8 Chapter 8

Click!

She wasn't done yet. Paris saw the need to take as many pictures as she could. The royal dining room was the most majestic ever and the large table was filled with so much food, that it was almost impossible to believe the number of people that it was actually made for. Not that Paris wasn't used to that kind of life and all, but everything about the royals and the palace was a big deal, it had to be. Memories that had to be captured and shared.

She could already think of how much attention she was going to get the moment she let the entire world see that she was having dinner with the king and queen and of course, prince of the kingdom.

She raised her phone a bit higher so she could get a perfect angle of the table, with herself in the selfie this time and pouted a little bit.

Click!

It was best she took as many as she could before the royal family made their entrance, even though there were already public eyes surrounding her. A few maids surrounding the table like they usually did, with their gazes towards the door.

"Don't you think it's enough pictures for one day Paris?" The lady sitting beside her busy father who still had his eyes in the papers and was barely bothered by anything she did said after a weak sigh. "The king is going to be here soon."

"So what?" Paris gave one last pout and snapped it right before she rolled her eyes and lowered her hand to the table just so she could give a stern look to the pale skinned woman with blond hair and the brightest blue eyes across her, Denise Vurton.

"I'm just saying, we need to present composure in front of the royal family-"

"The royal family isn't here yet are they?" She scoffed. "And besides, since when was any of this your business? What do you know about composure in the presence of the king and royalty?"

"I was just-"

Paris shook her head. She didn't think she needed to hear any more of it.

"Stop giving your unpopular and unsolicited opinions to people and maybe, just maybe,  your rusty womb might just work again and you could have kids of your own to give your useless advice to because I'm obviously fine without it-" she eyed her. "I don't need it."

Denise let out a shaky breath and a weak scoff, hurt was the word, but surprised wasn't.

The relationship between Paris and Denise was a rough one. They just never went along. It was really a long year after her father had told her about his intentions to get married to Denise shortly after her mother died nine years ago. Nine years and Paris never really got to accept her, she was never kind to her and never for once, spared her the remainder of the fact that she was unable to conceive a child yet and so she was totally useless to the Vurton family.

To Paris, Denise was a horrific and comedic replacement for her mother. She hated her and she couldn't stand her no matter how much Denise had tried to gain her acceptance in the past and even up until that moment. More so, she hated it when she told her what to do, like this time. Unlike all the stories of a few stepmoms, Denise wasn't a problem or a threat to Paris, she was rather kind and super supportive but Paris never bought it. She was never going to. She had no plans of giving her the benefit of a doubt or accepting her.

"Paris!"  Her father's cold voice after he pulled down the paper from his face made her surrender her attention to him. "We are at the King's palace and in a few seconds, would be in the presence of the king, I will not let you two embarrass this family I've work so hard to build a perfect picture of in front of the king."

Oliver Vurton.

Anyone could tell where Paris got her exclusively mean and aggressive attitude from, just by looking at him.

The prime minister of the kingdom of Breton was a scary man. One of the scariest in the kingdom just like the entire Vurton family were. Power was all he knew. All they knew. How to take power to their advantage was all the Vurtons knew. For years, the Vurtons had been known to be one of the pillars of the foundation of Breton along with the royal family and a few other families. As far as the supreme power of Breton was concerned, there were really close to it and now, he was preparing Paris to make the final blow, to take the final step in achieving all they had worked so hard for, getting married to the prince and being the queen of Breton. Having an heir to the throne which would give the Vurtons equal power with the royal family, making them the only family to ever stand up to the royal family.

Oliver's dream for his family was quite a large one and he was an extraordinary man. Over ambitious and always ready to do anything it took to maintain his family's position at the top of the chain. He was a scary man that never really rested until he got what he wanted and the royal throne was going to finally embrace the top of that list after the engagement party.

Paris rolled her eyes just as Denise looked away. Her father was right anyway, the occasion was just too important to her and her family to let him down. Being mean to Denise could wait another time. It was what she lived for after all. She stretched her phone to the maid behind her who hurriedly walked forward to take it just as they started to hear loud footsteps approaching the door.

