Princess Zina Foster

"If only I had arrived earlier, then you would not have to suffer like this," Clarrie said, and for a rapid time, Zina endured the pain to get her head up and stare directly at Clarrie.

"It would take only another few days for me to get healed, Clarrie. I am not going to die. Not early in this lifetime."

"I would highly disagree if the Gods would take you away from me," Clarrie sniffled. "But, since you told me that you are going to remain firm, heaven arranged for you that determination to be courageous without me in some things that relay to making crucial decisions."

"Clarrie, you are still young, yet your mind is like a thirty-year-old woman," Princess Zina shared her opinion as if she had not known that it was Clarrie's personality. "Anyway, let's put that topic aside. I had other plans for the General."

"The General? Which General, Princess?"

"It is General Julius, Clarrie. You have to go and find out what his capable of doing, including his dislikes. I already communicated with him, so I must convince him to keep our secret plan. He will be the first person to know we switched our names."

"There will be no easy way since we are dealing with a General."

"Apart from that, there are no other options to choose from. I supposed our plans would include the General in the present. Hopefully, he will not cause any problems too."

"I do not feel at ease with these plans, Princess."

Clarrie said frankly while she could hear Princess Zina's upset exhalation. Princess Zina knew that too, but she could not just withdraw herself when she still had to find out the truth about the incident.

Neither her wounds nor the memory of the incident had stopped her from making some plans. She had been born into a complicated household with prosperity, but it does not mean she, as a Princess, would not use her brain. Her knowledge was a piece of the key to finding out who made the incident possible. And with that, she keeps developing an image of the cause and solutions.

As to what Princess Zina said, Clarrie was starting to get nervous and inexperienced in switching names and trying to get information about the General. The effects of her approving almost everything that Zina had said began to fade. Clarrie knew that she had no right to back out because she vowed. It was too late for retreat.

Princess Zina's mind had engaged in a risky way of finding out the truth, and her father was not friendly as she could remember. However, she would not gamble with that thought again because she had been on her way to finding life easier to solve by trusting what she could do as an enslaved person than being a Princess without actually knowing what the people had done to keep living their life. It was part of the one thing she had to do when she planned on exchanging identities with Clarrie.

"Princess..." Clarrie called with a low voice. She was being transparent in trying hard to hold back her emotions.

"What is it that you need to say, Clarrie?"

"Well, you know that this topic is separated from your plan—are you aware of your marriage to the Crown Prince of port Pampanga?"

Zina's body suddenly became stiff; she did not know if it was because of what Clarrie mentioned or the wounds that got her blood streaming up. "Clarrie, I am tired. Can you help me lay back down?" Zina said as she met Clarrie's peep of support.

"I should not have mentioned it, Princess. Forgive me for being a meddler."

"It is fine, Clarrie. Mother also planned this random marriage all along. It is a shame for my heart to marry a stranger; I cannot even reject that reality." Zina said ironically.

Clarrie moved closer to help Zina lay her back down in the bed. She carefully avoided touching Zina's wound. "Have you forgotten the plan, Princess? Remember, you want to cancel the engagement. That is why you decided to exchange names with me."

"Did I say that?"

"Yes, you did, Princess."

Zina then recalled what she had said earlier, "I did not say that I have to cancel the engagement Clarrie; I only said that you can make use of my identity."

"Princess, isn't it the same but with different terms? Like, see this, I am a slave switching my name with a real Princess name. In addition, my character is not a princess type. Did you get what I am trying to point out here, Princess?"

"We can resume this conversation tomorrow," Zina said. "For now, I think it would be better if I rest my eyes and mind, or I will not be able to heal quickly in the upcoming days. So you should go back to—" Then Zina realized, "Where are you staying, by the way?"

"Princess, I am just lucky to have an old friend to be assigned to a workshop here. They have spare rooms, so I did my best to get that room by helping my that old friend clean some parts of the building."

Zina was not entirely convinced because Clarrie had never mentioned anybody, not even that old friend, before, so she tilted her head a little to the left side, wondering if Clarrie had hidden some things that she did not know.

"I will let you rest now, Princess," Clarrie said as she bowed before disappearing from Zina's room. Her feelings were no doubt confused.

Zina roamed her sights in curtains, and the peaceful environment made her eyes close.

However, her stomach grumbled. Zina did not remember to eat dinner.

"Unbelievable, I on no occasion been so oblivious about food." And then she went silent as the covered wounds on her skin started to feel numb again.