Be My Princess

"You what?!"

Adolph was dumbfounded. First, because his daughter, who had always confided in him about everything, had kept such a secret from him; and second, because he could not fathom why his very much in love daughter had rejected the crown prince's proposal.

Josephine, on her part, was disappointed. Natacha's revelation that had appeared to be the perfect means to set her plan in motion was now turning out to be useless.

"But I thought you were in love with him." Adolph said after a moment.

"I am… I truly am; and I would have said yes in a heartbeat if marrying the crown prince would not stand in the way of my qualification to the Olympic Games."

Adolph was looking at his daughter in disbelief now.

"You know that becoming an Olympic medallist is my dream, Tatuku; and if I succeeded at entering the palace, I would never be allowed to pursue it. So how could I give up on my dream while I was so close? I've never really had time to think about that before; hence, when Angel proposed to me, he caught me off guard. I knew that rejecting his proposal was practically equivalent to giving up on him but it was either him or my dream. I chose my dream… Who could have predicted that I would be in that accident not long after that?"

"Accident?" Josephine enquired when she saw Natacha looking at her right wrist with sadness.

Around a week after Angel had left London, Natacha had been almost run over by a reckless biker riding on the sidewalk, just as she was exiting a shop. She had managed to dodge the bike, but had lost balance in the process and heavily landed on her right arm. The accident had resulted in a dislocated shoulder and a severely injured wrist.

Though the injuries were not to the extent of requiring surgery, they were still serious enough to endanger her athletic career.

"The doctor prescribed me some medication, a balm to apply on my wrist and shoulder every day and a removable cast to use as much as possible so as to avoid putting pressure on my wrist until it fully heals." Natacha finished.

Josephine, who was seeing a glimmer of hope, quickly enquired with feigned concern: "What about the Olympic Games now?"

"I'm not sure… The competition is not before next year; but the doctor told me that we have to wait until both my shoulder and my wrist have healed completely before he will be able to tell whether I can still compete or think of a change of career."

"So it's fifty-fifty." Her father commented.

Natacha nodded.

"Are you having second thoughts about the crown prince's proposal?" Josephine risked.

Natacha raised a surprised look at the royal consort. The woman was very insightful.

"I am. But he is no longer answering my calls…"

The royal consort smiled in satisfaction. "Don't worry much about that. I know my nephew can be very stubborn but he has a soft heart. He must have been hurt by your rejection; that's why he ignoring your calls. You should try meeting with him."

"But how can I do that?" Natacha complained. "It's not like I can go knock at the palace door and ask to see the crown prince."

Josephine chuckled. "I think I can help you with that."

"Really?" Natacha exclaimed with sparkles of hope in her eyes.

"Anything for my best friend's daughter."

"Thank you so much, Lady Josephine!"

"No… Wajikitanyi, Miss Natacha Irung."

⁂

After four days passed learning about the royal ways of life, Kat was happy to spend that Friday out in 'incognito mode' again, at the amusement park. Prince Francis' company was a true delight, and she really appreciated how down-to-earth the prince could be.

Throughout the whole day, they roamed around the amusement park and rode every themed ride Prince Francis found thrilling enough to scare the young woman. But, a thrill seeker herself, Kat enjoyed every attraction with squeals of excitement and laughter; very much to Francis' disappointment – as he had expected that she would rather scream and seek refuge in his arms out of terror.

In between attractions, they enjoyed the opportunity to stuff themselves with junk food – since it was just a once-in-a-while type of opportunity – and talked about their respective childhood, likes and dislikes, and Kat's lessons.

"I am so happy to have the opportunity to play the violin again. I really missed it." Kat explained with visible gladness.

"Really? How good are you? You know, my birthday is coming up soon; it would be a nice gift if you could play for me a composition of your own." Francis requested.

"A composition of my own?" Kat waved her hands in negation then added: "I am not quite there yet. I am not as good as Crown Prince Angel."

Francis' eyes went slightly darker, somehow in displease to hear her mention his cousin's name. Why was she bringing him up during their interaction time? And why was he so much bothered by that?

"My cousin seems to have made an impression on you." Francis remarked.

"Sure he has!" Kat affirmed vehemently. "An irritating one. I mean, he does have some good qualities; but he is majorly exasperating!"

