It was another day in the castle. The weather was warm, the prince spent another day away, and I had much work to finish. It all became so typical after a while. Eventually, news of the prince spending a lot of time with Kendyl got around, and people started to give me concerned, sympathetic looks whenever they saw me, no less my ladies in waiting. Once, one of them even said that she possibly saw Kendyl.

"It was the prince for sure. But as for the lady, I'm not really sure because I only saw a glimpse of her backside," she said.

It was late afternoon by the time I finished my work for the day, so I decided to go through my letters. Most of them were letters of gratitude and requests. But there was one letter that really grabbed my attention. It was a letter from Dowager Queen Kelly of the kingdom of Dalmary, a kingdom in the east. The queen and I are very good longtime friends. A widow of over 60 years, Dowager Queen Kelly still rules greatly and strongly over her kingdom, looking rather well for her age. She's something like a mother to me. It's been a while since I've received a letter from her, so I opened her letter with great anticipation. The letter was an invitation to have tea with her, featuring only me and her. I reasoned that because it's been a while since I've actually done anything to enjoy myself, I should surely take a trip to Dalmary and stay for a few days.

The weather in Dalmary was very pleasant for summer. Moreover, the kingdom had a richness of beautiful blooming flowers that are rather large in size. And the queen dowager's castle was a very grandiose abode, with many rooms and lots of fancy decorations.

Once my arrival was announced, Kelly proceeded to greet me generously with a large hug of joy.

"Kai, what a great pleasure it is to see you. I'm so glad that you could make the journey here. How are you feeling? Have you been well?"

"Yes, yes, I've been very well. Busy, but well. It's great to see you as well, Kelly."

"Well, there's no good in staying out here. Shall we go inside to relax?"

I nodded and followed Kelly into her castle.

When Dowager queen Kelly and I entered her grand courtyard, there was a table already clad with many sweets, tiny sandwiches, and fruits. It was such a grand feast that appeared to require more people to join in the feasting. After we took our seats at the table, Kelly spoke.

"So, how are things going for you back at Morado?"

"It's been busy lately, but everything is well."

A servant appeared with freshly brewed tea for us. After pouring our cups, he placed them down in front of us on the table before disappearing soon after.

"And your engagement to the prince? Is it lovely?"

I hesitated before answering to which Kelly noticed as she clasped her hands together with a concerned look on her face.

"Kai, what's going on?" she asked.

I didn't want to lie to her about anything, especially because I didn't know just how fast news of the prince's time with Kendyl would eventually spread to Dalmary, so I decided to tell Kelly a little of what's going on.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"The prince has been absent a lot from the castle lately," I said, which was quite true.

"Has he? Oh, do you have any idea why?"

Again, I didn't want to lie, but there was something embarrassing about this entire situation. How could I, Kai, Princess of Morado, have a husband-to-be who is taking it upon himself to make a fool out of me by blatantly spending excessive time with some girl? Even if it isn't his intention to seek out a lover while engaged to me, the prince fails to see how his actions appear to the people around him, the people of MY COUNTRY. I only realized in that moment that I didn't like talking about this with other people. I didn't like the idea of appearing pitiful in front of others, of divulging more than what needed to be said, of appearing feeble in even the smallest of scenarios compared to the many large issues of other countries. It would be a complete contradiction and insult to my desired image of a strong, steadfast, independent ruler. That's when I knew that something needed to be done about this situation immediately upon my return home. I needed to speak with the prince about how his actions in my own country are affecting things.

In the end, I told Kelly that I didn't know why the prince has been absent a lot, and that I was simply worried for his well-being. After I said that, however, Kelly gave me a long, but concerned look. Eventually, she spoke.

"Kai, I want you to know that you are like a daughter to me. I love you, and I want you to continue to grow into the strong, independent ruler you strive to be. I know you love your people, and I know you love your country. I also know that you want to concentrate some of that love on someone you deem very special. However, my advice to you is to be careful. We live in a world where it's difficult to find people you can trust wholeheartedly and love freely. There is so much scandal, duplicity, and betrayal in this world. And because you are among the few strong, single rulers among lands, albeit a young one, I want you to be careful with who you choose to love, trust, and keep in your circle. Because if you invite the wrong people around, anything could happen, and certain people will jump at the chance to sully your great name, manipulate matters, even revolt against you regardless of everything you have done for them. And I most surely don't want you throwing all of your hard work away for some boy. If for whatever reason this prince is unsure of whether or not he really loves you, and wants to marry you, please take this as a hint to back away, because the prince's wavering itself is an answer. Do give it some time, of course, but not too much time. If things continue to go on unchanged, I think it would be in your best interests, the interests of your people, and the interest of your beloved and powerful country, that you break off your engagement with that foolish prince."

The day finally came for me to return home, and soon after Kelly and I said our farewells, I was on my way. While in the carriage, Kelly's words continued to dawn on me as they had the majority of my stay in Dalmary. I knew she was right. I had worked hard for everything I achieved in my own country. And I did care enough about my reputation to not allow it to be ruined by someone else. Moreover, I already resolved to speak to the prince about his actions, and how they made me look. I would be no more foolish than he is if I allowed this situation to continue. I needed to remind him of the seriousness of our engagement, as well as everything that is entailed after marriage.

After a long, tiring journey, I finally arrived home to my beloved castle in the capital of Morado. I was ready to get settled in when a servant ran towards me upon my exit from the carriage.

"Your Highness, a man is here, demanding to speak with you."

No sooner than after the servant spoke did I hear yelling near the castle entrance. As I walked closer, I beheld the sight of a man struggling between two of the castle guards, who held him firmly by the arms. As soon as he saw me, he started to yell louder.

"Princess! Princess! I only wanted to speak to you, but these men started harassing me!"

"Untruth, Your Highness!" said the servant from before, "That man came here, asking your whereabouts, in addition to wanting to speak to you. When he didn't get the answer he wanted, he started throwing a fit, so the guards reprimanded him."

"Don't listen to him, Princess! He's lying!"

The man continued to shout insults and contradictions about what the servant was saying to me, and the more he did it, the more irritated I became, because this surely wasn't something I wanted to come home to after a long trip, and I was very exhausted.

"Silence!" I shouted.

Once the man quieted, I ordered the guards to bring him to the throne room.