The Rivalry of hearts

Chapter 5: The Royal Visit

The king and queen of Eldoria invited the Everwood family to dine with them, King Fredrick and King Richard were good friends and were close at that, they were like brothers to each other and respected each other's decisions.

As the towering gates of King Fredrick's castle swung open, King Richard led his two sons, Prince Sebastian and Prince Dominic, into the grand courtyard. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation, as noble guests and courtiers whispered excitedly about the highly anticipated meeting between the two royal families.

The sun's rays cast a golden glow upon the sprawling gardens of the royal palace.

Amidst the vibrant blooms and fragrant blossoms, Prince Sebastian of Eldoria strolled pensively, his heart heavy with an overwhelming longing. His eyes, the color of the summer sky, searched for any sign of her

—Princess Isabella.

Ever since that fateful day when their paths first crossed in the palace ballroom, Sebastian had been irrevocably captivated by her ethereal beauty and grace. Every stolen glance, every whispered conversation, only deepened his affection, fueling his dreams of a future together.

Prince Sebastian's eyes scanned the scene, searching for a familiar face. His heart quickened as he caught a glimpse of Princess Isabella standing off to the side, her radiant beauty captivating him in an instant.

With a glimmer of mischief in his eyes, he seized this opportunity to approach her. Prince Sebastian finally reached Princess Isabella's side, his smile both confident and mischievous. "Princess Isabella, how delightful it is to finally meet you," he said, his voice laced with charm. "These formalities can be so tedious, don't you agree?"

Isabella couldn't help but feel drawn to Sebastian's charisma. Her cheeks flushed as she replied coyly, "Indeed, Your Highness.

Sometimes it's refreshing to escape from the rigid expectations of our stations, even for a brief moment, so I heard you have a brother, did he come with you", “ I'd rather not talk about him, I despise him, he always makes people belittle me, and better than him in everything yet my parents and everyone else seem to be obsessed with him “, Sebastian said with an upset expression on his face, “ well am sorry to hear that, but his the first son, that's how it's meant to be, but I guess is best known to you” Isabella said and Sebastian chuckles, “yes, I think”, both of them laugh, as their conversation bloomed, their connection deepened like an exquisite dance.

It was time for dinner, everyone was at the table except for Dominic, the king and queen weren't bothered cause they knew he would join them soon.

Sabatain’s and Isabella’s eyes kept meeting each other as they stylishly smirked at each other, both the Kings and Queens noticed this and smiled at each other acting like they saw nothing.

As the sound of clinking glasses and cheerful laughter filled the grand dining hall, Princess Isabella couldn't help but notice an empty seat at the head table. Prince Dominic was noticeably absent, yet nobody seemed bothered by his absence. Curiosity sparked within Isabella's heart, and she decided to excuse herself from the dinner to find solace in the restroom, while walking down the hallway, her eyes were drawn to a figure sitting alone in a secluded corner.

It was Prince Dominic, unusually distant and lost in his thoughts. Without hesitation, Isabella approached him, her soft voice breaking the silence, "Is everything alright, Your Highness?"

He hesitated for a moment, caught off guard by her unexpected presence. With a hint of arrogance, Dominic asked, "And who might you be?"

Smiling gently, "I'm Princess Isabella, third daughter of King Richard, Your Highness. I couldn't help but notice your absence during the royal dinner. It seemed as though something weighed heavily on your mind."

Dominic's guard began to crumble under her genuine concern. Feeling a connection he hadn't expected, he started opening up about the weight of finding a suitable wife, the expectations, and the consequences of his choices. Isabella listened attentively, understanding the pressures placed upon him and the sacrifices he must make for the sake of the kingdom.

“Well I would suggest you pick any from the ones that were selected, it's the throne we are talking about, and your younger brother replacing you wouldn't be a good thing to be heard, I suggest you pick a wife, it might not turn out so bad as you think,” Isabella said with a soft, gentle tone.

“Well, is not like I have a choice. I've not seen you around before, it's a pleasure to meet you Isabel” Dominic said as he smirked and took her hand in for a kiss, isabella’s cheek flushed smiling back at him.

As their conversation unfolded, Dominic found himself irresistibly drawn to her softness and understanding. As the evening progressed and the conversation deepened, a flicker of something more ignited within Dominic's heart—a nascent attraction that he could no longer ignore.

Sabastain curious about why Isabella was taking so long, left to find her while going down the stairs, he heard chuckles coming from the hallway, and he proceeded to see who it was, standing at the entrance of the hallway, he got furious when he saw Dominic and Isabella together, he walked hastily towards them, and hits Dominic towards his face, “what is going on! you better stay away from her, she's mine!”, Sebastian yelled as he held isabella’s hand dragging her closer to him, Dominic wipes of the blood at the corner of his mouth looking directly Isabel..” well brother, can see you have really grown, Princess hope your okay?” Dominic asked concerned, before she could utter any word, Sebastian pulled her out of the hallway.

Dominic stood and watched them leave the hallway, It didn't matter to him if they were in love or not, he had developed feelings for Isabel and knew that she would be a good companion, “she will be mine, brother, just watch and see” he said with a devilish smirk on his face.

Isabella still shocked of what was going on, “what's going on Sebastian, you are hurting me!!”, she said as she pulled her hand out of Sebastian's grip, “why did you hit him!?” she yelled unable to control her emotions, “He just needed someone to talk to, what's your problem”, Sebastian started at her speechless, “he is not a good person, you don't know him but I do, he will take you away from me” Sebastian said concerned, Isabel with a confused expression on her face, “ what is that suppose to mean?”, Sabastine started at her with a worried expression, “Isabel, I think I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, you bring warmth to me and make me feel whole, there's something special about you and I wouldn't want to lose you to anyone else, especially my brother, let's get married Isabel, I'll make you the Queen of Veridia, “ he said holding her hands and staring at her with teary eyes, “so it's true Sebastian, you want to take your brother’s thrown away from him, what type of Brother are you, why do you hate Dominic so much, you a disgusting!” Isabella yells pulling her hand out of Sebastian's grip and hastily walked into the dinning room.

Sebastian was still in thought, he just couldn't imagine Isabel being taken away from him, he knew his brother and saw the expression in his face, Sebastian knew that Dominic developed feelings for Isabel, he was scared because If Dominic wanted to have her, he knew he would.