Arielle introduced herself as Ari, Simon’s old friend who hadn’t t for a long ti.
They would separate after this. The ship would make a stop, and Alexis and Peach would stay a few days in the harbour before continuing their journey back to Nieverdell. anwhile, Arielle and the others would head for the capital city of Thebis.
"Can you read and write, Peach? I have another friend in Nieverdell. If you want to send a letter, you can send it there. She will deliver your letter to ."
"Who?" asked Alexis, feeling confused because as far as he rembered, his younger sister didn’t have anyone at Nieverdell besides Archie.
"Tania, do you rember Tania?"
Alexis nodded. "Your loyal maid."
"Tania has returned to Nieverdell with an old friend of hers. She will often exchange letters with . Ah, she lives in Duke Ambrose’s territory now."
"Duke Ambrose..." Alexis muttered.
Alexis rembered that very intimidating old man well. He was Archie’s grandfather. The man always looked at Alexis with a cynical gaze. And it made Alexis go blind and want to conquer everything, thus Duke Ambrose would no longer look down on him.
"How long will you be staying in Thebis before returning to Nieverdell?"
"I don’t know. Perhaps until the ship to Nieverdell is ready. One of the rchants, who often travels by sea, said that usually the ship to Nieverdell will be ready in two to three days."
Arielle nodded in understanding. She took Alexis’ hand that was on the table and smiled broadly.
"I hope you will send letters often," said Arielle. She bead after saying it.
Alexis could only nod, but didn’t dare to make any promise. He had intended to consider the ti he spent with Arielle just a dream and distance himself again.
"Ari, what really happened to you? You haven’t left your room for days now?"
"Oh, I’m just not feeling well. This is my first sea voyage. Also, the doctor said the extre change in temperature made my body weaker. My immune system is weak."
Peach shook her head. "You always answer with the sa words. This is also my first sea voyage, but I don’t get sick. You remind of my late mother."
"Your late mother?" asked Alexis curiously.
Peach or her grandmother hardly ever talked about the girl’s parents. So finally hearing it for the first ti made Alexis a bit taken aback.
He spent more ti with Peach, but Peach easily opened up to Arielle even though they just barely t.
"Yes. I used to be very small back then. So, I don’t really rember for sure, but my mother used to have a weak body and my grandma said that she was pregnant with my sister when her body beca very, very, weak. My mother couldn’t even leave the house because of her pregnancy. And because her body was very weak, she could not survive and died with the baby in her womb."
Arielle squeezed her hand, feeling sad for the loss Peach had to go through. But the girl didn’t look sad at all. She even told it with a wide smile.
"I’m sorry, Peach."
"Oh, you don’t have to feel sorry for . My mother passed away many years ago, and even then I was very young. I don’t have a lot of mories of her because I was busy helping my grandma in the fields. So I don’t really feel lost."
Arielle looked at Peach who still looked happy. She seed to understand Peach’s words. What Peach felt, she also felt it. Arielle had no specific mory of Mirabelle, her mother. Not even one. From the beginning, she only had Tania.
"I’ll only be sad if I lose Grandma or Simon," Peach said, making Arielle almost burst into tears.
She had been feeling very emotional lately.
"I understand how you feel. To be honest, I don’t have much mory of my mother either. I only know her identity and stories from other people. Just like you, I might only feel sad if I lose Tania, the person who has looked after since I was little, and also my husband," Arielle replied.
Alexis looked down, feeling guilty. He couldn’t get rid of the guilt he felt twenty years ago when he kicked Mirabelle out of the palace. He even accused Mirabelle of using her baby to take his position as a future king.
Little Alexis used to be pretty easy to stir up. The Queen, as well as several concubines of the king, slowly instilled hatred within Alexis’ heart. It made Alexis, who previously liked Mirabelle’s existence and thought of her as her friend, turn to hate her. And his hatred continued to grow because of the people around him.
It only ended the night, where he found Mirabelle sitting with difficulty on the throne. Mirabelle looked very tornted, thinner than the last ti he saw her. Her stomach was enlarged. The bright Mirabelle looked dull and depressed.
It was the night Alexis chased Mirabelle away, and the woman ran away from the palace.
A few months later, he found his father back with a baby, who looked very much like Mirabelle, with lustrous white hair yet dull black irises.
Alexis wanted to ask how Arielle’s irises changed, but he didn’t have the courage.
The man even kept his mouth shut when Arielle and Peach were talking about the current season in Nieverdell, as well as so fruits.
"I will send you lots of strawberries when they are ripe and ready to be harvested."
"Wow... thanks, Peach. I will happily wait for it."
The room door was knocked. William, who fell asleep because he was bored with Arielle’s and Peach’s chat, instantly woke up. He found Lucas who had co with food for the Queen.
"Your Majesty, it’s ti for you to take the dicine. Please eat first," said Lucas, then put the food as well as the dicinal herbs from the doctor on the table.
William nodded and rubbed his face, hoping Lucas didn’t tell Ronan that he overslept while guarding Arielle against Alexis.
"In that case, Peach and I will return to our room."
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