Francis smiled. For a minute, he had felt an inexplicable fright at the idea that the maiden might be attracted to his cousin; and now, he was even more inexplicably relieved to know that he was wrong. Faced with never-experienced-before emotions, the prince long tried to find a reasonable explanation to them and ended up concluding that they must have been due to his very strong competitive spirit.

Their day of fun was wrapped up with dinner and cinema. After Francis had bid goodbye with a longer than usual hand kiss, Kat watched him walk away with a smile on her face until he disappeared in the Central Palace. She sighed in delight and walked into the West Wing.

The entrance alone was alit; but, as she walked towards the stairs, she suddenly caught sight of a silhouette in the shade and she put her hand on her mouth to refrain a scream. Her hand then went down to the level of her heart as she sighed in relief when she recognised the man sitting on the couch in the dimmed sitting space.

"Why are you startling as if you were caught doing something wrong?" Angel asked as he stood up and moved into the light.

"Why are you sitting in the shade like a creepy old butler in a haunted mansion?" Kat retorted.

Angel smiled and answered as he walked past her: "It helps me think."

"Sure can't be happy thoughts…" Kat muttered in Swahili.

A foot on the first step of the stairs, Angel stopped and turned around. "I beg you pardon?"

"How come you are back so soon?" Kat asked to divert his attention.

Angel has left for Kinshasa on Monday morning to help with the first phase of the project of improvement of the security system in Congolese natural parks.

"Am I not supposed to be here today?" Angel retorted coldly.

"I was told that it was a five-day trip; so I assumed that you would take advantage of the opportunity and stay until tomorrow… given how much you dislike having to spend time with me." Kat explained snidely.

Angel silently looked at the young woman for a moment. Honestly speaking, even though he disliked being forced to interact with her, he did not actually dislike the time he had spent with her so far. But though he felt a strong need to let her know that, he couldn't find the strength to let the words proceed from his mouth.

"But I was wrong;" Kat continued as Angel was not talking, "duty always come first with you."

Angel motioned to climb the stairs, but stopped again and looked back at Kat. "For your information, uRuund pupils are also taught Swahili, in addition to French and English."

At that, he gave her an implied smile then finally engaged on the staircase. Jaw dropped, Kat looked at him walking away until he disappeared in his bedroom.

The following morning, Kat woke up to some disturbing news. After her routine prayer and ablutions, as she was about to go down for breakfast, her cell phone chimed. It was an email notification. Kat wanted to put the reading of the e-mail to later but the intriguing peculiarity of the sender's identity – [email protected] – led her to open the e-mail right away.

There was no written message, only attached pictures. Pictures of the crown prince with an unknown woman, roaming the streets of Kinshasa, eating at a restaurant, taking selfies at the fountain ending The 30th June Boulevard; kissing in a hotel corridor…

Kat felt a twinging sensation in her chest as she irrepressibly browsed over and over again through the pictures. The woman was beautiful. She seemed taller than her and svelte. Brown skin tone, oval face, round eyes, fine nose, bow-shaped lips…

Kat looked at Angel's expression. Relaxed, smiley, deep… like a man in love. The twinge in her chest accentuated and her hold on her cellphone tightened.

With heavy steps, she left her room; and as she was walking down the stairs, she noticed the maids' agitated demeanour.

"What is it, Jane?"

The maid awkwardly looked at her own phone screen then hesitantly turned it towards Kat. The same pictures… Kat looked back at the maid.

"It's all over the internet…" Jane explained. "It says that the crown prince has been dating her for over three years."

Kat glanced at the dining table.

"The king has called for the crown prince. He went to the Central Palace a few minutes ago." The maid again explained.

"Prepare something for me to wear!" Kat ordered as she rushed back to her room.

After a quick shower, Kat passed on the white asymmetrical skirt, white singlet, beige cardigan and ballet flats of the same beige the maids had set on the upholstered bench at the foot of the bed for her, then headed for the Central Palace. She was not sure whether she was permitted to go there in such situation; but all she knew is that she wanted to be there for the crown prince. And even if she could not help with the situation, she wanted, at the very least, to make sure that he was okay.

Kat found the queen mother alone in the private sitting room, visibly upset.

"Your Majesty." She greeted as she curtseyed.

"Kat? What brings you here?" Isabella asked with astonishment as she stretched out her hands.

Kat grabbed the woman's hands and sat next to her. "I heard the news, Ngaak…" Kat explained. "And the maids told me that the king has called for Crown Prince Angel."

