The Duchesses

Chapter 21 : I Should've Known

"Would you like to play at the waterfall, my Lady?" Princess Isis suddenly asks.

"I don't have spare clothes, and being wet would be a problem to my manor," Natalie explained, despite her desire to play and swim at the waterfall.

Princess Isis snapped her fingers, and two maids rushed to their aid. They bring two bags along with them and then take something from them. Natalie observes them intently without saying anything, as her ruby eyes keep on the maids. Then, the maids bring her clothes and another pair she doesn't recognise. That could be Isis's.

"Your Highness brings along my clothes?" she raises her eyebrow, looking at Princess Isis.

"Just a precaution," she smiles at the Duchess.

The Duchess simply nods and changes into a more comfortable outfit. Rejecting Isis would be inconvenient, and with her persistence, the argument would last until tomorrow. So merely go with the flow. Princess Isis does the same before joining the Duchess in the waterfall. As soon as she goes inside, she tackles the Duchess and lets Natalie fall into the water, letting her goofiness shine through.

The Duchess of Light gets up again and glares at the Crown Princess. Is she serious about playing like kids right now?

Princess Isis gasps dramatically, "Are you just glaring at the Crown Princess of the Crassore Empire now?"

Natalie swears she wants to roll her eyes as Isis pulls out her triumph card. But, for God's sake, Isis is a Crown Princess! She is the polar opposite of Medea and her, more akin to Hera. Yet, when they meet, they will be great friends. Rainbows and flowers will be around them as they giggle around each other.

She chuckles at the thought but quickly returns to the strict mode when she hears Isis say, "Oh, you're smiling now!"

"This is a child's play, Your Highness," Natalie said bluntly in front of the Crown Princess.

Princess Isis knows that the Duchess will think of that, but what is wrong with letting yourself go for once? Being an adult is hard enough. The Crown Princess approaches Natalie slowly as the water hinders her movement. On the other hand, Natalie is still staring at the water and playing with it. Meanwhile, Isis had already reached the front of her in no time.

Since Natalie is a little shorter than Isis, the blonde had to look up to see the Crown Princess. It's the second time they've been so close, and Natalie is uneasy. She despises it when people intrude on her personal space.

"Would you like to play a game with me, Duchess Natalie? The one who loses will grant the winner's wish," the Crown Princess wiggles her eyebrows, trying to convince the Duchess to agree to play the game with her.

"What a cliche plot of the novel," Aurora thought.

After much consideration, the Duchess of Light agrees to the Crown Princess's suggestion. The game they will play is catching the tied ribbon on their head; whoever gets the ribbon wins. It sounds simple enough, but it isn't when their servants must carry both of them on their shoulders while they compete for the ribbon.

Duchess Natalie pities her servant, Daphne, for carrying her. Despite her slim figure, Duchess Natalie is quite heavy for a grown woman. Not to mention that she is gradually gaining muscle for swordsmanship. It is, however, even worse on Isis' side. The Princess' servant will suffer more because of her tall stature and slightly muscular body. She can't believe they're putting their servants through this.

"Isis is simply unbelievable."

However, she notices that Isis' servant has no trouble carrying the Crown Princess. While Daphne is practically shaking her legs and will most likely drown for carrying the Duchess on her shoulder.