Mai noted Liviana's reaction with interest. [i]Is she...surprised by this? Did she not know of it before?[/i] Mai herself had already been familiar with the story-it was not very hard to find this type of information-but of course she had allowed Fareeha to speak. It would have been horribly rude to interrupt the other princess in the middle of a retelling of what was obviously an experience that had profoundly affected her.  

Then, Liviana voiced her own concerns about Fareeha's snake [i]eating[/i] her sparrows, and Mai felt that horrible, horrible thought come to her mind again.

[i]Oh, goodness gracious. Liviana is absolutely adorable, and if she ever knew that I thought this, she would probably stab my eyes out with one of my own hairpins,[/i] Mai said to herself, mentally shaking her head. [i]I really must refrain from calling her cute or adorable or anything along those lines, even in my head. I'm sure she loathes it when people call her that out loud.[/i]

Mai hoped that Liviana's fears were at least partially assuaged by Fareeha's reassurance. The poor girl seemed nervous enough already. She certainly didn't need to be worrying about the lives of her sparrows!

Then, Fareeha invited Mai to meet her 'second habyeeb'-a hyena named Farih Mushmus (which meant Sunny Joy in English, according to Fareeha). Mai was taken aback, though she was careful not to let it show. [i]Only Fareeha Amari would bring a hyena to a gathering like this,[/i] thought Mai wryly. [i]And her royal mother and father had absolutely no qualms about this? I suppose that shouldn't be so surprising, given that they are the rulers of Mamlakat Alssahra...[/i]

"It would be an honor," Mai answered with a friendly smile. "Oh, goodness. We have so much planned, and I simply cannot wait to get started!" she laughed softly. Mai tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and looked at the other two princesses. "I trust that both of you shall be at the Grand Ball tonight? It will be such fun to meet the others, and I do very much look forward to seeing you there," she said, letting a grin slip onto her face.