A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!
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Despite the physician's orders of rest and light studying, the Kiran princess ended up falling asleep from her walk on the warm day while watching the knights train. A week was hardly enough to recover from years of starvation and abuse.
Lucy and Sir Nico bowed as Percy approached them, a frown appearing on his lips.
"Why is she sleeping outside?" Percy asked brusquely. "The weather may be warm but a wind could easily chill her to the bone."
"It is my fault, Your Majesty. I should have watched for Her Highness' health." Lucy said, trembling. She feared that she would be the next one to disappear. "We didn't want to disturb her when she fell asleep."
Percy sighed on the inside. "Never mind that. I'm sure with the princess' stubborn personality, she would have gotten her way regardless."
"Your Majesty." Sir Rachel greeted.
Percy held his hand up and walked a little further away from the sleeping princess in order not to disturb her rest.
"How are the recruits?" Percy asked.
Sir Rachel reported on the status of the recruits, highlighting which ones seemed the most promising. From the best of those, Percy would select one or two to join his shadow guards after their backgrounds were verified. Those that were sent in from noble families with close ties to the dowager queen were to be placed in menial knight positions or closely watched.
"Good, keep a close eye on those who are talented."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Percy turned his attention back to the peacefully sleeping princess. Despite the noise and holler of the training ground, she was still deep asleep, a testament to how tired she was. In the reports that landed on his desk, the papers had stated how the princess tended to overwork herself. A classic workaholic.
Still it was strange. Her personality differed so much from what his information had made her out to be. Was she overworking herself because she wanted to prove that she was indispensable to Eldoris now that the Kiran royal family wanted to get rid of her? Or was there something else she was hiding?
Shaking his head on the inside, Percy made his way back to the princess. In her sleep, she didn't seem like a spitfire last evening. Since becoming king, he had been used to his orders being followed to a 'T'.
"Should I call for some maids to bring the princess to her room?" Rachel asked softly.
"No need."
Percy bent down and gently picked the princess up in his arms, ignoring the reactions of those around him.
"Percy-" Rachel gasped.
Percy shook his head and motioned for them to be quiet. Even a week's worth of balanced nutrition had done little to fill out the princess. He would have to ask Lucy to make sure the princess was eating more food besides at proper eating times.
As he carried her into Gardenia Palace, other servants paused before bowing and turning away due to palace protocol. The king had a reputation for being cold, especially after assuming the throne, so for the king to hold another woman so affectionately was a stark and almost unbelievable contrast to his image.
No doubt word would soon spread that the king was carrying his future wife so intimately when he had refused all women in these past years. The whispers had already spread that the queen, while kind to those around her, had a cold exterior just like the king did.
"You can stop pretending to be asleep," Percy finally said when no one else was around.
The princess lazily opened her grey eyes. "When did you realize that I woke up?"
"Oh, you were actually asleep?"
The princess dared to pinch his arm, though it didn't hurt him. Thankfully, he was merciful.
"When one of the knights yelled rather loudly, your eyes flickered underneath your eyelids in annoyance."
"You didn't need to pick me up then," she said accusingly.
"I see. So should I drop you right here?" He questioned, an eyebrow lifted.
Her arms hurriedly encircled his neck and shoulders in case he promised on his childish threat. Percy bit back a smile.
"I'm not weak, but since you disturbed me from my nap, I'm going to punish you by having you carry me the rest of the way upstairs." The princess sniffed.
This time Percy let out a smile for real. She was like a kitten with fangs and itty bitty claws, fearlessly thinking she could dole punishment out on him.
"Sir Rachel doesn't seem pleased that you picked me up like this." The princess said a moment later as he carried her up the stairs. "I'm assuming that she was one of the female candidates for Queen?"
"She would have been among the best candidates from the Eldoris nobles for Queen." Percy answered. "A good upbringing, talented in swordsmanship, and able to navigate through social circles."
"Then why ask for a Kiran bride if she's so suitable?"
