The Hidden Garden

The next day, someone knocked on the door, and I opened it. It was none other than Cassius himself. I grinned, and my stomach was filled with butterflies.

"Janessa, let us have a walk," said Cassius.

"Of course, dear highness."

"Get changed."

"Okay!"

I shut the door behind me and looked at what I was wearing. It was a satin tank top with matching shorts.

Of course, this isn't suitable to be seen in.

I shrugged and retrieved my daily fragment from the magic screen. I clicked on the green one.

"YOU HAVE RECEIVED A POWER UP!" flashed on the screen.

Then, I hurriedly used my locket to summon my wand. It glowed as I spoke.

“I summon the door to the art of dressmaking!”

I’m just making up stuff as I go along. I hope it’ll work.

A room appeared, holding hundreds of bolts of fabric, almost like a store. However, the teal walls now had posters of a few looks I had done in the past.

Looking at all the prints and solid organza, chiffon, cotton, satin, and silk, I stood in silence for a while.

How can I possibly choose?!

A purple silk rolled out as I summoned scissors that cut the pattern. I went on to use a shimmery blue organza on top while pixies of light appeared, stitching them into place. Soon, it formed a flowy dress with sleeves and delicate lace over the waistband.

“Perfect!” I said.

The pixies weren’t here before, right?

“Thank you, pixies.”

They mumbled, “May your power grow stronger,” and disappeared through the door as it closed.

I jumped into the dress and it fit me like a glove.

Hastily grabbing the folded handkerchief and the letter, I went into the hallway where Prince Cassius stood.

He wore a black frilled shirt, blue trousers, and a blue jabot.

As soon as he saw me, his eyes widened, and soon, he smiled, as his eyes narrowed.

“Janessa,” he said.

“Prince Cassius!” I said, grinning.

“Let us go into the garden. This place is rather stuffy.”

“I agree.”

We went in a direction that strayed from the first time I went. This followed a path to the right of the castle.

Guards eyed us down as we walked there. I couldn't help but wonder why.

This is a completely different place. I wonder if I’m supposed to think he’s being suspicious?

I swallowed, looked at him, and then at the ground.

“This, my dear, is the second garden among four. As you can see, the walls are quite high, and the trees quite ancient.”

I looked up and saw a rectangular box with an open roof, where trees peeked out of. The area was huge, as big as a stadium. The walls had a white base, and over them, abstract art was painted evenly. The borders were made of wood and brushed with gold paint. There was a flag with a horse on it.

Ah, at least he was telling the truth about the walls being tall.

We stepped foot inside, and the guards moved away to make space for us.

“This garden is big enough to be a park!” I exclaimed.

“Is that so? I have never been to a community park.”

The trees were taller than the castle, with thin, dark leaves and frail branches. Birds sang atop them, and a crown-shaped fountain was in the middle of it. A few of the birds drank from them.

“They say if you drop a coin, your wish will come true,” said Cassius.

“Really? Oh, I haven’t got any. I don’t even have any money in this world…”

“It is probably an old wives tale… Oh? I could give you an allowance. Although there may be public outrage if I use the state’s money…”

“No need, Prince. I’m not greedy. If I need money, I would want to work for it.”

We walked along the path.

“That is wonderful, Janessa. I admire your ethics.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes. What is that envelope that you clutch onto? A love letter?” he asked, blushing and avoiding eye contact.

“Oh? This. I apologize. No. Edith gave this to me…”

He snatched the letter from my hands at once and opened it.

“Apologies, but I must look forward to your safety…” he said.

My heartbeat increased as my face heated up, and I smiled. Cool winds blew through my hair.

At least he cares for my safety.

His eyes followed each and every word as his thin eyebrows furrowed.

“My goodness. This must be a trap,” he said.

“I thought so too.”

He proceeded to tear the envelope and letter into pieces and threw them into a trash can.

“If she asks, tell her that it was me who destroyed the letter.”

“Alright, dear Prince!” I said, giggling.

"I must tell her family that I am not interested. Well, I have told them a couple of times, but they kept insisting," he said.

He placed his arm around me and said, “You do not mind this, right?”

“No, not at all,” I said.

“You look quite red, darling.”

I looked into his grey eyes, which followed mine. We walked to and fro, often stopping to make eye contact.

He smelled sweet, just like the first time I met him.

“Janessa, would you like to study costume design, though? I can get you the opportunity for a scholarship if you wish. You would have to prove yourself. I am certain that you will not fail the interview.”

“My goodness, my really?” I said, letting go of his grasp.

I spun around in circles as the skirt of my dress twirled with me.

“I always wanted to. I studied economics in my previous life. All I got was this part-time job…”

“Previous life? Oh, dear Janessa…”

He stopped in his tracks.

“Y-yes?”

“What do you mean by previous life?”

He placed his hands together.

“Well, you see… I had another life before I died for the first time.”

Cassius's eyes lit up.

“Fascinating.”

“It wasn’t fascinating, that’s for sure! I suffered during my death. Oh, the betrayal! That traitor.”

Cassius ran his fingers across my face and wiped away a tear that formed. As he hugged me tightly, I felt the urge to break down into tears.

We breathed at the same pace.

“You will be alright. I am here by your side.”

“Thank you,” I said, wrapping my arms around me.

He let go, and I wiped my tears away.

“Oh, this is your handkerchief. I embroidered it for you… But I used it now, hehe.”

“Really? For me? May I see?”

My hand trembled slightly as I handed it over.

“So, this is your work. It is exquisite. Of course, you need it more than I do.”

“No…”

I stopped crying and held on to the back of his shirt.

“No?” he asked.

“It’s better if you keep it, so that you can wipe my tears away.”

“If that is what your logic is,” he said, smirking.

He stuffed it in his pocket.

We stopped walking and sat on the edge of the fountain.

“I must thank those fortune-telling witches. They have led me to you. Say, Janessa, we should visit them together!”

“Sure, that would be great. You’d better elaborate on the fortune teller on the way there.”

“Of course.”

I grinned as we watched the sky turn from blue to pitch black. The wind howled and carried dead leaves with it. Soon, clouds covered the sky and lightning flashed across. Thunder crashed so loudly that my ears stung. 

“Janessa, it will rain. Let us return to the castle immediately.”

“Yes, definitely!”

Raindrops fell on my head, and soon, the ground was covered in water droplets. We darted across the puddles of water, and the two of us laughed in mirth. Thunder crashed once again, and I screamed. Cassius took my hand, and we managed to run back into the castle.

He panted as I giggled. It continued to rain heavily, with water splashing across the ground and against the window.

My mind was bustling with questions that I wished to ask him.

Will you ever get your soul back? Will I ever have anything to do with it? Will you ever learn to love me?

There was the most important question.

Will I ever learn to love you, Prince Cassius?

He began sneezing incessantly.

"Ah, I thought I'd keep our small adventure a secret. It looks like I have caught a cold. I need a change of clothes, if you will excuse me," said Cassius.