A Princess Named Harry

Chapter 42

Right after Harry saw her friends out, she went straight to find Kahil. She searched for him everywhere before finding him in the gardens. He was squatting down looking at the flowers when she approached him. She smiled and cheerfully said, "There you are! I finally found you!" She looked at Kahil who gave her a melancholy look.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Kahil smiled a bit as he answered, "Oh, you know, I'm just smelling the roses."

Harry looked around at the flowers surrounding them. They were all different colors of petunias. They most definitely not roses. When Harry jokingly pointed that out, Kahil smiled and agreed that they weren't. Nonetheless, Harry squatted down beside of him to enjoy them.

"It was a lovely surprise," she told him. "I should thank you."

"No," Kahil responded. "That thanks should go to Mother and Father, it was their idea. I only helped by keeping it a secret."

"Well, thank you anyway."

Harry gasped as if she had remembered something important. "Oh, Helen told me to give you her sincere apologies."

"Is that so?" Kahil asked while picking a white petunia. He twirled it around in his fingers. "Just don't let it happen again."

Harry gave a sort of uncomfortable laugh. "Please don't be too mad at her. Helen, Maggie, and I have always been together ever since we were little. We spent most of our time at each other's houses, we're practically sisters!" She paused as if she wanted to retract her last statement. "Of course, we aren't. Helen and Maggie are related, though. I was the odd one out."

When she caught Kahil giving her a sad and sympathetic look, she quickly added in an upbeat tone that while they weren't related by blood, Helen always protected her and treated her like a younger sister. Harry laughed as she reminisced about her younger days.

"She even took on a group of boys who were bullying me!"

"Took on?" Kahil asked. "Meaning she fought them?"

"Yes, and she won!"

Harry suddenly sighed with relief. "I'm so glad things went well-oh! I don't mean that it went great, but I was so worried that Helen would punch you. It seems like she's really matured! She has a lot of self-control now! She's not like the old Helen."

"So, what you're saying is that if she was her old self when I met her, she would've punched me?"

"Yes, without a doubt, but like I said, that was the old her and she even feels remorseful for what she did."

Kahil didn't respond and Harry didn't say anything more. They sat silently for a while until strong winds started to blow and blew the flower out of Kahil's hand. It took the flower high up and far away. After the two watched the flower disappear completely, Harry decided to resume their conversation.

"I had a very nice time. I'll give my thanks to Mother and His Majesty later."

"I'm glad you liked it," Kahil replied. He stubbornly added, "If you were this excited about meeting your friends, then how excited are you going to be when he arrives?"

He wondered what Harry's reaction would be when she and her knight reunited.

Harry's eyes widened and her face showed visible shock. "You're-you're right!" she exclaimed. "I need to properly prepare! What-what should I wear?"

"What does it matter?" Kahil asked. He suddenly remembered how he was trying to be nicer to Harry. He cleared his throat before carefully speaking to her. "I mean you will look fine in anything. Even if you wear something ridiculous, you're a Cardiaire, no one would dare say anything rude to you." He raised up his fist. "If they do, they'll have to deal with the wrath of the royal family."

Harry felt reassured by his words and replied, "Thank you."

"And you have a maid with great fashion sense," Kahil added.

"Yes, Paula is amazing," Harry agreed.

Kahil stood up and offered his hand to Harry. She took it and the two proceeded to walk back inside the palace. Kahil continued to reassure Harry. "Choose any outfit you want, but if you continue to feel uncertain, I do know of another maid who is an expert in noble lady's fashion."

"You would have her help me?" Part of her was in disbelief when she asked that.

"Of course, I would," he answered.

Harry grinned ear to ear with excitement. "Thank you so much!"

"You don't have to thank me; I'm only doing my duty as your brother."

Harry nodded and said nothing more. Her heart fluttered with excitement as she thought about Varian's return.

The next day, after having Paula choose her best outfit and have her hair fixed accordingly, Harry went to attend her etiquette class with Miss Albet. She had not attended her lessons for a while, so the moment she stepped into the room, she was hugged by her teacher.

"Princess!" she whined. "It's been too long!"

"Yes," she replied.

"Far too long," added Miss Albet.

"Indeed, it has," laughed Harry.

Miss Albet looked her up and down. "You're so pretty," she said happily. "Do I even have anything left to teach you?"

"Actually," Harry answered as she slipped through her grasp. "There is something I would like you to teach me."

Miss Albet stared at her with curious eyes. She was eager to know what her student wanted to learn.