Charmed.

"Coming from you, what you said earlier was very mean" he continued refusing to let go of her wrist.

"What do you mean, 'coming from me'?" she tugged at his hold on her wrist but he was stronger.

"You're a princess, you should be sweet, kind, polite and," he relented but glanced lower at her clothes, "Innocent"

She frowned up at him, he knew nothing about her so he had no right to judge get about innocence.

"What makes you think am not innocent?"

"Reports, rumour and facts"he walked away to the balcony right after picking up some papers that had been on his desk.

Then he continued, "The Royal Princess Delia Avyanna Neera of Arcadia, Born on Summer week in the middle of year date 14. She is youngest in a family of four siblings.

Currently at the age of twenty one. Her special talents include, Archery and Accounting. Overall behavior; very well behaved girl but one negative attribute would be her indecency in terms of partners"

Before he could continue much further she snatched the papers from him and decided to take a look for herself. This wasn't even completely formal but at the bottom she saw a missing report about her.

She didn't get to read more of it since the papers were snatched from her grasp.

"This was for me not you, now would you care to apologize?"

Ugh! Men and their stupid egos.

"Ok, I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said earlier" she said but he saw right through the apology. He wasn't convinced.

She just said that so that he could he could give the papers back.

He didn't.

"You don't mean that either, you actually hurt my feelings earlier but I think I'll let it go" his eyes drifted lower, to the rest of her naked thighs.

This wasn't her fault by the way, this was what she was given to wear.

"Never wear that again, especially at night" he said then gestured for her to leave or say what she needed to say.

She didn't care if she seemed desperate due to her clinginess so far, she needed to occupy her mind and time. Especially now that sleep had been evading her.

"Is there anything else you need Princess or did you want to spend the rest of the night with me?" he asked a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

She didn't blush. "Where did you go when you stormed out?"

"A meeting since I need a Queen"

"Is it really that necessary, you don't need a queen to rule at all times" she explained.

"Here you do, it's a must according to the laws"

"Why so?"

"I'm not the legitimate person who is supposed to be ruling this place so my rules are different, I need her for that approval"

The chills from the wind made her sneeze since she couldn't say she was properly dressed.

"You should go back to bed, it's cold" he suggested but none of that was in her agenda.

"I'm not sleepy, have you found the one to be your queen?" she asked again, relentless.

He chuckled, "No I haven't but you could make a really great queen" he didn't stray his gaze from her from then on.

She brushed away his suggestion. She didn't want to be a Queen of the 'Underworld'.

"I need to go back home, I can't" Lies! "What will you do now?" she asked again curious.

"You'll see tomorrow" his eyes glinted with humour.

✿ ✿ ✿

"Wake up Beauty" Haelyn's voice was incomparable. Even before Neera opened her eyes she already knew it was Haelyn.

She couldn't remember remember leaving Izan's room the previous night so how she got back to her room was a mystery.

"Wake up, how do you even sleep almost the whole night and the following day?"

"What do you mean?" she squinted her eyes open. Rays of sunlight streamed into her room. What she'd studied was her room was on the western side of the castle, so it was afternoon.

"In short, you've slept too much, wake up Please" her tone was pleading so she got up.

"What's wrong?"

"Come see" Haelyn dragged her out of the bed where she clumsily walked to the window. "There's some Cinderella shit drama happening out here"

Women were queued outside which went all the way to outside the castle gates.

"What's happening?" Neera asked a tad-bit lost and confused.

"You should tell me but I heard that the castle is looking for a bride"

Oh! She remembered now.

Haelyn looked outside at the ladies who were quietly waiting.

"I think we should go see" Haelyn suggested.

"No! We don't know what's happening down there so we should just wait here and wait for whatever that is to end"

"Wait? I've been waiting since morning for you to wake up so that I could leave the room than you tell me that" Haelyn said it with an offended tone.

"Since morning?"

"Yeah, all this started even before I woke up, I found them there"

"Wow!" Neera was surprised. Was Izan getting a bride that much of an emergency but if that was the only way he could rule then the effort could be approved.

"Let's go"

"I need to bathe Haelyn"

"Ok then but don't take too long, I'm impatient" Haelyn resigned and continued to watch from her vantage position.

.

"You can't walk in there, those were the orders given to me" the guards were persistent. None of them were willing to let them enter the grand ball room where all the ladies seemed to dissapear to.

Neera observed all around and staff were performing their duties dutifully, all they needed was a little jumpstart. How palace like.

Haelyn sighed tiredly, "I'm the King's sister, am sure you don't want to lose your job after this, do you?"

He seemed alarmed by that. His eyes scanned Haelyn's features as if taking record of how she looked like.

"No I don't Your Highness" the guard backed down. Finally. "You may walk in My Ladies"

Haelyn smiled back at Neera proudly.

The door swung open for them and they walked in together.

Their attire were royal gowns that they had been given to them among with many others.

Neera had worn gold before but the dress was more royal than all those that she wore back at home. Everything here was more, even the beauty of the palace.

The floors were made of marble, the ceilings were high and walls had huge incredible paintings.

The room was occupied by two people, Izan and another Lady.

Izan and the girl were laughing, he seemed almost adorable with his beautiful dimples.

His attire was princely and formal. He was dressed up and he looked really good. Neera observed quietly as their interactions turned more animated.

She wanted to roll her eyes but what was the need, she wasn't jealous.

His eyes left the lady's and turned to look at them. He smiled at Haelyn then continued to introduce them to Her.

Lady Whitney Cummings.

Cummings? What a name.

She didn't talk much but only asked, "Who is she?"

"She is," he turned to look at Whitney with a sweet smile,"is to be the Queen"

She smiled back at him. They had charmed each other.

She rolled her eyes. "I want to go home Izan"

Yeah Yeah, Minds change. She needed to be spared from this drama.

-----

Thanks 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒙_𝒖.