being removed from my garden?”. Princess Abigail pointed to the flowers. 

“Princess Abigail, this is a misunderstanding. You see, those flowers are the same variety originally planted in the garden”, said Mr. Townsend, the head gardener.

“Those plants are different. I can show you. Can your gardener bring me the plant he removed and the new plants?” Abigail said. 

“Micheal, bring both plants to Her Majesty. Make sure they don’t carry any bugs,” Mr. Townsend said.

Michael, that's his name, Abigail thought.

Micheal went to get the flowers and wrapped the roots in a brown bag. Then he quickly placed them on the bench beside Abigail.

Abigail reached for the plants and began her inspection of the flowers. The flowers that decorated the pathway were called “Serenity Bronze African Daisy.” These flowers were known for their brilliant pink hue that gradually became orange near the center. Orange was Abigail’s favorite color, while her late grandmother favored pink. Her grandfather insisted that this flower help him to remember both of them.  Those were the flowers that were meant to prosper in her garden.

Abigail picked up the other flower after placing the serenity bronze African daisy back on the bench. They were orange Gerbera daisies. The flower had its unique beauty but meant nothing to her due to her memories. 

“As the head gardener, Mr. Townsend, you should know these flowers are different. Please pay close attention to the colors between these two flowers. The one with the pink and orange hue belongs to this garden. The orange gerbera daisy belongs in my mother’s garden. Please correct that immediately. Also, please drop off your bookkeeping account to my palace’s secretary. I would like to review it.”

“Of course, your highness,” said Mr. Townsend.

Princess Abigail proceeded to get up from the bench. However, she stumbled as her foot hit a loose brick on the pavement. She braced herself for the fall but suddenly stared into Micheal’s brown eyes. She saw Micheal’s eyes widen in surprise as he released his grip on her arm.

She smiled and softly said, “Thank you”. 

Alice joined Abigail’s side and continued walking down the path. Meanwhile, Abigail felt Micheal’s eyes on her and an unfamiliar feeling rising in her chest.

“We are nearing the end of the path, Princess Abby. Should we head back to the castle?” said Alice.

“Yes, let’s head back,” Princess Abigail said. 

Princess Abigail and Alice enter through the main doors of Abigail’s castle. Her father had renovated her palace wing to include a door by which she could enter her wing after walking in the garden. 

Princess Abby and Alice made their way to Abigail’s bedroom, where Abigail spent some time freshening up and applying makeup again. After she finished, Alice gave her a folder that outlined her day.

Princess Abigail glanced at the official documents and told Alice, “ Have my secretary meet me in my drawing room.”

Immediately, Alice went to attend to that matter. While Princess Abigail gathered the documents and proceeded to make her way to the drawing room.  

Her meetings with her secretary often started around 9 a.m., but she knew that preparation was the only thing that would help her become a great queen. Becoming the Queen of the Palatium Kingdom meant honoring its traditions and fulfilling her destiny. 

As she prepared her notes to discuss things with her secretary. She couldn’t help but think about Micheal. She wondered how he ended him as a palace gardener and why she dreamt of him this morning. Also, she was curious why the two gardeners could not tell the difference between the two plants. It was odd since the palace demanded its employees to have an acute knowledge of their work areas. 

Then, there was another issue: some members of the royal family had prophetic dreams that often involved matters of the state. Their mother wanted everyone to share their dreams no matter how ridiculous they seem. 

However, Abigail knew she couldn’t share this dream. She feared that if her mother knew, she would never see Micheal again.  She felt Micheal should become a secret only she knew. It was too new to understand, and even if she tried to explain it to her mother, she knew she couldn't since she didn’t understand it herself. 

She would go to the library immediately after this meeting to find books about the royal families’ abilities. Hopefully, they would help her. 

Abigail heard a knock on the door, ending her train of thought.