“Hey, Phillip, what kind of person is your fiancée?”
“She’s an angel. She’s the cutest person in the whole world.”
“I figured! Luna met her the other day and she said that your fiancée is very adorable. Is she really like a princess?”
“Yes. She’s the cutest person in the whole world.”
“Wow, she sounds amazing! I’d love to meet her too.”
Princess Adele and I conversed in the carriage until we finally arrived at the menagerie.
“The larger animals are in the back.”
Since this was my second time, I guided her around smoothly as we made our way around the park. Of course, the princess was in a disguise, and there were plenty of bodyguards around us, so it was safe. By the time we had a rough look at the whole park, the princess had a satisfied expression on her face.
“Phillip, thank you for taking me here. It was really fun!”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“I really liked the purple snake. I plan on asking my father for one just like it when I get back to Samarind.”
“Oh, really? To tell you the truth, I want that snake as well.”
I gave up because Viola told me not to keep it, but I still couldn’t help thinking about it. The princess really had an eye for beauty. I picked her up, since she was starting to look tired.
“Wow, I’m so high up! Is this how a big animal feels? What a great day today is.”
“That’s good.”
She must’ve really enjoyed herself, because she looked so happy that a smile formed on my face. Afterward, the princess requested that we take a different way home, which was what we did on our way back to the palace. She pressed herself right against the window, staring curiously at the sights. Like this, she looked every inch like an ordinary child. Then, the princess pointed at a particular manor.
“That building is so big and fancy. The people there must be rich.”
“That’s where I live.”
The manor was familiar to me, but not to the princess, who was looking at it with keen interest. When she heard what I said, she looked surprised.
“Oh, my! I’d love to go to your house, Phillip!”
I wasn’t thinking when I replied to her and I was hit with an intense regret. If I told her that was where I lived, so of course the princess would say something like that. Anyone could’ve seen this coming. I told her that since this was so last minute, she couldn’t, and she looked down at the ground.
“I really can’t? I’ve never been to my friends’ house, so I wanted to go...”
There was no way for me to turn her down again after hearing her say that with such a sad expression on her face. I didn’t know that the princess apparently considered me one of her friends.
After a pause, I slowly said, “The day’s winding to an end, so we can only have a cup of tea before I have to take you back to the palace.”
“Yes, I understand. Thank you!”
I was left with no choice, so I told the coachman to head to House Lawrenson’s manor instead. Princess Adele’s face blossomed with a jubilant smile. Despite everything, I seemed to harbor a soft spot for her.
If I brought home a foreign princess without warning, that would only invite panic amid my family and the servants. I racked my brain to come up with a way to tell them without freaking anyone out, when Princess Adele offered a suggestion.
“Tell them that I’m the daughter of one of your acquaintances so that they don’t worry too much about anything.”
It was probably because she had these moments, when she felt more mature than her five years, that made me want to let her be a kid. Since people would worry if we were gone for too long, I decided that we would have tea and then return to the palace as quickly as possible.