Princess Abigail was in a deep sleep until midnight. Her body felt heavy as she woke up. Once she was able to open her eyes, she saw her father near her bedside. As she searched the room, she saw Alice in the corner of the room asleep. Cosmo was near the foot of her bed. 

Her father realized she was awake, “Abby, you’re awake. Stay calm and just rest,” said her Father.

“I’m fine. I am. I’m not sure what happened. Can I get a drink of water?” said Princess Abigail. 

Before King Alberto could locate the water, Alice walked towards them with a small cup. King Alberto moved aside and watched as Alice delicately helped Abigail drink some water.  Alice left the room after leaving the glass and pitcher of water near Princess Abigail. 

“Abigail, I am so happy that you are feeling better. What’s wrong? Please let me know, and I will help you,” said King Alberto. 

“Something came inside the room, Father. I had never seen anything like it,” said Princess Abigail.

“Abigail, it seems like the stress of your coming-of-age ceremony finally caught up to you. The doctor explained that it may have experienced another shock similar to the ones you had when your grandfather died,” said King Alberto.

“Father, please listen to me. I did not start yelling because I felt unwell. There was something in this room. I swear on my name that it's true”, said Princess Abigail.

“Abigail, it's okay. Stress can trigger those attacks of yours. You will rest for a few days, and you will feel much better than before. I promise.” said King Alberto. 

Her father was not listening to her. He was concerned and worried. She would attempt to speak with him later regarding the phenomenon she witnessed earlier in the afternoon. Princess Abigail decided to change the topic. 

“Father, where are my brothers?” asked Abigail.

“You know your brothers. I had to hold the door to prevent them from marching in here. I told them you will see them tomorrow at breakfast.” said King Alberto.

“I can only imagine how indignant they were that you stopped them,” said Princess Abigail with a small laugh. 

“Someone has to control them from time to time. So Abigail, should we play a round of chess?” said King Alberto.

Princess Abigail agreed, and they played several games until the sun rose. Abigail won several games in a row, but her father was better since he won ten of the fifteen games they played. Princess Abigail and King Alberto decided to join the family for breakfast. After breakfast, both would retire to their bedrooms for much-needed sleep. 

When Princess Abigail entered the room to join her family for breakfast, her brothers hugged her. They both let go when their mother threatened to cancel breakfast if they did not behave appropriately.

“Abby, would you like to be the guest of honor for the museum’s opening?” asked Prince Alfonso. 

“Alfonso, your sister needs to rest. Why are you bringing this up now?” King Alberto said sternly.

“Father, the grand opening isn’t until four months from now. Plus, I thought Abby would like some good news,” said Prince Alfonso. 

“It’s okay, Father. I would like to Alfie. We can plan it in more detail tomorrow,” said Princess Abigail. 

After breakfast, Princess Abigail returned to her room for a few hours of sleep. 

Meanwhile, in the garden, Micheal was raking the leaves that fell on the path. Micheal had expected to see Princess Abigail since early in the morning. It was the middle of the afternoon, and she seemed unlikely to appear. Despite being employed in the castle for several months, he had never approached her until the incident in the garden. He did not expect to speak or meet anyone from the royal family. However, it was a blessing in disguise that she had questioned his skills as a gardener that day. Maybe she would learn more about her Queen’s actions if he gained her confidence. He did not believe that Princess Abigail knew anything significant about the actions taken by her parents. She seemed to be kind.  The other servants mentioned that even as a child, she never spoke harshly to them. He had seen it himself that day when Mr. Townsend and her spoke about the flowers in the garden. She may have been suspicious of Mr. Townsend, but she had not ridiculed him during the conversation. It seemed she may have forgotten about the matter concerning the garden entirely. Mr. Townsend continued to work at the palace just like always. 

However, the fact that Princess Abigail did not investigate the matter irritated Micheal more. If she valued the garden as she said, wouldn’t she have caused more trouble for both of them? After all, as a subordinate of Mr. Townsend, he should be held responsible for any wrongdoings committed by his supervisor.  

Micheal finished his work and turned to leave to attend to other gardens in the palace. As he was nearing the gates of Princess Abigail’s palace, he noticed several of her maids collecting roses.  They were speaking animatedly, and several had a look of concern on their faces. Micheal decided to cast a spell to turn himself invisible. 

“I’m sure that by now, Princess Abigail feels better,” said one of the maids. 

“I’m sure she does. This hasn’t been the first time she has felt unwell. The first time her attacks occurred, they were quite frightening, and she was so young,” said a maid who appeared to be in her early thirties and the oldest from that group. 

“She reminds me of my brother.” said one of the maids. The two other maids turned to look at her in surprise. 

“What I mean is, my brother suffered a similar condition to her after the war,” she said. 

“The Princess has never been to war. Why would she be as sick as your brother?” asked the maid to the left.

“I know, but she shares the same defeated look my brother has after one of those attacks,” she said. 

“Mary, we can’t make assumptions about the royal family. We should focus on cutting some more roses to place in her room. That would lift her spirits,” said the oldest maid.

“Yes, Mabel,” Mary responded. The maids soon finished gathering several dozen roses and entered the palace.

Micheal slowly released his spell. He learned something important and concerning about Princess Abigail. 

The maids returned to the palace; they placed the flowers in Princess Abigail’s study and drawing room. Mabel informed Alice that they had placed several flowers in a vase for Princess Abigail’s room. Alice was light on her feet and could move around a room without noise. Alice took each vase and strategically placed the roses around Abigail’s room. Alice and the other maids hope Princess Abigail would become more energetic once she saw the flowers in her room. 

When Princess Abigail woke up, she smelled the soft scent of roses.  She saw an incredible display of roses when she glanced around her room. Abigail got up from her bed and walked towards the window. Cosmo felt his master rise from the bed and followed her to the window seat.  Princess Abigail petted Cosmo and then rang the bell for her maids. 

Only Alice appeared. 

“ Alice, I would like to thank you and the other maids for all these,” said Princess Abigail.

‘Of course, I will let everyone know as well”, said Alice.

“Alice, I need to move to another bedroom. Would you please arrange it with the other staff to move my belongings to another bedroom?” asked Princess Abigail.

“Of course, it should take a few hours with our current staff. Would you also like us to move the furniture?” asked Alice. 

“No, that is fine. We don’t have to move everything, just my clothes and belongings, to the other room. I’ll let my family know during dinner,” said Princess Abigail. Alice set out to accomplish her tasks as Princess Abigail headed towards her study. She held Cosmo in her hands as they moved through the halls. 

Princess Abigail wanted to stay in her bedroom. However, the more time she spent there, the more uneasy she felt. She feared that if she blinked, she would see that horrible creature again when she opened her eyes. It was better for her to move to another bedroom. 

When she reached her study, she smiled. The maids had placed flowers even in this room. They were not very close due to the rules created by her mother. Only Alice seemed comfortable speaking her mind to her and calling her Abby. She had met Alice during a charity event at the orphanage. The young girl was only a couple of years younger than herself. In another life, they could have been sisters. 

Alice always seemed determined and had a sparkle in her eyes. She was also curious to learn and learned quickly. When the Head-Maid, Clara, assigned her to become a personal maid, Princess Abigail was delighted since she still remembered Alice. She often wondered what happened to the children after they left the orphanage. She was thankful that Alice joined the palace staff since it answered her questions about the type of life the children who grew up in the orphanage face after they became adults.