"Good evening your high…" "No, no. You don't have to do that anymore."
Princess Selena interrupted Cinderella, lifting her head up from bowing.
"Why not?" Cinderella asked, raising her in complexity.
"You're getting married to my eldest brother, which makes you the crown princess and future queen of the Kingdom."
Cinderella face turns red with blushes at the words of the princess. Princess Selena turned to look at both of her brothers who had been keeping quiet the entire time. "Are you guys not going to say anything?" She elbows the second prince, bringing his thoughts back to reality.
"Ouch…" 'Coughs' "Hi, my name is Michael, I'm the second prince. And this is my brother Stephen, he's the fourth prince." Prince Michael said to Cinderella.
"I already know who you are my princes." Cinderella smiles in acknowledgement. "Oh! I guess you already do. What's your name?" Asked prince Michael. "My name is Cinderella, my prince." "Cinderella! Like the fairytale Cinderella." Prince Stephen said with his eyes widened in excitement.
Cinderella smiles at him, "Not exactly like the fairytale my prince, but maybe a little bit. I mean I do have a stepmother and stepsister, but this time there was no glass slipper." She said the last part in a low voice, a saddened expression covering her face.
But she quickly replace it with a smile, not wanting any of the siblings to notice.
Unfortunately for her, prince Michael caught on to her saddened expression, squinting his eyes a little bit, keeping his thoughts to himself. "Well, that's good to hear." He said with no emotions.
"Thank you my prince." Cinderella said, almost bowing her head again.
"And you don't have to continue addressing us with such royalty again. You can just call us by our names, or prince Michael, if the former makes you uncomfortable. You'll soon be a part of the family." Prince Michael said to her.
"Thank you my pri…I mean prince Michael." Cinderella said, smiling.
Prince Michael nodded his head. "We'll leave you to your rest." He said and walks away with prince Stephen.
Prince Stephen suddenly stopped and turned around to still see princess Selena standing there. "What are you still doing there?" He asked her.
"You guys go ahead, I'll stay with her a bit." Princess Selena responded.
Prince Michael walked to her and dragged her along. "Leave the lady to rest."
Together they left, leaving Cinderella to her rest.
_ _
~Knock knock~
"Come in." Said the voice from inside the room.
Prince Stanley opens the door to the king office and walked in. "You asked to see me father." He asked his father.
King Richard paused what he was doing, leaned into his chair, and looked up to his son. "Yes I did. Heard you brought in a lady into the palace?"
Prince Stanley paused for a moment before replying his father. He and his father had always been at odds when his father started creating engagement for him to different princesses, this time even insisting on dragging the engagement with princess Diana of Downton without seeking for any of his consent.
This matter had only been known to the both of them, which always caused them to have internal issues. Keeping his thoughts to himself, he responded with a cold and deep voice, "Yes I did."
King Richard could hear the distance and slight warning in the voice of his son.
"Hmmm"
"Do you intend to marry her?" He asked nonetheless.
"Yes, I intend to marry her." Prince Stanley quickly replied, not waiting for a second for his father to finish speaking.
King Richard immediately became frustrated at his son provocation, slams the desk with his hands, and stood up with extreme anger. "You know of our arrangement…"
"That was your arrangement father, I never agreed to it." Prince Stanley ruthlessly interrupted his father, as he stares coldly into his eyes.
The room suddenly became colder and quiet, both men staring deeply into each other eyes, their auras battling each in silence. None of them was ready to give in to the other persons pressure.
King Richard finally broke the cold silence, "You know of our situation with the kingdom of Downton, and how this marriage would bring us a lot of benefits. You are the future king of this kingdom, how dare you neglect your duties for a woman." He shouted in anger.
Prince Stanley kept quiet for a while, as he thought of their father, who would never put interest before them, has now changed, after testing the power of a king.
His father was never the king at first, he was a second prince. After the first king, their uncle, died with his family, his father assumed the position of king, and he, crown prince. Since then, his father was never the same person.
Prince Stanley eyes coldly squinted, he took a step closer to his fathers desk, staring directly at him, "It was never my choice to be the future king. If you feel I'm not up to task, you have other sons to give the crown to, I don't care. But I will never allow you to decide my personal life for me." He said to his father in a cold and very distant voice.
King Richard stared at him with extreme anger.
Seeing his father has nothing else to say, prince Stanley turned around and walked out of the office.
King Richard angrily slams the desk and sat down at his chair, thinking of his next approach.
_ _
Cinderella was startled at the door suddenly opening, and quickly hid what she was holding.
Prince Stanley walked into the room, seeing her being startled like a thief caught stealing, he looked behind her and saw what looked like a book that she was holding, and trying to hide. "What are you doing?"
"No…nothing." Cinderella stuttered, nervously replying, and clutching the books she was holding.
"What are you hiding?" He asked again with a low growl, his voice low and menacing.
Cinderella's hands trembled with fear, afraid of his cold voice, knowing she must have got him angered. Still clutching the book tightly, she lowered her head and gritted her teeth, "It's nothing." She replied with an almost inaudible voice, more like a whisper.
Prince Stanley walked up to her and forcefully snatched the book from her hands.
She retreated in fear at his actions.
He looked at the book and tu
rned to her with cold eyes.
Cinderella lowered her head as her shoulders trembled with fear.