"I give my gratitude to all those who attended my daughter's thirteenth birthday tonight." King Draco smiled warmly at his guests and took in the look of adoration and respect. This birthday celebration that was both grand and majestic was created not for Rowena.
Its major purpose for King Draco was the chance to show off his daughter and form stronger ties with his people and other kingdoms.
The young Rowena was so beautiful that even the queens who visited Ashland under King Draco felt inferior and didn't linger around to be with him. It was an unfortunate fact that as women got older, they became more upset and intimidated by younger women.
Even though the young princess was practically still a child, everyone could already how beautiful and graceful she was. They could only imagine how much more beautiful she would become once she grew up into a young woman.
Rowena gathered both envy and jealousy from other women even though she was just thirteen.
King Draco wasn't blind to the fact that Lady Mary Rochester and Lady Elizabeth Marsh were seeking to be the queen by accepting the job of being the princess' nannies. However, the king wanted Rowena to be the one who put them in place.
He was glad of his daughter's development so far. She was perfect in every way. However, King Draco thought Rowena still lacked the same cunning nature and wit that he possessed.
If Rowena was able to properly make those who envied her be intimidated beside her beauty, then King Draco would grow closer to achieving what he truly wanted.
For now, the king was glad that Rowena's beauty made the other women stay away because even though he could have had some use for a political marriage with a woman from another powerful kingdom, King Draco felt like the idea he had several years ago seemed even more possible.
There was only one person he had in mind after all. She was his one and only true love. Even though he had not seen her for fifteen years, the love he had for her burned bigger and brighter every passing day.
He had been so patient all this time. His daughter would be the stepping stone for him to achieve his dreams. Rowena had to do it because King Draco gave her so many opportunities as his child and she would have been nothing without him giving her a chance.
Once everyone was done presenting their presents to the young princess, King Draco was the last one to present his. Compared to the gifts that were given by lords, dukes, and other royalty, his gift would be the best.
"Come here, Rowena." King Draco asked his daughter to come near him.
Rowena approached her father and curtsied properly. She made sure that she was presentable and looked patient. As far as she was concerned, not one hair was out of place. So, she hoped that her father was pleased.
"This is my present to you." King Draco called for one servant to bring in a large item that was covered by drapes and a pretty purple lace ribbon. "It took some time to journey and obtain this, but I think you will like it."
Rowena gently pulled the ribbon and drapes off and suddenly saw flames of fire. The servant was holding a large cage and inside of it was a beautiful fiery bird.
"Oh… it's a phoenix!" Rowena's eyes widened.
Did her father really get this for her?
"Oh my, His Majesty got his daughter a very expensive gift."
"It's so difficult to capture magical beasts."
"Crowns and tiaras pale in comparison to the phoenix."
Everyone immediately talked about the special gift, the best one they had ever seen that now belonged to the princess.
They thought she was the luckiest girl in the world.
If only they knew.
Rowena was still dumbfounded by such a beautiful sight. The bird was the size of a cat and it had thick feathers that seemed surrounded by flames and a really long tail. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life.
She turned to look at the king. "Is this really for me? It's so beautiful."
King Draco smiled at her for the first time and nodded. "Yes. You can name it and keep it with you in your quarter. It is still a baby and can grow to be triple the size."
"Oh…" Rowena pressed her lips. She suddenly felt sorry for the baby phoenix. She didn't know how her father obtained this magical creature, but she could imagine this baby must be taken away from its parents. She looked at the phoenix with a sympathetic gaze. "It's all right. I will take care of you."
Poor phoenix, she thought. Rowena reached out a hand inside the cage and touched the phoenix's back gently. Her soothing voice and gentle expression managed to make the phoenix understand that she didn't want to hurt it.
The phoenix lowered its head and let Rowena pet its back. Everyone was very impressed to see such a beautiful sight. The adorable princess with her amazing phoenix looked like they came straight out of fairy tales.
***
Rowena was thrilled with the phoenix and didn't think that her father would let her take care of one. It was the best gift she had ever received. She took care of the phoenix and named it Lucent.
The phoenix slept in her room and somehow didn't try to run away even after it was released out of the cage. For the first time in her life, Rowena felt like she had a friend.
The princess loved it so much that she grew attached to it at once. What made Lucent become more important to her was the fact that her father, King Draco, made so much effort to give her this wonderful birthday present when he could just give her boring jewelry.
This was the first time that Rowena felt doted upon by her father.
Unfortunately, it was too good to be true.
"If you fail or lag behind your classes, let us see whether or not your beloved bird would like to experience the taste of saltwater," was what her father said casually when he came to check on her studies and saw Lucent perched on the chair beside Rowena.
