Chapter 10

"What's wrong Chinessa? Don't you like it?"

Her parents were yet again puzzled by their daughter's strange behaviour.

"Umm...errr... I-it's just that I don't think that I'm ready for a pony yet..."

"But you've been begging for one for months."

I swear, this Chinessa girl… Begging for something as expensive as a pony? How inconsiderate!

"I-It's okay, I was just surprised, t-that's all! I like it very much and I promise to take good care of it. Thank-you mother, father."

They were a little taken aback by their daughter's sudden earnestness, but their feeling of confusion was soon replaced by immense pride. Their little girl was finally growing up!

***

She soon found out that the reason she was forced to put on that fancy party dress was because there was a birthday party being held for her later that day - another thing the previous Chinessa had requested. Apparently, she threw a tantrum and demanded that she have a birthday party because all of the other girls her age were having one. This was another tidbit of information she wished hadn't been withheld from her so she could have at least prepared herself beforehand. There was even a rumour flying around the house that the prince would be in attendance. She wanted to at least look presentable in order to make a good impression. Being friends with the prince may come in useful in her quest to open an animal sanctuary!

However, her goal to look presentable was proving difficult as her hair was currently flying out at all angles and resembled that of a bird's nest! One of the maids was frantically trying to brush out all of the knots before the guests arrived which proved to be very painful.

***

The party was to be held in the back garden of their estate. It was a relatively large sized courtyard surrounded by pastel blooming roses. She herself had one of these roses tucked behind her ear in her now smooth hair which by the way, hurt a lot to achieve! But hey, beauty is pain as they say!

The set up of the party reminded her of one of those high tea gatherings you see in those historic movies. There were several tables dotted around, clothed with silken white tablecloths that fluttered in the wind. Upon each table were tea sets and tiered cake stands that held various tasty treats such as bite-sized tarts and tiny sandwiches courtesy of the head chef. There was even a table reserved exclusively for presents which had now become a pyramid! The occasional butler floated around the crowd delivering light refreshments to parents who were entertaining themselves in small groups as their children weaved in and out of the tables engaged in a game of tag. A small orchestra played a cheerful tune adding to the overall relaxing atmosphere while her heart warmed as she watched children excitedly receive balloon animals.

It wasn't long before her presence was noticed by the guests.

"Why isn't it the birthday girl herself! Congratulations young lady."

"Thank-you, Uncle!" The man who had just congratulated her was her father's older brother. She was taking this opportunity to learn more about Chinessa's family and friends. Since none of them knew about her 'memory' loss she was trying to learn all of their names and faces as fast as possible to avoid suspicion.

"Happy birthday Chinessa. My, you've grown big."

"Thanks." That was her mother's younger sister, in other words, her aunt.

The well wishes continued to flow in from various strangers and just when she felt like she was beginning to get overwhelmed, her father suddenly appeared behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the guests.

"We humbly thank each and every one of you for attending today and celebrating our dear daughter's birthday with us. We hope that you enjoy your time and will share many more moments like these with us in the future."

His proclamation was followed by a chorus of clapping.

Come on Chinessa, smile! Hey, this actually isn't so bad, she thought to herself. It was actually nice being the centre of attention for once!

However, this moment was short lived as it was interrupted by the sudden arrival of a certain someone.

"Announcing the arrival of his royal highness, Prince Colin of the wolf family!"

All eyes switched from her to the new arrival in an instant.

So this is what the much talked about little prince looked like!

With wispy pale silver hair that contrasted with his dark eyelashes and ice blue eyes, she thought that he looked much more like a husky than a wolf!

"My father was too busy to attend, so here I am!" He spat with a hint of disgust in his voice.

She found herself frozen in her place, all eyes now back on her. Her father raised an eyebrow at her as if silently accusing her of doing something to upset the prince.

Whatever previous opinion he had of her, it couldn't have been good!