<h4>Chapter 69: Breakfast with Emmah.</h4>


    The following day, Sigrid managed to wake up on time and joined Rnd for breakfast at eight in the morning, no surprise, Emmah was at the table before she arrived, telling Rnd about her potential new business.


    "Good morning your highness." The servants and all knights greeted.


    Sigrid responded softly as she took a seat in her usual chair, not even two seconds before she could settle in, Rnd moved from where he was and sat down next her. It left Emmah feeling very unhappy as he had been sitting next to her and now she was alone, all the way alienated from the couple.


    "Sigrid." she said with a forced cheerfulness in her voice."Good morning, I did not think that you would be joining us for breakfast, you seem to wake upte. I guess it’s because you grew up pampered as a nobledy so you have never needed to wake up at cock’s crow." She looked at Rnd and smiled. "Rnd and I are alike in so many ways, we are both early risers and we..."


    Sigrid droned her out and raised her eyebrows at Rnd, her face was saying, "Do you see what I mean?


    Rnd clenched his jaw, he could read the double meaning beneath Emmah’s words. By calling Sigrid ate riser and pampered nobledy she was inferring that she waszy. He had been given an update on everything that his wife had been up to in his absence andzy was not the right word to define her.


    Sigrid tilted her head, "Handle it or I will." she muttered.


    He drew in a breath and looked at Emmah. "Miss Emmah, you should address my wife and I by our titles, it’s only two words, I do not believe that it is troublesome for you to pronounce them."


    Emmah’s face fell, she put her hands down and clenched them tightly on her dress. The halo on head buzzed and a fierce glowing light dashed out, shooting into Rnd’s head.


    It did not make it however, it bounced back as if it had met a barrier and then disseminated into nothing. A few strings still made it through the invisible barrier.


    "Your highness, crown prince." Emmah said stiffly, she covered her mouth and started to cough.


    It started off slow and then intensified, more blood than what usually escaped her mouth when she coughed spurted out, falling on the table and all over the bread and fruits.


    "Kingsley, send for the doctor." Rnd bellowed.


    He got on his feet and hurried to check on Emmah that was clutching at her chest as if she was having a heart attack. Sigrid stayed in her chair, looking on in amazement, it was if Emmah could flip a switch and instantly be ill. She had been rosy but now her face was paler than snow, her lips had turned blueish and she was trembling as if she had juste inside to escape a snow storm.


    "System, how loyal is Rnd to her and to me?" she asked, curiously.


    The figures would determine her next move.


    "Host, loyalty to you is fifty one and to Emmah forty nine. If you had not consummated your marriage, you would still be at two percent."


    Her mind dwelled on that forty nine as she watched her husband carry Emmah out of the dining room, racing as if she was already at death’s door. Five knights were on his heels, running as well just because their prince was running.


    "Lanai, tell the kitchen to give me my breakfast." she ordered calmly. "Bring it outside, I cannot eat with the stench of this fake blood."


    She walked out of the house and found her way to the best part of The Vale, the orange orchid garden andke house whose construction she had seen to in Rnd’s absence.


    The fragrant orange orchid was vast and vibrant, the oranges were in full bloom and some servants were picking them for sale. Sigrid nned to clear them out within two weeks, denying Emmah the opportunity to use them.


    By the time she was done pretending to be ill, the oranges would be gone, as would Lord Vanger’s buildings. She walked away from the orange orchid and rode a horse to theke on the estate,ke Serenade.


    It was a man madeke, she had used magic to overturn the ground and create it. It was surrounded by tall whispering trees that provided shade and a sense of seclusion.


    Perched on the edge of theke was a woodenke house with a veryrge porch. The sides were lush with grass and the middle was paved with sand, as if it was a beach. On the sand were some round tables and chairs covered by umbre stands.


    It was a great ce for rxing, and also the reason why many people were angling for invitations to The Vale after hearing about how beautiful, unique and peaceful the environment was.


    Three dogs barked and run towards Sigrid when she arrived, she squatted down and interacted with them for a while. Two were big, one was small, white and fluffy the kind that Rnd liked.


    "Brolin, has my husband met the dogs?" she turned around as asked.


    "Not yet, your highness. The crown prince has not yet had the opportunity toe this far since his return.


    She frowned, she had been under the impression that Rnd would be all over Cinnamon, the little white dog.


    "Why is that? Has nobody told him about the dogs yet?"


    Brolin looked at the two knights behind him, they shook they heads. He had to find out from them because he was always with Sigrid so he had to find out about the affairs of the crown ce and the Vale from others.


    "I do not believe that he has been informed." He answered.


    "Make sure that he finds out before the night ends." Sigrid instructed.


    She stopped by the closest chairs to theke and sat down, immediately, one maid covered Sigrid’s legs with a nket and another ced a cloak over her shoulders.


    Two cleaned the table while the knights brought the dog beds over for the dogs toy down next to her. Breakfast was served immediately.


    It was a cup of coffee, a bowl of oatmeal sweetened with honey and garnished with nuts, sausages, bread, orange jam, butter and some crumpets.


    Breakfast was always a bit heavy for Sigrid because she often skipped lunch when she was working.


    Brolin instructed the servants and knights to step away and give Sigrid some space so that he could start a private conversation.


    "How did it gost night?" she asked.


    "He got the message, we made sure to repeat exactly what you told us to say. If you want to strike while the iron is hot, then I suggest that you acquire the buildings today. However, you cannot buy every building and shop in the city, what do you intend to do in the long run?" Brolin put his hands together and watched Sigrid cautiously.


    She raised her eyes and wrinkled her nose, "I don’t have a n yet, what do you suggest I do?"