It was a very busy afternoon and probably the most joyous of all celebrations.
At last, the Kingdom of Regaleria was set to go on the path of righteousness, on the path to glory and magnificence, minus the death and bloodshed of course.
Or at least that’s what all the people in the mansion hoped for.
Whether the newly crowned king will follow the footsteps of the late King Garlow or not, that was the prime question. King Garlow raised Prince Ruen after all, the traits of being like the late king, all he had inherited.
Lianne knew she couldn’t stay away from the celebration, but she wanted as much as she could not to run into the prince in any of the hallways. It would be awkward if they were to see each other after that heated encounter the last day.
Being in the horse field was her best option, but it seemed that all of her plans were wasted when the princess saw the guardsmen of the mansion accompanying Lord Jared as he neared her.
“My Lady, Princess Lianne,” Lord Jared greeted as he alighted from his horse.
“Lord Jared.”
Lianne stood up from the ground dusting off the wheatgrass sticking on her dress. It was sunny and she could see the relieved expression of the majordomo’s face upon walking close to her.
“At last I have found you,” he said, all with a deep sigh of relief.
She saw the thick sweat on his temple and the very obvious wrinkles on his forehead. He looked anxious enough, she thought, but she couldn’t blame him though.
After what happened last day, they may very well think that she had stormed out of the mansion.
“Am I worrying you, Lord Jared?” Lianne gave a teasing comment. “You know I would only be right here if not inside the mansion.”
“Indeed.” Lord Jared paused and wiped a bead of sweat off his temple. “Your Highness, your presence in the throne hall is a must. I ask that you come with me now,” he spoke then and held out his hand motioning for her to ride the extra horse they had prepared.
He was trying to act calm and poised as a good butler should be, but the princess could sense his panic, no doubt, because of her doing.
She had no plans on attending the coronation really. What for when she wasn’t even a part of the Kingdom to begin with? Plus, she had never expressed her loyalty to the royal inhabitants of the mansion throughout her guarded life.
“Please, Princess Lianne,” the majordomo stated, his eyes looked pleading as he gazed at her. “For Lady Faye. She really hoped you’d come.”
Lianne shifted her view to the facade of the mansion and thought well and hard.
“Okay, I will go,” she answered which gave the poor old man a breather.
“Oh thank you so much, Princess!” he exclaimed, smiling. “Lady Faye will be happy indeed!”
“Yes, but don’t expect me to bow down in front of him,” Lianne stated whilst she climbed up to the extra horse.
Lord Jared quickly shook his head. “No, Your Highness, not at all,” was his answer.
***
The ceremonial coronation of the crown prince was truly extravagant.
There were a lot of dignitaries, most of them Lianne had not seen, and certainly, princesses from across the lands vying to be the next queen of the Kingdom of Regaleria.
She was sitting next to Lady Faye when the ceremony began; front row, center to the aisle of which the governess herself reserved for her.
Though the princess was against the idea of sitting on a very notable seat, she couldn’t complain anymore. Lady Faye was the only person she knew inside the room. The idea of sitting beside a stranger was not an option.
Lianne’s heart thumped strongly when the trumpet sounded to signal the prince’s arrival on the entrance door.
The best choral group of the kingdom then started to sing a Gregorian chant. There were knights lined up opposite each other on the first half of the aisle raising their shiny swords high above their heads in welcome of the prince’s procession.
On the other half, the seven generals were present, raising their swords in a similar way.
The only general that was not in attendance was General Cain himself.
No one knew as to where he was. Lord Jared and Lady Faye were clueless about why he did not attend the ceremony. Lianne noticed his absence also but didn’t trouble herself to ask the governess why.
Prince Ruen wore a lavishly embroidered red silk coat with a long trail and adorned with gold flecks, diamonds, and emeralds shaping the crest of the kingdom. Under it was his usual ensemble of a black shirt and black pants.
His overall presence was different, exuding a stronger aura of authority, of undeniable control and dominance. He acted regal; shoulders squared, chin high, and face neutral; pretty much expected for an incoming King of a powerful kingdom. Nobody could see the turmoil in his eyes, and the worry and hope that he’d see the woman he desired in the seat readied only for her.
When the prince was close to where Lianne sat, she felt as though her courage began to crumble down.
It was difficult for her to stay comfortable when she caught a glimpse of him looking at her way with great depth.
