The Hidden Secret

Chapter 2

As Cordelia and Tessa walked, Tessa's mind kept drifting to the look the young man had given the Princess. There was no doubt that he hadn't recognized her as royalty. But even so, his eyes seemed to soften up as he helped Cordelia up. The Princess herself seemed a little different towards him. She would usually be a little more careful if a stranger made conversation, however, this time it was different. She looked like she was at ease with the stranger.

"Princess, are you sure that you're alright?" She asked. Cordelia had a small smile on her face ever since she met Zen.

"Yes, Tessa. Why? Do I not seem alright?" It surprised Tessa at the gentleness of the Princess's voice.

"You seem different all of a sudden. After your fall, you look... more at ease." Cordelia turned to face Tessa and smiled a little more.

"He was a nice man. He didn't have any bad intentions. I could see it."

"Looks can be deceiving Princess. I wouldn't fall for the pretentious acts of humanity." Tessa said letting out a puff of air and crossing her hands. "You should know better than to fall for these tricks."

"I wasn't talking about the looks of it, Tessa. I could sense kindness... I am aware of the deceitful nature of humanity. But, he seemed different. I cannot explain it but I sense a good aura around him."

"I do not want you getting hurt, Cordelia." Tessa's eyes widened as soon as she realized her mistake. Lowering her head, she apologized immediately. "I meant Princess. I didn't mean to call you by your first name, Princess." The Princess was silent and when Tessa glanced her way, she saw a small smile on her face.

"I do not think I've ever heard you call me by my name."

"I am truly sorry, Princess!"

"Do not be, Tessa." She smiled. "Cordelia is my name in the end. What is the point of having one if I'm not going to be called by it? You can call me by my first name. I have no objections."

"I could never!" Tessa cried. The Princess smiled sweetly and shook her head.

"Have it your way. But know that I have no objections with you calling me that. In fact, you should call me Dalia instead. I admire that name." The young Princess said.

"Then, perhaps, you should name yours and Prince Cooper's first daughter that." At this, the Princess's cheeks warmed up.

"Hush up, Tessa. I do not want you teasing me!" As the Princess blushed profusely, the young maiden giggled. At the time of the Princess's birth, the Kingdom of Donner had been under attack. The troubled King, unable to defend it by himself, joined an alliance with King Reiner from the nearby Kingdom. To seal the deal, King Reiner asked for the Princess's hand in marriage to his youngest son, Prince Cooper. It had been decided that when the Princess had turned eighteen, she would, finally, be married off to the Prince.

"It has been a while since he has visited. I wonder what he is up to." Tessa mused.

"He has been busy helping his brother, King Carter, with the ruling. It has been hard on them ever since King Reiner died from his stroke." Cordelia said. "James said that he would be visiting them on his way home. Did I tell you that he went to settle off a dispute in the borders of the Kingdom? My brother will sure be a great King, don't you think?" When the Princess looked at Tessa, she saw her face red with a little smile.

It was no secret to Cordelia that her hand-maiden had developed a little crush on the Prince. But what she hadn't known was that Tessa's feelings for the Prince was a lot more than a simple crush. She loved the Prince with all her heart, and she knew for a fact that the Prince had similar feelings for her. But because of her social status, she couldn't even imagine being with him. She was no novelty, let alone a royalty. She was just lucky enough to be born in the hands of the family that had been serving the royalty for generations.

"Yes, once he finds his Queen... he will become a great King." The Princess didn't miss the sad tone Tessa's voice held. Nevertheless, she didn't mention it. "We are here, Princess."

-

The two of them walked around silently as Cordelia admired the flowers. Tessa looked around looking bored. She had no real reason to be there with the Princess. Even though she was her hand-maiden and the only person she had been truly herself with, she found accompanying the Princess troublesome in her own way.

There was only so much one could do in the Kingdom and the Princess had done all of it countless times. It was now boring to even visit the most beautiful sights.

"Tessa?" The Princess called.

"Yes?"

"Which flower do you think best represents me? I feel like I could be a daisy. Do you not think so?" Tessa smiled slightly.

"Daisies symbolize purity and innocence, my Princess. There is nothing innocent about you." She said with a slight giggle. "In my opinion, you are a tulip. More specifically, a purple tulip. They symbolize royalty." Cordelia put on a thinking face before smiling.

"Well, in that case, Tessa, you are a sunflower. Sunflowers represent loyalty and you radiant loyalty." She exclaimed, grabbing onto Tessa's arms. Caught by surprise, it took Tessa several moments to smile back at her Princess.

"That's so very kind of you, Princess."

Two of them continued their walk around the garden. The Princess continued to look at the flowers and wonder why the royal Palace didn't have half the variety of such flowers. "Why doesn't the royal gardens not have such flowers? The only ones they have elaborate types of roses and lilies."

"They are considered to be the most expensive ad beautiful flowers, Princess. Like the Juliet Rose, or even the Kadupul flower. It is priceless, it's also known as the queen of the night. Besides, those flowers need a lot of maintenance that the royal gardeners can't spend time with the other flowers." As Tessa explained, Cordelia could feel her face drop more and more.

"But that is hardly fair. Each flower represents a characteristic. If we only breed and nurture the most desirable ones in our own homes, it wouldn't be considered fair to the others. Think of these characteristics to the people who live in this Kingdom. Only nurturing the beautiful and the wealthy would be cruel and unfair to commoners. Moreover, what does it speak of our values? Everyone should be treated the same." Cordelia said.

"That is pretty deep, Princess. I am not sure if anyone ever thought of it that way."

"It's settled then." She smiled. "I shall write a letter to my brother about this." Tessa couldn't help but give out a little laugh.

"I am certain that if you took the matter to the King, he would listen to his Princess."

"My father has more pressing matters to deal with. Besides," She said. "James always listens to me better than the others. Come on, now. It is getting dark."