"I didn't ask for a bride, and Rachel isn't so suitable. Your family cut off trading with my country. And when I asked why, they pretended to apologize and send you off as a bride for compensation. I was going to refuse when I foolishly thought that a foreign princess as the queen could cement support for my hold on the throne with an alliance and cut off the dowager queen's influence on who would share the crown with me."
"They're not my family," the princess muttered under her breath. "What a shame. Sir Rachel quite likes you. I suppose if her father wasn't so involved, you would have made her queen."
Percy eyed the princess, whose tone was actually quite sincere in trying to couple him and Rachel together.
"I guess you've been studying the information on the Eldoris nobles. Even you can tell that Rachel has feelings for me."
The princess shrugged. "I took a peek over your shoulder and just happened to see her expression. While everyone else was shocked when you picked me up, she had an expression of hurt on her face. She also hinted that she could call Your Majesty by your childhood nickname. Next time if you ever reject her, could you please not involve me in it? I don't want to face the anger of someone highly skilled in swordsmanship, at least not in this state."
"Unfortunately, I believe you signed a contract yesterday that stated you would help in blocking out any female trying to get close to me. This," he gestured to his carrying her, "is therefore included in the contract."
The princess frowned, her grey eyes stormy. "I don't like it. Pitting females against females all over for a man." She muttered something under her breath that sounded like 'typical historical bullshit' and 'damn you, Clarisse.'
"That man you speak of, unfortunately is the king of a vast nation with power and wealth. Regardless of gender, people will go crazy in their greed for power or wealth. Those people end up using even family in their schemes and hurting them."
"Well, those last two statements I can agree with." The princess said, quietly.
So that meant she still didn't see him as having worth despite being a king? Percy contemplated dropping her as a joke, but they were on the stairs and she was still a patient in recovery. He could get her back once she was healed and his queen. Besides, her words indicated how she felt about the Kirans.
"Fine, I won't do that again without a heads up. But you will have to beat away those flies that keep buzzing around me."
"Well, I may have an idea that could help."
"And what could that be?"
The princess studied his face. "Have you considered shaving your head or not bathing? Terrible hygiene would chase anyone away for miles. Maybe not being the king? Perhaps if you were less attractive, then there would be fewer flies buzzing around."
"..."
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The king set Annabeth gently on the couch. She could tell by the flickering emotions in his eyes that he had thought of dropping her a few times and had been prepared for that case. Judging by everyone else's expressions when she and the king bantered, they were surprised that he had not done something to her yet. But as long as she didn't cross his bottom line, she was sure that this tyrant king could be quite tolerant in some cases.
"I heard that as queen, I have to choose choose ladies-in-waiting." Annabeth said.
"Are you worried about me marrying one of your ladies-in-waiting?"
He must have been thinking about how his father had married the lady-in-waiting of his mother.
"No. I was wondering whether I could just have one or two. Lucy is honestly enough. She's clever and has a fast pair of hands and watchful eyes."
"Ladies-in-waiting provide much guidance for the queen. They can help answer some of the less significant work such as mail and invitations as well as help to manage budgets."
Annabeth shook her head. Too many ladies-in-waiting would also mean having to sort through the political factions to figure which ladies were safe to place beside her. She didn't want to risk placing an enemy, nor did she want to accidentally send a woman beside the king.
"I actually have someone in mind," she said.
"Oh? Who?"
"Lady Piper McLean, the one who has the power of lumokinesis. She's the daughter of Count Mclean."
Piper McLean was included in the list of potential ladies-in-waiting, and her family was on the neutral faction.
The king gestured for her to explain her reasoning.
If Annabeth's memory of the timeline was correct, Princess Alana got engaged to the crown prince of Tynan when King Perseus' forces fought with Kiran's after the original Princess Annabeth had died. Kiran had been on the losing side at the time so Princess Alana fled to Tynan for refuge. Coincidence had led Princess Alana to being rescued by the crown prince where the two fell in love. Tynan had then allied with Kiran, overturning the balance of power.