She blushed a deep red and turned to face away remembering instantly what had happened to them the other day.
‘Calm yourself, Lianne,’ she murmured to herself and glued her eyes forward.
The High Priest was already waiting above the platform when the prince arrived. He immediately started the ceremony the moment the prince knelt at the center of the altar.
He made a few gestures above the prince’s head first, spoke some chants and verbs for all to hear, and instructed two priests to surround the King-to-be with incense.
A few exchanges were made between the High Priest and Prince Ruen, one of which was his vow to keep the Kingdom safe and secured from harm and threat of any form and the promise to hold true the value of life.
Many were pleased when Prince Ruen promised harmony and peace between Kingdoms. Many were happy that the carnage of King Garlow will finally stop.
Lianne was in awe throughout the whole ceremony.
The man in her front definitely was a sight to behold. It was unbelievable to think that just the last day they had shared something so intimate. He was the crown prince still then, but now, the most powerful man in all of the kingdoms.
What could possibly change with this newfound status?
After the crown was set upon Ruen’s head, there were loud shouts of jubilee and glee. The High Priest motioned for him to face his subjects and Ruen did so full of pride and with all the accessories of a king; the gold-encrusted scepter, the regal robe, and the diamond-adorned crown.
Lianne watched him as he nodded and smiled to the crowd.
To her surprise, she then saw him stare directly at her; no pretense, no sham. They locked eyes for a heavy moment and with that, the guests who have noticed also turned their attention to her.
Then the hair on Lianne’s arms stood up when she saw him step forward towards, as it seems, to her direction. She could feel her face flush with anticipation. Everybody knew that whoever the new King approaches first will become a very important person in his rule.
Lianne knew that too.
“What is he doing?” she ground out in alarm, her hand starting to shake.
Lady Faye, who had been sitting silently next to her, cocked her head to the side.
“I believe he means to talk to you, Your Highness.”
Lianne looked at her direction and shook her head. “No… no. No. No. No. He can’t do that!”
In reaction, she scanned the room for any possible opening, anything at all, to exit. There was nothing that occupied her thoughts at that time other than the plan of breaking away from the place and fast.
Whatever he intended to do, she couldn’t allow it. There were so many watching and she couldn’t stand the sudden spotlight directed at her.
Unfortunately, there was only one exit she could find and that was the entrance; quite a long run from where she stood; but no matter, she thought, just as long as she could get away from her apparent unwanted attention.
Without a second thought, Lianne darted off from her seat, not even looking back to Lady Faye or to Ruen himself.
She could hear the Head Governess call out her name, but she didn’t care to respond. All she cared about was to avoid the new King as much as possible.
Lianne also saw the astonished expression on some of the monarch’s faces. To see someone exit in a special ceremony such as this would mean that that person was unwilling to submit to the new king’s rule. Everyone present that time immediately assumed that it was the case.
‘Let them think that way then,’ she thought to herself as she continued to the main entrance of the throne hall.
She had just stepped out of the portal when she was grabbed by a hand, forcefully pulling her out of view, to lean against the outside wall.
“Lianne,” Lord Cain exclaimed, his voice rough and edged as if he had just come from a long horse ride.
“Lord Cain!?” Lianne’s eyes widened even more and her jaw dropped. “You’re here!”
The corner of his mouth turned into a smirk. “Of course, I’d be here, princess. You’re here. Where else would I be?” was his cool answer. “You seemed to be in a hurry. Where are you going?”
Lianne, remembering her present plan of escape, shifted her eyes to the floor and bit her lower lip. Not wanting to tell him the truth, she stuttered when she said, “I… ah… I am just going outside to get some fresh air. The noise is making me dizzy.”
Cain’s brow arched up. “Oh, really now?” he said, disbelief dripping from his words. “Well then let me accompany you.” Smoothly, he offered up his hand complete with a warm smile.
Lianne didn’t really have a choice but to accept. This was a good chance for her to be as far away from the throne hall as possible, although she would have preferred to be alone and not with Lord Cain who seemed to be acting weird towards her too.
The new King was just standing at the altar when he caught a glimpse of the two making their way out to the hallway. There was surprise on his face at first, finding out she was accompanied by Cain, but then that surprise was thereafter replaced with anger.
