Villainess Reborn: SEASON ONE

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Tatiana went running to the library.

"Princess! You mustn't run!" Emma shouted and ran after her. She squealed when the princess almost bumped into a male servant that was carrying a statue of a boy at the corner of the hallway. The statue almost fell but Emma managed to catch the other end, holding the head while the male servant held the feet.

Tatiana shouted an apology and continued to run picking up her dress in the process because it was really hard to run with heavy fabric draping at her legs and getting in the way.

"Your highness you must not lift your dress up!" Emma squealed once again looking worried. "People might see your knees!"

As if it was a sin to look at someone's knee, the servants and soldiers gasped and immediately turned away or closed their eyes as if they have seen a ghost when the princess passed by.

Emma wanted to give up and consider her life choices. She wanted to serve the princess because she was brilliant and brave but she did not see this coming. She served the princess for only a week or two now but she feels like she's aged for years.

The princess was chaotic in so many ways that always made Emma stressed out. The princess did not care at all about what other people think about her and does what she wants most of the time. And even if the princess does not get angry or throw stuff at people anymore, she often gives them a heart attack and possible chances of getting their head cut off every time she exposes her knees to run.

"I'm going to see Elliot!" she excitedly squealed and ran. After minutes of running in the hallway, they arrived at the palace's royal library and the guards immediately opened the doors for her.

"Elliot!" she shouted. She could not contain her excitement to be able to see Elliot again.

"Tiana!" Elliot shouted back and came running towards her.

They both crashed in a hug and both giggled. The place was still beautiful as ever but it looked even more beautiful with them in it.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" Tatiana squealed excitedly and patted Elliot's head and said, "you look like you have grown taller!"

"I did?!" Elliot gasped, "but it's only been a few days!"

"You grew taller!"

Emma was finally able to catch up with the princess. By the time she arrived, she was panting and out of her breathe but when she saw the princess and prince laughing and talking to each other, she can't help but melt. They both looked so bright and happy when they were together.

"Emma!" Tatiana called her and turned to Elliot, and said, "Elli, this is Emma, my new personal servant and she's also my best friend!"

Emma froze. Best friend?

"But I thought I was your best friend?" Elliot looked at Emma and she immediately bowed her head to show respect.

"You're my best friend too. But you are also my brother." Tatiana explained to him, "Emma, William and I are planning to have a picnic one of these days. Do you want to join us?"

"Yes! Yes of course!" Elliot gasped and grinned but he suddenly remembered his mother. He barely managed to come to the library with studying as an excuse to see Tatiana, there is nowhere his mother would let him go on a picnic with her. Not after what had happened.

"But I'm not sure if mother will allow me to." His voiced became smaller as he looked at Tatiana's smiling face. He shook the thought away and started thinking of a plan to convince his mother. He doesn't want to pass up the opportunity to spend time with her.

They both spent the rest of the day talking and catching up with each other while Emma served them snacks and drinks and would occasionally join in because the princess invites her.

"You did nothing this past few days?" Tatiana asked Elliot, "that must have been so boring."

"Not really. I had books in my room and the royal physician came to visit and check up on me regularly." He did not want to talk about his health with Tatiana because he did not want to ruin the mood when they just met after so long so he wanted to change the topic.

"How about you? What have you been doing?" he asked.

"Nothing really," she said but proceeded to talk about what happened these past few days including the incidents with the queen because she did not want to mention the queen with Elliot.

"But aren't you the one who begged your father to let you marry Sir Bjorn? Why do you hate him all of a sudden?" Elliot asked her while he was munching on a sandwich.

Tatiana rolled her eyes and said, "Elli, that was the 'me' before. I don't want to do anything with him now. I'm just looking for the right time to tell father or let Bjorn do the work."

"That's weird. I always remember seeing him whenever you can and his office was always filled with gifts and you always bragged about him to your friends."

Tatiana cringed. There is no way that's true. Well, possibly. In the book, Tatiana was so obsessed with Bjorn that one time she attempted to get him drunk and sleep with him but failed. And that was sick. She would never do that here.

"Wait," Tatiana paused, "I had friends?"

Elliot shrugged.

"You have girls that you talk with over snacks. And you give them gifts sometimes and sometimes you covered them in cake and made them do a funny dance while you laughed at them."

"Uh." Tatiana looked unsure. "I'm pretty sure they were not my friends if I do that to them."

"Really?" Elliot creased his eyebrows. "I thought that friends are meant to make you laugh and you sometimes give them gifts as a thank you for making you laugh."

"Yes, I think that's also a definition of friendship. But there is something wrong about it and I can't wrap my finger around it."

Tatiana and Elliot were left thinking. Both of them never really had friends to begin with so they are not sure about what's what. Even Tatiana in the past life did not have friends so she's not really sure about what to describe the relationship that happened between the past Tatiana and the girls.

So, while the princess and prince were busy discussing if what happened was an act of friendship, Emma, together with the other servants looked at them in horror because they knew that it wasn't friendship. That was plain humiliation.

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END