Karina said with a calm smile full of measured kindness:
"Hello, Your Highness the Second Prince, I am Princess Karina Vershi. It's a pleasure to meet you."
She smiled at length outwardly, but she was closely watching his reaction, noting even the twitch of his eyebrow or the glint in his eyes.
Prince Damian replied in a low, dry voice despite his politeness:
"Welcome, Miss Vershi."
His tone was as cold as the morning breeze in the palace, and his gray eyes observed her from above, as if weighing his words on a hidden scale.
Inside, he knew this little girl was not just a sweet princess as she appeared...
She stepped forward with steady footsteps:
"Your Highness, I would like to talk with you a little."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, as no one had ever asked for his time so directly, especially a young girl like her. But he sighed lightly and nodded in agreement.
She pointed to a quiet corner in the garden, surrounded by jasmine flowers and gleaming white marble. They sat together on a stone bench, the sunset rays slipping through the leaves, coloring the scene with a soft warmth.
Karina took a deep, quiet breath, trying to curb her nervousness.
"If he refuses... I'll lose my only chance."
She tapped her fingers on the bench and said with a small, forced smile:
"Your Highness... I want to get to know you. I am alone here, without friends. Could you be my friend?"
A short silence followed. A trace of annoyance appeared on Damian's face.
He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and whispered in a tone no one could hear:
"You liar..." he muttered, then lifted his eyes toward her with a faint sarcasm, "Do you think I don't know you already have friends?"
He then spoke coldly but in a quiet voice:
"Friendships are not summoned by request."
Rina glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then slowly turned and said in a childlike, challenging tone:
"In my dictionary... they do come by request."
Damian chuckled softly, tilting his head lightly toward her:
"And I do not follow a princess's dictionary."
Karina frowned and stood suddenly:
"If you continue like this, I'll tell my father and say—"
He interrupted her, stepping forward quickly, extending his hand to her with a warm smile this time:
"I accept that. No need for you to go and tell your father... because I never intended to refuse in the first place."
Her eyes widened with joy, then she smiled sincerely, placing her small hand in his.
"Then, Your Highness, just call me Karina, no need for titles."
He nodded immediately, his voice lowering as if trying the name for the first time:
"And you too, Karina... call me Damian."
At that moment, a gentle silence settled between them, each exchanging brief shy glances.
Karina laughed first, and Damian smiled and chuckled softly.
Then she suddenly remembered something, took a small silver necklace from her dress pocket, and placed it in his hand.
"This... is a pledge of friendship."
Damian gazed at the necklace for a long moment, then lifted his head toward her with warmer eyes than before, nodding in agreement.
---
A maid entered the garden quietly:
"Your Highness, it's time for you to return to the palace."
Karina stood smiling and waved to Damian:
"Goodbye, my new friend."
She left with light steps, her heart beating with a small victory.
"I did it... I've taken the first step in my plan."
---
Later in her room
She closed the door behind her, sat at her small desk, and opened her secret notebook.
She began writing with her golden pen in a neat, quick script:
> "Today, I succeeded in breaking Prince Damian's wall. I will make him trust me... then I will use that trust to achieve my goal... and help him too."
She pondered the words a moment, then closed the notebook quietly.
She felt that the game had just begun.
But a light knock on the door made her pause.
"Who is it?"
No one answered at first, then the door opened slowly, revealing her father on the threshold with an unusually serious face.
"Rina, I want to talk to you."
His dry voice hit the silence of the room like a slap. Her breath quickened slightly.
"Yes... Father?"
He entered calmly, speaking in a steady tone:
"Tomorrow I will go to the Senate. There are critical decisions to be made. I want you to be cautious, and your grandmother will arrive from Japan tomorrow. Receive her well."
"Understood, Father. But... when will you return? And when will grandmother arrive?"
"I will return in four hours, and your grandmother will arrive after dawn."
She nodded quietly, feeling reassured. The grandmother's presence meant safety... especially from that woman—Aunt Elena.
---
The next morning
Karina wore her green dress embroidered with golden threads, a gift from her grandmother.
She felt that the day would not pass quietly.
She went to the garden to welcome her grandmother, a mischievous smile on her face.
Finally, the grandmother arrived, and the hall was filled with servants and guards.
Karina ran toward her with childlike excitement:
"Grandmother! I missed you!"
The grandmother hugged her and laughed softly:
"My goodness, how you've grown, my beautiful granddaughter!"
But behind that warm moment, Elena watched the scene with a fake smile.
"Welcome, Madam. The palace has thrived in your presence."
Rina muttered to herself: Thrived? More like suffocated with you here.
---
But she knew Aunt Elena's plan well...
She would serve a special dish she prepared herself to the grandmother, to appear kind and perfect in front of everyone.
"Not this time," Rina thought, sneaking toward her room to retrieve a small vial containing a harmless substance that caused violent coughing, forcing the consumer to spit out their food immediately.