Knowing that he was still in front of his people and guests, he decided to hide the emotion and mask his face with a neutral one. He had done this many times in the past and being a king now wouldn’t make any difference. In fact, it came in very handy.
He waved his hand in the air and signaled for the knights and the generals in the aisle to start the parade.
***
Lianne felt cognizant when Lord Cain placed his right hand behind her back when they were at the main foyer. His hand radiated warmth, something Lianne welcomed, but she couldn’t put down the feeling that Lord Cain was acting unusual. Well, more than unusual.
“Are you still staying in the mansion?” he asked as they rounded on a corner into the hallway going to the east garden.
The princess was taken aback by his sudden question, but she answered calmly, having practiced the sentence many times.
“Oh, yes, My Lord. I had to stay for now. I need to ask Lady Faye about my past and my family. I need to know where I could start with my newfound freedom. Besides that, she is the only one I consider family, having no one I can run to if I will leave the mansion.”
Cain didn’t respond immediately.
She glanced at him when they reached the end of the hallway and saw his blank expression.
“I see…” he finally said.
They continued to walk out of the mansion and entered the archway of the east garden. It was the perfect place to avoid the crowd and the noise from the throne room but Lianne never intended to be here in the first place. Cain had brought her here and she, realizing it too late, started to feel uneasy.
Having been alone with him countless times, it never brought about a good end.
But how she had hoped so much for normal things to come back again between the two of them; before he confessed his feelings for her and before he treated her like someone he owned.
It was a long shot to hope too much, but she’d want to anyway for the sake of their past and for the sake of their friendship.
Silence overtook them when they passed by a pathway towards the center fountain, taking in the beautiful scenery of the sun setting behind the mountains. It was a romantic sight, exactly the perfect moment when Cain broke out his silence.
“Lianne, have you considered about us?” he started, his voice trying to be soft. “My feelings still remain the same. Towards you. I wanted to know what you think by now.” He turned to face her and stared at her profile, admiring her beauty against the setting sun.
Lianne stopped from walking and stared down at the goldfishes swimming in the fountain and the sun’s rays reflecting playfully in the water. How she wished she could be like those fishes. Free of worries.
Then, like a flash, she remembered Ruen in his most seductive form. His shirt half-open revealing his lean muscles while he was melting her with his kisses. She caught a deep breath. Of all the things she could remember, why would it be him and why would it be that?
Her eyes widened when she came to realize, what if Lord Cain were to find out about her and the prince last day?
Her gut feeling was enough to tell her that he’d be jealous, maybe even furious.
Thus, choosing carefully her words now would be wise.
“Lord Cain, you are one of those persons so special in my life. You have been so supportive of me, so kind, so patient. How could I destroy such a relationship like ours?”
“I am not your brother, Lianne,” he crisply said, disappointment evident on his face.
“I know!” Lianne admitted, almost hissing out the words. “It’s just that I am not-”
She was cut off mid-sentence when Lord Cain without warning pulled her close and enveloped her tightly with his arms.
He yearned for her, this much was true, and Lianne could feel it right to her bone. It was something she couldn’t ignore anymore or even deny. She could feel his breathing, erratic like hers. She could feel him trembling too. But there was something in the way he held her that felt somehow wrong. Same as the other times he had held her.
She felt the obsession in him, the possessive aura that was sticking out in the way his arms enveloped her.
“Lord Cain… please, let me-”
“No,” was Cain’s only answer before he captured her mouth with his, sliding his tongue out to invade her own.
Lianne felt the passion on his lips, felt the same need just like the kiss he gave her during the Regaleria Ball.
On impulse, she pushed him away just like her previous other reactions, but with Cain a strong man and someone more determined than ever before, she was completely drowned by his kisses.
It was a long, hot kiss. Tender but aggressive. Passionate but rough.
Lianne was utterly surprised when she realized she had reciprocated his kisses rather carelessly when, at a very brief moment, Ruen’s face flashed in her mind.
Their kiss gradually stopped and when she stared at him wide-eyed in shock, he gave her a look of contentment.
Lianne cleared her throat and looked away. Her nerves froze and she held her breath for a moment. Panic slowly rising on her mind.
What was happening to her? Why was she so vulnerable to these kinds of advances?
“I’m sorry, My Lord, but I need to go,” was her quick statement before turning away, but Cain successfully seized her hand, stopping her escape and engulfing her again with his strong arms.