Stranger To King

👑 19 👑

~ Mia ~

I followed Hamon and Mikhal to the dining hall and noticed the boys were right behind me. I thought I was eating alone since Jabrel wanted to rest. But I didn't mind the company. The boys joined me on the other side of the table face to face. "Do I smell or something?? Why are you so far away, my lords?" I asked them.

They looked at each other and then switched seats. Anisel was on my left, while Matthew was on the right. "So, my lady. Is there any reason why you are in Hazel's humble abode?" He asked.

"Something happened at the central market. Due to that, Jabrel and I will be here until that person is captured. Hope that is okay with you?"

Anisel explained this wasn't his house, so he didn't care if I was there. He turned to Matthew to ask the same question. "I was helping Mia with something and stayed with her for comfort."

Anisel mumbled under his breath and gave him a stare. While that was happening, the servants finally passed out the plates, and within four minutes, it was gone. I may be a princess, but food is life. The boys and I chatted before Matthew had to leave.

"Goodbye, princess, see you tomorrow. Make sure to keep an eye on him. He may do something." Matthew stated.

Once again, with the mumbles, Anisel doesn't like him. "Mia, will you be sleeping her—" I put my hand over his mouth. Is he crazy or insane?? He can't be saying my name so casually, especially around the servants. It is rude and disrespectful.

Moving his head up and down, he slowly takes my hand away. Licking his lips, he stated they tasted like strawberries, which I had eaten earlier. "That is so strange to say; besides, that was also disgusting. Don't lick my hand."

"You put it there when I was talking. So, excuse me for tasting it. I do love strawberries, though." He gave me a bright smile. Laughing, Hamon interrupted our conversation by escorting me back to my guest room. I apologize to Anisel for any inconvenience as we left. He did his famous pout face and waved goodbye.

Our conversations were always short, whether it was his time or not, and I felt terrible. "Is something wrong, my lady?" Hamon asked.

I shook my head and walked in silence. Hamon puts his hands behind his back and says he will find out what is wrong, like always, if I don't talk. Clenching my mouth, I told him the problem. It was about Anisel. It is not fair he gets the shortest time out of Matthew.

His face lit up as he already knew. If I want more alone time with Anisel, I must make the time. Matthew pops out of nowhere for his time and spends most of the day with me. But, with Anisel, it's only at night, which is unsuitable.

"Do what Matthew does. Pop-out of nowhere." Hamon said.

Not a bad idea; if I pop out of nowhere, I would get my time with Anisel. This is why I kept my servants around. We passed Jabrel's room to hear an interesting conversation. As a big sister, I must listen. Hamon tried to stop me by moving him away.

"Jabrel, you know the consequences of your action, but you disregard them anyway. Why?" Lily said.

"You act like you don't know them either, my dear Lily. I disregard them because I care about you and not the rules. I told you before, why can't you accept it." He sat on the edge of the bed. His bare chest showed, and he was wearing boxers only.

"Because— I can't believe it, my lord. For someone who could have everything, you want to be loved by someone who waits for orders. The high cost of loving a servant could cause chaos in the kingdom. Royalty must marry nobles. You know that." She explained.

"That's what's wrong with this fucking kingdom. These stupid laws we force upon people. Our citizens think we don't suffer from these laws too. My sister may get married to a total stranger, and one is from childhood. We suffer as much as them. I don't care about the consequences. I will step down as king if I can't be by your side."

Lily rushed in to hug him, knocking him down on the bed. I wiped my eyes as tears began to fall. To make an impact on my little brother is something I always wanted. He has the strength to do something I can not do.

Hamon taps me on the shoulder so I can move along. One day I will take my own advice and do the same. Mikhal was waiting on us for my nightly routine. "Goodnight, your majesty." They said in unison as they left the room. I lay in complete darkness; the moon shined through the window. It gave the room a pleasant atmosphere and an extra sparkle as well.

As I stared out the window, a shadow appeared in front of it. Holy shit!! What the hell?? The figure waved and pointed to the lock. Anisel?? What was he doing?? He climbed in once I opened it. "What are you doing, Anisel?"

"I wanted to see you. Is that wrong, Mia? I wanted to be Romeo to your Juliet?" He said.

"You will die like Romeo as well if they hear you."

He brushed himself off and sat on the couch. What does he want?? It is getting late, and he can't be here. Anisel smiled and meant what he said. He wanted to spend time with me and needed some advice as well.

Out of interest, I gave him my divided attention. His whole expression made me worried that something terrible had happened. His friend was in trouble as he owed someone a lot of money. When he was little, he caused trouble in town and was caught by bad people. Now the same people from years ago are out for him. They won't stop until they have what they need.

His friend thinks stealing something valuable will solve everything. The person he was going to steal from is the person he likes and cares about. As he was explaining, his eyes wandered around. He never made eye contact, so I cupped his face to hold him still. His cheeks turned red, and his ears did. I released my hands away as I panicked.

"Anyways, my friend finds it hard to do what's right. It either steals from the person he likes or gets killed. On top of that, he is pressured by someone. What does he do?"

"Your friend is deep shit. But I will ask for help if he can. Not from the authorities but more like a trusted friend. Even from the person he likes. If they cared, then it wouldn't be a problem. Here is my advice for him— he has to follow his heart. If he does that, then he will know what to do." I stated.

Anisel stared blankly, then smiled at me. Up close, you can see dimples, and they were cute. His arms wrapped around me as he pulled me in for a warm hug. His chest was like a rock but felt like a cloud. The way he hugged me made me feel safe— safer than I ever was.

A sudden rush of heat came through me as his words spilled out. "You are a kind-hearted person, Mia. You care about people even though they could be lower than you. I admire that. You will make a great queen."

A smile appeared. It felt like something was lifted from my soul. As the night still covered the sky, we continued to talk.