The Red-Haired Princess || Akagami No Shirayukihime

45. Meeting Lord X

Chapter 45: Meeting Lord X

"Zehel, come back!"

Shirayuki heaved a heavy sigh. Her son was having too much fun. Zehel crawled to his sister, who was lying on the floor with types of crayons in her small hands.

"If you don't come back, I will eat it," Shirayuki said as if his son even understood her. Zehel just ignored his mother.

Shirayuki wasn't in the mood to discipline her children today. She was so heavily tired, especially with her collaboration project with Lady Haruko. She's been working from early morning and finally, she has a thirty-minute break and decided to spend it with her children.

"Zehel!" Her voice didn't even sound strict as normal, but as a good son Zehel was, he came back to his mother, for a spoonful of formula.

As he was about to leave for the hundredth time, Shirayuki locked her son between her legs.

"Last one." Shirayuki forced the last spoon into his mouth. Even though he tried shaking his head, he gave up and accepted. "Good boy." And she set him free. She got up and straightened her skirt.

Ever since her babies starting crawling, there has never been peace. Especially Zehel, who likes to crawl all over the castle with his mother chasing him. Shirayuki actually fears that if they start walking, they might actually be worse than this.

"Do you want a strawberry?" Shirayuki took two strawberries from the small packaged box. They both looked at their mother, and sighting a strawberry, they quickly crawled to her. Each took littlest bites.

Their teeth weren't heavily strong but were very enough to eat a strawberry, and besides, when babies' teeth start to develop for the first time, they start to itch and usually they bite for it to stop, so giving them a strawberry is just a way of helping them.

After eating one strawberry, they raced back to their corner and Shirayuki continued tidying the playroom.

"Yes, enter," Shirayuki answered the knock on the door.

The door slowly opened.

"Hello."

"Your Majesty," Shirayuki said walking up to her Queen.

"Please pardon my uninvited visit."

"It's nothing. Your presence is always welcomed."

"I'm delighted." Haki then turned around.

Seiji came from behind her mother and bowed his head to Shirayuki. "Good evening, Princess Shirayuki."

Shirayuki couldn't help but smile. "Good evening, Prince Seiji. How are you?"

His blue eyes stared deeply at his aunt. "I'm fine."

The twins were so busy with what they were doing, that they couldn't even hear names, or rather, they heard, but just ignored. Very dramatic. Seiji firstly introduced himself to his cousins, and they got together.

The women resumed their discussion on the sofa, opposite each other.

The reason for Haki's presence was simple. The annual Autumn festival was celebrating its hundred years of collaboration with the Royal Family, and the queen had been invited, and she hae invited Shirayuki along with her.

"I'm very honored to be invited."

Soon later after the ladies conversed, Haki left, and Shirayuki visited her children and realized how much the floor was actually messed up. 

.

.

.

Shirayuki could justify someone was observing her.

Everyone clapped after the queen finished her speech. They were at the annual celebration was crowded with lots of people.

Shirayuki felt a bit anxious, especially with someone staring at her. She slightly turned her head, from the direction where the stare was coming from, but there was no one there.

"Feeling it again?" Obi asked as he had also realized there were more people in the enormous conservatory. Shirayuki nodded.

Something was wrong somewhere. As he searched, his eyes fell on something unusual. A photographer, who's perspective was direct to Shirayuki. The fake-force smile made him suspicious.

Obi wished he could leave his Princess behind and review around the conservatory for traces, but at this instant, it was even threatening to take a footstep.

.

.

Somewhere in the Capital City of Clarines' most secured prison.

He held his chin high, his spine straight, his hands behind his back. Everything in the room was black, only rushlights igniting.

Then he fell on his knees. "My Lord, I'm attendant."

"How's everything proceeding?" The deep voice of an old man was apprehended.

"Everything is perfect, Lord X. We only just need your permission."

"You have my permission. Make the display is as manipulative as possible. Do not make any blunder as you did with the poison at first."

"Don't worry, Lord X. The death of Princess Shirayuki will be a slow and painful death. Though her former-assassin aide will be a strain, we'll perfectly take care of him, too."

After the attendant left, Lord X opened his eyes facing the pitch black cell wall.

"Izana, you will devaste ever sending me here."

.

A/N: Prince Seiji is Izana and Haki's son, who was first introduced in chapter 24: Sighs of Kisses. More information about him there.