cousin

The sunlight pierced her eyes.

Ambara woke up quite early.

She looked out the castle window—it was still very quiet. She stepped out of her room.

Only one or two maids passed by.

Ambara felt bored. She looked back into her room. Her eyes stopped at a cookbook Zayden had sent her.

She picked up the book and flipped through a few pages.

"Looks delicious. I'll try making this."

Ambara tiptoed out of her room, carrying the book, heading to the palace kitchen.

Once there, she immediately began preparing the ingredients as written in the book.

"Okay, Ambara. You have to prove you can do this."

She opened the pie recipe.

"Mmm… looks tasty."

Ambara began baking slowly and carefully.

After finishing the mixture, she prepared the oven for baking.

She placed the pie in and waited.

Ambara smiled happily.

"If this turns out well, I'll show it off to Zayden. How dare he mock my baking skills!"

One of the kitchen maids approached her.

"Princess Ambara? What are you doing?"

Ambara smiled at her.

"I'm baking..."

The maid looked toward the oven.

"You're making a pie? Wow, that's amazing!"

Instead of feeling proud, Ambara felt a bit awkward—worried the maid might ask too many questions.

The maid smiled.

"Princess Ambara is so cool!"

She then walked over to the dishwashing area and started cleaning dishes.

Ambara sighed. After waiting the estimated time, she took the pie out of the oven.

"Looks perfect!"

She cut into it and tasted a piece.

But then—cough—she choked.

"Why does it taste bitter?!"

Ambara clicked her tongue in frustration. She stared at the pie.

"Where did I go wrong...?"

She tried another bite.

"This is really bad."

The maid who had been washing dishes approached again.

"Is something wrong with the pie, Princess?"

Ambara felt a little embarrassed.

Should she be honest?

"Uh… it's fine. But why does it taste bitter? It's not even burnt..."

The maid looked closely at the pie.

"Did you add jam, Princess?"

Ambara nodded.

"Yes…"

The maid took a small bite.

She paused.

"Did you add sugar?"

Ambara went silent.

"Wait, I was supposed to add sugar?"

The maid chuckled softly.

"Yes, Princess. Come, let me show you how."

The maid gathered the ingredients and started baking. Ambara helped her, learning along the way and giving it another try herself.

Once finished, they placed the pies in the oven.

They waited.

Suddenly, Ambara panicked—her mother had woken up. She quickly hid behind a large oven in the corner.

She didn't want her mother to get the wrong idea or, worse, make fun of her for learning to bake.

Her mother entered the kitchen. Ambara held her breath.

"What a surprise, you're baking this early?" her mother said to the maid.

The maid only smiled.

The queen grabbed some water and left the kitchen.

Ambara sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness..."

"Why are you hiding, Princess?" the maid asked.

"No reason," Ambara replied quickly.

Then she looked toward the oven.

"Wow, it's ready!"

She eagerly took out her pie and sliced it.

The maid smiled and pulled out her own pie.

"Mmm... this is delicious."

Ambara beamed with joy, taking another bite of her pie.

"Thank you so much," Ambara said, hugging the maid.

The maid smiled and hugged her back.

"You're welcome, Princess. I'll take my leave. Feel free to eat all the pies."

The maid smiled and walked away.

Ambara smiled back. She was overjoyed.

She took her pie and stored the maid's pie in the cupboard to save for later.

Ambara walked to the garden and sat down, enjoying her treat.

"Ambara..."

She turned toward the voice.

Her father approached and sat beside her.

"What are you doing, my dear?" he asked.

Ambara smiled and glanced at the pie in her hand.

Her father nodded knowingly.

"I'm visiting your in-laws today... Do you want to come along?"

Ambara fell silent.

"To King David's kingdom?"

Her father nodded.

Ambara quickly shook her head.

"Maybe next time, Dad..."

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"I just want to enjoy my day here."

Her father nodded and took his leave. Ambara watched him walk away.

"I hope Queen Sonia doesn't find out I left Alaric..." she whispered while finishing her food.

"Hey, Ambara!"

She looked up toward the voice.

"Who's that?"

A tall man was walking toward her.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Prince Arzar from Xuren Kingdom," he said with a smile.

Ambara returned the smile politely.

He suddenly sat beside her, surprising her.

"Where's your husband, Zayden?"

Ambara glanced at him.

"He's in his own kingdom."

Arzar looked confused.

"He didn't come here?"

She shook her head.

"He's busy," she replied shortly.

Arzar nodded.

"Why are you so tense, Ambara?" said a voice suddenly—her mother, who had been watching.

Ambara was startled and shook her head quickly.

"That's your cousin, Ambara… Aunt Adelia's son."

Ambara was shocked.

Her mother sighed and walked away.

Arzar chuckled.

"You just found out we're cousins?"

Ambara nodded.

"Same here. And foolishly, I joined the royal tournament because I had a crush on you."

He smiled awkwardly.

Ambara gave him a shy smile.

"And the funniest part—I was crazy about my own cousin. I was so disappointed when I found out."

He looked up at the clear blue sky.

"I'm sorry," Ambara said softly.

"For what?" Arzar asked.

Ambara didn't know why she apologized.

Arzar chuckled at her expression, then suddenly pinched her cheek.

"You're adorable, Ambara."

She turned to him, silent, a bit stunned.

He smiled at her.

They locked eyes.

"Arzar! Let's go!" a woman's voice interrupted.

A regal woman approached them.

"Aunt Adelia..." Ambara stood up.

The woman smiled warmly.

"Have you two finished chatting? We'll head home now. We'll visit again sometime."

Arzar got up.

"Alright, Mom. Ambara, take care of yourself, okay? I'll visit Alaric soon. Bye!"

He waved.

Ambara smiled, not sure how to respond.

Queen Adelia gave her a gentle smile.

"We're leaving now, dear."

Ambara stayed frozen in place.

It was the first time a man other than her father had ever touched her face.

Her heart was pounding.

Without realizing, her cheeks turned red.

She shook the moment out of her head and returned to the castle.

Just then, she saw one of Alaric's royal guards, looking disheveled, running toward her.

He approached her quickly.

Ambara looked at him in confusion.

"M-My lady… the prince… Prince…"

He was panting.

Ambara's eyes widened.

"What? What happened to Zayden?!"

The guard took a deep breath.

"The prince… he's been captured by foreign forces..."

Ambara froze, stunned.

.....