Chapter-5

            It had been three days after Cyril's birthday banquet and 2 days after Cyril became newly titled Duke. During these two days, King Zander has been giving speeches.

            The speeches were mostly about him being grateful to the Dukes who helped him build the army and how important it was to defend the Kingdom.

            He even told them that he hoped that they'd protect their people and keep them safe while they train. He thanked them for serving their country for ten years or longer and that it was only right that it should continue.

            At first, Cyril didn't think anything bad of what the king had to say. He believed that the king was simply expressing his gratitude toward his brave warriors.

            However, in his today's speech, as soon as the king mentioned his daughter and how he would like Duke Namen to marry her, Cyril grew very angry.

            Not only did the king want the princess to marry Duke Namen, but he also pressured the princess to choose Duke Namen.

            According to the laws of the empire, the princess can choose her husband by herself. And, surely, Princess Amandine will choose Cyril. Everyone can agree with that. This enraged Cyril even more. What kind of father would he be if he wouldn't allow his beloved daughter to choose her husband?

           When King Zander said the words "Princess Amandine will marry Duke Namen", all the nobles cheered while the dukes kept quiet as usual.

            When people started congratulating the duke and the princess, Cyril was the only one standing by himself. He was feeling very upset and mad.

            No one paid any attention to him since he was sitting alone. Duke Ruben took a glance at his son and realized that his child was upset. Ruben walked toward him and gently patted his shoulder.

"His Majesty was just expressing his wishes, don't take it personally" Ruben whispered through Cyril's ear before he walked out of the hall.

The support of his father doesn't truly relieve him but somehow, he calmed down a little bit. Cyril decided that he wouldn't give up on his beloved princess so easily. He wants her to find happiness with him.

But... what if the princess never wanted him? What if Amandiny chose Namen? What if everything he thought was special between them was just some kind of joke? Cyril's mind was chaotic just like the branches of a bush.

His mind welled up again when he tried to stop himself from thinking negatively about the situation. No, no, I can do this. I love her. She must feel the same way about me. I won't let go without knowing her true feelings for me. If my love isn't enough, then, I'll just try harder. As long as she's happy, nothing else really matters. He thought to reassure himself.

            That night, Cyril was in his bed. He pulled his blanket tightly against him and closed his eyes tight. He was trying hard to calm down his raging anger so he could get some sleep.

He was still unsure whether he could trust his heart and his own decisions. He felt very conflicted and confused about it. It made him sick. He closed his eyes tight to try and push away the negativity, as if his body could erase everything bad that was happening. But unfortunately, nothing works.

           But after hours of tossing and turning, he gave up. He decided that it wouldn't hurt to go for a walk. He got up from his bed and put on his shoes.

           At that moment, he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said and stepped aside to let whoever it was to come in.

          A servant entered and handed a letter to him.

"My lord, I've brought you a letter," said the servant after handing him a neat envelope.

            Cyril nodded his head and opened the letter. As soon as he read the words, he felt his stomach drop. Princess Amandine's handwriting is on the papers.

            Princess Amandine used to write a lot of letters to him so that he remembered her handwriting. He stared blankly at the page for a few moments.

           His lips curled into a smile as he read the letter. Then he turned to the servant and said:

"Tell everyone in the palace that Princess Amandine is not marrying Duke Namen."

            The servant nodded his head in agreement and left the room immediately. There's a spark of joy on the servant's face when he hears Cyril's words.

            He's one of the people who wants the princess to end up with Cyril. They know Duke Namen's evil deeds and they know how much Cyril loves Princess Amandine and he is happy to see that Cyril has been able to win the princess' heart.

To be continued...