Chapter 32

But once the thought of harming Ron came to his mind, he remembered the masked dancer. His gentleness and graceful moves when dancing. He remembered when the Prince protecting his sister from the knife. He remembered the beautiful picture of the half naked Prince under the moonlight and the unmistakable tightening in his lower area. He couldn't bear to hurt the Prince.

It was only after he had finished fixing the injury that he looked at Ron just to find Ron already staring at him. His heart shuddered. Those bright green eyes, that fair smooth skin, those bright red lips...

He sharply averted his gaze. He couldn't understand what was happening. The King knew he needed to sort out his thoughts.

That night, Ron didn't get an answer to his questions. After the wound was taken care of, Zedekiel gently placed him on the bed then left the room without a single word.

Ron sighed, staring at the door. After what the Queen Mother had told him, he was sure that his family had done something very wrong to Zedekiel which Zedekiel could never forgive.

Does that mean he would never stand a chance with the King?

He shook his head, dispelling all the negative thoughts. He'd just have to show the King that they weren't the Ashenmores he thought they were. They were better. Now he had two tasks.

To make the King sincerely forgive them and to also become the Queen of Netheridge!

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Now you all should listen to me. I will hide and you'll all count from 1 to 50 then come find me. Everyone of you must count. Whoever finds me first will be next person to hide. Understood?" Ron said to the servants lined up in front of him.

"Yes, Prince Ron!" they chorused.

Ron's bad mood was alleviated a little. He woke up late and missed breakfast so the Queen Mother and Princess Mariel brought him some food and also checked up on him. Princess Mariel had bawled her eyes out while hugging the Prince as she apologised over and over again.

The Prince didn't mind though. He knew she was feeling guilty so he let her cry and he accepted her apology but still explained to her that it wasn't her fault.

Queen Mother couldn't help but wish Ron really becomes her daughter in law. They stayed and kept him company for a while and when Ron asked about the King's whereabouts, he was told that he went on a morning walk with the Princess. Ron's good mood plummeted to the ground. So his sister was already making her moves.

When Princess Mariel and Queen Mother noticed Ron's mood, they left, telling him to rest.

Rest? How could Ron rest when he knew his sister was with his beloved? For all he knew, they could be doing anything! He knew his sister very well. If she wanted something, she must get it by any means. He'd have to sabotage their date!

Unfortunately, Leo refused to let him out of his sight, claiming that the Prince was injured and he'd like to avoid a repeat. So Ron could only come up with the game, hide and seek.

He called for 12 servants, including Leo. He told them he was bored and he wanted to play hide and seek. Leo was completely against it so Ron decided to tell them stories and sing.

The servants of Netheridge were quite interested in what kind of story the cute Prince wanted to tell but every servant of Ashenmore knew that when the Prince starts talking, it was hard to shut him up. The servants that came with Ron all had miserable looks on their faces. Why did they beg the head of the servants to include them in the journey to Netheridge? They should have just stayed at home. Curse their greediness and curiousity.

Leo, not wanting his ears to be disturbed all day, could only zip his lips and partake in the game. The burly bodyguard decided to find the Prince fast. It was the only way to make sure he was safe.

"I'm going to hide now" Ron said. "Remember, count 1 to 50 really loudly so I can hear you. Not a number more and not a number less. If you come after me before you finish counting, I'll have you clean the pig sty!"

The servants all nodded. The ones of Netheridge weren't that happy. They really wanted to hear the Prince sing.

Satisfied, Ron smiled. "Okay. You can start counting" and he headed off in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could carry him. In the distance, he could hear the servants counting loudly. He snickered to himself, gathered the edges of his purple robes and picked up the pace.

He was going to search for the King and his sister!

After searching for quite a while and also asking a few guards, Ron finally found them. The King and Princess were standing in the middle of a bridge, feeding the ducks in the river, bread. Standing side by side, they looked like an ideal couple. The sight was stinging the Prince's eyes.

King Zedekiel was dressed in black robes as usual, though, this one was embroidered with shiny red threads. His silver hair was pulled into a low bun and the ruby studded silver crown sat atop his head, giving him the air of the King he is. From Ron's angle, seeing their faces was impossible so he didn't know what kind of expressions they had on their faces. He had to think of something quick.

He took out his handkerchief and wiped his sweat then took out a mirror. He stared at his reflection, fixing his russet curls and slapping his cheeks to make them look rosy. Then he moistened his red lips and smiled. He looked dashing. The Prince then fixed his purple robes, making sure he looked prim and proper. Now, to disrupt whatever conversation they were having.

Ron was about to call out to his sister when he saw Prince Ludiciel walking in the opposite direction. A thought came suddenly came to him and he shouted; "Ludiciel! Prince Ludiciel!"

Prince Ludiciel paused in his tracks and saw Ron approaching. He smiled and met him halfway. "Prince Ron, how are you? How is your arm? I was just on my way to see you"