BXBX NOVEL Chapter 628 - To Our Friendship!
Chapter 628 - To Our Friendship!
'I pity Rika…' Yvonne shot a sorry gaze at the one who had replaced her as the Princess's playmate.
Since Rika Kiron was chosen in her place, it meant that while Yvonne was having fun in her classes with Marquess Samed, this girl must have been struggling with the punishments she received from her Governess.
Marquess Samed first taught the Princess and her Playmates before handing over the rest into the capable hands of the Governess.
After he left the Palace, he would head to the St. Claire estate for his next classes with his prized pupil.
Therefore, what Yvonne had thought was right.
While she was having leisurely conversations with the Marquess during their classes, these three girls were suffering every time they were punished for their mistakes during their classes with the Governess.
However, there was a silver lining in the way Governess Bloom taught them.
Just how the fear of getting hit by Governess Lester's stick had made Yvonne improve her piano-playing skills at a much faster rate, the fear of writing each sentence a hundred times had made these three girls learn at a much faster pace.
Though Rika struggled in her classes at times, the other two supported her and helped her get it right lest she was punished.
Thus, the punishments had strengthened their bond and made them work harder to prevent getting punishment from their Governess.
"Bring out the drinks." Governess Bloom's gentle voice instructing the maids woke Yvonne from her reverie.
As she watched, the maids hurried to bring out trays with finely-designed crystal glasses.
The glasses held a clear liquid in them but they gave off a sweet scent as the maids approached them.
Soon each child had a glass in her hand as they looked at their host, the Princess.
The signature blonde hair, proof of royal blood, shimmered when the light fell on it and the kind smile the little girl had on her face only made the rest feel at ease in her presence.
Governess Bloom had succeeded in shifting the confusion from earlier into pleasant smiles which lightened up her mood as well.
She had trained the Princess well before the guests had arrived and hence was sure that she would do an excellent job after all the lessons that she had received until now.
Under the Governess's watchful guidance, the young Princess raised her glass in the air.
"A toast to our friendship!" She declared once everyone had also raised their glasses after noticing her actions.
Her words made the others blush as they were ecstatic to find their Princess extending her hand in an attempt to be their friend.
Thus everyone had wide smiles on their faces as they brought their glasses together.
'As long as this friendship means that we meet only on such occasions, once in a year or less.' Yvonne added in her heart as she too brought her glass close to the others'.
Clinking their glasses as one would do at the end of a toast, they then took a sip of the clear liquid in their glasses.
'Lemonade?' Yvonne raised her brow after gulping down a mouthful of the juice made from the pulp of lemon.
With the right amount of sugar added to the drink while retaining the tangy citrus taste of the lemons, the drink was refreshing after the short journey they had made from the Main Palace's garden to the greenhouse in the Rose Palace.
As they were still children who could not consume any alcoholic beverages, Governess Bloom had come up with this idea for the Princess who wished to propose a toast for friendship with these girls.
Thus, thanks to the Governess's idea, these girls were now enjoying a refreshing drink.
Once they were done, the maids took the empty glasses away.
Governess Bloom along with these maids chose to stand at a distance to let the girls mingle among themselves.
"Shall I give you a tour?" Princess Felicia inquired and saw bobbing heads in reply to her question.
Yvonne stood next to Aleena, who was already maintaining a distance from the rest.
Right now, Princess Felicia was at the front with Glennise on one side and Rika on the other.
The place that belonged to Yvonne in the script was now being occupied by the youngest daughter of the Kiron family but Yvonne felt no animosity towards her.
Instead, she was grateful to the other girl whose insistence on being a playmate had paved the way for Yvonne to grab onto her chance at getting away from her fate according to the script she had read.
Therefore, she was happy with where she was, at a safe distance away from the Princess and Glennise, two of the vital characters in the script.
The Princess led them through her greenhouse, divulging the names of various species of flowers and their places of origin.
Right behind the three close friends were Elna and Cecily.
Even Mae had joined them, leaving only Aleena and Yvonne in the last position.
However, since there was enough space for everyone, they all got a good view of the flowers planted here.
It took them a whole half hour to walk around the vast space and at the end, the Princess was tired of speaking for too long while the girls were panting to have walked more than they had ever done in their lives.
These were all pampered daughters of nobility and had never strained their muscles other than to dance or play a musical instrument.
Therefore, when they were made to exercise in this form while wearing shoes that weren't meant for this purpose, it was understandable to see them huff and pant to catch their breath.
"How are you not sweating like the rest?" Aleena scowled into Yvonne's ear upon seeing that only this girl was fine when compared with the rest.
The others had flushed cheeks and they were visibly uncomfortable after walking and standing for too long.
Yet this girl who was the youngest among them seemed fine and there wasn't even a single drop of sweat on her brow.
Hearing this question, Yvonne choked on thin air as she had forgotten all about it.
It was obvious that she, who used to run laps around their training ground and spar with her elder brother, would not be affected by this tiny discomfort like the rest.
Even if she was wearing dress shoes like the others, she did not mind walking for longer as she was already used to it.
However, none of them had experienced the same things as her and hence were in no shape to carry on after just this short exercise.
Yvonne was put on the spot when she saw that Aleena had noticed this difference in their reactions.
She soon felt the eyes of everyone around them falling on her as they too nodded, wondering how she was alright when they were looking disheveled so soon.
'Dammit!' She cursed that she had forgotten to pretend to be tired after their walk.
Therefore, she had to come up with an excuse for her current state.
"You see…" She began while looking at Aleena after putting on a forced smile.
The others were curious too and were now paying attention to what she would say.
"I went on long walks with my elder brother in our estate during the lockdown period." She muttered in a soft voice, letting the other know about her schedule in the past.
Many of them were locked in their estates, thus, they empathized with her as they too were bored out of their minds with nothing to do during that period.
Yvonne sighed inwardly when she noticed their acceptance of the excuse she had used.
The Governess had been watching them all along and her eyes were fixed on the child who had just spoken.
'That does not look like someone who just takes walks…' She thought to herself but did not make her thoughts known.
She had seen how that child was stepping ahead with gusto even when the others already appeared to be tired.
However, she kept her thoughts to herself after deciding to observe her for longer.
Yvonne was rejoicing that she had managed to wipe away any suspicions that these girls might have and had forgotten about the old lady who was keeping an eye on them from her distant corner for a while now.
Seeing that everyone else was tired, Princess Felicia decided to let them rest for a while before taking them on a tour of her palace next.
The girls were tired but had a great time conversing with the Princess who was knowledgeable about the numerous flowers planted here.
Thus, they all had smiles on their faces as they took their seats on the table placed in this greenhouse.
Refreshments were brought out for them but Governess Bloom did not bring anything too filling for them.
The Queen had worked hard to organize lunch for the noble families who had arrived; therefore, she did not wish for the children to eat their fill before lunch.
Thus, only cold water, a few cookies, and a variety of fruit juices were placed before them.
The girls weren't shy as they asked the maids to pour them the juice of their choice which they complied.
Yvonne too was enjoying the refreshing juice of fresh oranges when she glanced sideways only to find Aleena Kiron chugging a glass of strawberry juice.
The sight of the dark pink drink caused a nauseating memory from her past to resurface which made her stomach churn and her face grow pale in the next second.
'Stupid Captain!' She cursed the man who ruined strawberry juice for her and lowered her head before anyone to see the strange look on her face.
However, she was late as someone had already noticed the abnormality in her expressions.