A lady in a palace uniform walked in with her hands folded in front of her thighs and her head bowed, the knocking sound of her five inch pencil heels as it made contact with the ground alerting everyone as she got closer.

She stopped when she got into the room and bowed to show her respect.

"The royal family would be eating with you now."

Oliver was the first to get up, Denise and Paris followed to welcome the royal family just as the lady stepped out of the way. Paris needed to check herself real quick. She had to make sure she still looked as pretty as she did when she came. Was her make up in tact? Was her hair okay? Dang, how could she forget to take out her pocket mirror from her bag before she had dropped it at the security spot outside the palace?

She smacked her lips twice and tucked her hair behind her ears quickly as the footsteps got closer. They were there, the royal family was there and she couldn't be more excited, excited to see him. She had waited for weeks.

The prince wasn't exactly someone that you could bump into when you felt like it. He had a schedule that was always packed and tight. Their engagement wasn't until three days so she didn't quite have the power to visit the palace or see him whenever she liked.

Not like she could anyway, Aiden always avoided her. He never made out the time to see her. He didn't want to and always made up excuses with his schedule and she knew that. Besides school, times like this were the only time she ever got to see him but it was okay, she was fine with just seeing him like this.

Paris' face brightened the moment the really heightened man in one of the most exquisite and perfectly detailed suits you had ever seen walked in with a gold scepter in his right hand that was anything but invincible. He had a huge smile on his face but an authoritative aura that demanded respect just by looking at him. King Albert. The king and sovereign monarch of the kingdom of Breton. The most powerful man and the head of the most powerful family in the entire kingdom.

Everyone loved the king. Not everyone but quite a number of people.

He was not only fierce and a commander of authority and loyalty to the throne but he was a man of his people. A kind of ruler that was hard to find. A man that had fought a great deal for his country and had walked hand in hand with those in power to build Breton to the country that it was. The security of Breton was his priority. He was one of the most powerful and greatest, one of the richest and most independent. The king was a man of his people, and a man of the law who always made sure the rights of the people and the law of the the kingdom were exercised to their fullest height.

He was quick to punish threats to the peace and organization of his kingdom and that was why Breton remained on top of the food chain as far as low crime rates were concerned.

As far as good looks were concerned, the king and queen were owners of that title, no surprise they had a son as good looking as Aiden, the royal family were like walking angels on earth. Too good to be true. Too good looking to even be considered as humans.

"Long love the King!" Everyone chorused as they bowed their head in honor the moment he walked in with the queen beside him and Aiden right behind them, taking his time with both his hands in the pockets of his perfectly fitted black trousers. He had the right hem of his houndstooth plaid shirt tucked in neatly into one side of  his trousers and his sleeves, folded just a little bit above his wrist giving a majestic display of his diamond studded wrist watch even without the help of sun rays.

Black was Aiden's favorite color. He barely wore anything else without a touch of it in it. He was specific about a lot of things, like the color and kinds of clothes he wore, the kind of shoes he wore, his jewelers and of course, his hair style. Sometimes, he let his bitch black curly hair up to expose his perfect carvings and clean shave at both sides of his head, sometimes he let it down, other times, he left it in a bun and on rare occasions like this one, he straightened it and styled it in a short bulb.

Unlike his parents, the Vurtons weren't exactly his favorite people and it mostly had everything to do with his marriage to Paris so he never failed to leave a carefree attitude with a straight face and a huge frown when he was around them.

The King's face brightened when his gaze met Oliver who still stood with his head bowed even though Paris raised her head once in a while to steal glances at Aiden who always looked away whenever their eyes met.

"Your majesty." Oliver lowered his bow when he felt the King's warm hands wrap itself around his arm and pull him up gently. If only Oliver was good at returning smiles, he never smiled and that was what made him different from the king, more scary looking.

