His icy duchess

Chapter One The Royal Summons "I can't take this anymore!" King Darius yelled as he leaned back into his chair at the head of the dining table. He closed his eyes and let out a light sigh. He couldn't think of any other solution. "You should do it, Ellie. Besides, you gave birth to him," He added as he leaned forward once more. He picked up his cutleries and started cutting his steak. "Oh! So I gave birth to him. I wonder, Your Majesty, have you by any chance forgotten who put him in me?" Queen Eloise questioned. King Darius dropped his knife and fork on the table as he turned to his wife. "I don't know what else to do Ellie. He is so stubborn and difficult and..." "Well, I know someone who was just as difficult as him," The Queen said as she looked away. The king smiled as he reached for the Queen's hand. "Well I didn't go around chasing all the ladies in the castle," He said as he pulled her arm towards his lips. "I only went after one woman, and she had no choice but to fall for me." Queen Eloise blushed as the king kissed her hand. Just then, her eyes landed on the young guard behind her husband. He looked away, being flustered by what had happened. She pulled her arm away from the king's. "That's enough Darius, we are in public," Queen Eloise whispered to him. "Okay then, why don't we go to the other room," He said, winking at the Queen. A flush of pink crept onto her cheeks. Before she could say anything, Sir Gregory, the king's valet spoke up. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty, but you have a council meeting to attend to," He said. King Darius gave the Queen a sad look and sighed. "I guess that'll not be happening," He said and stood up. He started for the throne room, but the Queen followed him from behind. "And what about the prince, what do we do about him?" The Queen asked as she fastened her pace to meet up with the queen. "Like I said my love, you can handle him," He said without glancing back. "And Sir Gregory, what is the meeting about?" "Well, Your Majesty, it is about the tax collection," He said as he walked into the throne room. The king sat on the throne. He gave Sir Gregory a questioning look. "Why those the council want to hold a meeting about tax collection with their King," He asked. The Queen walked in and sat next to the king. "Well, Your Majesty, Lord Basil said the duchies have recently been delaying their treaties, and..." "All of them?" Queen Eloise questioned. "No not all, Your Majesty," Sir Gregory said to her as he opened a scroll he was holding. "According to his report, just a few duchies have met with the deadline, which includes Valewood, Drakenwood..." "Hold on," King Darius said. He was silent for a while, thinking about something. Everyone waited patiently for him to speak. All of a sudden, he turned to the Queen. "I think I know how to solve the Prince's problem," He finally said. *** Ophelia stared at the contents of the letter in her hand. She turned it over and ran her thumb through the seal on it. It was indeed the royal signet. The dragon and the sword signet. "I can't believe this is happening! " Isolde, Ophelia's best friend yelled. She was a viscountess and the only one who was excited about the news. Ophelia, on the other hand, wasn't happy about it. Not only did she have her own problems to solve as the Duchess of Valewood, but she now had to deal with the royal family's own, too. "Cheer up, Ophelia. It's not such a bad deal. Besides, I've heard he is handsome and charming," Isolde said with both hands on her chest and her eyes closed. Ophelia could tell she was daydreaming. "I also heard he was a playboy and that he couldn't ignore anything in a skirt, including a dog," Ophelia remarked, pulling Isolde out of her thoughts. Isolde's eyes flew open. "That's not true!" She yelled. Ophelia raised a brow at her. "Which part?" She questioned. "Well... I mean... The part about the dog," She muttered nervously. Ophelia rolled her eyes and looked away. "Besides, think about it Ophelia, things would become more fun here," Isolde added. Ophelia stood up. "I would rather my duchy maintains its normal serenity. But that's all going to change when the prince arrives," She said. Isolde was about to say something else, but Lady Liana, Ophelia's chamberlain and childhood governess signaled for her not to. Ophelia walked towards the window. She stared at the duchy. "Are you going to reject the request of the King and Queen?" Lady Liana asked. Ophelia didn't know what to say. She knew she couldn't do that. She stared at the letter once more. "We hope that your calm and disciplined lifestyle will help reform our son," was the last sentence in the letter. She didn't know if it was a trick or a test. But there was nothing she could do about it. "Nana!" She called out. "Yes, Duchess," Lady Liana answered. Ophelia turned to her. "Get everything ready for the Prince's arrival," She instructed. *** The whole Duchy was excited for the Prince's arrival. Well, not everyone. The women were excited, while the men were not–including Ophelia. She knew trouble was coming to her doorstep. One she wished to avoid. The nobles at the duchy stood outside the Duchess's estate, waiting for the arrival of the Prince. The one who, with one glance, could swipe a woman off her feet.The one who men had to hide their wives from. As dusk fell, the royal carriage arrived. A royal guard rushed over to open the door. As the infamous Prince Leonidas stepped down, everyone gasped in shock–except for Ophelia.