The Hidden Secret

Chapter 7

As Zen and Cordelia walked together, Tessa took the opportunity to evaluate Zen. He looked like a decent and sincere man, she couldn't picture him doing the Princess any harm. While she did admit that, she also admitted that he had a certain aura around him that disturbed Tessa. However, she quickly dismissed any irrational thoughts that might upset Cordelia. Instead, she formed her lips into a polite smile.

"Mr. Zen, you seem to know your way around quite well. Tell us, have you lived here all your life?" She inquired, trying her best to sound curious and not interrogative.

"Not always. I was five when my father passed away. My mother wanted to have a fresh start and so she moved us here." He replied. "And please, there is no need to be so formal with me."

"I am sorry." Tessa immediately bowed her head a little. "I didn't mean to pry.

"You worry to much, Miss Tessa."

"She surly does, doesn't she?" Cordelia giggled before smiling at Tessa who averted her gaze to the ground.

"If you don't mind my asking, where have the two of you moved from?" Cordelia stiffened at the question. She smiled awkwardly, looking away.

"We moved from-"

"-Clarice. It is a little kingdom far north. C'est tres petite."

"Clarice. I may not have heard of it, but it sounds like a beautiful place."

"It was." Cordelia agreed with a smile.

"-Definitely not." Tessa said at the same time as Cordelia. The two quickly stole glances from each other.

"I mean, one could argue that it was beautiful."

"But the influence of royalty in the Kingdom was what made it ugly." Tessa concluded, masking her face with a sad expression.

"I see." Zen nodded. "I understand what you mean. Sometimes royalty can be a real problem. They don't look beyond their own wealth."

"Of course, you aren't referring to all royalty... I mean, some have real sympathies and want the best for their citizens." Cordelia said with a small smile.

"Of course!" Zen argued. "The place I used to live before we had moved here faced a lot of corruption. From what I can remember, it wasn't a very pleasant place to be in. But Donner is different. I saw the difference. I remember feeling it. The King is kind and the Prince who shall succeed him is brave."

"You seem to be well informed about the status of the royalty." Tessa sneered, receiving a subtle glare from Cordelia. Zen let out a small laugh, shaking his head.

"Welcome to 'Le jardin l'armour." There had been many gardens that Cordelia had visited in the short hours that she snuck out. There were times when she spent hours just walking around, admiring flowers. The gardens she visited were far away from the palace grounds, which was convenient for her. But none of those gardens were half as beautiful as the one Zen had brought her to. Perhaps it was because it was he who had brought her. Or perhaps it was because the garden was so close to the palace grounds that it was a necessity for it to be this beautiful. Or perhaps, it was both.

"It's beautiful." Cordelia whispered. From the corner of her eye, she could Tessa look around the garden with her mouth just a tiny bit open. It made her smile.

"It isn't fully ready yet, however." Zen sighed. "Since it is this close to the palace, it is hard to find approval from one of the royal advisors to continue the work."

"Why can't they just ask the royal gardeners to continue the job?" Cordelia asked.

"Uh-" Tessa opened her mouth to intervene but Zen beat her to it.

"The royal gardeners are too busy taking care of their garden. Besides, the royal gardeners have far more important gardens to look after, inside the palace grounds."

"I see."

"It is the one thing that really upsets me."

"Their royal garden?" Cordelia frowned making Zen laugh.

"No, of course not. But their stubbornness. They do everything to make sure that their garden is the prettiest but do little for the gardens outside." It surprised Cordelia and made her wonder how Zen's tone could change from a gentle smile to a cold sneer. His thought about the gardens saddened Cordelia. Had the royalty really not paying any heat to the rest?

She couldn't understand why he felt that way when just a couple minutes back, he was praising the King and the Prince. Tessa, having sensed the shift in the mood, sighed. She knew that Zen was referring to something more than just the gardens. She knew that he was referring to the crimes that had been going around.

While the King had been vaguely informed about the crimes, he was too busy dealing with more pressing matters on his hand. There had been rumors about possible attacks from other Kingdoms and the King had been preparing and forming alliances with other Kingdoms to fight any surprised attacks. The Prince was who was responsible for dealing with any and every problems going around the Kingdom but due to his absence, the sub who took his place for the time-being, wasn't as effective.

The Princess had hardly been informed of such things. It wasn't the Princess's duty or her problem to be getting into such matters. Tessa knew that if and when Cordelia found out about the crimes circling the beautiful Kingdom, rage would be the last thing her brother would have to deal with.

"I am sure that with time, the official advisor will let people work this close to the Palace." Tessa said in a reassuring tone.

"Hopefully. It would be horrible if these flowers died because of negligence." He smiled and that was the end of their conversation. Not another word was spoken by any of them. As they stood peacefully, Tessa felt a blow of easiness surge through her. Suddenly, she felt like she could trust Zen now that she had seen how troubled he was. It, somehow, made him look more human. She knew that she couldn't let her guard down, yet.

"We should get going." Cordelia said with a smile. "This is too close to the palace grounds. Oh, the horrors if any of the guards were to see us. None of our explanations would satisfy them and they would take us to the in charge." As she spoke, Tessa's eyes widened, realizing just how easy it was for the Princess to get recognized this close to the Palace grounds. If the queen happened to catch wind about her daily outings, she would be outright furious.

Just as they were about to turn and head the other way, they heard a cry. They turned to the source of the sound and Cordelia felt all the blood drain from her face as she latched, subtly, onto Tessa. A royal guard was running down their way.