"Thank you for honoring my invitation." The king turned to both Denise and Paris, "All of you." He squeezed Oliver's shoulders gently.

Oliver followed the King with his gaze as he found his way to the big golden chair at the head of the table, he made himself comfortable in it and the queen took the seat at his right side while Aiden took the other at his left.

"The royal family is humbled." The queen went on, "And has prepared a gift for all of you. You don't need to stand on ceremony for so long, do take your seats." She gestured, encouraging them to sit.

Paris couldn't wait at all, she took the seat closest to the prince just so she could sit right beside him even though her parents left two seat's worth of space empty between them and the queen. She let her shoulder graze him a little bit. Anyone could see just how addicted she was to him. She loved being so clingy and close to him, she loved his sweet scent and the warmth of his skin. Aiden held his breath. It was so annoying.

The king and queen didn't think it was. They thought it was cute especially since they chuckled so loudly, especially the king.

"It looks like Paris missed you a lot prince Aiden."

The queen said as her smile grew wider while one of the maids walked up to the table and picked up a spoon to taste all the dishes first of all. Paris pursed her lips, she felt her cheeks redden a lot.

"You should visit the palace more often Paris, I'm sure the prince would love to welcome you every now and then."

Aiden left his gaze on the table so when he rolled his eyes, no one would see it. He rolled his eyes.

"I would love to with all my heart your highness." Paris told the queen.

"Thank you for the flowers," Vanessa told her. "I got them. They are beautiful as always."

"It's nothing your highness," Paris turned to Aiden, she pursed her lower lip, "Did you like your gift your highness?"

Aiden raised his head to her and then turned to the rest on the table. They looked at him like they were anxious for an answer. He turned back to Paris and watched her blink twice.

"Uh, it was alright." He told her. "Thanks."

The king exhaled and turned to Oliver just as the maids started to serve the food.

"It gladdens my heart to see that our family is getting along so well, our children. They have grown so well and even closer to each other. You and your family have been loyal to the throne for as long as I can remember, your fathers have served my fathers loyally for centuries, the royal family and the Vurtons, great allies. I am now assured that our country would be in great hands and unstoppable when my son becomes king with your daughter as his queen. This merge is going to be one of the greatest to ever be recorded in this history of Breton. I can't be prouder to see how well you've raised your daughter, to be a beautiful and smart young woman. She is fit for the position of queen and would be of great assistance to Aiden in ruling this country when he becomes king. She is fit to bear the royal family an heir and continue our legacy."

Paris could feel the tingling sensation on both her cheeks. She lived for the compliments. She could see how proud it made her father.

"You have nothing to worry about your highness." Paris turned to the queen. "My family would forever continue to serve the royal family and this country. I look forward to helping the prince fulfill your dreams for our great country. I'd work hand in hand with the prince in making sure that your glorious legacy reigns forever and so would our children and their children. The royal family would live forever and build this country gracefully and wisely."

Aiden scoffed. He couldn't believe how much of it he had to hear.

"Oh my," the king chuckled and turned to Oliver. "You see what I meant when I said I looked forward to having your daughter get married to my son? She would make an amazing queen with such wisdom and use of wise words."

Oliver smirked a little bit.

"Maybe we should just go ahead and wed them immediately."

Aiden slowly let go of his fork and knife immediately. Paris' face brightened.

"What do you think Denise?" The queen turned to Denise who had been silent the entire conversation. Denise raised her head to meet the queen's.

"Your highness?"

"You've known Paris for as long as we can remember, you were there on the day she was born and you've been by her side, taking care of her ever since even after her mother died. If there's anyone that knows her more than anyone in this world, it's you."

Denise slowly turned to Paris, she could tell Paris wasn't happy with the queen's comparison of her to her mother. Denise slowly turned to the queen.

"Y-your highness-"

"Do you think Paris is ready for the responsibilities that comes with being queen? Do you think we should push the royal wedding forward?"

