What happened in the Asoak Garden was the last thing I thought of before I fell asleep and the first thing that came to my mind when I awoke.

I bolted out of bed with a start when I realized the sun has risen past the horizon. The world spun in my vision as the blood pumped to my brain too fast. This morning, I had a class with Amarisa, and I couldn't be late!

Normally, Kesar would wake me up, but now I still hadn't seen her anywhere. Was she still upset? I sighed and tried to brush the sour feeling aside. The other maids prepared my morning bath, which I took in a hurry.

My breakfast was flat rice cakes that tasted sweet like they were dipped in honey. I attacked them as quickly as I could. When I went back to get dressed, I found Kesar there, holding a pile of clothes in her arms.

"Kesar?" I said. "You came back."

The maiden put the clothes down on the dressing table and looked at me with a sweet smile.

"You're getting ready for class, my lady?"

"Y-yes," I said with a stiff nod.

"Then we must hurry." She came forward and pulled me by the hand. "The day won't wait for us. The princess and her Queen Mother might even come early."

I wanted to apologize to Kesar about what happened last night, but she seemed to be preoccupied as she sat me down on a wooden chair in front of a large bronze mirror.

"First and foremost, you have to look presentable," she said. I stared at her through the hazy reflection. Kesar picked up a comb made of buffalo horn and carded it through my messy blonde lock. Then she proceeded to braid it neatly over my right shoulder.

I didn't know what to say. After she finished, she applied a small amount of natural oil on my hair. Its light fragrant scent cloaked me with pleasantness.

"That is a pleasant smell," I said.

"It's the scent of Chankressna, the most prized fragrant plant of our land, my lady," she told me. "A woman is like a flower. She must smell as pleasant as she is pretty."

I felt my cheeks blush. Then I stepped into the finest silk clothes that Kesar brought to me. She helped button my white shirt and roll up my long sleeves to the elbows the way I liked it. I was comfortable in my fitting pair of pants and my freshly polished leather boots. Kesar straightened the collar of my shirt. I stared at her face in silence as she did so.

"Kesar..." I started, "about what happened last night..."

"It's alright, my lady," she said and brought her index finger to my lips. "It was not out of ill-intent. You're not at fault."

"But I'm still sorry," I said, putting my hands on her shoulders to make her look at me. "Kesar, I did hurt you, and I am so sorry."

She shook her head back with a sad smile. Her hands kept brushing gently on the front of my silk shirt. "I beg to differ, my lady. The blame is all mine. I shouldn't have high hope for a place in your heart."

I wanted to tell her there was no such thing as her fault, and I would always have a place for her in my heart, but Kesar quickly turned away again.

"Come now, my lady, we are running late for your morning class," she said.

"Are you coming along?" I asked.

"Of course, I am." Kesar smiled. "I'm one of the music teachers for the princess too."

We walked through a causeway that was built across a moat fed by a large water Baray. A cluster of wooden houses looked more like a small floating village. It rose above the clear water. Maids came to and fro, holding golden paraphernalia.

Once they spotted us, they brought out their glittering sunshades to escort me into the largest wooden building. It was erected high in the middle of the others.

Right after I crossed the threshold of the floating house, my eyes glanced around the place. There were many tall windows along the walls of a hall. A platform was raised like a stage at one end. Two rows of musical instruments hung on the walls with pictures of mythical scenes.

At one corner, I found the palace singers, the Mohoris and Mohoras. Next to them must be the Kennars, the musicians, and the Apsaras, the dancers. They sat among themselves staring back at me. I gave them an awkward smile and a small wave.

I turned to Kesar. "Please, don't tell me this is a drama class."

Then a voice which I recognized by heart spoke from behind a curtained doorway.

"If you wish not to participate, you can leave immediately as you please."

I turned and saw that elegant figure emerging through the door. She brightened the whole world a dawn break. I still marveled at how she was like the spring and morning dew and rushing stream. A wide smile plastered on my face the moment our eyes met again.

"That would be against your mothers' wish, wouldn't it, Your Highness?" I said with a smile.

Amarisa glared back with those mesmerizing eyes.

