“Oh-It’s Princess Claire. Greetings, Princess Claire.”

Everyone finally noticed that I was there watching them, and began to greet me. I smiled and waved back to them.

“Do you need something from us, Princess Claire.”

“Sorry to bother all of you while you are training, but can I borrow Clive for a bit.”

“Go ahead princess, don’t mind us. Clive!!! Princess Claire wants you for a bit.”

Hearing his name being called out, Clive came running up towards us. He formally greeted me just like all the other knights, but I could tell his tone was different. It wasn’t one of praise or reverence, it was over exaggerated and fake.

“Your servant answers your calls! Princess Claire, what can I do for you!?”

“Follow me.”

That was the one thing I said to him at that time. I didn’t want anyone else seeing what I was going to say to Clive so I took him to a more secluded area. But on the way there, Clive wouldn’t stop talking.

“Where are we going Princess Claire? Oh, are you doing what I think you’re doing. Are you going to confess your love to me. Oh, how blasphemous my looks are, it has even captured the heart of the princess. What can I do though, my charm will bewitch women wherever I go.”

I remember being so furious as Clive continue to brag about how his looks charmed me. I don’t even remember how how held in my anger at him at the time. Even 30 years ago, your father was still exactly the same, always joking around.

After a few minutes of walking we finally arrived at one of the gardens. I usually frequented this garden and had tea there. The only people passing by this garden would be the occasional maid or butler, so it was the perfect place to talk with no one interrupting us.

“Clive I have something I want to say to you.”

“Wait, are you really going to confess?”

“Stop it, Clive!!! I have something serious to say!”

After my outburst, Clive turned quiet. I looked at him and this was the first time he looked so serious. Usually he had this stupid smile on his face, or his fake sarcastic smile. But he was completely serious this time.

Seeing him being so serious, I started to get nervous. My words wouldn’t come out of my mouth, it was like a frog was stuck in my throat. A few minutes passed by without me saying anything, but Clive was still paying attention to me without making any snarky comments. I mustered up all my energy and said what I wanted to tell him.

“I-I-I’m sorry, Clive! I never realized how much effort our citizens had put into growing the ingredients for my cookie! I’m sorry that I disrespected my citizens hardwork when I threw that cookie away.”

The area was silent. I was done with confessing what I wanted to say to Clive, but Clive was completely silent. I didn’t know what I was looking for when I apologized to Clive, but I felt the need to do it. That annoying feeling within me finally disappeared when I apologized to him. It was like a caged bird who was tied down, being freed and able to fly again. I had never felt so better before.

“Hahahahaha, is that all you wanted to talk to me for. I thought it was something more serious. I’m sorry for laughing, Princess Claire.”

I was embarrassed and furious all at the same time when Clive bursted out into laughter. It took all my courage to apologize to Clive but he just laughed. I was staring at the ground in embarrassment and looked up to berate Clive, but I couldn’t. The moment I looked at his eyes, it was mesmerizing. There was so much kindness and tenderness in them and somewhere I could see gratefulness towards me.

“Thank you, Claire. Thank you for understanding the struggles of us ordinary people.”

It was just a few simple sentences, but my entire faced began burning up. I couldn’t see my face but I knew that I was blushing immensely. I didn’t know why Clive’s response had made me so happy but it did. I felt all giddy and happy inside knowing that Clive had accepted me.

“If you want, i’m willing to taste test all your cookies before you give them to your father. Because right now, your cookies taste terrible.”

“S-Shut up!...B-But i’ll take you up on that offer.”

What Clive didn’t know at that time was that he was going to be my taste tester for life. Don’t tell your father, but whenever he ticked me off or flirted with another woman, I would make the food he tasted super spicy, bitter, or just outright unpalatable. Now that he knows I can cook good meals, I can’t use this tactic anymore.

After that day I reconciled with Clive, months passed by in the flash of an eye. These were the most enjoyable times I had ever had in my life. Clive was with me every single day, there were times he was really annoying and irritating, but I enjoyed my time with him. I would see him flirting with the maids around our age, and I got back at him by making him taste my food. Sometimes I would watch him spar with the knights, and those times he was the coolest. He wasn’t joking around or even teasing anyone, he was putting his all into winning his fights. I loved that aspect about him.

During these times Clive also taught me a lot about the lives of the common people. He told me about the village of Clear View where he grew up, he talked about his friends, and even talked about funny stories that happened there. He also took me outside of the castle to look around the capital, which I had rarely seen. The times I had gone out into the capital with my father, I had only seen the richer areas of the city. I had believed that the rest of the city was like it, but I was wrong. Clive took me to the other areas, and that was when I realized how small my world was. There was a marketplace full of lively people trying to sell items, a guild for adventurers, a blacksmith’s shop, and many other stores.

The more he showed me, the more my world opened up. He took me near the slums and I could already see how different this area was from everything else I had seen. The buildings were decrepit, the sanitary conditions were terrible, and I even saw people dying on the streets from starvation. Some of them were just skin and bones as they lied there. Seeing all these people, I felt terrible. I hadn’t known any of this before, I was ignorant. I was angry that nothing had been done to help these people.

I used this as fuel to further my studies. I wanted to learn more so I could help my citizens. I didn’t want more starving citizens dying on the street, I wanted to find a way where every family could live comfortably in a home. But I couldn’t do that, I was just a little girl who held no power. That is why I studied more and more so I could find a way to help my people.

But my hopes and dreams were destroyed before I could even achieve anything. A month before my 9th birthday, my father suddenly collapsed.