"Your highness I don't think I should-"

"The queen asked you a question." Oliver cut her off immediately, turning to her, she turned to him too. "You shall answer."

"And honestly too." The queen added.

Denise slowly turned back to the queen. The situation wasn't exactly one she could run from. Everyone was looking at her, expecting some kind of an answer from her. She exhaled.

"To be honest your highness," Denise started. "I don't think there's ever anything Paris isn't ready for, I don't think there's any responsibilities she can't handle."

A wide smirk appeared on Paris' face. That was more like it. Denise was finally proving her usefulness to the family.

"I think she can handle anything and would always be ready for anything now, anything but marriage."

"What?" A huge frown appeared on Paris' face just as Oliver also turned to look at her sternly, wondering if she had lost her mind. Aiden let out a relief exhale.

"Really?" The queen asked her. "Why do you think so?"

Denise let herself be silent for a little. She knew what she was about to say was going to mean a lot to Oliver and Paris but she just couldn't help herself. She was too honest of a person to.

"I think both the prince and Paris are still so young and have a lot of things to do before they get married. They owe it to themselves to do those things, like school for example. I think they both have a lot of time to get married after the engagement."

Oliver raised his head to his forehead and rubbed it slowly. He was frustrated.

"You think so?" The queen asked her. "But you know the king and I got married at the start of our youth, we were almost as young as Aiden and Paris. Being queen is everything and a great accomplishment, what else would Paris want to do before being queen?"

"Forgive my wife your highness," Oliver stepped in. "I think what she's trying to say is-"

"I don't think she's wrong." Aiden chirped in. They all turned to him.

"Prince Aiden." Paris whispered his name as he raised his head to the queen.

"Times have changed." He continued. "The world we live in currently isn't the same with the one you and the king lived in, it's not the same with the ones of the kings and queens before you both did. I'm sure Mrs Vutron is only trying to say that Paris needs more time to enjoy her youth. The pressure of being queen is no joke. It comes with a lot of responsibilities that might be too much for Paris. She needs to be mentally prepared for that. Besides, there is no rush for me to get a queen or an heir now especially since you and father are still so young and strong."

The king took a deep breath.

"Hmmm." He said. "I think the prince has a point there." They all turned to him. "The prince and Paris are still so young and have all the time in the world to become king and queen. Why don't we just focus on the engagement for now and let everything else play out  the way they are supposed to."

The queen let out a warm smile and turned to Paris who still had a huge frown on her face.

"Don't be sad Paris," she said. "I'm sure your mother only wants what's best for you, and we shall respect her decisions." Paris let out a tiny frustrated exhale. "Why don't you and the prince play us a song after dinner? You both loved to play the piano together while growing up. It's what brought you two together in the first place."

Paris' face brightened. She remembered how much she loved playing the piano with Aiden when they were much younger. Times had changed now.

"There's this particular song you both loved to play back then— what was it?" The queen went on.

"Canon." The king and Oliver chorused.

"Oh my," the queen chuckled "It's just like it was yesterday.  I'd love to hear you both play again, after dinner. I'm sure you still love to play Paris?"

"Yes your highness." Paris said. "I could never forget how to play the piano even if I had a memory loss. It's even better when I play with the prince."

The queen exhaled. She turned to Aiden.

"Prince Aiden?"

"My piano skills are quite rusty." He said. "I've not practiced in years and I've probably forgotten how to play a few notes, especially in canon."

"You've forgotten how to play?" The queen asked. "Since when? You love to play the piano,"

Aiden exhaled and turned to Paris.

"Would you like to take a walk with me in the royal garden after dinner?" He asked her. "The wind is amazing and the flowers have blossomed so well. We have a lot to catch up on before summer break is over and the royal academy starts again."

"S-sure." Paris smiled brightly. "I'd love that, your highness."

"Good." The king said just as the queen leaned back. "I'm happy that everything is going on as planned. We should eat, before the food turns cold."

He smiled and then turned back to his plate. The queen joined him and so did everyone else.