Raised From The Wild-Chapter 49: An Interesting Girl

"Hey, buddy!" Dave approached Marx, with an amused look. "Just when did you like to eat ice cream?" He glanced at Amaya who was trying to lick the ice cream that started to melt faster.

He watched her with interest and some images came into his mind. Marx was not happy to see the look on his friend’s face.

"Don’t even think about it!" His icy voice caused Dave to pull his gaze away from Amaya.

Dave chuckled. "She is an interesting girl. Aren’t you going to introduce her to me?"

"Aya, this is my friend Dave. He owns this zoo that’s why I was able to temporarily house your pets here."

Amaya stuffed the rest of the ice cream into her mouth. Yohan’s nanny passed her a pack of wet tissue which she happily accepted. She cleaned her mouth and her hands but one corner of her mouth still has a pink stain.

Marx took the wipes from the nanny, pulled one sheet, and wiped Amaya’s mouth.

Amaya smiled at him brightly. "Thank you, Marx." She then turned to Dave. "Nice meeting you Dave. Thank you for allowing my friends to stay here." She said politely.

Dave frowned. "Friends?"

Marx coughed. "She meant the animals."

"I see. Miss Amaya, I saw you interact with your friends earlier. Is it alright if we film you with your ’friends’? I would like to make a documentary about wild animals. This is to educate young children."

Marx was about to reject Dave but Amaya answered quickly.

"Sure. Just tell me when."

Marx can only sigh. "Don’t dare to play tricks on her." He said in a low voice that only Dave can hear. He shivered at how cold the voice was.

He smiled meaningfully. "How can I play tricks on the woman whom my friend fancies? I don’t wish to die you know."

Amaya did not notice the tense atmosphere between the two. She came closer to Marx.

"Marx, I have been preoccupied lately I forgot about the plants I took from Miraga."

"Come, I’ll take you to them." It wasn’t Marx who answered Dave. Dave was a botanist and a zoologist. He was fascinated by plants and animals since she was young hence he took up Botany and Zoology in college.

Dave made a phone call and after a few minutes, two jeep wranglers that can carry up to twelve people stopped in front of them.

Amaya joined Marx and Dave in the first car. The young prince also went with them along with the nanny and a few royal guards. The rest of the guards occupied the second jeep.

The vehicle went through a winding road that led to the mountain located at the back of the zoo. The jeep has no roof and the sides were open so Amaya can clearly see the lush vegetation that they passed. She remembered no Miraga and she was shrouded in melancholy.

Marx noticed her gloomy look. He reached out to hold her hand and squeeze it gently. Amaya tilted her head toward him and gave him a smile. She then looked at the passing scenery and was pleasantly surprised to see colorful wildflowers dotting the side of the road from time to time.

The mountain was not very tall. Midway to the mountaintop, they came into a wide clearing where the surface was flat. They stopped in front of a greenhouse.

The moment the car stopped, Amaya jumped and hurried to the greenhouse. Before she bumped into the glass walls, Marx held her by the hand to restrain her. Amaya looked back at him in confusion.

"This is what we call a greenhouse. The walls are made of glass. It is actually fiberglass." Marx held her hand and led her inside.

"Why are the plants needed to be caged in this greenhouse? Shouldn’t they grow better outside?"

Marx looked at Dave. Growing plants was not his specialty.

"A few of these are plants I did not encounter before. I do not know their growing conditions so I placed them here. Everything here is controlled."

Amaya spent the next thirty minutes explaining the names her father has given the plants, where they were originally found, and how they cultivated them.

They did not stay long in the greenhouse. Amaya told Marx that she wanted to bring with her a few important medicinal plants to the palace. Marx told Dave to have them prepared.

He pulled Amaya outside and brought her under a tree which has a beautiful canopy that blocked the sun.

"I am going back tomorrow to Usturia because there is an urgent matter that I need to attend to." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Amaya looked at him gloomily. She leaned at the trunk of the tree. "You said you will go back in three days, oh, two days. Aren’t we going to the small island to discuss the conditions with the seller?" She asked in an aggrieved tone.

"Let’s go this afternoon. We can send back Yohan first before going there." Marx said awkwardly.

’Is she sad because I am leaving?’ Marx also felt a slight tug in his heart when she saw Amaya’s sad expression.

"I’ll come earlier on the week of your birthday. I still need to bring your tiara that you will wear on that day." Marx tried to cheer the little girl but Amaya still felt downcast. After all, Marx has no experience in coaching a girl.

They sent back Yohan, his nanny, and the royal guards back to Asteria palace. Amaya also instructed Lilia to take care of the plants she brought from the greenhouse. She will ask the crown prince for a place on the palace grounds to cultivate those medicinal plants.

Marx invited Dave to go with them to the little island. He needed him to help and watch over Amaya, especially in legal matters.

It was almost lunchtime when they left Asteria Palace. Amaya was hungry and her stomach growled. She tilted her head and looked out of the car window and happened to see a fast food restaurant with a photo of fried chicken and french fries displayed on the billboard at the front.

"Marx, can we have our lunch there?" She pointed to the fast food restaurant.