Royal Princess: Doted On By The Mafia King

"How do you think mum will react when she finds out I made a design for my teacher?" Rose asked Anna after dinner.

"I don't know but I know she won't be offended. She won't take it seriously after all you are only a freelancer," Anna replied happy that her sister seemed to have forgiven her.

"Really?" Rose asked relieved with Anna's answer.

"Yes and besides she is too busy just do the work she wants you to do and get paid what ever you do outside that is none of her business I suppose," Anna replied sincerely.

Her mother got a little interested in Rose after she won the competition but Valerie have never really cared about what Rose does. It was a painful truth in Rose's ears but it was still the truth after all.

"I will get to work then," Rose told Anna as she headed towards the elevator trying hard not to let her sadness show.

"You shouldn't have said it in the manner you did," Debby said with a tsk as she watched her friend's departing back..

"Oh . . . I . . . Should I apologise? I only wanted her to feel free to do what she wants," Anna murmured with a sad pout of her lower lip. "I don't think she thinks towards that direction."

"I hope so too," Debby said with a sigh. "What fun are we going to have this night? I will call Rose over when we decide."

"Are you really going to sleep here?"

"Yes, I don't want to go home for now until I get into the Royal University. My mother thinks I am not important until I am in university. I will study with you. I heard only geniuses could get into the university so you have to help me out."

"So what did you decide to study?"

"I want to be a plastic surgeon. I will be the first in my family but I will also still be connected to my family's business in some way," Debby replied sadly. "I am not even sure if that is what I really want but if I could make a name for myself, my mother will be proud of me."

"You are a very good daughter," Anna said patting her friend's shoulder and smiled.

"How about this, I still have a long way to go in getting my grades ready for the university. So, could you help me get to that point?"

###

Rose frowned as she sat down in front of the large work desk. That's right, Valerie was nice to her but she never really cared about her. She always cared more for Anna.

She never got jealous because she was not too stupid to try to compete when Anna was adopted more than ten years before she was adopted. Their bond must have been very strong before her arrival and she felt no envy from knowing that and witnessing their close interactions.

It simply did not seem to stop hurting her to remind herself that Valerie was her mother's cousin not her mother. They looked alike so much and she smelt almost like her mother making her miss her mother every time she sees Valerie.

Questions and statements like; we would have been close like this, right? We were always close, mum and I but she is gone now. Will mum still have looked this beautiful even after turning forty? Mum would have been happy if she ever found out I became a fashion designer.

The questions and statements were so much coming into her mind every time she saw Valerie and Anna showcasing their friendly closeness and at times, playfulness.

She sighed and mopped the warm tears that kept slipping out of her eyes, down her cheeks. She was close to visiting Star city and her mother's home town. Her visit to her mother was only few months away.

She should have gone for a competition her teacher introduced her to that was to take place in star city but she found an excuse to give her teacher despite how much she wanted to participate in the competition.

She felt it was too soon to visit her mother. Too soon for her to step on the soil of Star city where her mother's body lay peacefully in the most quiet part of that city.

The truth was that she could have gone long ago but she was too scared to go. She was scared that people might be waiting for her where her mother was buried because that should be the first place she will be expected to visit.

She was so scared but her guilt was eating her up right from the inside that she blamed herself endlessly for leaving her mum sad and lonely.

From what she saw on the internet, since her mother's reputation was ruined, nobody wanted to go close to her grave unlike the way the visited her grandfather's grave.

She was said to be buried with her mother from what she read on the internet. There were some speculations that she was not even the King's daughter and some people strongly believed it.

They made her into a bastard, they made her mum a harlot, they made her mum a traitor and made her a traitor's daughter.

The more she cleaned the tears, the more they flowed from her eyes. "Mum," she cried wrapping her hand around her chest. She hated the feeling of being powerless and weak.

"Shh," a deep musical voice said softly as a pair of strong arms hugged her from behind.

She felt the presence of whoever spoke to her but she liked the feeling she felt from his hug. The scent that came along with his presence was like a nerve calming incense burning slowly.

He hummed softly close to her ear his warm breath making her shiver subconsciously as he pulled her closer into his embrace.

She wanted to scream and warn him not to treat her like a child but she liked the feeling of being treated like a child. That was something she was not privileged to enjoy for long.

She was so young when she lost everything including her memory and she was left alone in this world to survive the jungle of bullying in the orphanage.

It was so cold and lonely but his embrace was warm. His voice was gentle, he was not threatening her life. She could not hold back her years of grievances as she began crying hard turning to rest her face against his firm but soft chest.

"Mum . . . Mum . . . Mum," she repeatedly cried hugging him tightly.

Liam kept his mouth sealed as he hummed very softly patting her back gently.

"She did nothing wrong," Rose continued crying as though there was nothing else in the world. "She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve to be treated in such a way."

A sentence almost slipped out of Liam's lips as he felt both sad and angry to see Rose crying but he bit it back from escaping his lips because he wanted to give her hope with resources to support it.

He had to remain calm until he was sure of what he suspected. It will be bad to give her hope about something so important only to take it away.

Running his hand down her back gently, he said, "I know no one knows but I know the truth. Your mum did nothing bad."

***

"I will check on Rose. I want us three to sleep together in my room," Anna told Debby as she walked to the door of Rose's workroom.