Royal Chapter 8

"Please marry me, Kadline."

It's like the world has stopped. I can only hear the same words he said over and over again. I am looking at him and when I got my consciousness back from shock. I blink a couple of times.

"What did you say?"

"Marry me."

Have mercy. He is asking me to get married to him! No, it wasn't like a question, more like, it's an order from him. Even if I love him, marriage is not something so easy to decide with. How dare he?

"Are you even serious? You think this is a game?" I push him to let go of me and walked away. It is just morning but I'm tired already. My mind can't take this too much dilemmas.

"Wait, Kadline! I'm deadly serious!" He shouted while following me on our way back to the palace.

"Go home, Prince Lucius. I'll talk to you when I'm in the right state of my mind."

"I'm really serious about it. Just hear me---" I saw two guards and called them to get a hold of that prince and stop him from following me. I look back to see if they did and they did block him from walking further.

"If you're really sincere, then see me with my father's permission. I'll see you then, Prince Lucius."

"I will!" I shook my head while walking my way to my room.

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Alfonso's POV [The Great Palace, Matias Kingdom]

"Prince Dominique!"

I called out his name right when I'm about to find him because Kadline asked me to accompany him today. I don't know what's going on in her head but I just followed her. I saw him along my way to fetch Costello in the Library.

"Yes, Prince Alfonso?"

He is probably roaming around and trying to find my dear Ana. Or maybe, he doesn't know where she is. I saw her and Tier yesterday hopping in the carriage. I heard from Erov that they are going to the Kingdom of France.

"Costello and I will practice archery today. Do you want to come?" He smiled as he shook his head.

"Thank you for the invitation but I'm on my way to the gazebo to meet Princess Luana for a tea." He really doesn't know.

"Are you sure? Ana left the palace yesterday with Tier and I think they will come back tomorrow. How come you will have tea with her?" I asked confusingly.

"What? But Kadline said she's just in her room."

Ahh, so that makes sense. Kadline playing the cupid card again but failed this time. I put my arm around his shoulders and lead him to walk. I think I knew what's happening already.

"It is definitely cancelled. So, you have to come with me. Let's go and do archery. Forget Ana for a while. I'm sure she doesn't want to see you either."

"But---"

"No buts, Prince. Let's go fetch Costello first."

He didn't have a choice but to come with us. We fetched Costello in the Library and went to the south side of the Garden of Fleur. The southside is just a plain wide green field. We used to practice here a lot when we were still kids like archery, gun shooting, fencing, and even some royal etiquettes, or sometimes, just playing around.

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[Green Field, Southside of the Garden of Fleur, The Great Palace]

Everything is set already when we arrived. I told my butler, Julian, to prepare everything beforehand. The three targets are miles away from where we are standing. The bows and arrows are arranged in the table accordingly in racks. And there we saw Julian, standing beside the table waiting for us.

"Thank you, Julian. Now, can you be the judge for us?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Good! Costello and Prince Dominique, how about we make this much more fun?" They both turn their heads to me while picking a bow to use.

"How?" Costello asked.

"How about whoever loses will be the target in the next round. Will that be fine with you?" Prince Dominique nodded and Costello frowned.

"An apple will be placed on top of his head. Let's do it." Prince Dominique confidently agreed with what I suggested. Seems like, he likes to do archery too.

"Oh well, I hope you both will spare my life if I became the target. I don't practice archery too much back in Italy," Costello said. That explains why he doesn't like the consequence. It made me want to make him lose more.

"Shall we start? The one who hit any part of two inner circles wins," I said as I started to put an arrow to the bow and raise it to my shoulder level.

Archery is not the kind of sport you think is easy. It needs a lot of concentration and strength to maintain your posture when you about to release the bow. I stretched the string away from the bow, almost touching my cheek and point the arrow to the target. It was a split second when I released it and it landed on the most inner part of the circle of the target. Perfect.

I turned to them and they give me a round of applause because I perfectly hit the target.

"It was a good shot. I guess I'm next," Prince Dominique said then he gets an arrow and a bow.

We are all watching him carefully do the first stance and raising the bow. He immediately releases it and it landed on the second inner part of the circle. We give him a round of applause when he turned to us.

Costello is up next. He did the first stance too and raised the bow and stretched the string but it didn't almost touch his cheek. He took a bit of time on aiming and I can already see that he won't hit the target.

"Just release it." After I said that, he released the arrow and it landed in the second outer part of the circle.

"That wasn't bad. At least you hit any of the circle, though not the target we must aim for," Prince Dominique said as we both give a brotherly tap to Costello's shoulder.

"What should I do now?"

Julian handed me an apple that will be our next target. I give it to Costello. I smiled and nodded so he can start going to the target place.

"Don't worry, my brother! I'm a good archer!" I shouted.

"I'll kill you if you wounded me even the slightest. I also don't care if it's an accident."

"Ohh, a threat. You're really a mafia member," he smirked and we laughed.

"Prince Dominique,"

"Please, we can drop the formalities."

"Alright, as you said so, Dominique. I think you should go first. Let's scare him a bit, shall we?" He laughed and shook his head. He doesn't want to get killed.

"Alfie!"

We're waiting for Dominique to get ready when we heard my name and as we turn our heads, we saw Lady Licillia walking towards us.

"Lady Licillia, what can I do for you?"

