Turning in the direction of the voice, Jessica saw her cousin Benedict who was about the same age as her. The Princess immediately stopped walking to allow for her(Benedict) to catch up with her.
"Why are you here? Jessica asked when Benedict got close enough.
" father came to the palace; I heard there was a meeting, so I decided to see my favourite cousin," Benedict replied with a smile.
Jessica smiled back at her; apart from being her cousin, Benedict also happened to be the only friend the princess had, so she was usually very delighted to see her. "I am your only cousin, you know," Jessica reminded her with a wink.
"See, which makes you special," Benedict answered. The two ladies giggle at their childish behaviour.
"So tell me, why do you look so down?" Benedict asked when they stopped laughing.
"How did you know I am unhappy?" Jessica asked in order to avoid the question; although she shared many secrets with her cousin, she was unwilling to discuss the disagreement between herself and the King with Benedict.
"Come on, I know you well; you keep frowning your brows when you are angry. Did you have a fight with Ramsey?" Benedict guessed.
Jessica blushed at the mention of Ramsey's name, but it was only for a short moment. "It has nothing to do with Ramsey, and keep your voice down; someone may hear you," Jessica replied.
As a princess, she knew it was not just difficult, but it was almost impossible for her to marry Someone from such a small family, but she liked Ramsey a lot. However, her relationship with the man should be kept a secret for the time being, especially at the moment when it seems she is about to be forced to marry the second prince of Gousho. She could not risk Ramsey's safety by letting such words out.
"Why are you acting shy? Dear cousin, it's already an open secret that you like Ramsey. Besides, he likes you too. Being that he is from a small family, I am just worried that uncle may not accept him," Benedict stated.
"What do you mean? Father cares about my happiness; Ramsey might be from a small family, but him being amongst the most outstanding men in the kingdom, is a well-established and
indisputable fact, you know, To become a general at such a young age, he is indeed talented; even those young lords from more prominent families pale compared to him, " Jessica defended. one could tell that she was proud of the man's achievements.
" yes, yes, my cousin has such good eyes even when falling in love, " Benedict teased with a smile on her lips. No one could have noticed that it did not reach the eyes, seeing how sweet and beautiful the smile was.
Hearing her cousin tease her, Jessica blushed, but she tried her best to remain composed. " stop teasing me, " she rebuked her cousin in a playful tone.
"Alright, I will not tease you anymore; after all, you are no longer frowning your brows," Benedict said. She did not bother pushing further to find out what made the Princess unhappy after all; she knew better than anyone that it was difficult to get words out of Jessica whenever she was unwilling to share.
.....
The King's court.
" your Highness, the marriage proposal is a welcomed idea; this way, people can sleep with both eyes closed. But, if we refuse, war will be the only thing waiting for us," lord Trueman said.
Many of the lords and generals agreed with his words, so they nodded in agreement without any words.
" I agree with lord Trueman, but why the second prince? Although the two brothers are rumoured to be close, we all know that the crown prince is the one with true power. What if the two brothers fall out in future? What will be the fate of our people and our sons who are loyal to the first family of Dumbi?" Lord Wisdom asked.
The hall fell into silence; after all, the words of the lord "lord Wisdom's words are true, Indeed if Jessica was to marry the crown prince, we could be rest assured of long-lasting peace, but the second prince did not have much power, Who can tell if the crown prince will not become jealous and threatened if Dumbi continues to flourish? wouldn't that be we just pushing forward the evil days?" Another lord spoke up.
King Lorenzo glanced at the lords, who seemed worried about the future. His daughter had already rejected the idea of an arranged marriage. He knew she was in love with a young lad from a small family. Although the young man seemed talented, but as a father, he did not approve of Ramsey because He had doubts as per the young man's sincerity towards the princess, his only daughter.
"Your Highness, the people of Dumbi have not done anything to break the trance between the two kingdoms. Princess Jessica is your only child; for me, marrying the second prince is a method the crown prince uses to deal with his brother. If the imperial family of Gousho no longer trust you to take care of Dumbi, they should call you back," General Daiz, the King's younger brother, spoke up.
"What do you mean? Our people have no worries under his Highness's leadership. Therefore, your Highness, we only have to change the marriage agreement. Let it be between the Princess and the crown prince," a lord spoke up.
"Ha! You all seem to have forgotten that we are a subordinate kingdom under Gousho, and we have no right to disobey their command," General Daiz argued.
"So what? It's been past so many years already since that war; if the Imperial family decides to go overboard, we are not afraid of them," another general joined the conversation.
"Don't forget why we are discussing this; We are here to prevent a war, not to start one. Do you think we can win against Guosho if we start a war? Even if we do win, at what cost?" Lord Wisdom asked.
They all calmed down, however; many still had reservations, but they all held their peace and looked toward the King; they did not dare challenge him.
"I have seen it with my eyes; both princes are very close; therefore, I am sure my daughter will not have any problem marrying the second prince. Moreover, the man is very talented in matters of state and war. If he joins us, then we can be assured that the imperial family will not continue to act so arrogantly," king Lorenzo said.
The hall became calm the more, the King's words were reasonable, and they have all heard of the outstanding talent of the second prince; it's just that he did not hold any actual power in the Gousho royal palace.