"Welcome, Lord Albert, or I shall call you by the name of the ruler of the Desert region."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, the King, for inviting me to the palace."
Albert is another name for Emmanuel. He bowed his body in respect. His self-confidence is evident. The King of the Eastern Kingdom doesn't like this man. It wasn't that he controlled the Desert region but that this man would threaten the position he had always held. No one can beat his greatness. But it was not easy to hit the young man. The King had to think of a plan.
"I want to give you a status. The title of Duke suits you very well."
Emmanuel knew the purpose of the Tang king. He wanted to limit his actions.
"It is an honor for me to receive this title. But sorry, I don't like things related to the palace."
This young man is good at lying. If he didn't like the title, why did he organize and control most of the territory in the Eastern Kingdom? The King of Tang wanted to know the true purpose of the young man standing before him.
"I will respect your decision. But you better consider my words."
"Yes, Your Majesty the King."
Emmanuel left the main hall of the palace.
"Call Princess Rose right now."
"Very well, Your Majesty."
The Tang king gave the order to summon his daughter. How dare the young man refuse my gift. Among them is his daughter. Only Rose's daughter is unmarried. In a few months, her daughter will have a ceremony of maturity. The Tang King will take advantage of this opportunity to invite master Albert. Princess Rose is a beautiful and graceful girl. He is also clever and calculating. Very suitable to be the wife of Mr. Albert. Suppose that young man refused the title of Duke. The King of Tang had to match his daughter. With this Lord, Albert will neither threaten his position nor destroy the Eastern kingdom.
"Greetings to His Majesty the King." Princess Rose pays respects to her father.
"Soon, my daughter will have a ceremony of coming of age. It's also time to have a partner."
"Princess is willing to marry the man of your father's choice."
The Tang King smiled. He was happy with the Princess's answer. The King of Tang, if he knew his daughter, would not dare to disobey his orders.
***
One month has passed. Emmanuel received an invitation from the King of the Eastern Kingdom.
"Are you coming to the party?" Alphonse asked Emmanuel.
"Of course. We don't need to fight with them. The King of Tang has a common enemy with us." Emmanuel answered, then put on a black coat. He then combed his hair neatly. Use a ribbon around the neck of the shirt.
"The enemies of our enemies are friends. But this invitation was a party celebrating Princess Rose's birthday. Doesn't he want you to attend the event because he has the goal of getting his daughter set?"
Alphonse had come to the Desert region for a week. He got a telegram from his best friend. Emmanuel knew the true purpose of the Tang King. But Emmanuel loved Empress Jeong Hui very much. Now Emmanuel had a plan. Princess Rose loves anything about cleanliness. Emmanuel would make a significant first impression on the girl.
"King Tang won't give up if I always refuse him. You don't have to worry. I already made a plan."
Alphonse knew that his cousin had made a plan. Then it will always work.
"Okay then, but I'll also accompany you to the party."
Like his cousin, he was apprehensive. It would be better if the two of them went together. If something terrible happens. Alphonse can protect his cousin even if it means saving his life. Emmanuel and Alphonse attended the party. The hall door opened. King Tang saw master Albert come into the room.
"Greetings to His Majesty the King." Albert salutes.
King Tang nodded his head. He then saw a man standing beside Mr. Albert.
"Who is this young master?" King Tang asked Albert.
"Introduce my servant name is Alphonse. Cousin of Lord Albert."
King Tang held his beard. The name of Mr. Albert's friend feels familiar. He seemed to have heard the term before. It wasn't long before the Tang King remembered something. Alphonse. The young man, the cousin of master Albert, was the representative of the Akephaloi organization. The young man has the characteristics of long white hair and clean skin. Have a beautiful face. Looks gentle on the outside but doesn't hesitate to kill. Men are like monsters. Can smile when hurting someone cruelly. Known as the sleeping tiger. This hazardous man was now inside the party. The Tang King must not offend the man.
"Your Majesty," Albert called King Tang.
"Sorry, thank you for coming to the party. Hopefully, Mr. Albert and Mr. Alphonse can enjoy this event. Then I want to resign first." King Tang walked away with a sweaty face.
"He turned out to be a cowardly old man. When I found out your name, I was immediately frightened." Albert said to Alphonse.
"I'm not scarier than you," Alphonse answered with a smile.
Albert then smiled too. From a distance, Princess Rose saw two handsome young men. She fell in love with one of the men. Putri was fascinated by the man with long white hair smiling. Albert noticed the Princess's gaze. He then walked closer.
"Congratulations on the day of adulthood, Princess. Introduce the servant's name as Albert. The man next door is the servant's cousin named Alphonse."
"Nice to meet you. Thank you for being willing to come here."
Princess Rose looked at the face of the man in front of her. So the man's name is Alphonse. What a beautiful name like her face. Even though he is a man but has a prettier face than me, his beauty is like painting. Alphonse felt uncomfortable when he saw that Rose's daughter was always watching him.
"Please, sir, enjoy this event."
"Thank you, Princess." Alphonse and Albert said it at the same time.
Princess Rose then walked away.
"It seems Princess Rose likes you," Albert said to his cousin.
"There is no girl who refuses my good looks."
During his life, he was always surrounded by beautiful girls. He was never in a serious relationship. Alphonse frequently changed partners. He will end his relationship with the girl within three months. No more than that. For Alphonse, women are a toy to comfort the sadness deep in his heart.
"If the girl likes you. That would be great. I don't have to go to great lengths to get her to avoid me."
"So you planned to make a bad impression on the princess."
"Yes."
Princess Rose continued walking towards the balcony terrace.
"What is wrong with me? Why is my heart beating so fast?"
The Princess's face reddened. Her body became hot. A quick change occurred after meeting the two men. Princess tried to find out with her attitude.
"Am I in love with Alphonse?"