"Have you seen Ana?"

She's wearing a black long dress and her hair is tied up with flowers pinned on it. She looks stunning and I don't want to say it out loud because she will probably nag me like always before. Well, Licillia is the kind of girl everyone would like but I only see her as my sister's best friend.

"I'm sorry but no. I heard she went to France."

"Oh, really? That is sad. I hoped she brought me with her. Are you practising archery?" She looks at Dominique and curtsied.

"You must be Prince Dominique of Netherlands, Ana's fiance. It's nice meeting you, your highness."

"It's nice meeting you too, Lady Licillia."

"Yes, we're currently doing archery." I butted in to get her attention before she says anything unnecessary to Dominique. She's a bit nosy.

"May I join?" I shook my head.

"Why not? Alfie, I'm a good archer too! Just let me join for once, please?" she pleaded.

"Let her be, Alfonso. I think Lady Licillia is one brave lady from England." She squealed in excitement and thanked Dominique for letting her join. She's still not aware of Costello being the target.

"Just be careful and don't try to kill our target."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh, Costello is the target. I mean, the apple above his head." Dominique pointed out Costello who is standing near the target board and looking bored, balancing the apple on his head. He doesn't seem happy to see Licillia.

"Are you serious?! What if you both accidentally kill him? I don't want to be brokenhearted!" I knew she would be like this.

"Stop overreacting Lady Licillia, Dominique and I are good archers remember?" I said as I'm preparing the bow and arrow I am holding.

"Even the best one misses shots, Prince Alfonso. Nobody is perfect." She rolled her eyes heavenwards and face the direction of where Costello is and waves her hand happily to greet him. Costello didn't even budge to greet her back and just standing still. Licillia did something to Costello at the Grand Dinner that made him ignore her. I'm sure of it.

"Fine. I should go first---"

"No! I will!" Licillia get a bow that was used by Costello earlier and an arrow from the rack and did the first stance.

"I haven't seen a lady do archery before. I just hope you won't miss, Lady Licillia." Dominique watching her excitedly.

"Drop your high hopes, Dominique. She'll definitely miss it." I stand next to Dominique as we watch her raising the bow.

"Hey! What is she doing?!" We heard Costello shouted from afar.

"She insisted! We'll pray for your soul, my brother!" I shouted back.

"Princes, can we make a bet?" Licillia asked, still aiming for the target.

"What bet?" Dominique asked back.

"If I hit that apple down, I deserve a date with him."

"Why are you asking us about that? Should it be to him?" I asked confusingly.

"Well, my dear Costello might not take the offer and if you two did, you have to help me by not getting on my way." She really is nuts sometimes but I wonder, what does she like about him?

I talked to Dominique quietly before answering Licillia. We are responsible for this. Costello might not like the idea but I'm sure he will like it afterwards. Licillia is not a bad person after all. She's just naughty and nosy sometimes that I almost forgot she's a duchess. Her Grand Duke father is a great friend of the King, my father, even though they are from England. Costello caught a big one in the sea, I must say.

"Deal," we both said in unison.

"Wise choice, my Princes. Don't worry, I won't hurt my future husband." She grins sheepishly and we both prayed she will miss but not kill him.

She released the arrow and as we follow the arrow's direction, I got extremely nervous. It hit the apple perfectly and landed on the ground, unexpectedly. We saw Costello heave a very deep sigh after seeing the arrowed apple, while Licillia, jumps happily like a child. We're doomed, or only him.

"Congratulations on hitting a bull's eye, Lady Licillia!" Dominique claps as he happily greeted her. How can he be so happy for her?

"What's wrong, Alfie? You thought I will really miss it? Of course not! Especially that my love is on the line." She laughed almost devilishly.

Costello went back to our place, looking pale and furious.

"What were you both thinking? I thought I'm going to die there!" he scowled at us. Dominique with his smiling face just taps his shoulder to calm him down.

I smiled and apologize.

"Pleasure to meet you again, Costello. Do you remember me?" Costello faced the smiling Licillia.

"Absolutely. The one who kissed me on the cheek in the first meeting." He coldly said.

"I'm sorry for what she acted, brother. She's sometimes uncontrollable." Dominique just chuckled.

"Hey, I'm not that bad! Don't tell lies to my future fiance!" she frowned and give me a deadly glare.

"Wait, what?" Costello frowned.

"Yes, you heard it right, my dear Costello! I won the bet so, you're mine." I almost choke when she bravely claim him as her man. Just how big this woman's confidence is? Dear heavens.

"What bet are you talking about, woman?" They both look at us. I look away and Dominique started to look around the green field and telling me such nonsense things just to get away from what they are talking about.

"Look, Alfonso, a dear!" Dominique pointed out in nowhere.

"Good eyesight, Dominique! It's a good day to hunt! Shall we?" I asked him, ignoring both Costello and Licillia.

"Well, you'll know it if you come with me for tea." I heard Licillia.

"I'm sorry but---" before Costello decline her, Licillia grabs his arm and pull him all the way to the gazebo. We ignored them as they keep exchanging words like a couple already while walking until they got far away from us.

"Looks like we're really in trouble, Alfonso," Dominique said while we're seeing them off.

"Shall we visit your home, Netherlands, for a while? I don't think we're safe here for the moment," we both laughed.