Little Red

t h r e e

A Mysterious Monarch

The sun rose early, much Camellia's dismay. She stretched her tired limbs and shivered against the cold. She had too much to do today and she couldn't afford to sleep in. No matter how warm and cosy her bed was.

No! Don't think like that or you'll never get out of bed.

Once she was done chastising herself, she threw her covers off and began getting dressed. She quickly ate, kissed her father goodbye and set to the market with a book and basket in hand. There wasn't a large variety of book in her village in fact compared to what her books told her a single shelf of books wasn't nearly enough to call a library.

Fortunately, her father was a trader, often selling and trading craftsmanship from one village to another and frequently visited the town near the castle. Although, for the past week or so he hadn't received much news from them.

Her nose was deeply buried in her book when she felt a pair of hands tightly grab her shoulder and her soul left her body.

"Oh, Lia!" Her eccentric friend cried

"You'll never believe how much I have to tell you!" The blonde announced dramatically.

Camellia smiled at her friend's antics, despite her racing heart.

"Good morning to you too, Lucia," She teased

Lucia skipped alongside her.

"Oh hush!" She scolded her "This is important. More important than those dusty pages of yours."

"Hey!"

"You know Belinda, the one with the red hair and freckled face?"

"Of course, there's only one,"

"Right, well you know how she got married last week?" Her blue eyes lit up with excitement, bursting to spread the news.

"Yes..." She squinted her eyes, curious where her friend was going.

"Well I just in the market yesterday when I saw her buying Mrs Harrison's potatoes, only a bump was already growing in her stomach,"

"Now I'm no doctor but it surely takes longer than a week before a woman begins showing!" She cried laughing.

"Oh, it's absolutely scandalous!" Lucia said elated at the prospect.

Camellia rolled her eyes.

"Oh Luce, this isn't the first time newlywed couple disobeyed our conforms," She scoffed finding the knowledge useless.

The blonde's delighted face fell disgruntled, she was hoping for a more ecstatic reaction but she knew her friend better than that. Lifting her spirits, she spoke again.

"I knew you would say that," She smiled triumphantly.

"Is that so?" Her dark brow arched

Lucia nodded, gazing smugly at her arid nails as she tilted them under the suns light.

"I have much more grave news," She smiled mischievously.

"Do tell," Camellia begged, linking her arm with her "My dearest friend."

Damn, my curiosity!

"First of all, I'm you only friend but ah well, since your so desperate" - she really wasn't - "I'll tell you,

"You see my dear friend our monarch has changed,"

"Oh no, don't tell me his dimwitted son took over," She groaned in annoyance, their economy was already on the brink of ruin.