Page 62 of Mermaid on Heels
“The meeting is over in case you think I snuck out in the middle.” Luke released his hands from Liriya’s chair and stepped back. “Why isn’t another chair here?”
Liriya craned her neck and saw him looking around.
“Here, I’m done for the breakfast lesson.” Cedric rose from his chair and prompted Luke to take it. “I’ll send a maidservant in to take the dishes away while you four chat. Just keep in mind that, if any of the elites catches you and think you were having breakfast with Liriya and her sisters and not with any of them… this castle will be blown up. I love our home, you know.”
Liriya almost shook her head at Cedric. He was unbelievably and unbeatably witty. She had never met a person like him before and wondered what it’d be like to have him for a brother if she—
Dolphins, wait!Liriya admonished herself, slightly horrified. That was a little too fast to think about.
Luke clapped his cousin on the shoulder, displaying his handsome wide smile, and glanced at Liriya’s sisters. “Please forgive my brother ladies; he can’t utter a sentence without injecting humor into it.”
“And you love me for it,” Cedric muttered before moving towards the exit. When he reached there, he paused and called over his shoulder, “Class dismissed, except Princess Ella needs another lesson.”
Ella’s smiley face turned into a scowl. Cedric caught it before he walked away, laughing on his way.
“I apologize for that, Ella, but I assure you, he’s merely jesting,” Luke said as he took the chair Cedric left for him. “And if I’m correct, you two could be friends in the making.”
Ella opened her mouth to protest when Liriya cut in, “I think I agree with that.” She ignored Ella’s gaze snapping to her, and focused on Luke instead. “How did your meeting go?”
“Oh.” Luke straightened himself on his chair. “It was good. Well, as good as a court meeting can be.” He pointed his chin at the dishes between them and asked, “How did you enjoy breakfast?”
“Good. Thank you. I have not tasted anything as good as this before.” And it was true. If Bianca’s humble foods weredelicious, Liriya didn’t even know how to describe the rich ones of the castle.
They shared a smile for a moment before Luke turned to her sisters and inquired after their well-being and land life. Liriya watched the interaction between them with a smile until Mrs. Philomena came, apologizing for the intrusion, and announced that Liriya needed to get ready for the elites’ meeting in the former queen’s parlor that was to take place in an hour and a half.
Liriya rose from her seat and turned to her sisters. Seeing them not making a move to rise, she asked, “Are you two not coming?”
“We are not elites, so you go on.” Ella leaned back on her chair and folded her arms.
“I am sure Luke has somewhere else to be—”
“No, I don’t. Actually, I’m given a week off from major duties, if you can believe someone can give akinga day off,” Luke said with a small laugh. “The court wants me to spend my time with each of you, but none of you are free right now, until—well, you’re about to find out.” He gave her a half smile. “Your sisters will be fine with me Liriya. Don’t worry. I’ll escort them to you shortly.”
She smiled back. “Alright then, have a good time.”
Mrs. Philomena led Liriya through the opulent labyrinth of the royal palace. Before long, they turned a corner and entered a corridor that seemed to stretch on indefinitely, lined with intricately carved wooden doors. Mrs. Philomena led her past them, telling Liriya that each of her fellow elites, who were now getting ready for the meeting, occupied five of them. Liriya cast a glance at each door that bore a distinctive design as she walked past them, curious which was going to be hers.
Finally, Mrs. Philomena halted before a particularly ornate door, one of the three tucked into a small, bright hallway. At its end stood a wide glass window that overlooked the balcony garden and a massive door that led outside.
“This will be your room, Your Highness.” Mrs. Philomena reached for the polished brass knocker that gleamed in the ambient light and turned to Liriya with a small smile. “And these two,” she inclined her head towards the other two doors next to her and said, “will be your sisters’.”
Liriya followed her gaze and smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Philomena.”
Mrs. Philomena pushed the door open, revealing her new quarters and stepped aside for Liriya to enter. Liriya lost her breath as she stepped inside, captivated by the elegance and beauty stretched in front of her.
The chamber was spacious and lavishly furnished. The centerpiece of the room was a magnificent four-poster bed, draped in flowing canopies of rich, sapphire-blue fabric. The bedspread was adorned with intricate embroidery. A plush, velvet chaise lounge nestled near a large, arched window, offering a view of the palace gardens below.
On a nearby table, a vase of freshly picked flowers added a burst of color and fragrance to the room. The walls, adorned with exquisite paintings of serene seascapes, caught her by surprise. Liriya stepped closer to examine them when Mrs. Philomena spoke from behind.
“The king specifically requested them to be hung in your and your sisters’ room, Your Highness.”
Liriya spun around to face the older woman, not hiding her astonishment. “That is so kind of the king. I must thank him, then.” Her heart was overcome with gratitude for his thoughtfulness.
“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time for that, Your Highness.”
Liriya saw Susie standing next to a wide screen on the end of the room ever so politely, with her hands clasped in front of her and a half smile on her face. When their eyes met, she dipped into a curtsey.
Liriya made a mental note to tell Susie that she doesn’t have to curtsey all the time—or at all.