Villainess Loves

Part 50

After saying goodbye to Bella and Prince Orion, we headed back to the royal castle. The same soldiers from earlier seemed to have left and new ones replaced them. This time though, they recognized me so I didn't need to announce my reason for entering.

"Even though I said I would help, how would I actually grant an audience with the Vendia princes?" I wondered.
"Use an excuse and stumble upon them! I heard they were hanging with their sister, Princess Echina!" Mary suggests.

"Ehhh.." I complained.

"As one of the four dukedoms, you should be mingling with the higher powers! Making friends with the neighboring princess is normal! Go and request to see Princess Echina!" Mary huffs.

"Geez, who's the actual master here?" I sigh but waved over a servant walking around.

"Yes, my lady?" They address us.

"Send word that Lady Annelise of Thornweather would like to request an audience with Vendia Princess Echina. Preferably over tea, but a picnic is fine." I ordered. They acquiesce and left.

"A picnic this late is weird! What about watching some soldiers train or playing a game?? You could have done better!" Mary complains.

"Ahhh, at least I sent it. No matter how we do it, we're going to see them anyways! Who cares what excuse is used?" I point out.

"You can act like this because you've met with them before! Give some pity for little ol' me that wasn't able to catch even a glimpse of the royalty!" Mary exclaims.

I guess she's right. I would have been just as passionate to set up an appointment with the Vendia royalty if I never encountered them yesterday.

"..Alright." I relented.

We ended up walking all the way down to the southern garden entrance, opposite the upper north gardens. The southern gardens are much smaller, but just as majestic as the other areas. This area is mainly used for demonstrations and presentations. 

Every so often, Elden will host scholarly contests for all of the citizens to view and find talents for officer positions. Scholarly arts such as mathematics, poetry, philosophy, and more can be contested at these events. New inventions and the latest research findings are also presented in this area. Sometimes there will be competitions for the academies of Elden to compete to win prizes and funding for their schools. It can be a mixture of excitement, intrigue, and complete boredom. 

The last time I went to one of these events, it happened to be a mathematical competition. The students and researchers there focused on debating and explaining the current mathematics problems and past problems that were the main focus of Elden technology at that moment. I couldn't understand any of the complicated explanations and excessive jargon that those intellects used. I only went to support my brother who was representing his school at the time. Now he's already graduated and studying independently under my father.

"Should we take a walk in the south garden?" I suggested. The servant will notify us when Princess Echina is ready to meet us. So now we just need to pass the time till then.

"Yes! The gardenias should be in full bloom! I heard from my maid friends that it is a sign of great romance!" Mary readily agrees.

"Great romance?" I ask.

"Yeah, it is rumored that if you see fully bloomed gardenias, it is a sign of great romance! To ensure that you will have a great romance!" Mary explains.

"But what does it mean to have a great romance over a regular romance?" I wondered.

"I dunno! Maybe something like a grand romance? Like falling in love with a prince, or getting rescued by a dashing knight and falling in love? A grand story of romance! A romance of epic proportions!" Mary speculates.

"Hmm." I glance over at Henry to see his response. He doesn't seem to be paying attention to our conversation, only looking over to the south garden, probably admiring the view.

"Have you ever visited the royal castle, Henry?" I ask him. He turns to look at us.

"Yes?.. No, this is my first time." He slowly processes my question and shakes his head.

"Let's go and see the gardenias then, Mary says they are in full bloom." I tugged on his sleeve.

"Ah? ..ok." I drag him along once I got his confirmation. Mary trails behind us, admiring the artistry of the castle.

We head into the garden, no gardenias in sight, but the array of flowers and shrubbery still fascinates the eye. The garden was simple in design and structure. Open to a wide field, similar to the upper north gardens, but dotted masterfully with beautiful flowers and towering plants. Even though the variety of flowers didn't match the main garden, the sheer among of foliage created a secret garden feel. The air was not only refreshing but gentle and relaxing, a perfect atmosphere for scholarly arts.

We went around the entire area, checking out each inch of the delightful garden. Still, no gardenias were in sight. How weird.

"Are you sure the south garden has gardenias? We've seen so many different types of flowers, yet not a single gardenia!" I asked Mary. She looks just as confused as I am.

"I'm fairly sure the rumors talked about the south garden! Each garden area in the royal castle is vastly different from each other, it would be hard to confuse this for another." Mary says.

"Perhaps it is in a secret location," Henry speaks up suddenly. 

Secret? Secret area?