Page 66 of Mermaid on Heels

Liriya still had to be sure if she liked the princess of Garbia or not. The girl was something, if not mysterious. Cooperative, if not exactly friendly. And the way she stared at Lady Serra challengingly, made a ghost of a smile tug at Liriya’s lips.

“The king.” Lady Serra grinned, without a moment of hesitance. “Now, what about you, Your Highness?”

Princess Aeira opened her mouth when Princess Lora cut in. She glanced at Lady Serra. “I don’t think this is a bold move, Lady Serra, and definitely not the right topic for us.”

“Why not? Because you’re not certain what you’re here for?”

The two princesses opened their mouths, when suddenly, the doors opened. Everyone turned to see Cedric striding in holding Sessa’s hand and Ella on his arm.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Liriya rose to her feet and approached them. “Thank you, Cedric.” She gave him a grateful smile as she drew Sessa into her arms.

“My pleasure, Your Highness. However, we met only halfway. They were already being escorted by their maids,” Cedric said, sparing a glance at Ella who let go of his arm and stepped towards her sister.

“Their maids?”

“Luke has appointed a maid for each of your sisters and they helped them get ready before coming down to you.” Cedric looked past Liriya at the rest of the elites. “How did the meeting go, ladies?”

“It was pleasant, thank you Lord Cedric.”

Cedric huffed with a grin. “Come on, admit it. Everyone knows meetings aren’t pleasant.”

A chorus of laughter followed but no one responded verbally.

“Alright then. The king is waiting for his elite in the garden and I shouldn’t delay him.”

“You’re sent as our escort?” Lady Serra asked.

“Oneof yours, yes,” Cedric confirmed and squared his shoulders. “And that is, Lady Riley.”

Perhaps it was because Liriya expected it to be herself that she felt her heart drop, hearing the other elite’s name. She composed herself.No, I feel nothing.

Lady Riley rose to her feet and approached Cedric with poised grace and elegance. She accepted his offered arm with a faint smile. Cedric turned to escort her out, but not before murmuring to Liriya in a low voice only they could hear, “I’ll come for you three before lunch.”

“Sure.” Liriya agreed and led her sisters to the settee. She introduced the elites to them and them to the elites. “… and these are my younger sisters, Princess Ella and Princess Sessa.”

Greetings and acknowledgements were exchanged.

“Sweet. So, what is the name of the queen, your older sister? You missed to mention that earlier.” Princess Aeira pointed out.

“Oh.” Liriya’s shoulders stiffened and she prayed no one noticed. Her sisters turned to her with questioning looks. Shehadto get them playing along. But how? “Yes, I might have missed that out. Her name is Faelina.”

Liriya cursed herself for the first time in her life. Why couldn’t she think of anyotherfemale name? Anything but Faelina, but it was too late.

She turned to her sisters and forced a smile, her eyes pleading with them to grab the meaning and play along. “We were getting to know each other by sharing about our families, and that was when you came.”

“Oh, that is great.” Fortunately, Ella seemed to understand. She turned to smile sweetly at the elites. “Nice to meet you all.”

“You too. You have nice names,” Princess Lora said.

“Thank you.” Ella forced a laugh before sparing a look at Liriya. That said it all; she couldn’t wait to get the three of them alone so she could demand what was going on.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen until the end of the day.

They had a tutoring session with Cedric abouthow to tell time by looking at a clockbefore lunch, and then lunch at the banquet hall with everyone except Luke and Lady Riley who were having a private lunch somewhere else in the castle. After that, they spent the majority of their time in the parlor with the elites who didn’t bring up theking or the crownagain. Only after dinner did Liriya and her sisters get to be alone for a moment that day.

Liriya sat on the bed in her sisters’ shared room, wearing her nightgown and a midnight-blue robe around her. Ella and Sessa decided to share one room since Sessa wasn’t comfortable with the idea of sleeping alone, especially in a new place.

Their ladies-in-waiting, Piper and Violet, were braiding their hair for the night. Liriya patiently waited for them to leave. When they did, the moment the door shut, Ella turned towards Liriya, her eyes as sharp as a pointed knife.

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