Chapter 39: Crown Prince Jai

“I tried talking father into letting me visit you these last few days since your return, but he refused. He said it would be all the better when I did get to see you, and he was right. Only I didn’t exactly obey his command.”

“What do you mean?” She turned to look at me and the nervousness I’d first seen in her eyes on the steps was fading away.

Although I’d accepted father’s reasoning that we’d already broken with protocol in many ways where my Princess was concerned. And that all eyes were now on us and so I must be circumspect in my actions, there was one thing I had to do.

“Do you remember the day we met?” She nodded and looked down at our joined hands. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that.”

“I was going to look for my brother.”

“Your brother?”

“Yes! My father has a son not of my mother. He was born before I was, but his mother was a concubine. She died giving birth to him and now because of men’s greed and twisted ideologies he’s all alone in the world.”