"Sea Pearl!"

Elna Leopold's loud gasp awakened the dazed minds of the girls who were mesmerized by the shimmering light coming from within.

A pearl the color of the clear blue sky was placed inside the box and was just as big as the box.

The translucency of the pearl when any source of light reached it contrasted with its ability to look opaque when under a shade.

Staring at the pearl for too long gave one the illusion of gazing at the calm waters of a sea from where it derives its name.

The girls who had been staring at the pearl were now alternating their gazes between Princess Felicia and Elna to see if she was right in this situation.

Her Leopold family specialized in jewels so it wasn't wrong to say that she had a keen eye for such matters when compared to the rest.

Princess Felicia's nod was an admittance of the information they had heard.

"My uncle brought this for me from the Western Kingdom." She disclosed with pride as this jewel was worthy of being boasted about.

Everyone had comprehended who this uncle she had been mentioning was as there was only one person who could hold that prestigious title.

They were also astonished that the never before seen Prince Draco loved his niece enough to give her such a precious jewel.

After all, everyone knew that to reach the Western Kingdom, one would have to cross the wide and treacherous sea that divided the two kingdoms.

Not only was this a barrier between them but also the rumors that the Western King was a tyrant who kept his Kingdom away from interactions with the outside world was rampant among the citizens.

'To think that someone would bring a Blue Sea Pearl into this Kingdom.' Elna's eyes were fixed on this jewel as admiration flashed in her eyes.

Pearls from the Western Kingdom were considered to be the purest among all of the Kingdoms known to man.

Her elder brother along with their grandfather had tried to negotiate with Western locals but were never given entrance to their land.

Therefore, the thought that the mysterious Prince, the King's younger brother had managed to achieve this feat had piqued her interest in him.

Elna was discovering the emergence of her newfound curiosity about this elusive young Prince when she heard the Princess introducing the next present.

"This was from my brother." Felicia proclaimed as her hand reached the item which looked the biggest compared to the other two.

In a swift motion, the cloth was pulled away, revealing a golden cage placed on the tray.

The exquisite cage wasn't the gift but what was present inside was.

A pure white fluffy kitten was sleeping all curled up inside the cage.

Noticing the sudden light which fell on it when the cloth was pulled away, the kitten's eyes fluttered open which gained gasps followed by squeals.

"Blue eyes!"

"So pretty!"

"I want to pet it!"

"Princess is so lucky!"

Multiple squeals were heard in the garden and it was a good thing that Prince Fritzen, who despised loud shouts, had returned to his room from his secret spying spot before this could occur.

Princess Felicia smiled at the kitten whose fur was white as snow and eyes as bright as the sky.

"She is Iris." She introduced the kitten who was now stretching to dispel the drowsiness in her body.

Prince Fritzen had spent countless days and nights as he tried to figure out what his sister would like for her birthday.

This was when he heard his father talking about a certain merchant who acquired rare animals and sold them for a high price.

Such markets for exotic and rare animals along with servants were prevalent in their Kingdom.

It was even ethical as long as they were not deprived of the basic necessities needed to survive.

With this information, Fritzen called the merchant to his Palace and viewed the various paintings of the animals he had in his collection.

When his eyes landed on the pretty kitten, he knew in the blink of an eye that this would be the best for his sister.

If he were to see her jubilant face right now, he would be convinced that his choice was the right now all along.

The kitten now remained inside the cage but her eyes were staring at her new Master who also smiled at her.

"We shall play later." She mentioned and moved her finger in the space between the grills of the cage to rub the soft fur of her new pet.

'So soft!' She controlled her urge to squeal as that would be against the Royal etiquettes she had been taught from a young age.

She then pulled her hand away before nodding at the servant who understood and took a step away.

The last present left was the one she was most excited to show to her new friends.

"This was given by my mother." She announced with pride and love apparent on her face.

Everyone was excited to see what the Queen could give her daughter but there was shock on Rika and Glennise's face.

Not many of the outsiders knew of the fact that Princess Felicia was not favored by the Queen.

But Rika and Glennise were not among those numbers as they interacted with the Princess every day and at times caught sight of the interactions between the Royal mother and daughter.

To say that they were acquaintances would also be an exaggeration of the depth of the relationship they shared.

The two young girls did not know why their Queen was so cold and unfeeling for her own child but they surely sympathized with their friend.

Glennise felt that she had more understanding about this than Rika due to similar situations back at her home.

Therefore, they were surprised to hear that this present was from Queen Zena.

'I thought that this present was from the King…' Glennise covered her frown of confusion with a wide smile as she waited for the gift to be unveiled.

Before their eyes was a beautiful golden tiara, the prettiest they had ever seen.

The tiara was big enough to remain stable on a little girl's head who was the true owner of the tiny crown.

At the head of the tiara was a large pink diamond that reflected the sun's rays causing the sparkling flecks of light to fall on the table and everywhere around it.

'A Princess should have a crown that befits her status.' The Queen had proclaimed as she presented this majestic crown to her daughter.

The first present she had ever given to the little girl after the gift of life that she had given six years ago.

Princess Felicia recalled how her mother had been thoughtful enough to prepare such a beautiful gift for her.

The other girls' faces displayed emotions of awe, surprise, and even envy as they gazed at the pretty ornament that would adorn the Princess's head in the future.

'That must have taken a long time to prepare and embellish.' Elna Leopold surmised as she gauged the intricate details on the crown which proved her deductions.

However, the other girls including Princess Felicia were ignorant of this fact as they admired the beauty before their eyes.

'Did the King give this to Felly in the Queen's name?' Glennise wondered again as she truly could not stomach the fact that Queen Zena had prepared a gift for her daughter.

Her suspicions that such a thing might have taken place were increasing the more she thought about it.

Sadly, Glennise's doubts and disbelief at this sudden change in Queen Zena's behavior went unnoticed by everyone.

Felicia did not realize that her friend was doubting her parents and she smiled at the crown one last time before sending it away.

The three gifts would be sent to her bedroom in the Rose Place where they would remain secure.

Even with the gifts out of her sight, Felicia continued to smile as her mind went back to the present her mother had given.

Just the mere gesture of caring for her was enough to warm her heart.

She would have been satisfied even if Queen Zena had given her a bale of hay.

But what she received was a symbol of her status and prestige as a Royal family member, a crown that was made for her.

This caused her elation to be higher than ever as she now marked this birthday as the best she ever had and the gift from her mother could not surpass any precious jewel or gift she would receive from anyone else.

If the poor King were to hear the word that his gift of constructing a greenhouse for her was not even given a second thought much less mentioned here…

What would his reaction be?