Chương 3: Haven

Mom gazed arrogantly at the shattered blocks of ice. Even in that moment, she held a dignified air around her as she looked upon the broken sculpture with disdain.

"That bastard!" she stated, moving back to Aunt Lia's side to grab a glass of what looked like apple juice. She shrugged and made a gesture to the servants to clean up the mess.

No one budged, observing the scene with a countenance that was not of surprise, but, utmost regret. Not a single soul was in shock by her actions, they only seemed dejected.

Mom's sharp eyes held no remorse in them. They held nothing as a matter of fact. That was until they landed on me. Afterward they brimmed with animation.

"Sweetheart, you're here!" she called out to me with a smug smile on her face.

I smiled slightly back at her.

She looked away from me and back at the ice on the floor and scoffed.

Her mouth opened to say something but was cut by the Old Man Kingsley who strolled in holding a phone as though it was valuable porcelain.

He pointed the front camera at the ice and then at mom.

Mom expressed a dark smirk as she looked at the phone screen.

"I'm guessing you did not like your gift?" My Dad, the Prince of Chenyth's voice was heard through the phone.

Mom took a sip of her juice, she rose the glass to him before letting go of the glass filled with liquid to hit the floor.

"Tell the conceited bitch of yours that I am not looking for enlightenment." Mom replied with a roll of her eyes.

"You asked Kingsley to get rid if all the alcohol and pills to put me on a juice cleanse?" She said, annoyance creeping into her speech. Her fingers tap the glass table beside her. My eyes were fixed on that with anxiety.

I had to assume the stance that anything breakable at this moment stood the chance of incurring the wrath of a woman scorned.

"You must think that everyone here is fucking that whore too." her words shot to kill. The servants had their heads lowered.

Mom's gaze guided back to me as she pointed my way. Kingsley took the initiative to turn the phone towards me.

"Your daughter showed up for your anniversary, but, you? You're off on a sexual escapade." She spat out with bitterness.

With effort I formed a smile to greet my Dad.

"Dad, you should be here." I reminded him and he dismissed my words with a nod.

"I have business here, it's not like she says it. She just doesn't understand." He replied.

"Take care of her Fiona," he requested before calling Kingsley. The latter turned the phone to himself to await instructions.

Careful not to step on the water from the melting ice I walked over to give Mom a hug.

Pulling away from the embrace after a while, I planted a peck on her lips. "Calm down Mom, the juice is good for you and I'm sure dad truly has some important plans keeping him." I explained to her, half of my words were uncertain.

I had no clue what Dad truly had going on.

Mom looked unconvinced. She made eye contact with Aunt Lia before turning back to me.

"The royal families are merely ceremonial. Parliamentary rule has been in place for a century plus now. It's not like he has other territories declaring war. How busy can a prince in name be?" She laid out a rhetorical question. sliding her fingers on the glass table.

Not satisfied with her rant, she continued, "Our noble Rifien family in particular only have a few organisations to manage unlike the Avill's. Yet, he justifies his absence under the guise of business."

"Of course it is business," she proclaimed, "the business of his crotch."

Aunt Lia by Mom's side let out a chuckle before attempting to conceal it. Her attempt failed as she ended up laughing heartily.

Mom caught unto Aunt Lia's laughter and joined in a little before smacking the latter gently to pull their fit into a close.

Having eased up a bit from giggling, Mom's eyes looked a bit brighter.

Aunt Lia's value was indispensable. For the longest time she is the one person I have known to be at my mother's side through everything. She knew Mom inside out, understanding her limits.

"Tell your father to stop trying to fix me sweetheart." Mom said to me in a much softer tone than her previously voiced sentences.

"Even if he can lose his regrets in spirituality I can't," she said in a barely audible voice, caressing the side of my face with her cold hand. Of everything she had uttered in my time here, these few words I couldn't comprehend.

I nodded, allowing her soft hand to rub my cheek.

The celebration had been postponed a bit because of Mom's theatrics but only for some time. A short dinner and cake followed thereafter.

◇ ◇ ◇

I emerged in our large library that stored most of the documents and dealings of our family in the palace.

Behind me was the new young maid that had caught my attention a while back. She promptly shuffled in.

"You requested to help me out here, why?" I asked the servant whilst going through the files on the desk in the library.

I came in to gather some files for the charity foundations I ran. Part of the duty of a princess was to keep up the reputation of the royal family and spread positive energy.

"Search for a gray envelope on that wooden shelf at the corner." I requested without waiting for her reply.

She followed suit to my orders and went to look. In the meantime as she busied her hands scrolling through the books on the shelf she answered.

"Actually... I'm new. But, even before I came to work here, I always admired the princess. All the charity you do make you seem very endearing." The young woman uttered as I arranged the files I wished to get on the table.

I stopped what I was doing and turned to her. "Thank you, but, I don't really care for admiration. The work I do is basic and a duty." I said with finality.

Upon hearing my words her hands trembled and, the gray envelope she was about to pull out of the shelf fell out with a black folder along with it.

Concerned that I had caused her to feel as though she had mispoke, my feet moved to her direction to help with the fallen documents.

"Why were you startled. That was not my intention." I explained, grabbing the black folder and grey envelope from the ground.

"I know that." The maid uttered in understanding.

Before offering a response to her. I flipped the black folder open. A document stating a children's foundation that I had no knowledge of caught my attention.

Without thinking too much, I pulled it out and inserted it into the grey folder. Handing the black folder back to the young maid to placed back on the shelf, I questioned.

"What is your name?"

"Dona, your highness," she replied curtly.

Acknowledging her reply with a nod, I gathered the files from the table along with the grey envelope and exited the library.

◇ ◇ ◇

Feeling clouded after an entire evening spent with Mom, I left the Rifien Mansion.

Jalen was still on a trip and my mind didn't adjust well to the feeling of going back to an empty house ,so, I made the decision to branch by the bar Kiera had mentioned earlier.

My car parked in the lot of the bar. I walked in, finding the place to be not as busy as I expected.

With a few rings from my phone, Keira picked up my call. "FiFi, you cut the call abruptly before. That hurt me," she cried loudly, the blaring sound of music and beats almost engulfing her voice.

"I'm sorry, I was in a hurry. Are you still at the bar?" I questioned despite noting the inconsistency between the loud music from the other side of the call and, the mild noise from the inside of the bar.

"Nope, we left that place to a club. Why? Did you change your mind about joining us?" She asked still on a yelling sequence.

"No." I replied, "I was just wondering. Bye." I lied at once before cutting the call.

Nonetheless, I made a decision not to leave the bar. I sat on a bar chair and ordered a margarita.

A bad idea it was. The drink had been delivered to me, but, I stared down at it with no appetite for alcohol.

Lacing my fingers on the glass sides, I traced the circular path whilst idly listening to the band that played.

A figure appeared and sat beside me. From the corner of my eyes I noticed, however, I paid no attention to the person until a voice baring slight familiarity sounded beside me.

"An art and music lover. If I didn't know any better I'd say we were soulmates"