Heiress To The Throne II

"And what of it?" Cyrus sneered openly, arms crossed as one of his brows shot up. Displaying his apparent mightily bold displeasure upon hearing the recent response from the new addition.

Quite the contrary to Harris' fidgety self as she and Bonnie curtsied. Conscious at the reality that Cyrus was showing a rather rogue behavior towards the lady, who apparently happened to be his mother, the Queen Cadenza Sappherine— born from the prestige roof of House Van-Alisse. Though rarely witnessed around the castle due to some. . .issues. The aforementioned royal often had visits in order to see her children, the twins.

Harris had literal no idea that today was going to be her visiting day. Normally, palace maidservants would've gossiped regarding the time of the queen's arrival, and Bonnie would make it her very first duty to inform her if she'd ever caught news.

The young princess guessed that this must be a surprise or abrupt visit for some reasons she may never even knew of.

"What are you doing in here, anyway? Weren't you kicked off the palace for coveting that one knight, Sir Robin, his name was?" Questioned Cyrus boringly.

This had the rest of the current inhabitants gasp, two of which were in shock whilst the other was from a rapid boiling wrath. Both Bonnie and Harris glanced at one another, mentally engaging themselves in a silent negotiation.

"Haven't your tutor taught you the basics of ethics?" Queen Cadenza stood by her ground, her red tinted lips curved to a very deep frown. Her pair of light hazelnut pools glittered in obvious disappointment, barely masking her annoyance.

"'Course he did." Cyrus retorted in sarcasm. "He was 'so' committed to teaching that I even earned bruises and cuts."

"Cyrus!" Harris scoldingly whisper-yelled. The palms of her hands were sweating lots and no matter how many times she wiped it off her dress, it was still glistening and wet.

"P-Pardon Harrie and Cyrus, Your Highness." The young princess stammered, her gaze direct to a pair of hazelnut colored eyes. Her small hands were rattling, her lips quivering, she was batshit nervous to face her aunt. "Cyrus didn't mean any—"

"We all know that I meant it crystal-clear, Harris." The prince hissed, glaring at his cousin to which then made her flinch. "Anyway, like I would waste my time with this old hag. Let's go, I'll ask the kitchen maids for some slices of cheesecake."

Before Harris could react, the young whitette prince had already dragged her out, slamming the door shut in their wake to which then made it rattle. If it was even more possible, the ground itself shook at the action.

Harris knew that he was beyond furious. She knew that he couldn't withstand his mother, nor her mere presence even if they're a hundred diameter away from each other.

"Cyrus," the princess called. "S-Slow down, please."

Then came a frustrated sigh from her companion. "Sorry," Cyrus muttered as he stopped in his tracks. His hand holding hers, now laid on top of his ruly locks whilst he ruffled it more. "I got so riled with the situation. Are you hurt anywhere?"

His care and concern had the princess smiling softly. She shook her head 'no', as a response before turning to face her cousin. Her lips were sealed shut, speechless she was. Harris didn't know how to approach her, probably still boiling cousin.

He really did loath his mother. Too overflowing, might she add.

"I wasn't expecting her. Not in the slightest," The prince confessed truthfully with hints of bitterness. "I was thinking that she'd arrive two weeks from now for that scheduled luncheon with the royals of Xereisee. Never knew that she'd come sooner than expected."

"A scheduled luncheon?" Harris questioned, baffled.

He nodded. "Weren't you informed? Bonnie should've known and told you since she was to be the head in charge of the servants for the preparation."

"No, Bonnie didn't." She frowned. "Harrie guessed that she was too occupied to even tell. Don't worry, at least I got to know now."

"Mhmm." Cyrus hummed, barely satisfied with her answer. He knew his cousin like the back of his hand. He knew that she was upset. Who wouldn't? It was such an important occasion yet she was shadowed from it. "I beg to differ. Your crestfallen expression states otherwise. Come on, let's head along now— I'm sure Anita prepared a batch of cheesecakes."

"Weren't Harrie prohibited from ever eating one?" She questioned, hesitant.

"It wouldn't hurt if the old man knows nothing." He smirked, clearly in delight of his disobedience. Cyrus was and will forever rebel to his parents' orders or wishes. It was fun, to say the least. "Let's call this our own secret little rendezvous."

