Audience with the king.

After Elizabeth calmed her anger, Stella removed her hands from her lady's shoulders and stood beside her.

Her small eyes were secretly sending daggers towards the princess Sylvester's company while reassuring her lady not to worry. She will probably later come up with a better plan to teach them a lesson.

How could she do that ?!. Only she knew.

Princess Eleftheria on the other hand retreated back to her cold expression and she mistakenly looked like someone who wasn't bothered by the situation anymore.

Her eyes shot out when she heard a triumphant honed, announcing the king's arrival at the dining hall.

All the guests dumbfounded, rose up from their seats and gracefully bowed before the king who had surprisingly made his sudden appearance at the hall.

They were even more shocked to hear that the king came to dine with them together probably because the competition has officially ended and it was his way of thanksgiving them for their outmost cooperation they have showed and sending his last goodbyes to all of the ladies who have come to the castle and sadly sooner they had to depart back to their homes since the competition was finally over.

The king's cousin was trying to get her way to the king but she was abruptly stopped by the king's guards not to approach him.

I didn't know what she was going to say to him.....anyway.

She was surprised and looked her way to the king, expecting him to abide to her request but unfortunately he was not paying attention to her. His head was deliberately faced toward a particular woman inside the hall who was busily talking to her maid, unaware of the king's gaze.

Abruptly she turned and met the king's eyes were watching her. The king smiled, blushing. How embarrassed he was feeling right then. He was caught staring and it was something he wasn't used to. When her eyes also fixated on him, he lost his breath

He gulped it down, clearing his throat which was probably burning with fire, his whole body was trembling hot and he was sure that she was the reason for it.

He was a bit far away from her but he felt like she was closer, closer to his body so where did all of this heat come from ?!.

He ought to hide his face which was tickled down with sweat when suddenly he remembered that there was something still he didn't quite decide it yet.

It was his queen. Did he agree on his queen already ?!.

He lowered down his gaze before he lifted his eyes on her, his expression changed.

Elizabeth noticed his face was a bit sorrowed up and his gray eyes were looking at her very intently. She can sense the anger from them.

Was he angry with her ?, but not really.

It seemed like he was struggling with something from within.

His thoughts were faraway when he came to turn his head again. He didn't look at her this time he looked down when the trays of dishes prepared for him were placed on his table.

He quickly picked up the spoon to eat his breakfast but when he shoved the food into his lips, chewing seemed to be difficult for him. Similarly his mood was like that of princess Eleftheria, how she looked this morning.

He seemed to give up on something he totally did not agree with or he was just stressed out with something which he couldn't be able to handle.

Elizabeth looked down to her empty plate and asked her maid to fill it again because she was feeling frustrated maybe the food could be the distraction.

What's wrong with the king ?!. She asked herself when she came back to her suite prepared for her stay.

The breakfast was over when the king stood up from his seat and strolled out of the room without sparing even a single glance at her.

She was sure this time, the king has got an interest over her but something seems to restrain him from falling in love with her.

What could she do to gain his attention once again. She liked his attention and she was looking forward to get it again.

So she was planning to seek an audience with the king this afternoon.

She prepared herself by wearing a very beautiful dress to capture his attention before meeting up with him.

She sent her maid out to the king's quarter to ask for the permission when her maid fastly returned with the message that the king was looking for an audience with her lady and was asking to meet up with her.

It turns out, the king had already sent someone to seek for lady Richard and wanted her urgently to be sent to his quarter.

Elizabeth was flustered by the situation and hurried her steps towards the king's quarter. Her maid didn't have time to catch up to her because she was almost running, fuming out through the door after she got the king's message.

How urgent the king was looking for her.

That only made her heart surrounded with so much jumping butterflies which tickled down her overwhelming chest.

The king was looking for her, doesn't it mean he had already accepted her ?!.

It was little did she know what was the king looking her for, when she entered the king's personal library where the king directed for her to come over.

Elizabeth saw the king. His back most of it was directed towards the door, his hands clasped behind him meanwhile his head turned when he heard her footsteps approaching.

Her eyes spotted a big portrait of someone on the wall whom she assumed the king was looking at the picture before his head turned towards her direction.

"Welcome, lady Richard. Have a seat" he politely greeted and pulled a chair for her to sit.

Elizabeth forgot to curtsy while her eyes dumbfounded were still on the portrait where the king was standing a minute ago.

When she took a seat across the table. Her eyes shot out with recognition when she came to realize it was the portrait of the late king who was the father of the current king, king Luther.

The king didn't bother by her not curtsying and when she turned her head, she met his eyes observing her, he only noted her reaction to the portrait.

"Oh.... my father. Unfortunately he is not here anymore. I wish he could... still be here with me, by my side. Watching his son soon getting a wife" he chuckled a bit but Elizabeth could feel his agony.

His father died a year ago but still the memories of him still lingered in the palace and most of it in his son's heart. He was broken and shocked, experiencing his father sudden death.

He was still young and he couldn't alone let handle the throne or anything else without his father by his side.

He reached his hand towards his face to wipe out the small tears which were already formed on his eyes.

Elizabeth didn't ever witness the weak side of the king and it was her first time. It was very sympathetic.

Well everyone would be broken if by any chance it happens ever lost someone so dear, but it had already been a year and the king seemed to move on with everything but now he seemed to be broken again with simple touch of remembrance of the former king, his father.

"I'm...sorry" she muttered, her eyes welled up with tears too, Elizabeth thought she can understand. She so on her side has lost her mother but it was many years ago still she was so little back then and even vividly she could remember how her mother looked like but she understood how it felt to loose someone so dear, and so important in your life.

The king removed his hand on his face and put it above the table after hearing her voice "I'm okay" he said.

Looking into her eyes, he smiled reassuring her she don't have to worry about him, he was fine.

She too reached her face to wipe out the tears which had streamed down her cheeks.

She was such an easy crybaby. Unfortunately the king too witnessed her weak side. Despite her efforts of trying to appear all strong and confident around but she was still a human, a woman precisely. She smiled understandingly.

"Uhmm...sorry, your majesty. I was little carried out" she laughed a little, brushing off the embarrassment. She cleared her throat before she continued "I was looking to see you, I have something to say to you" she decided better to change the topic without further succumbing to the grief.

"Yes. I too had something to tell you, lady Richard before the coronation ceremony begins"

They kept looking at each other without anyone peeling off their gazes from one another.

Who should start to open up ??.

After a long moment of silence the king tore off his gaze from her face and bit his lips. He decided to speak first but he was hardly contemplating on saying what he wanted to say to her.

After gathering so much courage to speak the king said "I need you to leave the castle, lady Richard. And I wanted personally to say goodbye"

Elizabeth's eyes widened with shock.

What did the king say again ?!. He wanted her to do what ??.

She couldn't believe her own eyes, not her own ears.

So he called her here to send her home. Then possibly she wasn't the one he chose, not the one he was looking for to be his queen.

Realization hit her head and her shoulders dropped with disappointment.

Her eyes welled up with tears again and she felt her body tremble from shock as if the strong wave of the ocean water had hit her body and let it sway along back to the sea.

She was drowned and didn't know what to do with herself.

She looked at the king in front of her who seemed to be concerned for her after witnessing how rapid her facial expression changed from being calm to being raged. She was angry, he noted.

She dropped down her eyes and fumbled with her dress before she fastly stood up from her chair and stomped out of the room. Running.