Chapter 629 - A Strange Connection

Yvonne's sudden shift in her demeanor had been noticed by not just one but two figures.

The first was Governess Bloom who had decided to observe the child for longer and the other was the host present among them.

Princess Felicia's eyes kept flitting to the little girl whom she had heard a lot about from her tutor, Marquess Samed.

This girl was supposed to be her second playmate before the position had been given to Rika Kiron.

While she was not dissatisfied with Rika and had even grown closer to her in the few years that they had been studying together, she could not help but find her gaze landing on Yvonne St. Claire on numerous occasions today.

Ever since these girls had arrived, her eyes sought out for Yvonne in the crowd but she could not explain why she was behaving this way.

Just earlier, when they were all sipping the juices brought out for them, her eyes once again landed on this younger girl.

Her mind was engulfed in thoughts wondering if things would have been different if everything had gone according to the original plan of making Yvonne her second playmate.

Would she be able to converse with a younger girl just as comfortably as she would with Glennise and Rika?

Would Yvonne be able to keep up with their learning pace or would she find it difficult as they were older than her?

The friendship that she had cultivated with Rika and Glennise would have been the same if it was Yvonne instead?

While such thoughts were swirling in the Princess's mind, her eyes which had been sneaking peeks at the girl in question had noticed her sudden shift in demeanor.

Earlier, the other girls had been pale after walking for so long but Yvonne St. Claire showed no expression of fatigue or discomfort.

However, that had changed now and Felicia could make out a sense of unease radiating through Yvonne's body.

Her cheeks had grown pale in a matter of just a few seconds and this realization had stunned the Princess.

Thus, when she saw the Governess heading closer to them, she was glad that an adult had also noticed this change in that young girl.

"Miss Yvonne, is something wrong?" She inquired as the old lady was heading their way.

Yvonne's shoulders jolted in surprise and she raised her head to see who it was.

Her amethyst eyes clashed with those sparkling blue orbs which were now looking at her with concern brimming in them.

In Yvonne's mind, the image of the Princess's worried visage merged with another image she had seen in her dreams.

When the Crown Prince had been punished by the King for misbehaving with 'Yvonne' in the dreams, Princess Felicia had the same look of concern and worry as she comforted her best friend.

'That was just a dream!' She reminded herself to snap out of her daze.

The Princess she had seen in her dreams was the older version of the child seated before her but the heartfelt concern this young Princess had shown was the same as she had once experienced in her dreams.

Though Yvonne's relationship with Princess Felicia was nowhere close when compared to those dreams, she found that this girl was still worried about her.

As she did not know what to associate this thought with, she chose to believe that the Princess was just being a good host.

Thus, she pushed down the uneasy sensation that arose in her stomach after looking at that strawberry juice and nodded her head to the Princess's query.

"Felt dizzy for just a second." She made up an excuse to explain why her cheeks had grown pale.

Though it wasn't a satisfactory answer, Princess Felicia knew not to pester her any longer to reveal what was truly bothering her.

She thought that the younger girl was not revealing the whole truth because somehow she could differentiate the genuine smile from the fake one which Miss Yvonne had just shown.

However, this confidence stunned her as she wasn't close enough to Miss Yvonne to be so sure of this.

They had met just today but she could sense a strange connection with her.

While she was trying to figure out how she knew the difference between the real and fake smile of this girl, someone had arrived near them.

When Governess Bloom had reached their table, her ears picked up on the statement the daughter of the St. Claire's family had spoken.

'Was she holding in her discomfort earlier?' She wondered whether this was why Miss Yvonne was fine earlier but her fatigue had finally caught up with her.

Governess Bloom had come up with an explanation for everything in her mind.

Miss Yvonne had been uneasy all along but since she did not wish to trouble others, she had held it in and pretended to be alright.

However, when she thought that no one was noticing, she finally let her emotions out but the Princess had noticed this which had forced her to reveal the truth.

Finding this explanation plausible, she glanced at the Princess who was also looking at her, seeking her help.

Therefore, she smiled and nodded to indicate that she would take care of this matter.

"Miss, if you are not feeling well then would you like to rest for a while?" She inquired after fixing her eyes on the little girl with short violet hair.

