Despite everything that happened last night, Svan couldn't help but be consumed by curiosity regarding his Highness, the prince's behavior, and decisions. Was he not pleased to catch a glimpse of his love? After all, that's what he desired, right? It was what everyone in the world wanted, including Svan himself—to experience the joy of love. That was the sole purpose of his needless trips back and forth to the lake every night, wasn't it?
'Did His Highness not like what he saw?'
'Is the lady unlikable?'
Deep in thought, Svan strolled through the intricately bright hallways of the castle, a hand absentmindedly tucked under his chin. His footsteps echoed in the distance. As he arrived at a particular door, he sighed and shook his head. Understanding His Highness was akin to attempting to dig through an ocean with just a shovel, with the prince at the bottom and Svan struggling at the surface. Maybe the answer he sought was right in front of his eyes. With that thought, Svan knocked on the door and heard a faint "come in," prompting him to enter.
Svan instantly bowed upon entering the room, noticing Michiya seated at a wooden desk piled high with papers. Not once did the prince look up as Svan entered, as Michiya was engrossed in reading and signing documents.
Perhaps this was the answer Svan was searching for, he thought, eyeing Michiya sympathetically.
'The prince prioritizes the kingdom over his love.'
Clearing his throat to dismiss the thought, Svan promptly gained Michiya's attention.
"The Froister Household will be here in a moment; the king has instructed me to bring you to the throne room," Svan stated, waiting for his response.
"Yes, of course, I'll be there," Michiya stood from his seat.
"So... about the lady, Your Highness? Do you perhaps want me to find her or gather information about her?" Svan inquired, hoping for a favorable reply this time.
Michiya let out a weary sigh. "A broken person cannot love, Svan; they will only break what they have. We will not have this discussion again."
"B-but Your Majesty! You'll need to find a queen soon! I understand that royal duties are important, but love is important too! The lady should make you happy and help heal you!" Svan persisted, furrowing his brows.
"You claim love is significant, but is it? Does it feed the kingdom? Does it make our kingdom flourish? Love isn't important, Svan, and it certainly isn't enough to fix everything. You want me to find the love of my life and expect her to heal me? That's... just selfish, Svan. I don't want her to be burdened by my problems," Michiya responded, giving Svan a steely glint.
After that, Svan remained silent throughout the entire walk. He didn't know how to answer or react to Michiya's words. Logically, Michiya's reasoning made sense, but something within Svan told him it was also wrong. He shook his head sadly as he looked at Michiya's back, pain etched on his face.
"Apologies, Your Highness. I may have overstepped my boundaries," Svan finally spoke.
Michiya only glanced at Svan before hastening his pace.
Meanwhile, Celena slumped wearily against the cushions of the carriage. She caught a glimpse of Kale, narrowing his eyes at her, and she sighed. Not only was the fight wearing her down but she was also dressed up for the supposed meeting with the royal family, with her mother to her right and her father in front of her. She sent Kale an innocent smile, hoping to diffuse their fight, but he only scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking away. Thankfully, Kale hadn't said anything to their parents, to which she was grateful.
As they arrived, Celena's eyes were immediately drawn to the elegant castle with its high twin towers, small windows on the sides, and a large balcony adorned with a mosaic pattern of the sun above. The front yard was filled with knights and greenery, exuding an air of extreme luxury. If the outside was this fancy, Celena could only imagine what awaited her within.
'Damn, is this where our taxes go?' Celena speculated inwardly.
Lost in her daydreaming, Kale had to pull her inside the castle, almost causing her to trip on the stairs. She shut her eyes as they entered, met by a blinding light that still shone despite the morning hour. The castle's hallways were adorned with numerous portraits and peculiar depictions of creatures, along with the family insignia. If she were to live here, she would need sunglasses.
Upon reaching the throne room, Kale, and her parents greet the royal family with bows. Not knowing the proper greeting, she remained quiet throughout the introductions, saving herself from potential embarrassment. Kale, scowling once again, had to place a hand behind her head to prompt her to bow to those seated above. As soon As she raised her head, curiosity compelled Celena to scan the individuals on the thrones—a typical king and queen stereotype.
Then her gaze met the mesmerizing gleam of blond eyes, and a sense of familiarity washed over her. Unbeknownst to her, the young man also experienced the same recognition. She had to stifle a gasp, recalling her encounters with the lad, and had to hold a grimace. The source of all her trouble was sitting on the throne beside the Monarch.
She decided to be thoughtful for once, considering that the boy—unaware of her true appearance due to the necklace she wore—didn't recognize her.
'Wait, if he's seated beside the sovereign, he must be a prince!' Celena assumed, glancing to his right, where a boy with red hair tied in a ponytail and black eyes assessed her.
'What about the male lead, though? Where is he? The novel states he was a brunette. If so, the blonde here must be the crowned prince who's bound to die in two years.'
While lost in her little world, playing detective, her family began introducing themselves to the royals. Eventually, it was her turn, and all eyes turned to her, awaiting her introduction.
'But damn, He's looking at us like ants. What an arrogant guy, beauty wasted on a bastard ' She shook her head, clicking her tongue.
"Obnoxious too," Celena thought, narrowing her eyes at him and carelessly blurting out her thoughts.
The room fell into silence upon hearing her words. The guards stationed on the sides were speechless, and fear filled her parents' eyes, anticipating the consequences of her outburst. The queen gasped, covering her mouth. Just as an angered Svan was about to voice his concerns, they all heard a chuckle. Surprisingly, it came from the prince himself. Everyone took a step back, and the guards unsheathed their swords, prompting Michiya to clear his throat and calm them. He rose from his seat and descended the stairs, walking toward her without breaking eye contact.
