Philophobia || Dreamnotfound

7

Clay's POV

The next morning, Clay walked to where he was supposed to pick Jesse up.

He entered the room, greeted by Jesse's squeals of excitement. Clay's little sister ran from her seat and jumped onto Clay, wrapping her arms around him and giggling.

Clay smiled and Jesse looked up at him, "Clay, where have you been? I haven't seen you in foooreeever!"

"I've been busy, sweetie, y'know? I have lots of stuff to do," Clay replied with a tap on her nose, sending her into a fit of giggles.

Clay wished he spent more time with his little sister. Like him, Jesse wasn't shown much attention by their parents. She was stuck with nannies and tutors all day. She was only five, but she was resilient and full of energy.

Jesse spun in a little circle, watching her bright yellow dress swirl. Her long braid swung in the air and Clay stepped out of the way, going over to talk to his mother.

His mother turned from her conversation with Jesse's tutor and said to Clay, "There you are! Clay, make sure Jesse doesn't get into trouble and embarrass our family, alright?"

"Yes, Mother."

She saw Jesse spinning and laughing from behind Clay and snapped, "Jesse! Settle down, stop acting like a child."

Clay winced and he said, "Mother, she is a child. Let her act like one once and a while."

"She's the princess of this kingdom, therefore, she should behave like it," his mother replied, still scolding Jesse with her glare.

Clay held back a sigh. "Alright. I'll make sure she stays out of trouble. I'll bring her back before dinner."

His mother nodded and resumed her conversation with Jesse's tutor. Clay took Jesse out of the room and they headed to the courtyard.

Jesse grabbed his hand and whispered, "Have you chosen a winner yet?"

"I don't get to choose the winner Jesse, remember? They have to win."

"Oh," Jesse said with a pout, "I was hoping you could choose a pretty princess to be my new mother."

Clay frowned. "You can't say that around Mother, okay? Jesse, I'm sure that whichever princess or prince wins the tournament will be very nice."

"Yay!" Jesse exclaimed, her face breaking into a smile.

Her features were similar to Clay's; dirty blond hair, green eyes, and freckles. If she were Clay's age, the two could probably pass as twins. They inherited their mother's features, whereas Wilbur seemed to inherit more of their father's.

"What are we gonna do today?" Jesse asked, looking around with curiosity.

"Fun things, that's for sure," Clay replied with a grin.

Jesse looked up to Clay, her eyes sparkling. "I always like being with you! You make things fun. Why can't you be my tutor?"

Clay squeezed her hand gently. "I'm not qualified to teach you. Besides, you're learning to be a princess. I'm a prince."

Jesse tilted her head, "And we have different roles, right?"

"For the most part," Clay said with a nod, "but the rules are sometimes changed depending on the king or queen."

Jesse seemed to think about this for a long moment. She asked, "Does Mother or Father plan the balls and dances?"

"They both do. Why do you ask?"