21. Princess Davina
Chapter 21
Princess Davina
“Love is shown more in deeds than in words.”
– Saint Ignatius
I wake up to the sound of whispering and cautious footsteps. Blinking my eyes open, I see Juliet, Madeline, and Claire staring at me with anticipation.
“Rise and shine!”
“Good morning,” I reply, feeling somewhat better but still groggy.
Madeline steps forward with a warm smile. “How are you? I hope you’re feeling better, Your Highness.”
“Yes, I’m better,” I say, glancing around the room. “Where is the prince?”
“He left an hour ago, but he plans to be back for lunch.”
Juliet nods in agreement and moves to open the curtains, flooding the room with soft morning light. “We know you need rest, but if you’re feeling up to it, I can help you bathe and get dressed, Your Highness.”
I stand up, feeling a wave of dizziness and realizing I’m wearing a large white shirt that doesn’t belong to me.
“Please, call me Davina,” I insist before pointing a finger to my chest. “Who put this on?”
“I did,” Juliet says with a casual shrug, leading me towards the bathroom.
As she starts running water in the bathtub, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and try not to dwell on how terrible I look.
“We’ll take good care of that pretty face and hair of yours, Your Highness,” she says, noticing the look on my face.
“ Please , just call me Davina.”
“Of course, Your—Davina.” She smiles, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
I settle into the bathtub, the warm water soothing my aching muscles. As Madeline and Claire fuss over me, washing my hair and gently scrubbing my skin, I can’t help but wonder if they realize that I want a friend, not people who think they are obliged to help me because Cole told them to.
“Ah, look what we have here. So good to see you, Princess,” Rafe drawls as I approach the hall, sarcasm dripping from his every word.
“You must be thrilled.”
“Thrilled? That’s one way to put it.” His smirk falters for a moment, his expression betraying a flicker of genuine concern.
I can see his relief in the way his shoulders relax just a fraction, and the way his eyes soften ever so slightly as he holds my gaze.
We walk into the dining room, and I stop in my tracks at the sight of the table completely covered in flowers of every color and size imaginable. It’s as if someone has plucked an entire garden and laid it across the table, creating a chaotic yet breathtaking arrangement.
“What—”
“I know, right?” Rafe sighs. “A bit pretentious, don’t you agree? I told him a bouquet would’ve been enough, but he had to go all out and strip the whole flowerbed.”
“Who did this?” I ask, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it out loud.
He quirks an eyebrow, giving me a look that clearly says I should know better. “Well, it certainly wasn’t me.”
“He got me flowers?” I blink three times, then rub my eyes. “I didn’t ask for flowers,” I add as I step closer to the table, picking up a few to breathe them in. Rafe bursts into laughter, as if I’ve just cracked a joke, and I glance over at him. “Why are you laughing?”
“Did you just say you didn’t ask for them?” He snorts, shaking his head. “Princess, if you ever need to ask for flowers, just find yourself a new man.”
“He isn’t my man.”
“Sure, keep telling yourself that,” he says, the tone of his voice making it clear that he finds the situation more than a little amusing.
I narrow my eyes at him, trying to decipher if he’s genuinely teasing or if there’s something more behind his words. I’m left stunned as the possibility that Cole might see me in a way I hadn’t fully acknowledged begins to sink in.
I glance back at the flowers, their vibrant colors almost mocking me, and I tell myself they aren’t for me.
Maybe Cole just has a thing for flowers.