She headed to the kitchen lightly, added a little to the grandmother's dish, then left quickly with a sly smile.
---
At dinner
The grandmother refused to start without her son:
"I'll wait for Theobald to arrive. I don't like to begin without him."
But Elena insisted with a forced smile:
"But the soup will get cold, Madam. I made it myself for you."
The grandmother took the first bite… and suddenly began coughing violently!
She spat out the food, gasping:
"What is this? It's like I swallowed coals!"
Elena's face froze, and she screamed in panic:
"Impossible! I made it with my own hands!"
At the same moment, Theobald entered the dining hall, his face grim:
"What is happening here?!"
Rina ran to her grandmother, crying crocodile tears:
"Grandmother! Are you okay?! It seemed like she poisoned you!"
The crocodile tears turned into real ones this time; she hadn't expected such a strong reaction.
"What did you put in the food?!" shouted the Duke at Elena.
The woman panicked and trembled, while Rina whispered in a quivering voice:
"I saw Aunt put a white powder in the dish..." she said, clinging to her father.
The Duke's face reddened with anger and concern for his mother's safety:
"Elena! Get out of here immediately!"
She panicked, tears streaming: "I am innocent!"
But no one listened.
Karina stood there, looking at her with a cold victorious gaze:
"I won this round, Auntie."
Her grandmother was taken to her room and a doctor was summoned to check her condition, while Elena was temporarily confined to her room until it was confirmed whether she was innocent or not.
---
When Rina went up to her room after dinner, she closed the door and let out a short stifled laugh.
"Your game is over... and mine begins."
Then she stretched on her bed, staring at the dark ceiling, whispering to herself with a sly smile:
"Now… the real war begins."
...
The day passed with strange calm, as if the universe had granted a temporary truce before chaos returned.
Everything seemed unusually still, even the air was lighter, and the servants' voices quieter than usual.
Osana woke up early as usual, breathing in the cold morning air streaming from the high palace windows.
Her mornings were always the same: reading a book, sipping Japanese tea, meditating in the garden.
Another day passed… very ordinary. Or so it appeared, before the awaited day began, the day when she, her grandmother, and Sina would go out for a stroll in the duchy.
Karina heard her grandmother calling her from afar, in her gentle voice that always brought reassurance:
"Karina… come here, my little one!"
I jumped from my spot quickly, hair flying around me as I ran down the long corridor toward her.
"We want to go out later to walk and feed the people... we want to make something special today… right?"
My smile widened instantly, and my eyes shone with pure childlike joy.
"Pancakes!!! We can make pancakes, Grandma!"
Osana laughed softly and nodded in agreement:
"Since when do you make pancakes?"
I paused, remembering… that distant morning when she held my small hand to teach me how to flip the dough without burning it.
I laughed as I replied:
"Oh… you taught me, then I did it alone later."
I remembered my first failed attempts: pancakes in strange shapes—squares, rectangles, and others with no discernible form, more like experimental art than food.
Grandmother laughed lightly, imagining the scene:
"And did you make anyone taste them?"
I answered laughing:
"Yes! I made my uncle taste one… he said it was delicious… then claimed he was poisoned!"
Grandmother burst out laughing, a clear laughter filling the kitchen with warmth and happiness, and Rina joined in, her eyes watering with laughter.
Those simple moments were enough to make their morning perfect.
But behind that serenity, there was something else… a little secret Osana did not know.
The pancakes Rina had prepared last night were part of a careful plan.
The goal wasn't harmful, but a small step in a silent war within the palace walls.
What the grandmother didn't know was that Sina—the mischievous aunt—had also prepared her own pancakes.
But they were not pancakes of kindness or love; she had laced them with a sedative for Rina to later give to the poor,
then blamed Elena to appear merciless in front of everyone.
"This time, I won't let her trick go unanswered," I thought, looking at the cooled pancakes before me.
My grandmother's voice rang out:
"Children, come on! Are you ready?"
I jumped up enthusiastically and said while adjusting my dress:
"Yes! Yes, I'm totally ready!"
---
The streets of the duchy were clean, adorned with flowers dangling from balconies, and the vendors' voices blended with birdsong.
Every corner pulsed with life, and people bowed deeply in respect to grandmother.
Even in the poor districts, everything was orderly and bright.
The fresh air kissed their faces, and the green fields stretched like an emerald carpet under a clear sky.
They walked slowly, grandmother waving to the children and distributing pieces of bread, while Karina and Sina carried baskets behind her.
The scent of bread and pancakes mixed with the smell of rain-soaked earth, filling our chests with a strange exhilaration of joy.
Suddenly… Rina stopped.
The air in her chest froze for a moment, and she felt time itself slow down.
She saw him—the face Rina had longed for with all her being.
It was Ron.