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[Chapter Six: Coming of Age ceremony]
"I'm appointing you as my royal knight."
"Princess, Forgive me this will be the last time I'll ask you this, but will you really appoint him as your knight?" Albert asked looking straight to Jungkook still inside the prison cell. Jungkook glared at the question and looked at me anticipating my response, "Why not?" I smiled.
"Albert, release him from the prison cell. It's inappropriate to put him there. Once I announced him to the public today, everyone should be treating him as my royal knight and nothing else."
"B-But Princess, his manners and he's—" Albert, I do not wish to repeat my words. Everyone shall treat him as my royal knight and nothing else." I uttered in a serious tone.
"Ye-Yes your highness. I understand." He bows.
After the talk in the west wing I left the matters to Albert to go back to my room and prepare for the party to wear the formal gown the maids insisted. "Your Highness, you look beautiful with every dress you wear, The princes coming today will definitely swoon over you" Rosemarie, a maid who's also my friend commented.
"You seem more excited seeing the princes other than my coming of age ceremony." I smirked making her gasp, "Oh no princess, I didn't mean it that way." She looks down in fear of offending me while she tried explaining. I laugh, "Rosemarie, it's okay. I understand what you mean I was just teasing you okay." She then smiled back, Rosemarie has served the royals for as long as she lived, even her mother was the maid to my mother the Queen. I consider her as one of the few maids I trust in the castle being that she is also my friend who helped me sneak out of the castle at times I feel suffocated from my father's rules.
Before our childhood memories surfaced in my mind, a few knocks on my door were heard making it a cue that the banquet has begun.
A knight escorted me to the entrance of the banquet hall meeting my father as he stands in front of the two large doors with two knights beside him.
"As you grow older, you're looking more like your mother" He stated with a little smile on his face. In which I understood, he loved my mother dearly so her death still hurts him until now. From the bittersweet smile he gave me, I don't think he will ever move on from her death and the fact that I'm making him remember that tragic incident creates a sting in my chest.
"Oh Emilia, Do not think that you looking like your mother brings me only sad and painful memories" he denied as if he just read the thoughts in my mind. Before I could even protest he held my cheek, "I love you as much as I love your mother and with you looking like her just brings me back the good memories I had with her so do not worry too much" he smiled, the Emperor finally smiled.
He rarely smiled and to witness it right now already completed my day.
"Happy Birthday, Emilia." He softly mumbled before the two large doors opened and the sound of the horns echoed through the hall as one knight proclaimed our arrival,
"His Majesty, Augustus Williams de Albion the great emperor of Albion and Princess Emilia Liviana de Albion has arrived."
After hearing our introduction, the crowd bow their heads respectfully chanting, " Blessings and Glory upon the Albion Empire."
We walked straight to our respective thrones and the music was resumed after my father's wave signaling the crowd to continue the party. I glanced at my father, "You do not have any speech to make?"
"You know I'm a silent man, Emi." He smirked as I smiled at the nickname. He used to call me Emi when I was still a kid but he stopped calling me that after my mother died. My heart flutters with the thought of my father opening up again. I wish good days like this could last a little longer but being the royals that we are I knew it was short while.
"Where is Albert?" He asked breaking the silence, "I-I asked him to take matters in the west wing but he'll be back shortly after it." I replied feeling a little nervous as I remembered the underground fighter who I chose to become my knight. Will father approve of him?
I was once again caught up from my thoughts when he speaks,
"The princes I invited from different kingdoms have arrived, have a nice talk with them and maybe pick one worthy to be your husband." Father said making me frown. Ah, we're back to square one, I knew it.
I sighed and faked a smile, "Alright, please introduce them to me" I told the knight beside us.
The knight bowed as four men walked in front of us and kneeling with one of their knees and putting one hand on their chest,
