Two days later, Abigail stood in front of the orphanage. Alice and her brother rode with her in the carriage. She would be meeting Sir James at the event. The first event for the night consisted of the nobles gathering together for a silent auction and a small gala. Near the end of the evening, the nobles would leave the orphanage, and the children would spend the rest of the evening enjoying a magic show. The magicians were from the royal palace, and they were delighted to have the opportunity to meet with the children. The royal magicians often spent their time crafting magical items and potions. However, during the magic shows, they could use their creativity to show their talents. The magicians made light shows, transformed porcelain figures into real animals, and even transformed sugar into candy right before the children’s eyes. That usually marked the end of the magic show. 

Meanwhile, the silent auction and the gala were serious matters.  She organized the silent auction for the children to showcase their talents by producing art and other high-grade items. She was surprised at their skill but had tried to seek instructors well-known in their craft to help any child who showed promise.  The members of the nobility who brought the art pieces tended to sponsor the child who crafted the item. Additionally, the silent auction helped the orphanage staff to purchase clothing and other essentials for the children.  She hoped this night would be a success because, despite the royal family’s support of the orphanage, it was still difficult to support it. She used nearly all her funds to support the orphanage since the Imperial fund only amounted to four months of support. Her mother and her brothers had refused to provide a small percentage of their annual funds to support this cause. She world hard to create this gala because she knew there would be no other means of support for the next three months for the orphanage.

Abigail reflected on her conversation with Alice while waiting for Sir James to arrive. Due to Abigail’s central role in organizing the gala, she thought it prudent for Alice to be by her side and requested Alice to accompany her. 

“Unfortunately, Princess Abigail, I cannot join you. Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for you to select a lady-in-waiting?” said Alice. 

“Alice, only a few ladies in the nobility can serve as my lady-in-waiting, and unfortunately, my mother does not want any outsiders to enter the palace. You are the only person that can assist me at this moment. Please reconsider, Alice. ” said Princess Abigail. 

Princess Abigail saw that Alice nodded slowly, thereby accepting her request. 

“Great! Now that you’re on board, we must decide what dress you will wear!” said Princess Abigail.

The following two hours were spent deciding which dress and accessories Alice would wear. Princess Abigail decided that Alice should wear a yellow chemise dress with lace adornments on the bodice. This dress suited Alice perfectly due to her dark brown skin tone. Alice opposed the jewelry, but fortunately, several other maids let Alice borrow their handmade jewelry. The necklace from Naima mirrored a set of pearls, and the earrings from Mabel consisted of a faux imitation pearl with a plated gold circle around the pearl. 

Princess Abigail and the other maids took a step back to admire their handiwork. 

“Well, Alice, look in the mirror because you look stunning,” said Princess Abigail.  The other maids smile in agreement. They were also happy to see their friend dress up as a doll. 

Alice took a step in front of the mirror and smiled. She had never seen herself dress in such finery, and her hair had curls. Her friends had even added yellow ribbons and fake pearls to her hair. She did look beautiful, just as Princess Abigail said. 

At the present moment, Abigail and Alice were engaged in conversation. Abigail told Alice what she would expect at the beginning of the gala. After a short moment, Abigail paused for a minute. 

“Alice, Why don’t I introduce you as a distant relative? It will be perfect since you must be distantly related to us somehow, according to the ring,” said Princess Abigail. 

“Princess Abigail, we should not leap to conclusions. Since I have not been formally introduced into society, why don’t we use that as an excuse to prevent the other nobles from wanting an introduction?” said Alice.

“Alice, I spoke to my father. The artifact activating means that you are a distant member of this family. We can find out more about your family, and it may even add you to the family registry,” said Princess Abigail. 

“No! Please don’t search for my family. The only family I had was my mother. My family never even tried to find me after my mother’s death. Please introduce me as your servant—that is enough of an introduction,” said Alice. 

Princess Abigail realized that Alice still had wounds from living in the orphanage. Unfortunately, the royal family did not oversee the orphanage for a few years until Princess Abigail turned fifteen.  When she first visited the orphanage, the children seemed distant, lost in their own world, and hesitant to speak to anyone. Sir James investigated the orphanage, and the children were malnourished and were severely punished by the previous directors. 

Alice was one of the few children to smile at Princess Abigail. She even took it upon herself to give her a small tour of the orphanage. Alice was mature for her age, and when she asked her grandfather why, he simply replied, “Abigail, some children grow up faster out of necessity.” 

After her grandfather's death, Princess Abigail spent more and more time at the orphanage. That was the area her grandfather recommended for her to take over for experience before his death since the rest of the royal family was extremely busy with other issues. She hoped that her grandfather was proud of her work. However, due to Alice’s words, she realized that even if she could provide the children with necessities and opportunities for a better future, she could not provide them with families.  Many of the children felt the same type of loneliness and pain that Alice continued to experience daily. 

Princess Abigail broke their silence and said, “Alice, even if you don’t think you have a family, please don’t forget that you have friends, and I hope you will count me as a friend.”

Alice replied, “Of course, your highness.” 

The carriage finally stopped in front of the orphanage. The orphanage consisted of several large stone buildings. The buildings towards the front were administrative and classroom buildings. In the center of the structure was a courtyard with toys and play structures. Further out, the dormitories were included. The gala and silent auctions would take place in the main administrative building. Fortunately, the auditorium had been expanded using magic and could allow nearly 100 to be within its walls. 

Sir James had sent out invitations to only thirty-two noble families in the capital; therefore, they had a lot of room to host this gala. She frequently interacted with these families, and it was remarkable how well they all got along. 

Finally, Sir James arrived, and next to him was another familiar face. It was Malik. He was around Alice’s age and was raised in the orphanage. He was a tall young man with hazel eyes. As a child, he was always getting into mischief. He had boundless energy and physical strength. During one of their visits to the orphanage, Sir James had taken him as a pupil to prepare him for knighthood. He was the first commoner in a few centuries to undergo such training. Princess Abigail hoped that he would survive Sir James’ training. Although Sir James was patient in many ways, he was known to be ruthless in battle. Unfortunately, Sir James had to retire from the battlefield since he was the head of his family. 

Princess Abigail spoke to Sir James and tried to engage Malik in conversation. However, she noticed Malik’s intense gaze towards Alice. He then left Sir James’ side and went to speak to Alice who stood at a distance.  She could not hear the exchange, but Alice seemed to brighten at Malik’s flattery.  Sir James saw it as well. He smiled and whispered to Princess Abigail, “It’s about time Malik showed some courage”. Princess Abigail let out a small laugh. 

The party of four finally entered the orphanage, and Sir James led them to their seats. Malik and Alice seemed to trail behind them. Malik said goodbye to the party and join the rest of the knights.  Sir James also left to attend to other matters. 

“Did you enjoy seeing Malik?” asked Princess Abigail with a sly look on her face. She intended to tease Alice. 

“Of course. You know Malik said that I look amazing,” said Alice with a dreamy smile. 

“Well, it seems that his chivalry lessons are paying off. Alice, enjoy tonight. You deserve it,” said Princess Abigail. 

She hoped that Malik’s courage would continue since there would be an opportunity for all participants to dance later in the evening.