The King's Mistress

Chapter 55: And The Winner Is...

The princess looked confident, Ida thought to herself. Deciding to put her faith in Sierra, she did not question any further. After trimming the stalks and thorns from some of the plants she had picked, Sierra chose a vase and began arranging the flowers.

Moments later, she noticed some maids dashing into the competition area with unusual items in their hands. Some of them were holding pieces of jewelry, others had exquisite vases in their hands.

"Is external help allowed, Ida?" Sierra asked as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"The Queen does not seem to mind," Ida replied as she glanced over, "Would you like me to get something for you as well?"

"No need."

There was nothing of great value that Sierra owned that would help anyways. As she continued to focus on her floral arrangement, she glanced over to see what the other princesses were doing. She could not help but chuckled as she watched some of them drape their vases in jewels and gemstones.

Another used what could only be an antique vase with intricate carving and patterns all over it. When Sierra saw it, she could not help but chuckle. She doubted that was a vase. In fact, she was quite certain it was a chamber pot.

Time passed quickly for the princesses. With the ring of a silver handbell, the competition drew to a close. All the princesses stepped away from the table to admire their handiwork.

A small number of princesses did not even lift a finger. They had their maids and servants do it for them instead. Everything that was done was observed by the Queen and Miss Marionne, nothing escaped their eyes.

"Great work everyone, you may leave your table and follow Miss Marionne. We have provided some tea and snacks for everyone to enjoy," Queen Roxine declared after clapping her hands together.

A short distance away, an outdoor garden tea party was set up for them. All the princesses gasp with delight at the spread on the table, along with the floral decor all around. It was a long table with ten individual seats for each princess. Everyone quickly sat down as servants served them hot tea.

Back at the competition grounds, King Alistair entered with his personal guards in tow. As soon as Queen Roxine saw him, she greeted him with a curtsy.

"Are you ready to judge the floral arrangements, My King?" she asked as she hooked his arm with hers and guided him to the first table.

"Ready as I will ever be," he sighed in a little boredom.

If he could choose, he would not be here. But his Queen had kindly asked and even threw in an incentive to sweeten the deal. He had no reason to refuse. Remembering how serious Sierra looked while she was picking flowers, it brought a smile to his face.

"You look like a boy who’s met the garden fairy for the first time," Roxine commented as she held up her lace fan to cover her face as she grinned.

Alistair did not even blush. The smile he had moments ago vanished into thin air. He simply narrowed his eyes and glanced at her menacingly.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," he replied, almost sounding offended.

"I’m not blind, Alistair. And besides, I have eyes everywhere," Roxine chuckled.

Alistair leaned in and whispered in her ear, "And so do I."

Both of them exchanged a glance before bursting out into laughter. As they observed and admired each floral arrangement together, Alistair wondered which one was Sierra’s. He tried to recall the flowers she had picked, hoping it would give him a clue.

Lucky for him, Sierra had picked one of the flowers that no other princess had used. It was an unusual option too. Most of the other princesses had gone with more vibrant floral arrangements.

Shades of red, yellow, and orange were popular options. Yet Sierra had chosen to go with white and green. The white petaled flowers contrasted well against the forest green plants she had chosen for the backdrop of her floral arrangement.

Sierra’s floral arrangement was the last one the King and Queen stopped to admire. Alistair inhaled deeply, before releasing a steady stream of air from his lungs. There was an undeniable smile on his face. Out of all the others, Sierra’s was the most relaxing and pleasing to the eyes to look at.

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"I think we have a winner."

"The winner of the Flower Arrangement Contest is... Myra!" Miss Marionne announced shortly after.

Everyone clapped their hands as Myra shot up from her seat, shocked that she had won. It was clear that many of the other princesses were upset and jealous. There were even whispers and grumbles that claimed the results were unfair.

Despite that, no one dared to raise any questions. After all, it was the King who decided the winner of the contest. None of the princesses would even dare dream of protesting his decision. Princess Cassandra was biting her lip. She had her arms folded as she shot Myra a death glare.

Sierra was one of the only princesses who genuinely congratulated Myra on her win. She was still in disbelief.

"I can’t believe it! I won?" Myra asked Sierra, still unable to accept it.

"Yes, Myra! Congratulations," Sierra congratulated her genuinely.

She was extremely happy for her. But there was a part of her that felt different. A part of her even felt a little jealous. Sierra shook that feeling off. Her friend had won and she was happy for her.

There was nothing more to it.

Or at least, that was what she told herself.

"What do you think the prize is going to be, Sierra?" Myra asked her friend nervously.

The Queen did not give any more clues on what it might be, but every princess had their own speculations. Most of the guesses had something to do with the King. Sierra shared the same sentiments too. If he was the judge of the contest, surely he would be a part of the prize too.

All Myra had been instructed to do was to dress elegantly and wait for instructions that very same night.