As Michiya approached, the atmosphere grew colder, and all eyes watched intently as he outstretched his hand, reaching for Celena's face. Her heart raced, and a cold sweat trickled down her spine. Just as she was about to react, Kale stepped forward, shielding her. He frowned at her when she clutched his back, peeking at their interaction.
"Apologies, Your Highness... She didn't mean anything by that, you see..."
"Step aside," Michiya sternly commanded, But Kale persisted.
"I don't like to repeat myself," Michiya narrowed his eyes.
That was enough for Kale to step behind Celena, his expression silently conveying, 'You're on your own.' The two engaged in a tense staring contest, and Celena felt a wave of fear wash over her, her body growing tense with anticipation.
"I am Michiya Kilvester of the Kelvistein Empire. Nice to meet you, Lady...." he said, his voice dripping with charm. With a faint smile, he gently took hold of her hand, which was still clutching her heart, and placed a delicate kiss on her knuckles, his eyes locked onto hers through lowered lashes.
Celena found herself speechless, frozen in place as her face blazed with intense blush. She had never received such treatment before, and it made sense for her to be caught off guard. In her world, boys hardly ever noticed her. As Michiya made the gesture, everyone in the room fell into stunned silence. Even Svan had to rub his eyes, wondering if he saw it correctly. Without wasting any time, Celena swiftly snatched her hand back and quickly hid behind Grace.
Celena was questioning in her mind how the hell he knew her name.
"Mother-in-law, nice to meet you," Michiya continued, employing his honeyed voice as he offered Grace a political smile. The sight left Celena's mother with her jaw-dropping, her hand instinctively covering her mouth in astonishment.
"I...I didn't know we had another sibling married to royalty," Celena whispered, observing Kale, who deadpanned in response.
"We don't," Kale muttered under his breath.
The room fell silent, tension thick in the air. Fill, Celena's father, summoned the courage to step forward, his voice quivering with concern as he casually touched his ear, inspecting his wife and the prince.
"Your Highness, I don't mean to question your decisions, but please think this through," Fill pleaded, his voice filled with panic.
"Thank you for your concern, Father-in-Law, but my mind is clear as day," Michiya retorted, his smirk directed at his parents. His eyes intentionally locked with his father's, narrowing them in a daring challenge.
"I'm going to marry Celena, dear parents of mine," Michiya flatly announced, causing another wave of astonishment to ripple through the crowd.
At this very moment, Celena thought—how the heck she managed to screw up everything.
"Oh, my Helios! Celena! As your mother, I'm so happy for you! I never thought someone would be audacious enough to marry you! If someone were to say you'd be with us until you're a grandma, I'd believe it!" Grace cheerfully exclaimed, grabbing Celena's shoulder.
"Grace dear... I don't know about this," Fill mumbled into his wife's ear, but she brushed it off with a dismissive "shush," leaving Celena staring at her mother in shock.
"Pardon me, Your Highness, But Celena can be, oh, I don't know how to say this...you can't handle her. She's brazen and has a mind that doesn't think things through...She's also rude and a brute," Kale spoke up, his voice hissing as Celena pinched him in annoyance.
"I can handle her, brother-in-law. Thank you for the heads up, though" Michiya replied, a playful tone creeping into his voice, which surprised everyone, including the queen, who found her heart melting and giving her consent to the wedding.
"She's crazy, your majesty..."Kale argued, reluctantly revealing the truth.
Michiya nodded, tilting his head to the side, a hand resting on his chin. He smiled at Celena and said, "Crazy works for me."
His simple response left everyone dumbfounded. They had their doubts about Celena, having heard rumors about her eccentricities within the Froister household. However, they joined in clapping and cheering for Michiya and the impending wedding.
Sighing, Kale slumped his shoulders as Celena's mother exclaimed, pushing him aside, "She's sold! I mean, you can have her, Your Majesty!"
Celena stood there, a witness to everything, not amused by the whole situation. Did she not have a say in any of this? As Michiya took a step towards her, Celena grew increasingly anxious and bolted out of the room, with Kale snickering, waiting to see the prince's reaction—a mix of amusement and determination.
"Good luck catching her, Your Highness. She's your trouble now," Kale teased as Michiya ran after Celena, with Svan trailing closely behind.
Celena couldn't believe what was happening as she ran, her breath heavy and her heart pounding. She kicked open a set of doors and scurried into the unknown, searching for a hiding spot. From her concealed position in a hallway, she saw a blur of brown from a distance. Deciding to approach the figure for help, she noticed the man was also hiding in the back of a pillar as two guards appeared to be insulting someone, and somehow the brunette had tears welling up in his eyes. Grunting with frustration, Celena didn't have enough time for this drama, but she stomped off to where the guards were, and they leered at her. She responded by glaring daggers at them and delivering swift kicks to their groins. Taking the opportunity, she grabbed the hand of the brunette, who had been eyeing her suspiciously, and swiftly made her escape.
"Um..." the brunette tried to engage in conversation, but Celena pressed her index finger to her mouth, urging him to remain silent.
"My goodness!"
"She attacked a guard, Your Highness! Are you sure you're making the right choice?" Svan's concerned voice echoed through the air.
In the short time they were hidden, Celena heard a clicking sound coming from her hand. To her surprise, she found herself handcuffed. As she stared at the amber-eyed boy next to her, he mumbled a quick "sorry" before she was dragged out from the shrub.
"Brother!" the brunette timidly called out, stepping forward to approach the prince.
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