Prince Arthur casually strolled back into the grand hall where the party was still going on and the first thing his eyes landed on was Prince Nolan dancing on the dance floor with the woman from earlier in his arms.
He had no idea how long he had been staring at her, surprised and captivated by how the entire world seemed to fade away as he watched her face lit up with a smile and her eyelashes fluttering gently as she looked up at Prince Nolan.
Her dress fitted her body perfectly and didn't exactly reveal just how curvaceous she was underneath unless one took a good look at her just like Prince Arthur was doing.
"Who is she?" He leaned closer to his personal bodyguard, Steve, who was now standing beside him.
"Who?" Steve asked, unsure of who the young prince was talking about but when he followed his eyes and saw him staring at the woman dancing with Prince Nolan, he smiled,
"Oh, you mean Lady Audrey? She is Governor Walter's only daughter. No one knows much about her because her father mostly keeps her locked up in his house but if there is one thing I know for sure, it is that she is the apple of his eyes and one cannot exactly blame him for that, she is quite a beauty to behold." The guard divulged.
Prince Arthur wasn't sure why he didn't find her outspoken behavior to be irritating, instead, he was drawn to her, he was amused by how she had boldly stood her ground against him when most people would have cowered in fear and scurried away from him.
He was used to intimidating people so seeing someone that wasn't so easily intimidated on her first day of meeting him, surprised him and he had no idea when a smile stretched his lips until Steve pointed it out to him.
"Wow, are you really smiling? The party must be a nice one then."
Prince Arthur snapped out of it immediately and walked away. He wasn't even sure why he had returned to the grand hall in the first place but he rushed back to his room and didn't step outside for the rest of the day.
Steve had the maids bring up his dinner and he retired for the night.
"Your highness," Steve began casually as soon as Prince Arthur dismissed him for the night, "may I ask what you plan to do now that the king has announced the competition? Do you have any idea about what could have prompted the king to make such a decision?" He asked.
Steve was the only person that had ever really gotten close to Prince Arthur, unlike the others in the palace, he knew just who the prince was underneath the cloak he walked around with.
Prince Arthur had in turn accepted Steve as more than just a guard, he was now the only confidante he had in the palace.
Prince Arthur sighed heavily before he spoke up,
"Honestly speaking Steve, I do not know what's going on in his mind or what's next for me right now but I am sure of one thing and that is, I am going to win this competition and become the crown prince. I will rise to become king and rule this kingdom." He responded confidently with a far away look in his eyes.
"You know better than anyone else that I will always support anything you wish to do, your highness but this time… it will be difficult for the both of us. The circumstances around your birth will most likely become an obstacle and it will make you the less likely candidate to become the crown prince."
"Think about it, your highness, the other princes have some measure of support behind them. Prince Nolan has the support of Queen Marina and the entire kingdom, but you, your highness, have no one compared to them. Prince Nolan stands a very high chance at winning this and it will be wise to not throw yourself out there when the odds are not in your favor." Steve added but Prince Arthur remained silent so he decided to continue in hopes that he would be able to get the young Prince to see things his way.
"You of all people should know just how powerful Queen Marina is, she won't just sit back and watch Prince Nolan lose the competition, let's say there is a slight chance that you win, she can easily influence the decision of the court and you're not exactly the people's favorite right now so I doubt they want anyone else to become the crown prince other than Prince Nolan."
"He is the heartthrob of the kingdom and his reputation is sparkling clean but unfortunately, I cannot say the same for you, your highness." Steve sighed heavily but Prince Arthur simply smirked.
"I understand you Steve but trust me, these shortcomings of mine are the very reason I will become the crown prince." He replied confidently and that got Steve thinking if the young prince had a plan.
Did he have something planned already? A plan that would help him win the competition?
"What do you mean, your highness? I am curious to know the plan you have in mind and even so confident of against a rival like Prince Nolan."
"All my life Steve, I have been taunted, bullied and ridiculed because my mother wasn't royalty," Prince Arthur began with a very strong emotional tone, "she was kicked out as soon as I was born and I never got a chance to meet her, I am tired of being powerless Steve. If I had not found a way to stand up to the people oppressing me, regardless of how they turned me into the black sheep of the family in the process, I would still be bullied till today."
"But since father has decided to give everyone a fair chance at this, then I will not be a coward and hide. This is my opportunity to become powerful enough to defend those that cannot defend themselves, this is my chance and I won't let it slip away. So may the best man win." Prince Arthur added with a firm tone before he turned away from Steve and retired to bed.
Steve knew that was his cue to leave and even though he was still curious about why Prince Arthur was willing to fight a battle that was already certain he would lose, he didn't push the conversation any further.
Prince Arthur on the other hand could barely sleep the entire night, all he could think about was the announcement the king had made at the party but a face kept popping up in his mind and derailing his thoughts.
He had no idea why he kept seeing her face or why her smile warmed his heart in a way he had never experienced before.
For some reason, the image of her dancing with Prince Nolan and smiling up at him kept making him toss around and groaning out loud in frustration but he eventually fell asleep just as the sun began to rise.