Princess Abigail greeted Duke Armara. She had met Duke Armara when she turned fifteen. She knew very little of him aside from their professional interactions. The primary facts of his life were the following: his wife died due to disease, and his children, except for Kaya Armara, had left the kingdom to pursue other goals. Kaya Armara was a young woman, a few years older than herself, who seemed opposed to casual conversation. In short, Kaya Armara was consistently rude during social gatherings. Abigail did not take her words or actions seriously since Kaya Armara treated everyone with the same cold manner. She wondered why Duke Armara seemed to be the complete opposite of his eldest child and the personalities of his other children. The younger children were both young men-Victor and Vincent. She had never met them since Duke Armara had sent both children to a boarding school in the neighboring kingdom. However, rumors did reach her that Duke Armara’s children did not have an ounce of mana in their bodies despite their paternal line’s strength in magic. 

Abigail pondered Duke Armara’s family situation. Unlike his children, her siblings stayed in the kingdom because they assisted their father and her with the family’s royal duties.  They were afforded a prestigious position in the empire due to her father’s will and her mother’s interventions. She wondered what would happen to her brothers if she decided, once she was Queen, to remove them from their positions. Would they find success on their own?

Duke Armara interrupted her thoughts by stating, “ Princess Abigail, Sir James told me that we needed to discuss the greenhouses?” said Duke Armara. 

“My staff has created an excellent plan to use the greenhouses. However, we need your assistance since we plan to use magic to improve the greenhouses,” said Princess Abigail.

“I will be happy to assist you. I still remember the spells that my Father used to construct the greenhouses. Do they need to be repaired?” said Duke Armara.

“Yes and no. We are trying to increase the amount of food grown in the castle. I know that the greenhouses were initially constructed for floral production. I’m unsure if that requires specific changes to runes and other magical objects in the greenhouse. Also, we want to build at least two additional houses.  One of the original greenhouses has to stay for floral production,” said Princess Abigail. 

“We can improve one of the original greenhouses for more space for additional flowers. However, transforming the greenhouse solely for food production is slightly more complicated. I’m surprised that the greenhouses have produced food at all. Please let me know the items the staff has produced?” said Duke Armara.

“I don’t know, but let me call the head gardener; he would have more information,” said Princess Abigail. 

She rang a small golden bell on the table. Mabel and Naima took a step forward to assist Princess Abigail.

“Mabel, can you please find the head gardener and bring him here?” said Princess Abigail. 

Mabel left the gazebo to complete the errand. However, when she met the head butler, she discovered that the head gardener had left a few minutes ago for the market. The only gardener who had assisted Mr. Townsend was Micheal. As soon as Mabel saw Micheal, she directed him to the gazebo and would not let him go despite Micheal’s protest. Micheal did not want to see Princess Abigail since he felt that their meeting would jeopardize his mission. 

“Princess Abigail, I was unable to find Mr. Townsend, but I was able to locate the assistant gardener,” said Mabel. With that announcement, Mabel stood back and resumed her former post near the wall of the gazebo. 

Princess Abigail regarded Micheal, and Micheal stood facing her. He noticed his father sitting while drinking tea with Princess Abigail. This is a disaster, thought Micheal. 

Meanwhile,  Princess Abigail wished she could disappear altogether. She had acted strangely, suspecting Micheal for lying about his identity when she had no proof. She had been spending too much time with her mother, and her mother’s constant distrust seemed to have fueled her behavior. 

 She was embarrassed, but Duke Armara was her guest. She needed to finish their conversation before attempting to tackle personal matters.

“Duke Armara, this is Micheal, our assistant gardener. He has been assisting Mr. Townsend in the greenhouse project. He should be able to answer your questions,” said Princess Abigail. 

Micheal stared at his father, and his father, Duke Armara, mirrored the same stare. Princess Abigail saw that both were startled at each other’s presence. She then notices a striking resemblance between the both of them.  She hoped that Sir James had answers for her by now. 

Micheal said, “Good afternoon, Duke Armara. How can I assist you and Princess Abigail?”. 

“Since you worked on the greenhouse project, do you recall the vegetables or fruits you planted?” said Duke Armara. 

“Yes, the greenhouses had high humidity controls due to the spells, and we decided to grow leafy vegetables and fruits with thin skin like strawberries. The vegetables were taken to the greenhouses, but most of the fruits wither away, Sir,” said Micheal. 

“I see. At what stage did the fruits wither away?” Duke Armara said. 

“They grew for a week and sprouted from the ground. However, as soon as they flowered, they rotted away,” said Micheal.

Duke Armara pulled a small notebook from his coat and wrote down that information. 

“This is perfect! I think I know how to change the original spell to improve the greenhouses,” said Duke Armara.

Duke Armara started to write down more notes, and Princess Abigail decided it was the perfect time to dismiss Micheal. He left and went to resume his regular duties. 

 As she drank from her teacup, she realized that Duke Armara was lost in his world of incantations and spells. She glanced at her maids and noticed that Mabel had a slight smile. She smiled, too. Duke Armara was often too serious in every discussion, but when it came to magic, he seemed like a child solving his first math problem. He soon found a solution and showed it to Abigail.

Abigail could decipher a few notes but could not understand the layers of complexity that involved Duke Armara’s musing. She had studied magic briefly, but since she had not progressed as quickly as she wanted in growing her magical abilities, she had decided to stop learning it. After showing the notes, Duke Armara said, “I can start the project as soon as possible, but I must leave for the West. I should be back within a fortnight.” 

“I do not mean to impose on your private schedule.  Do you plan to meet with Duke Tizoc?” inquired Princess Abigail. Duke Tizoc was one of the empire’s fourth dukes. Each duke reigned over a region in the kingdom as a vassal of the empire family. The dukes had all been loyal to the royal family for generations until the recent uprising in the South. She wondered why Duke Armara wanted to meet with Duke Tizoc instead of exchanging letters. 

Fortunately, Duke Armara provided an answer a few minutes letter. Duke Armara said, “Yes, I plan to increase my trade partnership with Duke Tizoc. The situation in the south is preventing the exportation of many magical goods, which is limited now, and my magicians cannot replicate those items.”

“Please provide Duke Tizoc with greetings from the royal family. I am very thankful to you both for supporting us despite the turmoil in the south. We depend heavily on your loyalty,” said Princess Abigail.  After several minutes, Duke Armara acknowledged her sentiments and left the palace.  Abigail decided to head towards her bedroom for a few minutes of rest. The maids stayed to clean up the remnants of the meal. 

A few moments later, Abigail ascended to the second floor but stopped near a window to gaze outside. She saw Micheal behind a shrub. Luckily, it didn’t seem that Micheal could see her from his location. As she was about to head towards her room, she saw Duke Armara walking in Micheal’s direction. She was surprised since Duke Armara had left fifteen minutes earlier. 

Micheal and Duke Armara spoke quietly but exchanged greetings. Duke Armara was friendly to all servants. He would even lend a hand to the servants if they needed assistance with the door or carrying a heavy object. It was in his nature, and the servants enjoyed speaking with Duke Armara. Unlike the royal family, he had established a sense of camaraderie between himself and the castle's servants. A fact that Abigail deeply regretted but could not change. 

Duke Armara gave Micheal a blessing before he left. The same type of blessing was only given between a parent and child as a social custom. Her father had made the same gesture when she was ill countless of times. She placed her hand over her heart. She had to calm down and think of her next steps in light of this revelation. 

 She no longer needed to investigate Micheal or speak with Mrs. Freya. She knew Micheal’s secret. 

Now, she needed to understand the reasons behind that secret.