Isabella sighed. "I wonder who could have done such a thing."

"Is the crown prince okay?" Kat enquired with concern.

"Who could be okay in such situation? The king is not happy. The discussion was rather heated between the two of them." The queen mother explained.

"Is he still in the king's office?"

"No. He left a moment ago. I thought he went back to the West Wing."

Isabella's face softened as she examined Kat's worried expression. "Don't worry much about Angel, my dear. He must have gone to the Forest Palace." She said to reassure the young woman.

"The Forest palace?"

"It's the crown prince's resting abode situated at the south edge of the property. It is isolated behind a wall of trees and bushes that can make you think of a forest. Angel likes to go there when he wants to be alone."

Kat nodded; but she still couldn't feel at peace. In her eyes, isolation might not be the best of idea in such circumstances. She asked to take her leave, and the queen mother released her.

On her way back to the West Wing, Kat bumped into Peter in the corridor.

"Peter? What are you doing here? I thought you would be with Crown Prince Angel." Kat said to the guard.

"The crown prince has gone to the Forest Palace. No worker at the palace is allowed to go there." Peter explained.

"Oh, I see… It's still a bit concerning to have him being alone at a moment like this." Kat said almost to herself.

"Don't worry much, Changadim Kat. The crown prince just wants a moment to himself in order to organise his thoughts. But if it can help put your mind at ease, His Highness has asked me to bring him an important document. I can check and make sure that he is indeed doing fine, then report back to you."

"Wajikitanyi." Kat replied in gratitude.

Peter took a few steps past Kat then stopped and turned around. "Do you want to come with me?" He asked.

Kat quickly turned around. "Can I?"

Now that she was in the car with Peter, heading towards the Forest Palace, Kat was having second thoughts. Was it really a good idea for her to go see Angel?

"You seem to be very worried about the crown prince." Peter remarked.

"I am more worried about whether it was a good idea for me to request for this interaction period… I understand now why Crown Prince Angel is so distant towards me."

Peter looked at the young woman and smiled. "If the maiden allows me, I would like to speak my mind freely." He requested.

"Go ahead." Kat replied.

"I think that your presence at the palace is a good thing for the crown prince."

"How so?"

"To some… no; to everyone in Ruund, Crown Prince Angel is just Crown Prince Angel; no more, no less… People meet him and always see the title before the man; and all have expectations of him that only relate to his title. You, on the other hand, are practically the only person in all Ruund, as we speak, who is interested in knowing the man behind the title." Peter explained.

"What about his family?" Kat enquired.

"They certainly know the man behind the title; but I am afraid that they don't often look at that man. Duty to the people always takes predominance over everything else at the palace…"

"That I've noticed…" Kat commented in agreement. "And what about the woman in the pictures?" Kat enquired cautiously.

"Miss Natacha Irung? She sure looked beyond the title, but I'm not sure whether she truly loves the crown prince."

Kat was hanging on Peter's lips.

"The London experience always gives the princes of Ruund a once in a lifetime opportunity to be themselves with no title shadowing them…"

Peter reached for his cellphone and opened a folder in the Gallery before handing it to Kat.

"When Crown Prince Angel was in London, I was assigned there with few other guards to keep an eye on him without his knowledge." He explained. "You see, even if precautions are always taken both on the side of the Throne and on the side of the university to keep the details of their identities and stays as hidden as possible, princes can never be left entirely without protection…"

As Kat started to browse through the pictures, the guard pursued his narrative.

"You can see how happy and relaxed he was during that period." He commented. "It was in those circumstances that Crown Prince Angel met Miss Natacha, so it was very easy for her to see the man before the title. And meeting an uRuund citizen who, for a first, did not just see the crown prince of Ruund in him must have played a great role in the development of his feelings for her…"

Kat came to the last picture in the folder and froze. Peter noticed her change of attitude and glanced over. It was a picture of Angel looking at an engagement ring.

"He ordered that ring right after he received the letter from his parents requesting him to come back home urgently. He met up with her on the day before his return; but I think she rejected his proposal."

"You think?" Kat emphasised.

"For the sake of the crown prince's privacy, we were not allowed to wiretap his apartment. But by seeing his demeanour later that day, when he had walked her back to her place, I could only come to this conclusion."

Kat looked back at Angel's expression in the picture. He seemed very much in love.