Heart desired

//Chapter 28//

I stood before king Droumer, my head bent in a bow of gratitude. He had given the permission to rescue me and shelter me when my own kingdom threw me in to The Eternal Prison. The least I could do was paying respect to the crown. Besides, he was my uncle.

Savin and Resh stood on each side of him, Resh on right and Savin on left. They were wearing their identical clothes, the golden brooch and cape and everything. I now wore a similar golden brooch on my left shoulder. I guessed they must be a ranking system, because all the council wore pure white brooches. The king was not wearing any brooch both times I saw him.

I decided to ask about that later.

This proved my suspicions about Savin being just a general. I mean, what general stands shoulder to shoulder with the Crown Prince? It was too suspicious.

Maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe he was really a faithful General who had earned his place besides the king. I didn't have a good idea about how these things worked here. I still had a lot to learn about Elkelyn.

"Princess Nasha Sumi Rawyer." King spoke. I looked up. Last time I had an audience with him, Lord Draken had been on my side. Today, there was no one. I felt small, bare and pressured under his gaze as I stood near the throne. I tried to assure myself. It's just ten steps separating you from them. I'm not inferior to them.

"Your Majesty," I bowed deeper. "Thank you for your hospitality and saving me from the dungeons."

"I did not approve of you being rescued." He said. I raised my head to see him assessing me, eyeing me up and down. "My son is the one who wanted to have you rescued. He is the one you should thank."

His son? Did he mean... Savin?

I cast a quick look in his direction to see him glaring at the king. He looked like an adult frowning at their parent for bringing up his embarrassing childhood. He looked cute.

My heart was beating up twice the regular speed in my heart. I wanted to put my hand on my chest, but I kept it tucked away at my side. I knew the guards were watching this meeting closely. One wrong moment and they would shoot me for trying to assassinate their king.

As if they could stop me if I decided to do that. I didn't even need to move my hand.

I looked back at king's disapproving face. He looked a lot like Savin when he sighed at stupid or slow people.

I was right. Savin was not a general. He was the Second Prince of Elkelyn.

It didn't bother me to find out the truth. He always looked like a prince. He had this aura around him that drew me in, that made me trust him. I felt safe with him.

The king continued. "Since you are half sister of the Crown Prince of Elkelyn, the council decided to give you the status of a princess in Elkelyn. From today on, you will be known as Princess Nasha Rawyer, not Sumi Rawyer. You will ditch that name."

Ditch? How could I? Sumi was the name I inherited from my mother, who was also an Elkelyn. It may not be a big deal to someone else, but I wanted to keep it as a reminder of her. Sure, she may have been cruel to Resh in the past, but she raised me to be a capable woman.

"Why?" I asked.

"It's Elves's tradition to honour the middle name. Here we honour the first name. I'm not asking to abandon it fully. Here, your name will always be Nasha. I hope that is okay."

I looked down. This was clearly a test. If I refused, they would conclude it as a betrayal to the kingdom because I was deflecting a direct order from the king. If I accepted, it would mean that I abandoned my kingdom.

The decision would have been simple two years ago. It would always be my kingdom.

I looked at Savin. This boy had believed in my life and had fought for me when I was not even here. Then I looked at Resh. He had believed Savin the moment he figured I was alive and had rushed to secure me. Two years ago, I didn't even know they existed.

And I owe them big.

"Fine." I said. "I will be Nasha Rawyer. But I do not need the princess status. I will quietly live in some place."

All three of them looked at me like I was talking in an alien language. I looked back, meeting their eyes. Is wanting to have a quiet life stupid?

"That's not for you to decide." The king said. "You are my sister's best friends daughter. They were inseparable since birth. If she was here, she would treat you like her own daughter. Even though I can't forget the fact that your mother helped to cover up her death, I still want to respect her wishes. You will stay as a princess, and from tomorrow, you will stay at the palace. You will receive the proper education of a Elkelyn, and you will be a citizen of Elkelyn. Dismissed."

He rose up and went behind the throne. In a moment, he was gone.

I just stood there. It took me a little while to process what I just heard. Was I just threatened to live a luxury life? Does these stuff happen in real life?

Resh and Savin came to me, climbing down the stairs, closing the distance between us. This felt normal rather than having them stare down at me like creeps. And then I realised something. "Will I have to stand like you from today?"

Savin almost tripped while Resh stared at me for a second before bursting in to a laugh.

"Of course." Resh said. "I'll make sure you have extra shifts."

.