As the princesses entered the hall, Kai was shocked. He recalled back to the night where he saw the red-hair girl, who was actually a princess. But there was a question lingering in his mind, “Which one of them is she…?”
He wondered, his eyes shifting between them, when Eva spoke in. “Should I play the recording of that day, Sir?” Kai stared at them for a few seconds before replying. “No need,” he smiled as he replied.
“I found her…”
Both the princesses came forward, towards Maximus and Celestina, and they greeted them. Niatina stepped forward, she wore a stunning sapphire-blue gown. Its fitted bodice featured silver embroidery, and the A-line skirt flowed gracefully. She moved like a queen, her presence commanding attention. The gown’s train swept the floor, leaving stardust in its wake.
“Sorry for being late Father, Mother,” she spoke up as Celestina smiled at them. “That’s fine, Nino. Well, won’t you two greet your aunt here?” she waved her hand towards Sakura as she came forward. “My! You two are looking so beautiful today!” She smiled at them as Niatina started a conversation with her. Kai was behind them as he just stared in the space, when Ray nudged him. “You’re staring,” he whispered to which Kai chuckled. Maximus and Hiro came forward, “Well, let me introduce you two to the star of today’s event,” Maximus moved his hand backward. Hiro stepped aside, revealing Kai.
Both the princesses looked at him, until Niatina came forward. “Greeting, Young Duke. It’s nice to meet you.” She moved with grace as she greeted with a warm smile. Kai returned her smile, as he pulled out his notebook showing his response, “Thank you for your kind words, Princess.” Niatina was taken aback at first, when she understood the situation.
“I am Niatina von Lunaris, the first Princess of the royal family.” She gracefully bowed as she introduced herself to which Kai as well, showed her his note. “I am Kai Hamada, it’s very nice to meet you, Princess Niatina.” He responded with a smile, Niatina paused for a moment before understanding the situation. She then looks up at Ray, who as well looked at her with a calm expression.
“Greeting, Your Highness the Crown Prince,” she bowed as she greeted him. Kai looked towards Ray, wanting to see his expression. “Now let’s see how you react to your Fiancé- ehh?” as he looked at Ray, he saw Ray’s gazes shift towards the other direction. He had a mix sad, guilt and worry in his expression as he greeted Niatina back. “Seems like… something happened between those two,” Kai thought to himself as he looked at Ray, then at Niatina.
After the greeting, Niatina went back. Ray also got to his usual composure, but Kai was still thinking of what happened before. “Now come on,” Celestina from behind whispered to the second princess. “It’s your turn,” she gave a small push as the second princess came forward.
“Maybe those two,” his thoughts were interrupted, as Montina came forward. As he saw her, he smiled underneath. “Now, who would have thought,” he thought to himself, “The famous notorious Princess would be so kind enough, for distributing foods among the poor kids.”
A little back, when the princesses entered the hall, Kai started to recall back on that night. “Alright, so their facial features are similar, same hair and eyes. Hmm,” he was looking for something that would distinguish between them. “If I had to guess, it should be the first princess, since based on her reputation, she is more suited for stuffs like distributing foods among the poor kids.”
He was deep in thoughts, when he noticed something. He paused for a moment before he confirmed, “I found her!” He smiled, when Eva asked, “You found her?” Kai looked at both the princesses as he replied, “Yup! Even if both have similar features, not everything about them is same.”
“That’s right, Sir.” Eva stated, “Their feature are same but their measurements-” Kai stopped Eva midway, “Yeah, that. Now don’t complete that line.” He marked his words as he looked at the second princess and smiled.
Back in present, the second princess came forward. Her gown was a deep, velvety midnight blue. She wore long, sheer sleeves with silver star embroidery. The fitted bodice featured swirling lacework, and the A-line skirt flowed gracefully. Montina moved like an enchantress—a shadowy mystery in the midst of light.
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Montina, the second princess, stepped forward. Her calm demeanor was a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere of the hall. As she looked at Kai, a flicker of sadness passed through her eyes, but she quickly masked it with a serene smile.
“Greetings, Young Duke. I am Montina von Lunaris, the second Princess of the royal family,” she said, her voice as soft as a whisper. Kai smiles as he responded with a note, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Montina.”
