Sasha was bathed, dried, and dressed by Kelly. At first, the princesses tried to delay Kelly from finishing quickly; she wasn't necessarily in a rush to make it to dinner; she also wasn't in a rush to lose the feeling of Kelly's hands on her body. Still, Kelly had to get Sasha to dinner on time. She loved the princess but she also lived her life and job.
Kelly escorted Sasha to the great hall where she would be eating with her family. Much to Sasha's displeasure, Kelly doesn't eat with the royal family; it's just her who has to suffer through unbearable breakfasts and dinners. Kelly squeezed Sasha's hand; she had hoped to give the girl comfort before she had to depart from her. She then let her hand go and exited the great hall.
With Kelly gone, Sasha had no choice but to join her family at the table. Sasha sat in the middle of the table across from her little sister. Of course, the king was seated at the head of the table and his queen sat at the end of the table. Sasha was never sure if her mother and father sat at different ends of the table to honor tradition or because they couldn't bear to be near each other. Sasha was sure they did it because they could easily glare at each other when they were across from each other.
When Sasha sat down for dinner she didn't know what to expect. She didn't know what she would be eating nor did she know what the conversation for the night would be. Most importantly, she didn't know if tonight's dinner would end well.
"Hello, dear," Tina said, greeting her daughter. "I have heard that you have traveled outside of the palace. How was it?"
Sasha tried to respond to her mother but was interrupted by Solange. The youngest princess gasped dramatically when she heard her sister had left the castle; she didn't know such a thing was possible. Solange had asked several times to take a break from her studies and leave the castle; however, she was denied the chance every time she asked.
"You were able to leave the castle. How is that possible?" Solange asked, sounding as shocked as she looked.
"Father allowed me to go, he even let me go without any guards," Sasha replied, causing Solange's shock to grow.
Solange turned to her father with a look of shock and hurt in her eyes. "Father, I've asked you to go into the garden, and you sent five guards with me. You don't allow me to go anywhere by myself but Sasha can go into the village with no guards. That doesn't seem fair, at least not to me."
"Well, your sister is older than you, she is sixteen and more than capable of going beyond the castle walls. Besides, she wasn't alone out there. She had Kelly, who took on the role of a guard today, with her," Matthew said before turning to his eldest daughter. "Now Sasha, tell us how your day outside the castle wall was. I'm eager to see what you've done with your free time."
"My day was amazing!" Sasha joyfully exclaimed. "Father, I've met so many people and seen so many things. It's like there is a whole new world out there, it's just so different. The people out there dress differently, talk differently, and even walk differently. Everything about them is just different, it's quite strange honestly."
"Well did you find anyone that catches your eye, maybe a future companion?" Matthew asked before taking a bite of his food.
"You want her to pick a future companion from the village?" Solange asked, causing Matthew to nod his head. "But I thought we must only marry other royalty, not peasants."
Matthew cut his eyes at his youngest daughter; he seemed annoyed by his daughter's ignorance. "There aren't just peasants in this village, there are many wealthy men in this village as well. Maybe one day you will find one and he'll be your future husband as well as the future king."