As much as Yvonne did not wish to draw attention to herself, she felt the urge to accept this offer.

'Better to gain their attention for a few seconds than to puke here and become the talk of the town.' She weighed the pros and cons in her mind.

The sight of the strawberry drink had churned her stomach thoroughly and she had no intention of causing chaos here in case she could not hold it inside any longer.

Thus, she chose to agree with the suggestion the old lady had placed before her.

"If that would be alright with the Princess." She revealed a shy and embarrassed expression while looking at Princess Felicia.

If she wished to leave without offending the host, even if it was just for a while, she would need to take permission from the host to leave a good impression.

Her polite words combined with the nervous look on her face made Princess Felicia give an immediate nod in reply.

"Of course, Miss Yvonne!" She exclaimed, her lips forming a wide smile.

Felicia's lips were curved because Yvonne's expectant smile she saw this time was a real one and for some unknown reason, she was certain of it.

Glennise was surprised to see her reacting this way but sitting next to her, Rika nodded, understanding why the Princess was behaving this way.

'She too found Miss Yvonne to be adorable!' Rika Kiron declared in her heart as she had figured the same out long ago.

However, her elder sister would often refuse her words so she stopped bringing them up later on.

Yet today, she was sure that the Princess was also affected by Miss Yvonne's outright nature which drew them closer to her.

While she was not entirely wrong, the Princess had other, much deeper thoughts in her mind.

"We will be heading to the Palace in a short while so why don't you go ahead and rest there until we arrive." Princess Felicia had no idea about the thoughts in her playmate's mind as she proposed this idea.

She wasn't upset with Yvonne for wanting to leave them, instead, she felt a strange sense of intimacy with her as though they had known each other for a long time.

Governess Bloom was pleased with the considerate suggestion she had made and a smile appeared on her face.

Unaware of the thoughts in their minds, Yvonne was more than satisfied with this proposal as she would get some time to deal with her stomach until they arrived.

'I can ask someone to get me some calming tea.' She decided as she rose from her seat.

"Forgive me, Princess for causing trouble." She curtsied excellently which brightened the Governess's discerning eyes.

Yvonne then nodded at the other girls before turning around.

She did not glance at Aleena who was still holding the glass of strawberry juice whose pitcher was also before her.

A maid was soon assigned to look after her and the group of girls watched while Yvonne St. Claire exited the greenhouse.

A moment of silence fell over them once the girl was gone before Glennise reignited the conversation to get rid of that awkward silence.

Aleena was staring in the direction in which Yvonne had left, unable to guess why she had gotten dizzy when they were all seated comfortably and sipping refreshing drinks.

Unable to figure things out, she chose to focus on the conversation and would inquire about this when she returned.

Princess Felicia was still worried about the little girl who had faced discomfort in her Palace but Glennise had skillfully diverted her mind.

The girls then began to discuss various topics which caught their attention.

"Miss Elna, your necklace is quite exquisite." Glennise Brodie praised the butterfly pendant that the daughter of the Leopold family was wearing.

Elna's hand reached for her neck and she touched the purple-stoned necklace that her brother had gotten prepared for her birthday last year.

Without shying away, she revealed to them how she had received it and even managed to bring up the topic of her family's jewelry business.

"I would love it if everyone would visit our store in the Commercial District." She invited them to her family's store and even promised to send them all invitations for a day out some time soon.

This elevated their moods and all of them agreed in haste.

"Princess…" She looked at the host who was silent and grimaced as the Princess had never stepped out of the Palace grounds until now.

Princess Felicia smiled as though she wasn't affected and shook her head, apologizing that she might not be able to accompany them on that day.

Elna realized that she had brought up a sensitive topic and quickly chose to change the direction of their conversation.

Seated in her comfortable corner, it was Aleena's turn to gloat when she saw the usually composed Elna's flustered face for the very first time as she tried to find another topic to speak about.

"Princess, how come the legendary blue rose isn't in your greenhouse?" She questioned, oblivious that she had touched another topic, much more sensitive than the earlier one.

Princess Felicia and her playmates froze for a second upon hearing this query while Governess Bloom's eyes flashed with a sense of desolation and gloom at the mention of the 'Blue rose'.