As their interaction proceeded smoothly, Maximus leaned in to whisper something to Hiro. Hearing what Maximus said, Hiro whispered back to him. This continued for a few seconds until they exchanged a knowing look before Hiro cleared his throat, drawing the attention towards him. He faced towards the nobles as he began.
“His Majesty, The Emperor and I have something to share,” Hiro began, his voice echoing through the hall. All eyes turned to them as Maximus stepped forward, a serious expression on his face.
“I hope you all are enjoying the banquet today,” he rose his glass to which everyone did the same. “Well, where should I begin now… It was 19 years ago, that the Archduke and I made a promise,” Maximus started, his voice filled with nostalgia. “We vowed that our children would marry each other in the future.”
With these words, he extended his hand towards Hiro, who reciprocated the gesture. “But then, my son was taken away from us. Which now, after a long time we found him,” A murmur ran through the crowd as the implication of his words sank in.
Both Maximus and Hiro looked at each other and nodded, “So, now we wish for Kai and Montina to be engaged,” they announced, their voice firm and resolute.
The hall fell into stunned silence, followed by whispers of the nobles. While Sakura and Celestina had a joyful expression as they clapped their hands together, Ray and Niatina were taken aback. But there were two more who were more shocked: as Kai and Montina looked at each other, their expressions mirroring the surprise they both felt.
The joyous screams of Sakura and Celestina filled the grand hall as they began discussing wedding preparations. Their laughter and nobles’ whispers echoed off the high ceilings, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere that had settled over the rest of the room. “What the…,” Kai glanced at them, then at Ray, who shook his head, indicating he was as surprised as Kai. Niatina, on the other hand, wore a knowing expression, but it was tinged with worry. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the reactions of the gathered nobles.
Kai sighed, as he glanced towards Montina, “I don’t really like this idea,” he thought to himself. “But, maybe… just maybe,” he thinks to himself as his eyes soften looking at her.
The hall buzzed with whispers of the engagement. The nobles huddled together, their voices a low hum in the background. Their eyes darted between Montina and Kai, their expressions a mix of shock and curiosity.
“The notorious princess will be engaged?”
“That to with the Archduke’s son,”
“But how can the Emperor let his daughter be engaged to someone who’s disabled. Even if it was something they decided long back,”
“Guess the Emperor finally got fed up with her mess,”
Whispers were all over, which Kai could hear clearly. He sighed, “Nobles and their nonsense.” Amidst this, Montina’s hand balled into a tight fist. Her knuckles turned white as she stepped forward, cutting through the chatter.
“NO!” She shouted, her voice loud and clear. Everyone looks at her, “I refuse to be engaged to someone like him!” she declared. All eyes turned to her as she continued, “He can’t walk, he can’t talk, and you want me to accept it!?”
The room fell into a stunned silence, the echo of Montina’s words hanging heavy in the air. Celestina and Maximus tried to reason with her, their voices soft and pleading, but Montina’s voice only grew louder. “He is worthless! He’s nothing more than a burden!” With that, she stormed out of the hall, her footsteps echoing behind her, leaving behind a stunned silence.
The shock of Montina’s outburst rippled through the hall. The nobles exchanged glances, their whispers silenced. Sakura and Celestina stood frozen, their joyous chatter replaced by shocked silence. Niatina looked after her sister, worry etched on her face. She bit her lip, her hands wringing the fabric of her dress.
Kai, however, remained silent. He stared at the space Montina had vacated, his face unreadable. The harsh words echoed in his mind, each syllable a painful reminder of his condition. He felt Ray’s sympathetic gaze on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to meet his friend’s eyes. “…”, he was in deep thought, the silence in the room amplifying the sound in his ears.
As the silence stretched on, the reality of Montina’s words began to sink in. The hall, once filled with joyous chatter, was now a silent testament to the unexpected turn of events. The engagement, which was supposed to be a cause for celebration, had instead sown seeds of discord. The nobles shifted uncomfortably, their eyes darting between Kai and the door Montina had exited through.
And amidst it all, Kai could only stare into space, the echo of Montina’s harsh words lingering in the silent hall.