Finer Things [COMPLETED]

40

SEOUL, South Korea

It was a clear blue sky with a light breeze brushing over the flowers of the backyard garden. There were more than just roses, there were tulips, lily of the valleys, daisies, cosmos, pompoms and lilies. There was also a young boy running around the grass who happened to stumble upon it. His curiosity brought him to the red roses where he couldn't help but reach and pull one from the bush.

"Ouch!" he cried when the thorn pricked his hand, drawing a bit of blood. "Sir Francis!"

"Zach, there you are! How many times do I have to tell you that you're not allowed to run around Miss Jennie's garden like that?"

"Sorry, Sir Francis," Zach said quietly and showed his wound to the man.

"Oh, boy, did you get pricked by the roses? Come here, let me have a look." Francis wiped the blood away with a cloth but more came out, making him sigh. "Let's go inside and get it washed and clean. I'll meet you in your room."

"Okay."

Francis watched Zach go back into the house before picking up the red rose lying on the ground. He smiled at the flower and sniffed its lovely fragrant smell as he walked slowly towards the door. He met Zach in his room and found Lilith inside, helping him put on a bandage.

"Where is Princess Jennie?" Francis asked.

"In her room," Lilith replied then saw the rose in Francis' hand. "You'd better go see Her Highness."

Francis smiled, "I will. Zach, care to join me?"

"Sure! Thank you, Lilith," Zach said and skipped over hold Francis' hand.

The two of them left the room and headed towards the Princess' room. Francis knocked on the door lightly and entered the room with James. He went over to the Princess who was standing by the window.

"Beautiful day outside, isn't it, Your Highness?"

Jennie turned around and smiled when she saw Francis approaching. Her smile grew even wider when Zach ran over to hug her, and she let out a chuckle.

"Good afternoon, Miss Jennie!" Zach said with a big grin on his face.

"Good afternoon, Zach," she replied and let his head.

Francis stood next to her and offered the rose. She took it from his hand and raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you steal a rose from my garden?"

"The little one did," Francis whispered.

"Miss Jennie, Miss Jennie. Can you continue the story about South Korea again? I wanna know what happened after you escaped from the Kung Empire!"

"You didn't tell him yet? Well, Zach, Princess Jennie came back here with an army of friends and got rid of all the bad guys in the Empire so that we could all live safely. The end."

"Francis..." Lilith scolded as she entered the room. "Her Highness escaped with a few friends and everyone welcomed her back with open arms."

"There's always more than one side to the story, isn't there?" Jennie said with a smile. "We'll get to the next part of the story next time."

"Okay. You're not wearing the Jenasium ring, Miss Jennie." Zach held her hand with both of his and played with the ring on Jennie's fourth finger. "What did you call this one again?"

Jennie smiled at the ring, "A gum-ball-machine ring."

Zach chuckled at the name. "Yeah, that. Where did you get this one from?"

"Mister James gave it to me. He gave me this one and the Jenasium one but... this one's my favourite."

"Why is it your favourite?"

Jennie took a long breath, letting it out slowly through her nose. "Because it reminds me of a good memory."

"What's the good memory?"

"Okay, you ask too many questions," Jennie said. She felt like she was becoming fatigued from it all.

"Zach, why don't we give Miss Jennie some time alone and we can go play in the yard together?" Francis suggested and the boy agreed. "Lilith, care to join us?"

Lilith looked at Jennie who dismissed her with a wave and the three of them left the room, leaving her to herself. As she stood by the window and saw the three of them run around the backyard, her heart felt warm. She thought of James and how he would've been so happy to see how everything turned out for them.

Jennie used to think James meant luxury and elegance when he spoke about the finer things in life but now she's realized that it wasn't about that. It was about the moments taken for granted, and those moments will become the memories to be cherished.

The End