×××

'CLINK. . .CLANK. . .'

Soft and controlled cutlery sounds reverberated throughout the bustling kitchen. Maidservants and chefs were in such a chaotic hurry as they moved here and there preparing for the nearing time of supper. Albeit, they were trying to keep things as calm as it could be, concerning that the prince and youngest princess were with them.

Both royals were situated on one of the many counters, on their front laid each a plate of blueberry cheesecake slices. Harris was literally drowning in too much euphoria— she was absolutely in love with the dessert, and she was ever so glad that Cyrus brought her in the kitchen to eat.

"Harrie would've never eaten a slice for three months if it weren't for you, Cyrus!" Harris gleefully exclaimed after a forkful gulp of cake. She happily sliced another bite, eager to finish her chewing in order to mouth the other one.

Cyrus chuckled, a warm smile coating his lips. To witness his cousin in happiness filled one of the many holes in his heart. "Go on, eat as much as you could. Don't worry about tummy aches— I'll ask Agustin for a remedy."

It was minutes of gobbling slices when a certain question popped inside Harris' thoughtless mind. She stopped her ministrations, setting down her fork as she wondered out loud.

"Why is it that Her Royal Highness Queen Cadenza addressed Cassia as 'crowned' princess. . . When she wasn't even crowned yet?"

"It's because Cassia is the crowned princess." Cyrus bluntly responded.

"Though why use tenses in the past? She hasn't been crowned yet, nor there are ceremonies held for such matter," the young priness mumbled as a matter of fact. "Or is that, His Royal Highness King Elric held a private coronation to which I am not made aware of?"

The oldest shook his head, poking the tips of his fork on a blueberry that slid off the icing on top. "He hasn't. Even if she wasn't crowned yet. . . The crown is set to be passed on her, ceremonies or not, she is to be addressed as such for she is the heiress to the throne. It's as simple as that."

"Why don't they pass the crown to you, Cyrus? If I recall. . . As long as the baby is a first born male no matter the sequence, they are set to be the heads of any houses, in this case— the Royal Family." Harris countered an intelligent response. She held a finger to her chin, thinking deeply and browsing through the things she had learned after reading books. "I read that in a book, the title of which I have unfortunately forgotten."

"Father. . ." The princess trailed off with a cringe, addressing the old man as such felt so foreign to his tongue. It made his spine shudder, his stomach swirl in disgust and displeasure. "He changed the law in Sappherine. Women are held the lowest way back then during the era of his late father, our grandfather. He witnessed how belittled the women are, and it pained him to watch them get trampled upon, used and tossed akin to garbage by men,"

"Father altered it. He wanted the women to have rights of their own, and for them to be held in high regards. They aren't to be looked down at, they were given authority to do as they pleased. Authority that'd equal or be more than to that of men." He came to a halt in his explanation, hoping for his cousin to understood the words he had just splattered from his lips. Although he was absolutely certain that she understood well, Harris was a bright intelligent princess after all.

"I understood. It was indeed plausible." Harris shifted on her seat, turning her full body and attention to face her cousin who had now angled his head towards her direction. "What title would you have if Cassia will have the crown? What would you be called as? And. . . Isn't it quite discrimi—".

"My supposed titles are yet to be discussed." He answered sharply, causing the youngest to flinch. It came out of nowhere, and he didn't mean to respond in such a harshen tone. Cyrus' expression fell, "My apologies. I didn't realize."

"I-It's alright!" Harris peeped though still shaken from the abrupt answer.

Cyrus shook his head, his hand gesturing for the plates as a silent notion for them to continue. As he watched his baby cousin eat her sixth cheesecake slice in silence, a small unnoticed grim smile made its way to his lips.

He couldn't be crowned prince due to the law. He couldn't possibly be fit the title even if the law wasn't even present. Cyrus was and will always be the second to everything, even in the loving gaze of his father and his godforsaken mother.

It was because Cassia Van Sappherine shone the brightest diamond and is the whitest sheep within the herd. And Cyrus Van Sappherine was nothing but a piece of rock and the darkest amongst the herd of sheep.

She'd be the Heiress to the throne, whether he liked it or not.