Ronan walked towards the sofa, still with Arielle in his arms. He sat on it and placed Arielle on his lap. Arielle couldn’t move much because her body was wrapped in a blanket.
"Your Majesty.... What does all this mean?"
"This way, you can’t avoid me any more, right?"
Arielle’s stomach rumbled again, and her face immediately turned red from unbearable embarrassment. Arielle lowered her face and felt impolite.
"Th-that’s not the sound of my stomach," said Arielle shyly.
"I know," replied Ronan attentively.
Ronan grabbed a spoon and glanced at the food that had been prepared for the princess. He eyed which to feed her first and then scooped up the soup and brought it to Arielle’s lips. Arielle looked confused at the spoon in front of her.
"Eat," said Ronan curtly.
Now Arielle’s heart was beating so fast, and her brain was busy thinking of reasons to refuse the king’s orders. The young woman bit her lip and was too hesitant to open her mouth. Even so, she herself couldn’t reach for a spoon to eat as her body was wrapped in a blanket.
"Yo-Your Majesty.... I... can do it myself if Your Majesty helps me let me go."
"No, it’s much better like this," said Ronan flatly. "Aren’t you sick?"
"But I will only be a bother."
"And I don’t mind at all."
Arielle batted her eyes quickly. She felt it was rude to sit on a king’s lap and yet.... Ronan teased her lips again with the spoon that had been refilled with soup. Inevitably, Arielle opened her mouth to accept the food.
The two of them sat in silence. Ronan kept feeding her food until the entire bowl’s contents were gone. The man also helped Arielle to drink by holding her glass.
Now Arielle felt her stomach full again. She averted her gaze and glanced across the room. She did so as not to stare at the man who was still currently holding her on his lap.
Ronan opened the lid of the last plate, and Arielle’s eyes widened with joy at the sight of the Frostberry on it. The girl automatically tried to free out her hand from the confines of her situation, but the blanket wrapped around her was very tight.
"Um... Does Your Majesty have no intention of letting me go?"
"What for? So you can run away again? Then lock yourself up all day telling William and Lucas you were sleeping because you didn’t want to see me?"
"No, no.... I will not dare to run away from Your Majesty...."
Ronan’s eyebrows rose when he saw Arielle, who stole glances at the plate of Frostberries. That girl was not very good at lying or acting but still dared to lie for a plate of Frostberry....
Ronan took one fruit and made the young woman gulp nervously. The king could see the disappointed look in the pair of twinkling eyes in front of him as he stuffed the Frostberry into his own mouth.
"Answer me honestly, then I will allow you to enjoy the fruits." That sentence managed to bring back Arielle’s happy twinkling eyes.
Arielle nodded quickly.
"What makes you so offended?"
Arielle looked away.
"I’m not offended," she lied.
A pair of fingers tugged at her chin. "Look at me when I speak so I can tell if someone is lying or not."
Arielle really had nowhere to go now. That cold mask was really intimidating. The young woman had a hard time swallowing her saliva and knew she couldn’t lie.
Ronan was still staring at Arielle so intensely that Arielle squirmed a little on his lap, feeling awkward. Ronan could see the girl’s cheeks slowly turning red all the way to her ears.
"So?" urged Ronan impatiently.
"Uhm... well, to be honest, I was offended by Your Majesty’s question yesterday."
The man had a guess. "I presume it was about me asking why did you learn to paint rather than reading or writing?"
Arielle nodded wearily. "Yes. I was offended because I didn’t choose what I learned. I only studied what was available for me..."
"You mean?"
Arielle smiled wryly. "As the king’s youngest daughter who was born from a nameless woman and is a child out of wedlock, do I look worthy to sit in the same school as the other sons and daughters of the king? Even to invite a teacher, I don’t have the money..."
"A princess with no money?"
"Is this too strange for you, Your Majesty? Does Your Majesty think every princess will be treated like royalty? I had just tasted what it’s like to have three meals a day when I set foot in Northendell. In Nieverdell, I was free ranged."
"You sound like a wild wolf."
Arielle laughed loudly, getting the nickname. "Tania and the palace dwellers in Nieverdell did call me the wild wolf because I always do whatever I please!"
Ronan was stunned to see Arielle’s laughter just now. He felt a new warmth that he couldn’t explain.
Satisfied in laughing, Arielle took a deep breath to stop her laughter.
"Aren’t you too cheerful for a child being discriminated against?" asked Ronan.
Arielle smiled widely. "I have no regrets at all. Why should I grieve for their treatment? After all, I still have a lot of friends. Tania, the servants in Nieverdell, and the palace guards always help me to hide from my siblings."
"You’re not jealous of them?"
"Not. Absolutely not."
Ronan tried to find doubt in Arielle’s eyes, but the girl was serious and meant every word she said that she was not jealous at all with her other siblings. Even though she was not acknowledged, she still got the love of Tania and the people of the palace.
Yes, she couldn’t wear beautiful clothes every day like her siblings, but she could still enjoy her day by running around the market or the city or accompanying Tania during her shopping.
"Therefore, when Your Majesty asked this question, I felt offended because, from the start, I had never had the opportunity to learn to read and write. On the other hand..." Arielle didn’t dare look at Ronan this time.
"On the other hand?"
"Uhm... Your Majesty’s words seem to mock the happiness that has been given to me through painting. I learned to paint with a teacher for free. The painter taught me to paint, simply because he is an acquaintance of Tania, so he didn’t ask for a teaching fee."
Ronan turned his head towards the painting that stood on an easel. It was the painting he saw yesterday. His eyes narrowed at the black scribbles on the Blackthorn Palace where his study window was located.
"So you scribbled on my room to express your annoyance?"
____________________
From the author:
Aww... now Arielle is opening up to the sexy king. Ahem... do you think he will provide her with education after he learned about her situation?
1. Yes. In fact, he will teach her how to read and write himself.
2. No.