The stranger watched the princess and prince ride off with a lot more conviction in his heart.
The commoners and servants bowed respectfully when Princess Zaria and her brother rode their horses past them. Brushing and singing praises to her beloved horse before leading it back to the stable, the princess already dreaded walking inside where she knew what awaited her.
Her mother greeted her lovingly the moment she walked in.
"There you are, Sweetheart. King Vincent has specifically sent his royal designer to design your wedding dress. Isn't that romantic and considerate of him?"
Princess Zaria rolled her eyes. Her mother would praise any stupid gesture by King Vincent in order to get her to marry him, but she was not that impressionable. Tario did have the best designers in the world, but that had nothing to do with him being romantic in her books. Romantic would be actually asking her if she wanted to marry him. It would be letting her marry for love, not duty. It would be letting her go.
"Your Majesty," the designer curtsied.
Princess Zaria glanced at the middle aged designer before turning back to her mother, who looked so excited you would swear she was the one getting married.
"I am not having a meeting with any designer because I am not getting married. How many times do you want me to say this, Mother?"
Her unquivering voice unfortunately did nothing to deter her mother. The kingdom of Tario was the most successful, every kingdom wanted to be associated with it. The queen knew that the union between King Vincent and her daughter would be more beneficial to their kingdom than that of Tario.
"It's natural to have cold feet, Your Majesty, but you are the luckiest Princess in the whole world. You will be queen of the greatest kingdom and I promise to make you the most beautiful wedding gown ever won," the designer beamed. She was the world renowned designer. Not only had her king sent her, he also instructed her to not spare any cost in designing his bride's wedding dress. With her skill and Princes Zaria's perfect figure, she was certain that her design would be featured in every fashion magazine for generations to come.
"I don't have any cold feet, but it would help if you returned to your kingdom and told your king to go to the nearest hell!"
"Zaria!" Queen Helene exclaimed, too shocked and embarrassed by her daughter's outburst, but the princess was already storming upstairs heading to her chambers.
"Forgive my daughter's behaviour. She is still overwhelmed by the date being so soon. We may continue getting the materials and coming up with some designs. She will come around, eventually."
The designer feigned a smile. She did not know Princess Zaria too well, very few people outside of her kingdom knew her because the princess hardly ever showed up at the multi-kingdom events or King Vincent's royal balls. She could already tell that the princess was not the type to just come around as her mother put it. A part of her wondered why the princess felt so strongly opposed to marrying her beloved king when every woman out there ogled him.
.
Princess Zaria paced up and down her bedroom. She needed a way of getting out of the treaty with King Vincent, but could not think of anything. Too angry to think and too pumped up to sleep, she dialled her best friend's number. Princess Sarika did not have the brightest of ideas but she at least understood her and let her vent her frustrations until she had a plan.
"My dearest, Zaria. I was just thinking of you." Princess Sarika's melodic voice answered the phone on the second ring. She expected the call from her friend and sat near the phone for hours because she could not manage to miss out on the royal scoop.
"You heard then?" Prince Zaria's asked with a melancholic voice but already knowing the answer.
Princess Sarika was the definition of a social butterfly. She was always the first to know and share everything that happened in the kingdoms, especially those involving King Vincent.
"Yes, I was at Tario when the messengers were sent to your kingdom."
"How are you always at Tario?"
Princess Zaria was always amazed at how her friend supposedly found King Vincent's behaviour appalling yet she was always at his kingdom, as a guest in his castle.
"My brother is your fiancé's best friend, remember?"
Princess Zaria scoffed at the idea of that man being her fiancé.
"The two Casanovas," she sneered.
Princess Sarika's brother, King Phillip of Damaro, was not so different from King Vincent and the two of them were best friends.
Princess Sarika giggled at her friend's disgust. She found her friend very predictable, especially when it came to King Vincent.
She and other princesses learned years ago that Princess Zaria took the spotlight wherever she went. Whenever they wanted her to miss a ball, all they ever had to mention was that King Vincent would be attending.
"They are Kings, Zaria. Young Kings and handsome ones at that."
Her statement always got to Princess Zaria. She found it atrocious that princesses and queens had all these moral obligations which did not apply to princes and kings.
"That does not mean they should behave like male escorts!"
Princess Sarika teethed. She would warn anyone against calling the two Kings names, but she had gotten used to her friend's outbursts.
"You, my friend, are going to have to get used to it. King Vincent wants you to be his queen and his bedmates are not opposed to the idea of being his mistresses."
"Excuse me?"
Princess Zaria was now livid. It was enough that the man insisted on marrying her without ever asking her.
Princess Sarika sighed, feigning concern. "Oh, Dear. I have said too much already. Forget I mentioned any of this."
"You are my friend, you have to tell me," Princess Zaria urged. Maybe her father would reconsider if she told him about all the appalling things her so called fiancé was doing.
"I don't know all the details, Zaria. I only overheard him speaking to my brother. I can't even stand witness to this."
"Saying what exactly?"
"Something about King David had many concubines who stayed in his castle with his queen and he was a great man."
"That's debatable. What else?"
Princess Zaria urged, impatiently. The legendary King David was another King she found disgusting, but his scandals were not going to help her cause at all.
"The bible says he was a great man, Zaria. Even you can't argue with that."
"The bible also says he fucked up and lost the maker's favour!" Princess Zaria snapped. "What else did King Vincent say?"
She was not interested in another despicable ancient king, but the one disturbing her peace and happiness.
Princess Sarika did not bother debating the King David issue nor her friend's foul language. Like many, she avoided getting into any debate with her very eloquent, determined friend.
"I overheard him saying surely you would not be opposed to his mistresses since he is being considerate and building a separate castle for them."
Princess Zaria was already fuming by the time she ended her call with her friend.
"Like hell am I marrying that idiot!" she vowed before roughly adjusting her pillows and laying her pounding head down.
It was just after midnight when her phone rang but she had not slept a wink.
"What?" she snapped at the uncultured person who called that early in the morning.
"Aren't princess meant to be gentle and good natured?" An amused husky voice asked.
It unsettled her that she knew exactly who it was. His question immediately got into her already fired nerves. She hated all the theories everyone had on how they expected her to be. A part of her wanted to tell him to go to hell, but curiosity got the better of her. The direct number to her room was not listed anywhere, only her closest friends had it.
"H..how did you get my number?"
Her usual smooth tongue was tied once again.
"I will tell you if you tell me why you are so upset."
"Who said I am upset?"
It was the same question she asked him earlier at the azalea planes. He came up with a charming concoction that left her heart pounding at the time but he could not use the same response now.
"You are not just breathtaking but you are unique. Your very strong will makes you stand out, My Princess. You radiate energy and emotions to everyone in your proximity."
"You are not in my proximity."
She was starting to think Oscar was some weirdo but could not get herself to end the call. Something about the way he spoke, dressed and looked had piqued her curiosity.
"I must be weak, impressionable or very susceptible to your emotions, because your voice alone paints for me a thousand scenarios, all sucking out any form of joy from my soul."
Princess Zaria had no idea what he was talking about. No one has ever mentioned her emitting any sort energy. She did not ask any of the many questions in her head but dropped the call on him instead. Her body was once again behaving very strangely to his husky voice and it scared her.
"Good bye, Oscar."
Oscar bursted out in laughter as he heard the unmistakable sound of the phone dropping. He only met her once but could not stop being excited at the anticipation of challenging and being challenged by the famous Princess of Olympia. He laid on his bed with a huge grin on his face.
"The Princess remembers my name. It's time to implement my next move," he said to himself, thrilled with his progress.