"We only welcome those who set their hearts upon our art and dance, but for a strange foreigner like yourself, it's wise not to trust your commitment."

"Then I must humbly inform you that my heart's already found where it belongs," I said, putting my hand over my chest before bowing at her.

Amarisa's face reddened. She turned herself away from me and walked over to a golden mat prepared for her. The two of us must have caused quite a scene as everyone in the room seemed so quiet. Even Kesar didn't linger by my side. She bowed away to sit among her fellows.

Amarisa was trying her best to ignore me. It only made me want her attention even more. I walked up and took a seat right next to hers. Our shoulders brushed against each other. I could hear a chorus of gasps in the hall, but Amarisa's was the loudest.

She stared at me in disbelief. I grinned back sweetly. The princess looked like she wanted to push me off my seat but at the same time, she didn't dare to show such aggression toward me in front of everyone.

Amarisa bit her bottom lip and scooted away as far as possible, but I followed her with a smile still lingered on my face. The lovely maiden turned to glare at me with new intensity, but before she could say anything, we heard a distant sound of a horn.

From the view of the window, Queen Jayara was being carried on a red and gold hammock, followed by a handful of palace guards and maids in tow.

Amarisa got up and went over to greet her mother by the door. The Queen got out of her hammock and was led over to the big house. Once she entered, her daughter and everyone else kneeled down to the floor. I bowed at her from where I sat.

Queen Jayara gave me a warm smile before she assumed her place in front of the stage. Amarisa took a seat beside her mother instead. I tried not to show my disappointment.

"I came here to ensure that your first lesson with my dear daughter is at your convenience," the Queen said. "Since you both haven't gotten acquainted yet, I hope you would take this opportunity to tie a friendship bond."

"That's very kind of you, Your Majesty," I said with a bow again. "I also feel that Her Royal Highness and I shall do more than just getting to know each other. We seem to get along much like the paddles of a rowing boat."

Amarisa shot me a burning look.

"I'm pleased that you both are already fast friends. It puts my heart at ease to hear that. Amarisa is a demure darling girl, and I was worried that she might prefer her own company too much," Queen Jayara said and turned to her daughter. "And it seems you have started speaking like one of us! Is that right, my dear?"

"Indeed, mother," she said, but no one could hear a tone of displease in her voice except me. I bit my lips from giggling.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." I smiled back.

"Very well then," Queen Jayara said. "Now let us teach you the knowledge that fine ladies in our kingdom have to acquire."

She motioned to a group of maids. They immediately brought a golden tray of jasmine to us. I stared at the white petals and tools then looked up again.

"Are we supposed to make a flower garland, Your Majesty?" I asked.

The Queen nodded with a smile.

"Before you learn anything, first you must begin with this simple yet delicate task," she said. She picked up a tiny white flower from her tray and a long needle with a red threat attached. "It's not that simple as you think, young Nikita. Jasmine is a symbolic flower of our beautiful land. A garland of jasmine is given only to those you love and honor. It's the offering flowers to the gods who make one's heart as pure as the white flowers."

"But...I have poor handicraft. I might mess it up," I said.

"Oh, worry not, for my dear Amarisa will assist you with the art," Queen Jayara said and looked at the princess. "Go on now, my sweet girl, help our Nikita with her garland."

Amarisa didn't seem so pleased with the request, but she was unable to voice her opinion. The princess merely nodded and went over to sit next to me again. I held back an amused smile as I stared at her adorable blushed face.

She began to show me how to do it, but the whole time I could only focus on her delicate hands. My eyes traced from her slender fingers picking the white buds to her smooth inviting pink cheeks. It took everything I had in me not to lean over and inhale her sweet smell again.

Once in a while, she would catch me staring at her, and she would frown back in disgust. I tried to work on my own garland, but the mere closeness of her body next to mine made my mind swim in a joyful daze.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp sting on my hand.

"Ow!" I yelped, seeing a fat drop of red blood on the tip of my finger.

"Are you alright, dear?" the Queen looked at me with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing, Your Majesty." I shook my head. "I just pricked myself with the needle."

