There was no reason for Princess Isabella to be near that not royal advisor since she had no obligation towards her, and there were other matters for the princess to attend. Something she had managed to do whenever she had the chance. Today wasn’t any different when she had escaped the castle to go to the orange gardens spread far and wide.

The gardens were as significant to Naja as was breathing and something which gave the Kingdom its name. The Kingdom of Naranjas. Even when she had seen and been around the citrus fruit all of her life, Isabella never disliked it, as compared to her brother, who detested their very existence.

Isabella smiled to herself as she successfully snuck out of the gardens through a small passage she had created for this exact purpose. The passage within the stone wall was small and covered with unruly vines which were the perfect disguise for prying eyes.  She had been using the passage since she was a young child, running away from the castle to explore the world outside of it. Certainly, the world offered her more than the castle ever did.  

Her parents usually never paid her attention, except for her father. But even he could not say or do anything in front of the Queen or what she wanted. Isabella was also well aware of her father’s submissive nature, and despite disliking her own mother, Isabella knew that she was just like her.

Arrogant, domineering, and stubborn.

But she was also one thing which Isabella never admitted to.

She was not a puppet to be controlled. Especially not by her own mother.

As Isabella smirked in pride, once again, for her successful escape from the gardens without being detected – she found herself running straight into a few patrolling guards. “Apologies, miss.” The blonde pulled on the hood further as she shook her head and sidestepped the three guards. But as she walked away, she was unfortunate enough to arouse the guards’ interest. “Halt right there, miss!”

Isabella stopped even when everything in her screamed to run away immediately. “Did you visit the gardens just now?” One of the guards asked as Isabella turned around slowly, hiding the obvious basket in her hands behind her body. Before she could reply in the negative, another spoke up. “There was some woman who stole a basket full of oranges from there.”

At that moment, Isabella’s eyes drifted over to one of the patrol guards prying eyes. “I don’t know about that.” She cursed herself in her head when her words went to deaf ears and the guards’ attention trailed to the basket. “It wasn’t me!”

Of course, that was going to convince them!

“Can you take off your hood, miss?”

One of the guards pointed at her covered head, and the panic rose immediately inside of Isabella, who had never faced such a situation. She had never been caught before either, which was why she didn’t know what to do. Well, other than to try to run away.

But her next move was as predictable as her thoughts since her arm was immediately held onto by a heavy hand. “Ouch!” Isabella gasped as the basket left her grasp and fell to the ground, spreading the fruits onto the street. “You are the thief!”

The blonde princess rolled her eyes as she congratulated the guards for realizing the obvious but then she began to struggle in the brutal hold on her arm.

“We’re going to have to take you with us.”

Isabella felt the dread rush to her as the thought of her own mother entered her mind. She would be so disappointed in her if this were to reach her ears, but that was something she could deal with later. First, she had to let herself out of the guards’ hold.

“Unhand her!” Isabella frowned when a foreign voice trailed over to her and the three guards. Her eyes were quick to find a figure rushing over to them and pulling Isabella’s wrist out of the guard’s grasp. Isabella’s savior was a familiar person, and she recognized her as one of the advisors. The one who she had just met at the gardens at that too. She thanked her stars for bringing her a familiar face who would get her out of this situation quietly and properly. But what the blonde princess didn’t expect was to get the exact opposite.

“She’s the princess!”

The announcement was loud and out of the blue but just hearing it had the three patrol guards immediately bowing in respect. By now, the entire street was aware of the princess’ presence, and everyone was quick to follow suit with the guards.

“Greetings to the princess!”

Of course, aside from the advisor who had announced the princess’ identity. Isabella looked around at how everyone had seen her being apprehended as a thief just moments before and now they all knew she was the princess.

The situation had turned worse as Isabella scowled at the advisor, who had disappeared suddenly. Looking down, Isabella found the woman picking up the oranges which had spilled out of the basket.

The princess was livid since she didn’t want the attention she was getting now, even when everyone was still bowing. Taking the hood off her head in anger, Isabella tried to control her rage, which was oddly unnoticed by the other woman. “Your basket, your Highness.”

Isabella scoffed as she looked at the advisor. “Did you follow me?”

That was a strange question since the advisor had clearly found the princess through her own efforts. Isabella had just disappeared into thin air which had led the other woman to find some help. The guards were quicker in finding her than she ever could.

“No, I asked the guards to find you. Well, the gardeners asked the guards since you stole from them. Yes.” Isabella clenched her hands into fists as she pushed the basket of oranges into the other woman, refusing to take it from her. “I-I paid for them for you.”

There was nothing else that the princess could do since she was in the presence of so many people. The advisor was also a dense woman from the looks of it since she couldn’t tell how angered she was at the moment.

Turning herself around, Isabella simply walked off. All her hopes of keeping this matter silent had been pushed off a high cliff, with rocks beneath it, and a barren land where no one could ever return from. Isabella was going to get an earful from her mother now, and it was all the not royal advisor’s fault!

And Isabella wasn’t wrong in her deduction.

..............