Abigail’s mother, Queen Isabella, sat in the library waiting for her husband. The library was a large room with books that span the centuries. The De La Rosa family could track its ancestors to the Aztlan Empire. She had married into the family thirty years ago. Yet, she was always surprised at the decisions and events that happened to her family. Her husband and children needed constant advice and supervision to maintain their status in the kingdom. Her family had disregarded her advice, consequently losing almost half their fortune. Fortunately, by then, she was married and crowned the Queen. Now, her father, Earl Hesperia, sent weekly letters seeking his daughter’s advice. They were left unanswered every single week.
Finally, King Alfonso entered the room. Before he sat down, he affectionately kissed Queen Isabella on her cheek. He thought she was just as radiant as the day he met her. Queen Isabella’s blonde hair and green eyes were remarkable. The children favored their father in their dark complexion and dark eyes. Princess Abigail, however, shared her mother’s delicate features.
“Has Abigail recovered?” asked Queen Isabella while fanning herself with a lace fan due to the hot weather.
“Yes, much faster than last time. She should be running around the palace in no time,” said King Alberto with a smile.
Queen Isabella decided to address the elephant in the room. It was a large issue and one that needed to be address before Abigail became the next ruler of the country.
“Alberto, we need to discuss if Abigail should continue to be in line for the throne,” said Queen Isabella.
“That is out of the question. She is more than qualified to rule once I stepped down. She just needs a bit more time to get better and adjust to her responsibilities,” said King Alberto.
“These incidents have been occurring for five years now. She is not adjusting. She is frailed and shakes at anything that moves. She is my daughter, but I can tell you she is incapable of ruling this kingdom with a firm hand,” said Queen Isabella.
“A firm hand is not necessary to rule a kingdom. We have been in two wars- even a civil war due to our firm hand. Abby is caring and bright. She cares about this kingdom, which will make her an ideal ruler in the future. I promised my Father she would be my heir.” said King Alberto.
“We have other options than Abigail. Why don’t you consider Prince Alexander” said Queen Isabella.
“Prince Alexander is only interested in his self-interest. Luckily, he has not embarrassed this family due to his indiscretions,” said King Alberto.
“Give him time, and he will mature,” said Queen Isabella.
“You are willing to give Alex more time but not Abby?” inquired King Alberto,
“Abigail is not of a strong mind that makes her different than Prince Alexander,” said Queen Isabella.
“Enough. An entire week will pass, and I will not change my mind. Abby will be the next ruler. I support her and my father, may he rest in peace, had confidence in her ability. Isabella, please trust the judgment of two kings. Abby will get stronger with time,” said King Alberto.
Queen Isabella ended the argument since her husband did not want to follow her advice. However, with time, he would see things her way.
On the other side of the palace, Princess Abigail sat reading. She was reading a new novel published about a month ago. Sir James had gathered the recently published books and a few older novels for her library. She decided they would need to meet with the orphanage director in a few days to discuss if they needed additional books or educational materials for the children. Alice had said that the director paid close attention to education at the orphanage, however, without the right resources, Abigail thought, that close attention would not help them to become better scholars. Fortunately, the royal family was more than capable in assisting in this matter.
She also needed to ask if they could send a tutor to the palace. After her maids admitted they could not read, Abigail felt the weight of her privilege. It was unfair because the kingdom had a long literary history, and some citizens could not read the books written by its authors. Additionally, she felt that it was shameful that those who served the royal family did not have the right to venture into the library. She would need to address this matter with her mother. The palace library should be open to everyone.
There was a knock on the door, and Sir James quietly stepped into her office. Sir James looked closely at Abigail. Fortunately, she seem to be in high spirits. Her resilience was extraordinary and there was visible improvement in her condition in the past year than before.
“The maids informed me that you had fallen ill. How are you feeling?” said Sir James.
“I am much better. Let me call for some refreshments, and we can sit down and chat. Is there anything in particular you would like?” asked Princess Abigail.