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Amarisa pressed her lips together in amusement. The Queen frowned a little when she saw that.

"That's not kind, Amarisa dear," the Queen said to her with a motherly tone. "This happens all the time. Now would you please inspect her injury and medicate it if need be?"

"Yes, mother." Amarisa bowed and came over to me. It was my turn to hide a smirk from her. I held out my injured hand to the princess eagerly.

Amarisa looked at me with her arching eyebrows furrowed together. Yet she did a bit of looking until she decided to ask one of the maids for a medical kit.

After she got what she needed, Amarisa started tending to my wound with the most gentle touch I'd ever felt. The stinging sensation no longer bothered me as her touch already cured me right to my soul. My heart tingled when she held my hand, and her skin felt like silk.

I kept staring at Amarisa's concentrating face while she was cleaning my bloody puncture and applied a small amount of natural balm to it. Then she bandaged my finger neatly.

I could tell she did everything with genuine care regardless of how much she may dislike me. The thought of her unbiased kindness made me fall for this lovely princess even more.

After we finished, I started my work again with the rest of my good fingers. Gradually, I began to get accustomed to the task and even found myself being absorbed in it.

"By the way, Nikita dear," the Queen spoke again. "I have been curious about you. Is it much of a burden to tell me a little of your beloved parents?"

"Oh, not at all," I said with a shake of my head. "My father is an archaeologist. He is sort of like a miner except he digs up something from the past and learns about its origin."

"Oh, so he's a recorder of time, is that right?" the Queen said, sounding astonished.

"Yes, something like that, Your Majesty," I said.

"What a holy task he performs!" she said. "If he were here with us now, he would be placed alongside our good Hora."

I giggled back, imagining my father meeting the Oracle and how he would react.

"And what about your beloved mother, dear child?"

"Well," I breathed. "My mother passed away when I was very little."

"Oh, poor girl. My deep condolence to you," she said with a saddened face. "I shall pray to the Great Lord asking him to guide her way to heaven."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said. "I believe my mother's last wish would have been to return to her birthplace. Indeed, I must tell you that she was originated from this very kingdom."

Amarisa's face lifted up when she heard that. The Queen's steady eyes widened as they rested on mine.

"My dear child, would you kindly tell me where your mother was from again?"

"My mother was born a native of this land," I said. "She was married to my father, who is from another side of the world, but her bloodline belonged to this place and it still runs through my veins just as thick."

"Oh Lord, have mercy," the Queen breathed, putting her hand to her mouth. "If it is so, this means you are a part of our Naga race!"

"I'm honored to be considered as one of your people, Your Majesty," I said with a bow. "Also there is one thing that keeps my mind unsettled. I'm hesitant whether to confide this thought for I might risk offending you."

"Nikita dear, you must not behave in such a modest way," the Queen said. "Do tell me what thought is troubling you."

"Well, the thing is..." I inhaled and let the air out of my lung again, but my heart started to pound. "The first time I saw you, you reminded me so much of someone. In truth, you bear an uncanny resemblance to my birth mother to a point I couldn't tell you apart from her."

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I felt as if the veil had been lifted from our faces at the same time. The Queen and I held each other's gaze. The only sounds we heard were the water dancing underneath the house and the breeze whizzing through the open windows.

Queen Jayara stared at me with a trance-like look. Then she turned her face away and put her hand to her chest. She went pale and her hands trembled.

"Mother!" Amarisa said and rushed over to aid the Queen. "Are you not well, mother?"

I was also on edge as we watched the Queen shook her head to reassure her daughter.

"I am fine, my dear girl," she said. "Maybe I am tired from the morning prayer. With a short moment of rest, I shall be fine."

"Then we must escort you back to your chamber, mother," the princess said and gave the order to the maids.

"No, you stay here with the holy one," the Queen said. "Carry on with your lesson and worry not of my health."

With the assistance of the palace women, the Queen rose from her seat and exited through the door. The thing that made my heart heavy was how the Queen couldn't bring herself to look at me again before she left.

Deep in the pit of my stomach, I knew Queen Jayarajadevi had sensed something unusual in me. I just didn't know what it was that made her fall into such a distress.