Chapter 775 - Another Request
When King Ophire revealed his condition for allowing Prince Draco to not have his coming-of-age ceremony, excluding the man in question, everyone else was quick to display that they were satisfied with this condition.
The young Prince, however, did not answer in haste but pondered over it for a few moments.
Only after giving it some thought did he nod in acceptance of the condition placed by his elder brother.
"So I can have a small ceremony before leaving for Roschester?
" He inquired to ensure that they had come to a consensus on his plans for the future.
King Ophire hummed in acquiescence which brought a smile on his younger brother's face.
"But I will not hear any refusals later.
" He added in connection to the condition he had just mentioned.
Draco promised to not meddle later since he had already agreed to act according to his brother's condition.
Thus the meeting held in the Throne room came to an end without much debate.
As the two Dukes were stepping out of the room, a servant arrived to announce the Royal Princess's desire to meet the King.
Both Draco and King Ophire were surprised to hear their beloved Felicia had come all the way here from the Rose Palace.
She rarely left the palace assigned to her and it was always the rest who would go over to visit her, never the other way around.
Without delay, the King instructed his aide to escort his precious child inside which he hurried to follow.
The Princess had arrived a few minutes earlier but was asked to wait in the lounge near the Throne Room as the King was busy at the moment.
She did not mind as she was the one who had come unannounced and stayed in the lounge until the servant returned with the King's close aide to escort her to the Throne Room.
On her way there, she met the two Dukes and greeted them elegantly, making them have a favorable opinion about the young and polite Princess of their Kingdom.
The aide of the King who was addressed as the Royal Steward was one of the people who had watched the Princess grow into the admirable young child she now was.
He knew just how much his Master cared for his daughter and in the same way, he treated her with respect and love as well.
Thus while he led her to the Throne Room, the two, one young and the other old, spoke about her studies and her health.
Princess Felicia was loved by everyone within the Palace and had a cheerful nature which allowed them to like her even more.
She spoke to the Royal Steward happily until they reached the Throne room where she found her uncle and father together in there.
Pouting at the one who was rare to meet these days, she ignored him and turned towards her father.
'Is she angry?' Prince Draco sighed when he received the cold shoulder from his lovely niece.
King Ophire had noticed how his daughter had turned away from Draco without even greeting him and instead of chiding her for being rude, he found it funny to see the panic on his brother's face.
However, the thought of not being able to witness such sights frequently in the future was disheartening to him.
His eyes then landed on the Princess who was unhappy with her uncle for not coming to meet her in recent times.
'She might be upset when she hears about his departure next year.' He buried this unpleasant feeling within his chest when she came to a halt before him.
The Princess curtsied before her father and only then did she part her lips to disclose her reason for appearing here without prior intimation.
"Father, I have a request.
" She stated her thoughts in a confident and clear tone which raised the brows of the men who were around.
The Felicia they knew was soft-spoken and would hesitate to reveal what she wanted at most times.
If she was this outright in mentioning her request, then it must be something she was adamant about.
The King never declined her requests if they weren't anything harmful so he nodded his head, gesturing to her to reveal what was on her mind.
From beginning to the end, the Princess had her eyes only on the King and did not spare a second glance at her Royal Uncle.
This led Prince Draco to realize that he had offended her somehow and wanted to make it up to her at the earliest.
As he listened to the request she had brought before the King, his shoulders flinched at one point.
However, no one had noticed this quick shift in his demeanor and the rigid expression on his face.
"Would that be alright, Father?
" Felicia blinked her wide blue eyes, fluttering her long lashes in an attempt to attack his tender heart.
As expected, King Ophire was weak to his daughter's adorable appearance and nodded his head before he even knew it.
Coming back to his senses when he saw the happy giggle she had let out, he coughed a little at how he had been led by the nose by his child.
'It isn't anything bad.' He justified his actions and stood by the answer he had just given.
"The Steward and Governess Bloom will help you prepare everything you need.
" He announced, glancing at his aide who bowed in acceptance of the command given to him.
Usually, it would be the mother who would help the child out but considering the strained relationship between the Queen and the Princess, the King had decided to leave this task in the capable hands of these adults.
The Governess was a competent woman who taught the Princess while the Steward was his closest aide who could deal with matters that the old lady could not.
Thus the King's decision of choosing these two to help the Princess was the right one.
"I can help too.
" This abrupt exclamation finally brought their attention to the young Prince whose presence had been overlooked for a few minutes now.
King Ophire rubbed his nose in embarrassment for having forgotten his brother but he did not answer right away.
"Does the Princess agree?
" He tossed the decision to his daughter.
Princess Felicia was annoyed with her uncle who had not come to visit her for a long time now despite living in the same place.
However, when she heard his suggestion to help her, she looked at him and finding that he was sincere and apologetic, she slowly gave a nod in reply.
King Ophire laughed heartily as his daughter was just like that.
She could be angry with someone at the moment but when the other person expressed their desire to mend their relationship, she would never turn her back towards them.
'That's my child!' He smiled at his kind-hearted daughter whose anger could never persist for a long time.
However, the King did not know that this same trait of the Princess had led her to a tragic end in the script written by the same God this Kingdom worshiped.
Ignorant to what their future might behold, the three members of the Royal family had smiles on their faces.
Since his niece had accepted his assistance, Prince Draco would do his best to ensure that her plan was a grand success.
'We have to meet.' He uttered a single sentence to a certain man living at a distance away from the Royal Palace.
He was using the mental link between his etcher to communicate with this person and soon, even received an answer from them.
'Oh? So you finally remember that I am still alive?' A sarcastic voice coming from the other side almost made him roll his eyes but he controlled his desires as he was still in the presence of the King.
'Don't be dramatic, Oca!' He scoffed in his mind and heard a scoff back in reply.
'Fine! and you don't have to address me by my family's name. Let me know when you will be arriving.' The person on the other end of this mental link admitted defeat when he heard the young Prince addressing him that way, something he did only when he was serious.
Prince Draco cut their connection once he received the answer he was looking for and happened to meet the scrutinizing eyes of the King which had been aimed at him.
'The Master of Ocular?' King Ophire initiated a silent conversation between them through their etchers this time.
In answer, the Prince nodded his head, proving that the King had made the right deduction as that was the only person Draco looked for when he needed help in such matters.