A Princess Named Harry: Book 2

Chapter 15

There wasn't much to do after the night market. The only thing left was the twin's birthday ball. Other than that, Harry's days were filled with boredom. The only things there were for her to do was have tea, shop in the marketplace, and practice her swordsmanship some more.

Harry sat on her bed and looked at her token from the night market. It was a white cotton plushie bunny. It was about the size of a baby, maybe a little bigger. She hadn't had any thoughts of purchasing it when she first saw it, but Varian insisted that she looked like she wanted it, so he hurried over to buy it from a man who looked like he'd seen his fair share of street fights.

She got up and walked over to it. She picked up the plush bunny and rubbed her cheek against its soft plush. She was worried that she would die of boredom at this rate. Although the palace was open to the public to join in the month-long celebration, Harry never went. The big celebration that everyone would be attending would be held in a couple of days. It was when the celebration would actually become a birthday party instead of a regular one for the nobles.

She tossed her plushie on her bed and sighed. She could go spar with Kahil and the other knights, but she had had her fill of practicing her swordsmanship. She was thankful for whoever it was she heard knocking on her door.

"Harry, it's me." It was Lianne. "May I come in?"

"Yes, hello, of course!"

The two of them had started hanging out a little bit more after the events of their duel. Although she still found Harry to be a little on the weak side.

She came in and shut Harry's door before walking over to sit on the couch. Harry noticed a bright-colored envelope that Lianne was holding.

"Now," spoke Lianne. She sounded rather annoyed. "I usually never go to these, but I thought we could both use a little time away from the palace." She handed Harry the envelope. "Here, read it and tell me if it sounds like something you'd want to go to."

Harry slowly and carefully opened the envelope. It was an invitation to attend a tea party with a couple other noble ladies. Harry cringed at her experience with her first tea party.

"If you want to go, then we'll need to leave soon," said Lianne.

Once again, Harry couldn't tell what she was thinking. She had thought that Lianne had endured the same things as her regarding the noble ladies and their tea parties. She didn't know how the Taram nobles would treat her, but this was just what she needed to pass the time.

"I'll go," Harry replied.

Lianne took a deep breath and sighed. "Well, we should get ready soon."

She headed back to her room, leaving the invite with Harry. She seemed to have told Leona and Nina about their plans to depart because soon after they came bursting into Harry's room and pestering her about what she should wear. She wasn't sure, but she had learned her lesson from the first time.

She let Nina and Leona pick out a spring-styled green dress. Nina also brought Harry matching green heels to match the dress. It was rather bold compared to her usual style. Leona chose a beautiful hairpiece. It was a white and mint green floral chain. The flower was pretty; it was one Harry had never seen before. A flower that was native to Taram. First the sweets and now the flowers. It plagued the question, what other things did the Taram Kingdom have that the Cardiaire Kingdom did not?

After meticulously getting her ready, Leona and Nina escorted her to the carriage. She went inside where Lianne and, of course, Varian sat waiting for her. He was dressed differently from his old knight attire. He looked more formal than usual like he was going as the duke-to-be, but he still kept his sword by his side. Lianne on the other hand, was dressed ready for a funeral. She was dawned in black from head to toe. Harry had thought she was being bold, but she didn't come close to Lianne's boldness.

"Everyone looks so good," she said awkwardly. She turned to Varian. "You even got dressed up too, huh?"

"Well, rather than escorting you as your knight, I decided it'd be better to escort you properly as the son of a pristine duke." Varian clasped the handle of his sword. "It'll boost your reputation that way."

Harry already knew that Varian was attending in his noble status, but she hadn't known the reason for it was because of her. He was doing it with her in mind.

Harry turned her attention to Lianne. But who was on her side? Harry thought about the answer for a moment. She would be. If no one else, she would be there for her.