"YOU DID WHAT?!" I exclaimed, unable to comprehend what my cousin just said. I froze in my seat and felt my paintbrush slip down from my fingers. After being speechless for almost two minutes, I was able to regain my composure and turned to face him, still bewildered by his actions.
"You should've seen his face! He was blushing so hard, he looked like a tomato! But he still kept going! Doing it with a straight face as he followed my every word! What a man he truly is! Hahaha!" He cried out as he could no longer hold his tears from laughing.
He was pacing back and forth in my chambers as he proudly told me about his foolishness last night.
"Are you stupid? Really? The King of this kingdom?!" I rolled my eyes at him. "Of course he'll follow you! What do you think! You're the King and he's the Captain of the royal guards! That would be insubordination if he refused you!" I could feel my face flushed with anger. I can almost see myself pulling all of his hair from his head! I was clenching my fist in anger
Apparently, my stupid cousin made my boyfriend hold his private part just for the fun of it. Of course, he doesn't know that the captain of his guards is my boyfriend. If he did and still insisted on pulling that prank on him, he would face a nice beating from me.
He said he just got bored, really? A King would do that?!
"I know! I know! Chill sis! I won't make fun of him anymore!" He said as he tossed his hands up in the air and backed off in surrender.
We're cousins but basically growing up together made us more like siblings. Our mothers are best friends and marrying twin brothers technically made us inseparable, I guess.
"You promise?!" I gave him a death stare as I put on a very serious tone.
"Of course sis! When did I ever break a promise?"
"Ugh... Like always!"
"Okay! You win! Besides, we don't want your first love to run away! Hahahahaha! Got to go, the throne awaits!" He declared slyly as he ran out of my chambers.
"Oh, he wouldn't...." I said softly with a smile as I imagined Monty's face smiling back at me.
It was in the afternoon and miraculously my cousin didn't have a tight schedule on his plate for the day so he decided to pester me in the middle of my painting session. He was so excited to tell me something funny, something I wish I never heard but mostly wish he never did.
I hurriedly picked up the paintbrush on the floor and continued painting
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"What in the world was he thinking! I hate him so much right now!" I was fuming with anger when Monty and I met at our usual spot.
It was within a cave that led to a tunnel in the farthest part of the garden within the castle walls, it was adjacent directly behind the castle. We found it together, when we were both looking for my cousin when he ran off to the city when we were kids. Since then we always came here to meet in secret.
"You know your cousin can be a bit childish sometimes but he means well." he said smiling at me to calm me down
"Means well?! How in the world would you justify that what he did to you meant well? Tell me, how?"
"You know how he can be strange sometimes. Maybe he was just curious."
"Curious?! You're really defending him from me?"
"I'm not defending him. What I'm just saying is, it already happened and we should move on from it."
"I hate that you're so loyal to him!"
"No, I'm loyal to you."
"Liar!"
"You know, I don't lie to you." he simply answered then smiled
I honestly can't take it when he's so calm and collected like this even after what my dickhead of a cousin did to him! His smile just made it worse, how can I get mad at him?
He just stood there staring at me in silence afterwards. I stared back at his deep brown almond shaped eyes that I'll fall in love with any day, captivated by his eyes as always. We were slowly closing the gap between us but then suddenly my cousin's annoying face flashed through my mind laughing. Ruining everything!
"Arghhhh!!!!! I hate it when you don't tell me things like this! You know we don't keep secrets from each other!" was all I could say as I took a few steps back in annoyance. I was already on the verge of throwing a tantrum
"It's not something to be proud of." he simply said as he lowered his gaze to his feet. I can't see his face but I know how embarrassed he is right now, how ashamed he felt that day. He was honorable in many ways. He was the embodiment of perfection.
I slowly walked towards him and kissed him on his right cheek. "I just hate seeing you like this, especially when it's my own blood's doing... I should've punched him for you! Grrrr!!!!" I was throwing punches in the air then I lost balanced and slipped.
Closing my eyes, I waited for the hard floor to touch my back but it never came instead a pair of strong arms flawlessly cradled me, his warmth caught me off guard. When I opened my eyes he was looking down at me with that loving expression on his face, an expression I was the only one to see. He gently helped me onto my feet, chuckling he patted my head
"It's not fu-.. "
"-Shhhh... "
He was suddenly serious again as he swiftly placed a hand over my mouth and whispered "Someone's here."
I nod in understanding. Removing his hand, he slowly walked closer to the wall, gesturing me to stay put but the obedient Princess that I am, followed him and placed an ear on the wall. He looked at me with an annoyed face and I just replied with a shrug.
"Yeah! Yeah! I know! I'll get the job done! If this plan fails we still have another one! Of course, I know what I'm doing!" It sounded like someone was arguing on the other side of the wall but no one seems to be with him so he might be talking over the phone.
Phones were a privilege of the royal family as it was rare and very expensive. There were only a few who could afford it, meaning the man on the other side could either be an Aristocrat or someone who works within the castle. There's also a phone provided by the King to use in the village for people who wanted to contact their relatives inside the castle using the public phone, whereas castle workers are also allowed to use a common phone within the castle for personal use.
It was a wireless analog device that used frequency in order to communicate with another device, making up a channel of two frequencies. But had limited coverage, expected to only reach up to 50 meters range for indoor usage, and up to 300 meters outdoors.
Meaning the culprit wasn't far or was within the castle staff
"Don't worry I'll think of something! Just ready the money and I'll make sure to kill the Queen Mother! If all else fails, knowing the King there should be a party anytime soon and we still got this in our cards! Haha!" He sounded confident which was a bad thing. We can't see what he was holding but at that instant, Monty and I both looked at each other and slowly moved backwards.
As soon as we exited the mouth of the cave and made sure no one was around, we both knew what had to be done and went our separate ways.
I quickly went to Julien's chambers.