Note: I changed the phoenix's name from "Lyla" into "Lucent". I am not sure why I suddenly really like the name "Lucent". The phoenix is actually male and Lyla is too feminine for him.

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Rowena was so giddy. She paced back and forth in her room, waiting for the knock on her door from Lady Elizabeth, telling her that it was time for them to leave. Rowena couldn't wait to finally see the world.

Well.. not exactly the world, only the village not far from the capital, but to Rowena, that was close enough. She wore a simple dress provided by a maid as per Lady Elizabeth's instruction.

Since Princess Rowena would be going out under disguise, they had to make her look like a lady from a lower nobility. She would attract too much attention if she traveled with the royal carriage and wore her beautiful dresses.

The dress she wore now was not exactly plain, but it was nothing compared to what she was used to wearing. The design was quite common, a long blue floral dress without many accessories.

When she saw the blue dress, Rowena was so happy. This dress symbolized her freedom, at least for one day. She would leave her beautiful cage and fly outside for a bit. She was eager to compare the world outside to what she had been reading in books.

After fifteen years, she would finally know.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Come in," Rowena opened the door and found Lady Liz, this was what Lady Elizabeth preferred to be called now, standing by the doorway.

She was wearing a simple dress too, even though she still kept her jewelry and styled her hair to make her look attractive.

She was the only one who would be going with Rowena on this excursion because the other governess was not available. Two years ago, Lady Mary finally accepted a proposal from a viscount and stopped hoping to someday get the king's heart.

She was now Lady Mary Bower, after she took her husband's last name. Even though she was now married, she still wanted to serve as Rowena's governess because she was thinking about the future.

Once Rowena came of age and married the man who would become the next king of Ashland, as per King Draco's plan, she would need her ladies-in-waiting.

Lady Mary hoped she would be able to secure that position early on by being by the princess' side from when she was young. So, she kept her job to be Rowena's governess and only went home on weekends where she would spend time with her husband.

That's why Lady Liz was the only one left in the castle to take Rowena out today. She was more stubborn than Mary. As long as King Draco still had not chosen a wife, Lady Liz thought there was still hope for her.

The fact that she was taking care of Rowena, the king's only daughter, should give her bonus points in the king's eyes. That's what she thought, and that's why she stayed.

Lady Liz was more beautiful than Lady Mary. More noblemen came to her, asking her to marry them, but she rejected them all. Her excuse was she couldn't leave her ward behind.

Of course, many people knew what she actually wanted, including the king, and they gossiped behind her back. She pretended not to hear the gossip and kept walking with her head held up high.

King Draco didn't care about such gossip and he never showed an ounce of interest in Lady Liz.

If Lady Liz wanted to use Rowena to get closer to him, he would just take advantage of the situation to make sure his daughter got the best education and upbringing. He couldn't care less about Liz.

"Are we going now?" Rowena asked Lady Liz with a beaming face.

"Yes, Your Highness," Lady Liz nodded. She took a wide hat from the closet and gave it to Rowena. "Please wear this hat to protect your skin from the sun."

Rowena hated wearing hats, but this time she didn't show it. She happily put the hat on her head and adjusted it to look nice. "There. Can we go now?"

Lady Liz looked at the princess with furrowed brows. She suddenly realized how big Rowena now was. This girl was even taller than her.

Seeing her all grown up, Lady Liz was reminded of their first meeting when Rowena was only seven. More than half of this girl's life was spent under her care.

She didn't notice how much Rowena had grown because they always saw each other. However, today Lady Liz suddenly realize how much time had flown. She was now 28 and still unmarried, a spinster many people called her.

Her life was wasted chasing after a dream to become a queen. It was futile and she knew it but refused to admit it for a long time. However, now she slowly started to regret it.

King Draco Roseland didn't seem attracted to any woman. Maybe he loved Rowena's mother so much and couldn't bring himself to replace her in his life?

"You are a big girl now," Lady Liz muttered. She suddenly felt how her life was pathetic. Mary had made a better choice by accepting Viscount Bower's proposal. She was now living a happy life with her husband. They might even have their own children soon.

"Yes, I am," Rowen nodded. "I am now fifteen. Is there something wrong?"

Rowena was wondering why Lady Liz suddenly commented on how big she was now, and her face started to look gloomy. Was Lady Liz sad? No... no.. that couldn't be. Rowena didn't want Lady Liz to cancel their excursion today because he was feeling upset over something.

"No... nothing wrong, Your Highness," Lady Liz faked a smile and fixed Rowena's hat to cover her face more. "We don't want people to recognize you."

Rowena let her do that, as long as they could still go out of the castle. After everything was ready, Rowena went to get Lucent from its cage and let the beautiful phoenix perched on her shoulder while she walked out of her chamber.

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From Missrealitybites:

I will publish one more chapter soon. Rowena will finally experience happiness and she will meet a very interesting person. 

PS: THANK YOU so much for your support of this book. We have come a long way since it was first published in October 2020.

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