“No, thank you,” said Sir James.
After Princess Abigail informed her maids, she and Sir James began conversing.
“Did you find anything related to Mr. Townsend?” said Princess Abigail.
“Abigail, Mr. Townsend has no outstanding debts or any family emergencies. I could not find a reason indicating that he is in financial trouble” said Sir James.
“What about the greenhouses?” asked Princess Abigail.
“Well, it seems that two greenhouses have been repurposed to grow food,” said Sir James.
“Grow food?, Are you sure, Sir James?” said Princess Abigail.
“Yes, I visited them myself and can affirm that vegetables are being grown in the nurseries instead of flowers,” said Sir James.
“I will send one of the maids to collect Mr. Townsend. We should ask him directly about this matter,” said Princess Abigail.
Several minutes passed, and Mr. Townsend appeared before Sir James and Princess Abigail.
“Hello, Mr. Townsend. Please have a seat and join us for tea,” said Princess Abigail.
“Thank you, Princess Abigail,” said Mr. Townsend—however, Mr. Townsend only sat and did not attempt to reach for the meal before him.
“We noticed that the greenhouses are being used to grow food, and the flowers for the garden are being imported. Can you please provide me with an explanation?” inquired Princess Abigail.
“Well, please let me explain. The head chef asked me to grow food in the greenhouses to supply the necessary fruit and vegetables for the palace. The food available at the market has been declining due to the famine in the country's southern region,” said Mr. Townsend.
“Mr. Townsend, are you telling me that there is a famine at this very moment?” said Princess Abigail.
“Yes, for several months. I thought you were aware, Princess Abigal. Many of the servants are from the southern region, including myself, and well, for us, it is a deep cause of concern,” said Mr. Townsend.
“I understand. Has the food grown in the greenhouses helped meet the palace's demand?” said Princess Abigail.
“Yes, all the food grown in the greenhouses was used for your coming-of-age ceremony and has supplied the kitchen since then,” said Mr. Townsend.
“Thank you, Mr. Townsend, for all your hard work,” said Princess Abigail.
“Please, don’t thank me, Princess Abigail. To be honest, Mrs. Willow came up with the plant to convert the greenhouses from growing flowers to growing food,” said Mr. Townsend.
“Mr. Townsend, I will schedule a meeting with you and Mrs. Willow to discuss this further. Sir James will schedule a meeting with you,” said Princess Abigail.
“Of course, Princess Abigail. Please have a great day,” said Mr. Townsend.
After Mr. Townsend left, Sir James asked, “Princess Abigail, will Mr. Townsend be punished for this?”.
“No, and neither will Mrs. Willows. They were concerned due to the food shortage. However, we need to help them improve their plan. Can you also invite Duke Amara for the meeting?” said Princess Abigail.
“Of course, your highness” said Sir James. Soon, after, Sir James left.
Princess Abigail wanted to take a small toured in the garden. However, she felt that it was better to limit her time outside at least until the end of the week. She was afraid that she would feel unwell and not have anyone near her during her walk. Therefore, she spent the rest of her afternoon reading until her brother, Alfonso, came into her room.
“My dear sister, there you are” said Prince Alfonso.
“My dear sweet brother, there you are” said Princess Abigail in the same excited tone as Prince Alfonso.
“You seem to be in good spirits. Well, I came here to distract you and offer you a wonderful opportunity to escape this prison we call the palace” said Prince Alfonso.
“Its hardly a prison but I am willing to escape for a bit. What do you have in mind?” said Princess Abigail.
“A walk to the market!” said Prince Alfonso.
“The market in town?” said Princess Abigail.
“Of course, we haven’t gone to the market in several years.” said Prince Alfonso.
“With good reason. Remember we lost Alex” said Princess Abigail.
“Correction, Alex lost himself. You would think that my older brother would have a better sense of direction and common sense” said Prince Alfonso.
“Fine, fine. You have convince me, let’s go to the market!” said Princess Abigail.
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