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“I appreciate everything you have done for me, my Lord,” she said. “But I would really like to get to work and prepare for tomorrow. So, if you will excuse me.”

With a bow, she left his presence fast, in case he had the urge to stop her again. Azriel watched her go. There had been a time he let her go when she showed no interest in him, but they had drawn closer, and he liked what he saw in her. If she wanted to play a game of back and forth with him, fine, he liked games anyway.

...

The merry atmosphere due to the oncoming royal wedding seeped into the palace workers, and there was more energy infused in their activities. The staff moved with more vigor, and even the flowers in the garden bloomed with the intent to show off their beauty to the guests arriving in two days’ time for the wedding.

Rain had not shown an appearance for a long while, and the people hoped it would not decide to wreck the celebrations. Tents were set up outside for the citizens of the Kingdom far and wide to come to witness the occasion. The grand hall of the ceremony was bathed in gold from the chandeliers and delicate decorations that hung from the ceiling. A famous orchestra was due to arrive the day before the wedding.

Neera watched the men haul carts of meats of all kinds into the palace; deer, cows, rabbits. It was endless. Cooks had come in to assist, and the smoke from cooking dissipated out of the kitchen and merged with the air outside, creating a spicy and sweet mix of smell whenever she passed by it. Everyone was busy with something, and everyone was anticipating the wedding like it was their own. It was the royal wedding, and the last time that had happened was long before the war, so the hype was worth it.

Neera tried to immerse herself into this infectious joy that caught everyone, tried to bathe in the fervor of their voices, and forced her enthusiasm when she did chores, even humming and singing along with the other maids, but her body repelled it all. Even when Pen had arrived, Neera’s damper mood had only lifted in the few hours of the joy of seeing her friend, but it descended upon her that same night of the same day of Pen’s arrival and hadn’t left ever since.

And Zavian; all Neera got to see of him was a distant image. He was the busiest she had seen him in a long while. She still remembered the afternoon when most of the best moments of her life had ended, and her new reality, well, she wasn’t liking it very much without him in the picture. He was in her thoughts with every breath, and it was calming as it was agonizing; he was a big part of her best memories, and missing him ached her physically, and sometimes the constant headaches were proof of that.

.....

Did he miss her the same way she missed him? And ache for her presence the same way she did?

She sighed internally. There she went again, daydreaming about things forever out of her reach.

“I think it is going to be Princess Zelda”, Penelope’s voice was a welcome distraction from her thoughts. They were working on cleaning one of the rooms for the royals, and Penelope took a duster to the thin line of cobwebs settling in a small corner of the window.

Neera knew what she was talking about. It had been on every worker’s lips, guessing who would be the Princess picked on The Night of Selection. Princess Kitana and Princess Jasmine were winning so far, for both were stunningly beautiful compared to Princess Zelda.

“Why Princess Zelda?” Neera asked with genuine curiosity as she fluffed the pillow.

“It is always the underrated one,” Penelope coughed, and put down her duster. “Everyone thinks it is Princess Jasmine or Princess Kitana when Princess Zelda practically won all the contests, and she is a really sweet person, and she is beautiful as well. I don’t know why no one is talking about her.”

“But Princess Jasmine is really sweet too, and really beautiful,” Neera said, recalling the conversation with the Princess and how lovingly she had been to the palace staff. “I like her.”

“It’s either of the two of them then.” Penelope scrunched her face in thought. “But Princess Kitana has more assertiveness and I feel she will have more control over the people and manage the affairs of the Kingdom with a strict hand.”

Neera said nothing to that. Her encounter with Princess Kitana had been nothing but bad, and her being queen would be hard upon her in the future, she was sure of that.

“I still believe it is Princess Jasmine”, Neera said. She stepped back and inspected the room. It was spotless, to the point they could literally eat meals off the floor.

“Want to make this fun?” Penelope asked suddenly.

Neera looked at her. There was mischief in her eyes. “Make what fun?”

She looped her arm with Neera’s. “A bet. On who will be queen? Anything the other wishes will have to be granted. How is that?”

Neera laughed. “Are you serious?”

“Come on”, Penelope urged. “What do you say?”

Neera tapped a finger to her chin, pretending to be in deep thought.

“I say it’s Princess Jasmine,” she finally let out.

Penelope smiled. “And I still stand on Princess Zelda. Come on, let’s go on to the kitchen. They need more hands there than ever.”

They left the room and went to the kitchen. They spent the entire day working, and Neera loved every second where she was occupied. Her thoughts were filled, laughs rang in the air between her and her best friend, and time passed at a faster pace.