Let Bygones Be Bygones

He was no Majesty to me.

As a duke's daughter, I was raised in accordance and with proper education. That education included the study of the history, both past and present, of the royal family of Acethien. Thus, I knew exactly how the royal family, especially His Majesty the King, looked like.

And this man was not him.

So two conclusions formed in my mind. One was that he was simply a fraud and a sick man with a fetish for acting like a king with a servant. And the other was...

"You're not..." I muttered as I faced him. He then looked down at me, his eyes intense. "You're not from Acethien nor are you from one of our allied kingdoms."

The man smiled. "You most certainly are not what the rumors say," he said in a low tone.

Facing the crowd and Wesley once more, he spoke in a commanding yet cool tone. "Pardon my sudden visit, people of Acethien," he smiled. "I was simply in the neighborhood for a little reprise before my visit to your beloved king but, alas, it must be cut short now."

"Who are you?" Lady Matilda asked whilst cowering behind Wesley who now had a fearful and guarded expression.

"Y-Your Majesty--"

His servant spoke up but was suddenly cut off when the door opened wide. This time, I, and everyone else in the cafe, recognized the man that came in.

In an instant, everyone in the cafe, except the man and his servant, bowed down in an automatic show of respect. An instinct deeply engraved in every noble of this kingdom.

"Your Highness."

The Crown Prince himself showed up.

With ebony hair and deep blue eyes, His Highness coolly strode into the cafe towards the man. Consequently, since I was beside the man, he came up right in front of me. Per tradition, I did not look up at him since he didn't command us to yet. But I immediately knew whose hand it was that patted the top of my head.

"I see you've met my cousin," Pierce Matthias Acethien, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Acethien and my proud yet beloved cousin, stated with a hint of amusement to his tone. "You may all rise now. I've an important announcement for everyone."

I stood straight again and looked at my cousin who was looking at the man with an amused look. I glanced at the man and he seemed to have a pleasant look on his otherwise blank expression.

"His Majesty, Emperor Xavier Alec Theradia III of the Sovereign of Theradia, has come to visit us as one of our guests for tomorrow's Summer Solstice Ball," Prince Pierce announced with pride then turned to him. "We from the royal family of Acethien extend our greetings, Your Majesty." To that, Pierce, who was still a prince and therefore inferior to rank than the emperor, bowed. Consequently, everyone else followed.

"Thank you for the greeting," Emperor Xavier spoke. Once we stood straight again, he suddenly turned to me and I suddenly felt embarrassed, remembering all that had just transpired before the Crown Prince arrived. Smiling, he spoke to the prince while his eyes were on me. "Actually, I've already received a greeting from your... subjects."

When he spoke the last word, his eyes flickered to Wesley who was now positively bearing a look of dread. Who would've thought the man he just insulted was the emperor of a powerful sovereign?

The Theradia Sovereign is a newly formed country to the north of Acethien. Little is known about its formation for now, but it is said that the country used to be a weak kingdom whose only functioning duke overrun it using his power and the people's rage. It's also said that this same duke managed to conquer the two neighboring but small kingdoms beside it. Luckily, or unfortunate for those kingdoms, both were not allies to Acethien; thus, when their war broke out, our kingdom turned a blind eye. With a fierce resolve and powerful military force, a new country was born under the rule of that duke turned emperor.

Truth be told, our kingdom could have extended a hand to those weak kingdoms; however, for some reason, our king decided not to meddle into such affairs.

And now I'm starting to see why.

Wesley and I received the same education and so I was sure he realized the same thing as I did. That's why the emotion on his face can only be described as fear.

"Oh?" the Crown Prince replied, his eyes flicking towards Wesley. "Did my subjects do anything out of place, perhaps?"

It was an unspoken fact in this kingdom that the people who stood at the top were beasts, both physically and mentally. The blood of the Acethiens descended from a family of wild men whose large stature and overwhelming physical abilities were still evident today. Not to mention, because of the selective marriages in almost all generations, the Acethiens consequently hailed from families of intellectuals. One of those families were the Castillon's, my aunt being the Queen of this country.

Because of these features, the royal family had become a firm and reliable pillar of this country for centuries. But they have also been a bane to the weak-hearted as they were the most intimidating and strict people to have ever lived.

Over the years, noble families have been extra careful so as not to insult or cause shame to fall upon the Acethien name. Such families include even the high-ranking duchies of Castillon and Wylde. We always made sure to never overstep our boundaries.

Until today.

I don't know why I did it. Maybe it was out of whatever remaining love I had or pity.

Whatever the case, the ending will be the same. Lady Anastasia Eleanor Castillon lost this round.

"Your Highness! Your Majesty!" I called out their attention before they could berate Wesley. Their heads turned to me and I couldn't help but shiver in fear. Even the great Me couldn't handle such pressure. "It truly is an honor to be graced by both of your presence in this wonderful afternoon. I, and everyone here in the cafe, truly and deeply apologize for not recognizing you sooner, Your Majesty, the Emperor." I bowed and everyone hastily followed for fear of their lives.

A pause. A second of silence.

And then a burst of laughter.

Because of the sudden and unexpected sound, I flinched in my position and my cheeks heated up in embarrassment from the sound. Is he mocking me now?

"Raise your head, Lady Castillon," His Majesty spoke with an amused tone.

When I raised my head to look up at him, he had such a dazzling smile on his face that it was dangerous (for my heart). Because of that, I lost the chance to ask him how he knew my name.

"Your cousin is quite interesting, don't you think so, Matthias?" Emperor Xavier commented, his scarlet eyes gleaming. I noted how he addressed my cousin by his second name so casually and deduced that they might really be closer friends than I initially thought. Especially since I've never heard anybody call my cousin by his second name before.

With a pleased sigh, Prince Pierce patted my shoulder and smiled. "More than that, my friend," he replied before turning to Wesley.

"Well then, let bygones be bygones. For now," he spoke, eyeing Wesley and Lady Matilda. Then he turned to the crowd with a heart-melting smile. "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon."

And with that, I couldn't help but release a sigh of relief.

***

As the whole fiasco was resolved with just one phrase from the Crown Prince, Emperor Xavier was once again convinced of the power and hold the Acethiens had over their people. He silently vowed never to get on his bad side despite knowing he had all the power to do so.

He then turned to Lady Castillon who was currently glaring at the dishonorable man and woman who nearly embarrassed her.

Though not as nearly as how she just ruined their reputation.

He still couldn't help but smile at the memory of her utterly manipulating the crowd and blatantly lying to them all. He could tell she was because of the way her eyes shook the very moment the bastard decided to denounce their engagement. She must have decided her pride was far more important than anything else at that moment.

What an amusing woman, he thought.

"If you continue to stare at them like that, they'll melt even more than you've already caused them to," he whispered to her, leaning down to her ear.

Jolting in shock, the lady managed to remain calm and composed, her eyes anywhere but on his face. "I would like it very much if they did," she bitterly replied, causing him to chuckle. "Your Majesty," she then added as if briefly forgetting who he was at that moment.

And thus, the story of the prideful lady and curious emperor began.