As they walked, their group came across a few of the other ladies that had been in the hall an hour or so ago, along with some of those who served them closely. Emeria respectfully bowed her head to them all and they smiled pleasantly her way.

“I’m Jizelle,” the first lady said, taking a step toward them and offering her hand. Her shimmery gold locks flowed down past her shoulders. Her smile was filled with genuine warmth and kindness.

Emeria, noticing the sincerity in her gesture, took Jizelle’s hand gratefully, only to be surprised. Though the hand she’d shook was dainty and smooth, it was also uncomfortably clammy. Jizelle’s smile didn’t waver, but when her hand was free, she introduced the others with a light gesture to the side.

“These ladies are Adele and Zaya.”

The two other women, one with bright red hair that was braided over her shoulder and the other with the darkest black curls, gave small waves as their names were said. Emeria acknowledged them with nods of her head. However, her gaze quickly drew back to Jizelle, noticing for the first time the stress and tension held in her body, the paleness of her face, the exhaustion in her eyes.

Emeria, overcome with a sudden maternal worry over this stranger, quietly asked her if she was alright.

“I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather,” she admitted with a nod, but her smile never fell from her face. “I should probably head back to my room.” But instead of leaving, she stooped down in front of Delilah and complimented her on how well she was doing. She made a point to call her the Princess and getting a small giggle out of her before shakily standing back up.

Zaya, flipping her dark curls over her shoulder, having seen the floundering of her unsteady hand, grabbed one of the accompanying guards and drug him over to Jizelle before shooing them off, telling her to go rest. She glanced over at the Captain’s tight expression and sighed. She’d have shoved him Jizelle’s way if he weren’t clearly in charge of providing safety to the new Princess and her mother.

Adele nibbled on her lip as she watched them go, noticing how Jizelle was clutching onto the guard’s arm like a lifeline, and Mara, Jizelle’s lady-in-waiting, walking behind them with a tight expression of concern. As Jizelle’s friend, part of her worried that the lady had overdone it today, that it might hamper her recovery.

Emeria was the first to speak of it.

“Is Lady Jizelle truly alright?”

“Oh, well…”

Zaya and Adele exchanged a quick look before Zaya stepped closer to Emeria, telling her that Jizelle had been poisoned rather recently and was still recovering. She whispered, not that the others didn’t already know of what happened, but it was for the sake of the brightness in the eyes of that young girl standing with them. She didn’t want that little Princess Delilah to have to worry about such things, yet, or ever.

Emeria, having picked up on why she’d spoken in such a manner, was also grateful. Though, she did know Delilah would need to be careful here, she’d rather give her rules to follow than bring paranoia into her head.

“I see… Thank you, Lady Zaya.”

“I know Jizelle feels the same, but calling us ladies,” Adele smiled as she spoke, taking a small step closer as well, shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not necessary. I’d like it if you could call me by name when it’s just us.”

Zaya nodded vigorously, her curls bouncing as she did so. “Me too!”

They both dropped down to Delilah’s level so they could speak eye-to-eye with the little girl, smiling all the while. Delilah stood taller, brighter, calling them by their names, only livening the atmosphere. There was a promise made to learn how to braid hair.

Eventually, one of the others behind them stepped forward to remind them of their schedule, and they were off, bidding Emeria and Delilah goodbye, inviting them to stop by their rooms and say hi whenever they wanted.

The Captain resumed the tour, taking them down into the gardens. A few minutes passed, with Delilah throwing question after question at the poor man who clearly wasn’t a florist nor a botanist, when Owen appeared in the distance.

Delilah was the first to notice him.

“Father!”

She waved her hand as he strode over, and when he crouched and opened his arms, she unhesitatingly ran into him, barreling right into a hug. It wasn’t just Owen who was pleasantly surprised by the ease in which she’d acted, Emeria was just as shocked.

It seemed all it had taken was a little time to come to terms that the man her mother had spoken of, this elusive and good man known as her father, was her father. Delilah didn’t want to miss him anymore. She wanted her father’s presence, his kindness, his warmth. She wanted her father’s love.

As Owen gently squeezed her in his arms before lifting her up and spinning her around carefully, it became evident to the little girl that she’d gotten her wish. Her delighted laughter filled the air, bringing smiles to anyone who saw.

When her feet once again landed on the ground, she took his hand and drug him along through the flowers, pointing at the ones she liked best. He nodded and responded to her, eagerly following Delilah, a happiness apparent in his gaze as he looked at the world through her eyes.

Captain Sharde knelt down next to Delilah when she finally stopped, enamored by a tiny plant already attempting to bloom despite its young age and short stature. Together, upon much discussion, they named it Spirit, for its determination and success in growing amidst the tall flowering plants around it.

As the two of them were chatting with and about Spirit, Emeria and Owen were a few steps back watching, standing side by side. They didn’t talk, but they didn’t feel the need to. There was a sense of fulfillment in both of them as they stood together, seeing the smile on their daughter’s face. After a moment, Owen held out a tentative hand to Emeria, unlike how it was normally done of someone his rank. More question than demand. It was a scene she recalled, seeing his hand slowly reach toward hers, stopping just a small distance away. It wasn’t a big motion, and as their fingers threaded together, it was just small unnoticeable actions from both of them.

This is just like the first day we met, Emeria thought to herself.

They slowly made their way back inside, and upon Delilah’s request, she got to see her father’s study as he finished up his work. There were bookshelves that reached the ceiling of the room, stuffed full of books with a wide range of topics. From history and ancestral lines to basic foreign custom and language books. Delilah’s eyes were as wide as her smile as she browsed, her fingers lightly tapping across the bindings.

There was a brief bit of news that the other ladies had all ate dinner with the Queen, but otherwise, they were left alone in the big room, with Owen, who conversed quietly with his aide, Michael. By the time Owen’s work was done for the day and they set out to have dinner together, Delilah had a small stack of books she was begging to borrow from him.

“What’s your favorite kind of book?” Owen asked when he saw the varied pile on the table.

Delilah pointed to the first two.

“History.”

“Hmm.” With a thoughtful expression, Owen walked along the wall of books, stepped up onto a ladder and pulled one from the top shelf. As Delilah had been limited to what she could reach, the book from that high up was beyond her ability to grab it. She dashed over to him as he stepped back down onto the floor.

“What’s that one?”

She eagerly turned this way and that, looking to discover the title. Owen turned the book around and presented it to her.

“Think this might interest you?”

She gasped, snatching the book that covered a wide and broad range of history, from this kingdom, to the neighboring ones, to the neighboring continents and ones across the sea. Though it was relatively big compared to her other books, the print was much smaller in order to fit all of the information within it.

“Can I borrow it?”

Owen grinned. “I want you to have it. I read it once when I was your age. Now, it’s yours, alright?”

While continuing to hug the book to her chest, she hugged Owen as well, saying thank you.

Camile, Delilah’s maid, ended up with the honorable task of taking the pile of books to Delilah’s room for her. The two of them had an all too serious discussion about the ‘precious books’ before parting ways. Though, one stayed with Delilah. The book her father had given her made a pleasant journey all the way to the dining room, held tightly in her arms the whole while, even earning a seat to itself.

Owen, Emeria, and Delilah ate the last meal of the day together…

Resembling that of a loving family.