Chapter 20 : Zina's thoughts

So, over the past years, they had been holding back the weakest side of themselves and Zina was the one who have to give a way for the people to earn money and send others to a crop field for collecting. The kind of help she offers was to keep her heart and mind stronger as the day moved on. Plus, she did try her best to keep her mind busy than being isolated in the palace, staying lonely just does not feel right, and she always likes to start a new life when she got her lesson learned in some situations. However, two plans had been created just a day ago.

She closed her eyes while moving back her head up, turning to the left side. She had to at least move some of her muscles even if the pain was there. Even without her royal father and her mother's complete support of what they should do as a parent, she had grown up to be neither sad nor dull in times when she was left alone in their home. What type of feelings has replaced those spaces in her heart where some things actually went missing?

Love and Commitment. A pit that very much required to be occupied.

She was thinking more about how to figure out her father's plan, instead of imagining Clarrie's expression if she finds out that she used her name to become a slave yesterday. Even without no one telling her in front of her face that her idea was over the line, Clarrie would just definitely stare intently at her and then smile to agree with her.

Clarrie would be in a spot between the persevering mark and her words. It takes firm attainment cast-off to Carrie's part even if Zina was going back and forth in dealing with her royal matters.

Zina sighed contently as she thinks about how lucky she was to have Clarrie. She did not even dislike her when she first tried to teach different things related to solving problems, reading the history of every country, and many more that she could freely explain. She had not even made a shift of agenda to share with Clarrie. Yet, she had conjectured that Clarrie with her ordinary like-mindedness for incoming and conveying information along with other things, had a cleverness that seems like to wander her as much as anyone else must. Still, it was not all the same, she had to choose between making Clarrie gain a lot of knowledge and putting up with a new role that was going to fit Clarrie. Clarrie stayed for her to be a hard worker and she cannot stay with her forever as a slave.

A noise from the hallway had Zina slide down her blanket a little to her chest. She realized that she was in time to see the soldiers in training from a faraway distance in the nearby window. With her thinking, she let the side of her face buried on the pillow, reaching to a point that she should not drag another person into the mess. Using only her identity and having General Julius be convinced about it was her goal.

'Hm, General seems to be testing me with a false memory drama. So, I must persuade him to help keep the secret.'

Zina was sure that the General did not forget her.

Then there was a faint knock coming from her door, she endured the pain and looked at the person who was coming in—her guess, it was Clarrie.

"Having an abundant morning, Princess?"

Not being able to guess right was alright, but the person who got inside her room was not. General Julius. Again, he was here. But why?

"General, can you not say Good Morning? Maybe, show some respect."

"Who is the woman behind the shawl and pretended to be you, Princess? Do you know her?" Julius asked.

Zina looked around at the surrounding, 'I knew that he did not forget about me being the Princess.'

"General, remember you are the one who acted differently. We discussed a lot of things yesterday. I as a princess had been confused about your basic drama strategy. And you questioned me now? Is it kind of rude if you keep it that way?" Zina said, making Julius inhale deeply.

"Wait, I will be right back to get you some food. At least have some breakfast before we resume our argument, Princess."

Zina had never encountered an offensive General before. Well, she did actually but General Julius was the worse. She was left behind because he forgot to deliver her breakfast.

For a few minutes of silence, Zina's eyes widened as she heard a loud bang.

General Julius was kicking the door to get inside, and she even expected that he would be bringing a tray of cinnamon tea, freshly baked bread with mayonnaise, cabbage, and some slices of pancakes. But she should expect that the food will be different, she was not in the Ganot state anymore. In his left hand, he was holding a plastic plate with silver lines as a decoration, she cannot even clearly see the food. In his right hand, he engrossed hard on a bowl of unseen gumbo. And on the side of his waist, he was carrying a small size sword. Since she had to look up at the General, the pain she ignored started to get unpleasant.

Gladly there was no sign of another person going inside her room. 'Clarrie, where are you?'

"Princess, here is your breakfast but before I start feeding you, you must tell me the truth about why you let a woman use your identity, and moreover is she your slave?"

Julius was suffocating himself as he asked a question to the Princess about truths when he at the same time knew that the Princess was trying to mention before was Prince Zhang Wei who acted differently.

Zina was even sure that the timing would blend well now.

"You tell me your drama and I tell you mine."