The midwife couldn't believe that a king wouldn't think about his daughter's name or even spare a glance for his late wife on her deathbed. The proud and victorious image of Draco Roseland hid the distant and apathetic nature he had for his family.
However, she held her tongue. She could see the king was in an extremely awful mood. Did he feel upset because of his wife's passing? Or was it a disappointment because he got a daughter instead of a son?
Whatever that was, the midwife knew better than to provoke the king's anger. She only lowered her head and bowed down once again. "It's such a beautiful name, Your Majesty."
"Since your purpose has now been finished, you will be compensated well," King Draco said and looked at the midwife seriously. "There will be no need for you to share whatever it is that happened today."
"Your Majesty…" the midwife said.
"Leave." King Draco's voice boomed across the entire hall.
***
A young girl lived inside a tower and was mostly separated from the rest of the castle. She glanced down the window and saw the beautiful green grass that rested outside along with trees and beautiful creatures.
There was a deep sense of longing written all over her face. She was so jealous of the birds that flew freely in the air. However, she forced herself to look away and instead ran up to the person she knew who could answer her questions.
"Leia… how does grass feel?" Little Rowena looked up innocently at the much older woman, one of her two nannies who had been raising her since she was a baby. "They're like little blades based on their shape, but they're not sharp, right?"
The maid tried to hold back the look of sorrow on her face and instead smiled kindly. "They are not sharp, Your Highness. Actually, cows and horses and other animals graze on them."
Little Rowena's eyes widened and she grinned happily. "Those animals are in my picture book! Let me show you, Leia."
Most of the people in King Draco's castle didn't want to be tasked with taking care of Princess Rowena. It was clear that the king did not have any love for his daughter or cared about her presence at all.
There was no reward or honor in serving a young girl who was unwanted by even her own father. There were no teachers who instructed the young child and the nannies took it upon themselves to help her.
However, their capacity was very limited. No low-born women were educated enough to provide education for a princess. They could only teach her the simple things they knew.
They could share with her that the grass smelled nice. Fish lived in the rivers. There were three types of roses in the garden, and so on.
"See here," Little Rowena chirped happily. "It's a cow and his family."
The young child opened up a small book. There were lots of beautiful drawings available and she saw the cows being taken care of by a farmer. It was the image of a kind farmer that took care of a cow family that made the young girl slow down.
She slowly touched the artwork and felt extremely lonely.
"Can you show me the pictures, Your Highness?" Her nanny approached the young girl that sat on the cold stone floor. "Also, please sit down on your bed, Princess."
"Where is my father?" the small child asked.
The nanny was suddenly taken aback by the sudden question. Hesitation appeared on her face before she firmly said. "Your Highness, your father is quite a busy man. That is why you are with me."
"But…" The young girl looked down on the floor sadly.
"Do you know how important your father is, Your Highness?" Leia didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings by revealing the truth. So, she chose to tell Rowena a white lie to keep her happy. It was something mixed in with the truth.
Little Rowena shook her head. "No. But even this farmer's home is nearby right? So why can't my father come here and visit me?"
"Your father is quite a powerful knight, don't you know?" Leia said.
"I thought he was a king?" the young girl frowned.
"He is both a king and a knight," Leia corrected her words. She told the princess a story about the powerful and formidable King Draco. "Your father was originally a knight that saved this kingdom from dangerous dragons. These powerful creatures once sought to destroy this land."
"Dragons?" Rowena's eyes bulged.
"Yes, the most powerful among these dragons have the ability to think like humans and want to enslave us." The nanny replied. "Fortunately, His Majesty King Draco was fierce, powerful, and skilled enough to put an end to their tyranny."
"My father is amazing!" Rowena's eyes sparkled. "Is he still busy fighting dragons?"
The nanny smiled sadly. "… Well, your father is still busy and preoccupied with a lot of matters. You see, while your father is good with a sword, I'm afraid when it comes to managing a kingdom and his…"
Rowena looked curiously at her.
"His servants…" Leia swallowed back the word 'daughter'. "He needs to put in a lot of effort and that is why he cannot come here and see you."
"Not even once?" The young girl's eyes welled up with tears.
"When you are a bit older, Your Highness." Rowena's nanny said. "I am sure that His Majesty will come and see you."
Before the young child said anything, they were suddenly disturbed by an urgent knock on the door. The nanny stood up warily and approached the door. When she opened it, there was a male servant waiting.
"Today is His Majesty's thirtieth birthday," the servant said. He eyed the grubby looking Rowena and added sternly. "Please prepare your ward for the celebration and bring her there."
The nanny's eyes widened but she quickly bobbed her head. When she turned to look at the little girl, Rowena wore a big smile on her face. With her cute little voice, she asked the nanny, "Will I finally meet my father today?"
"Yes, Your Highness." Leia nodded happily.. "You will."