But Annabeth had an inkling that Alana was using her light powers to manipulate the crown prince's feelings for her. Perhaps Alana could even use her light powers against Annabeth or those around her. Annabeth had asked around and learned that users of lumokinesis could recognize and counteract other users' light powers.
"For one reason, I want to place Lady McLean near me for protection against Alana's light manipulation. Another reason would be that I would like to do a little match-making. Not with you, Your Majesty, so please don't make that face. I'm talking about the crown prince of Tynan."
The king's eyes were questioning again. Perhaps he was wary of why she had chosen the crown prince of Tynan.
"I heard that my sister wanted to be engaged with Tynan's crown prince, but they haven't started talks yet. At our wedding, I believe Tynan is sending their crown prince as a representative. So that means this would be the first time they will formally meet."
Annabeth planned on having another person interfere with Alana's wishes, though. What King Perseus had told her about Kiran offering to send their princess as a bride was different from what Clarisse had written of the Eldoris king demanding a bride from Kiran. This indicated to Annabeth that what she knew may not be the full truth. The story had already deviated, so Annabeth might as well take the reins and make the events change into what she wanted.
Clarisse had written that Alana would meet with Prince Jason when Alana was fleeing Kiran soldiers into Tynan. Prince Jason had happened to be hunting that day in the area and rescued the princess. In particular, a paragraph had stood out to Annabeth in the telling of those events.
"Prince Jason was slightly out of breath as he slayed the last assailant. He turned to the young woman he had just saved. Her golden hair had twigs and leaves and there was a streak of mud on her cheek. Yet she was mesmerizing. His heart was pounding harshly in his chest, whether it was from the exercise of the battle or from the woman's blinding beauty, he did not know."
What if Jason had not fallen in love with Alana at first sight from her beauty but because he had mistaken physiological reactions from the battle with the arousal from sexual attraction? This had been proven before with the bridge experiment by Dutton and Aron's bridge psychology experiment.
So if Annabeth created a similar situation with Lady McLean taking Alana's place, she would find out whether it was just a simple chance of misattribution of physiological arousal or whether the prince had truly fallen in love with Alana for real. She needed Lady McLean to meet Jason before Alana could get her claws in the prince.
But Annabeth needed the Eldoris king's help.
"So what do you think, Your Majesty?"
"You would not feel bad about using Lady McLean?"
"If Lady McLean and Prince Jason do fall in love, then I would congratulate the new royal couple. Prince Jason, I hear, is an upright individual. For him to fall to Alana's clutches would be a waste of an ally to Eldoris. Besides, Lady McLean would be the future queen to Tynan so she wouldn't be at a loss. If she doesn't want to be queen, then that's fine, too. Feelings can't be forced. Well, I suppose they can with lumokinesis, but I don't want Lady McLean to do so. At the very least, Lady McLean would interfere with Alana and perhaps hinder Alana's manipulation of Prince Jason."
"And what if Prince Jason's feelings for Alana are true regardless of your sister's lumokinesis?"
Annabeth shrugged. "Then I would have to say Prince Jason must truly be blind. Ah, that's not to say that you were blind when you accepted Kiran's offer of sending a princess as your bride. No one could fault you for that."
"..."
Annabeth smiled guilelessly and picked some grapes to eat.
"You know, Princess, there is something that you said that has been bothering me."
"Oh? Do tell me what it is so I can continue doing it," she joked.
She had, after all, teased him quite a bit. She couldn't be bothered to remember everything she had said that could have pushed his buttons.
"Why don't you try calling me by my nickname? This is an honor that only the closest people to me are allowed to say."
The king leaned closer, his green eyes twinkling in mirth. "So go on...Annabeth. Call me Percy."
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A/N: It always irked me in isekai stories that the main character either tries to follow the plot of the story as much as possible or deviates away by not being a villainous character and wonders why all the male leads want to be with her. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like the act of putting another soul in a character's body just starts a whole butterfly effect. The story is already changed at that point. So why bother following the story? Might as well change the plot at that point and do what you want.
As always, see you all on Wednesday!