Just as she got ready to keep reading she heard a voice, "Isabella!"

Isabella recognized the voice as her best friend Hazel's, daughter of Iris. She was the only woman at court Isabella considered a friend. She never made any grand gestures and behaved in overly formal ways; Isabella could be herself around Hazel.

She palmed the book and made a mental note to read it as soon as she had some free time; she wanted to see what became of Micah and the Pauper Queen. As she followed the sound of Hazel's voice, she glanced up and swore under her breath when she noticed the time.

"Bella look at you still in your training gear! Didn't Momma tell you the Baldwins were visiting? Your father is greeting them as we speak. I'm sure a certain someone can't wait to see you." Hazel joked.

Isabella just rolled her eyes and hurried into her room quickly stripping out of her gear while Hazel assisted her. She stopped abruptly when she saw the gown laying on the bed.

"Hazel I am not wearing this to a dinner with the Baldwins." Isabella said stubbornly.

"Why not? Don't you want to impress Trent?" Hazel huffed while turning to fix her perfectly styled hair in the mirror.

"Hazel you know I have no interest in impressing Trent in any way."

Hazel was forever trying to dress Isabella as dramatically as possible. Upon second glance, she mentally admitted that it was not the worst gown Hazel had ever chosen. It was full bodied, designed to accentuate Isabella's soft feminine curves. It was a light blue gown with white lace at the hem and matching gloves. She put the pretty gown away and pulled out a plain light brown gown.

"Bella, come on! Anything thing but that one. Are you trying to scare the man away?" Hazel complained.

"Yes, in fact, that is exactly what I plan to do and here I was, trying to be subtle."

"Ha! You? Subtle? You're about as subtle as an angry mule in a very quite room. Remember when Sir Roger asked you to dance at your coming of age ball and you stomped on his foot twice and kicked him in the shin?" She said as she tried to tame Isabella's unruly brown curls.

"What?! He was highly improper! He saw me turn down the fifteen men who asked before him."

"Still, you could have just let him down gently. He was being entirely chivalrous." She replied as she put Isabella's hair into a tight French bun.

"Yes, but I saw the golden coins flash within his eyes every time he laid those beady eyes on my person. Lord, his eyes put frogs to shame. It would be nice to find a guy who looks past my title and just at me. Like, he's a total stranger to me and me to him and the bond just grows from there. Like Mom and Daddy..." Isabella whispered wistfully talking more to herself than Hazel.

Hazel shook her head and took a moment to study her friend. She thought the gown not too extravagant but pretty nevertheless. Isabella unknowingly choose a dress that accented her fair features. The light brown brought out the brown highlights in her hair and her tannish skin that was so uncommon in Gardia. On King William, people thought it mystifying, but on Isabella, people thought it strange. Her uniqueness was what Hazel admired most about her and she believed Gardia would be a much better place with Isabella as its ruler.

As the two women arrived to the dining room, Isabella noticed her father already deep into conversation with the Sir Baldwin and from the looks of it, they were discussing one thing; Jaria.