Be My Princess

Angel looked at Kat and Francis walk back until they disappeared into the ballroom before looking back at his companion. Natacha had both an upset and a worried expression on her face.

"Angel… are things still the same between us?" She asked. "I understand that your attitude towards me might have been altered because of what has happened; but I hope we are still… us." She added as he did not answer her question.

"How did you get here?"

Natacha knew Angel wasn't asking about her means of transport to the palace. "Why are you asking me that? Aren't you the one who sent the invitation to me?" She replied, feigning ignorance.

Angel did not answer. Instead, he asked the question that was pounding on his mind since the moment she had popped up in front of his hotel room in Kinshasa: "Why are you back?"

Taken aback by how distant Angel was being towards her, Natacha stood speechless for a few seconds. But didn't Angel have the right to question the motive of her return after she had rejected his proposal?

"Angel, I did reject your proposal but I never wanted our relationship to end. Honestly, after you left London, I came to realise that I made a mistake to choose a mere medal over you." Natacha pleaded. She scrutinised his face but could not make out whether he was believing her. "That's why I need to hear you tell me that nothing has changed between us. Why aren't you willing to answer me?"

Angel looked into her eyes. It was not that he did not want to answer her question; he just did not have a clear answer to her question at that moment. Something had definitely changed in their relationship; but he could not yet pinpoint what it was. 

Maybe it was not something but someone… 

Maybe it was him…

It was close to midnight when Francis walked Kat back to the West Wing. They had stayed at the party until the last guests had left; then Francis had requested for a last dance before they too left the ballroom. 

At the entrance of the West Wing, Francis kissed Kat's hand a little longer than usual, then smiled at her.

"Uladikanganyi, beautiful damsel." He said while he squeezed her hand.

"Mwanyi mwa vude, handsome prince."

Francis' smile brightened at her response and he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "I'll take my leave now."

Kat nodded and accompanied the prince with her eyes for a moment before entering the apartment.

"Well, well… Isn't this a sight lovely to see?" The now familiar deep voice resounded behind her as she walked towards the staircase.

Kat closed her eyes, breathed in and out heavily then turned around. "Why do you always move around so stealthily? Do you enjoy startling people that much?" She asked as the crown prince stepped closer to her.

Angel and Natacha had come back to the ballroom at the time of cutting the cake then disappeared for the rest of the night not long after that. Hence, Kat had assumed that, if they were not sitting in the inner courtyard or roaming the garden at the moment, Angel might have already turned in for the night.

"I see the two of you have gotten very close." Angel pointed out, ignoring her remark.

"And what if we have?" Kat asked defensively.

"Is it the reason why you spent the entire evening at his side?"

Kat raised an eyebrow. "Would you have preferred that I be a third wheel on your date with Miss 'Javelin'?"

Before Angel could retort, her phone chimed at an incoming message. Kat took the phone out of her clutch and turned on the screen to identify the sender. Seeing the faint smile that traced on her lips when she looked at the screen, Angel snatched the phone out of her hand as soon as she had unlocked it, suspecting that it might be a message from his cousin.

"Hey!" Kat exclaimed in surprise. "Give it back to me!" She protested as she tried to take the phone from his hand.

But, with a dexterity he had acquired through his long years of training in various types of martial arts, Angel had both her wrists cuffed in the tight grip of his big hand behind her back, and her body plastered against his in a few swift moves.

"Let me go!" Kat ordered in frustration while trying to break herself loose.

Angel had already dismissed the maids; so there was, fortunately, no one to witness the scene; but, unfortunately, also no one to come to her rescue.

"At least you don't text each other in secret…" He commented after seeing that the message did not come from Francis. "So you still have some consideration for the agreements under the Courtship Program."

Now angry, Kat could no longer hold herself back. "What do you care whether I respect them or not? And why does it even bother you that I've spent the evening accompanying Francis? Didn't you have your girlfriend accompanying you? Haven't we already agreed upon interacting by simple formality for the rest of the program? Let me go!"

Angel had actually no ground for argument… but it just didn't sit well with him that Kat had spent the entire evening at Francis' arm.

"Even so, we also agreed to respect the Courtship Program until the end. And tonight, you were supposed to accompany me." He stubbornly insisted.

Kat, who was still struggling to break free from his grip, stopped to look him in the eyes. Why was Angel acting so irrationally? Why was he so upset that she had accompanied Francis in his stead? Shouldn't someone who had been so reluctant to interact with her from the beginning be happy to have escaped that unpleasant duty for the night rather than attacking her as if she had done him gravely wrong?

"So what? Should I have followed you and your date around the entire time? Why is respecting the terms of our agreement so important to you when you've never even wanted to interact with me to begin with? I honestly spend time with you in a genuine attempt to get to know you; but you only do it out of duty. Unlike you, Francis actually makes true efforts in trying to get to know me. Why shouldn't I…"

Kat's rant was cut short when she met Angel's eyes once again. His expression had brusquely changed to something strange. Something that somehow reminded her of the night of her arrival at the palace…

"Is that so?" He said in a menacing tone. "Then I think I should remedy to that…"

Kat's eyes widened when she saw Angel lean closer; but her words of protestation were instantaneously muffled by his lips. 

His kiss was forceful; imposing; subduing… It was as if he was attempting to tame her combative nature with it. Kat tried to pull her head away, but Angel quickly slid her phone into his pocket to free his hand then grabbed her neck to retain her.

Though his hold was stiff, the contact of his hand against her skin provoked a sensation similar to an electric discharge that ran through her entire body and caused Kat to lose her combativeness for a moment. That short moment of weakness was enough to give Angel the opportunity to break through the barrier of her teeth; and, with kindled passion, the crown prince pressed her body against his all the more and deepened his kiss. 

Angel's ardour surged on Kat with the force of a mighty wave. Never in her life had she ever experienced anything even remotely resembling such level of intimacy with a man; thus, her mind was quickly submerged by a flood of emotions causing her entire being slowly to start giving in. 

Taking support on the staircase banister and panting heavily, Kat looked at Angel with furious eyes. But though he knew that he was in the wrong, the crown prince still harboured a haughty expression as he sustained her gaze.

"Is this enough getting to know each other better?" He let out.

Kat closed her eyes then breathed deeply in and heavily out to regain a little composure then shot him a cold gaze. "I'm sorry to have dragged you into all this, Crown Prince Angel. It seems to have been demanding too much from you. From now on, you don't have to sacrifice your Saturdays to me." She let out before running up to her bedroom and slamming the door behind her. 

Left alone at the bottom of the stairs, Angel had a hard time processing what had just transpired. What had that young woman done to him that he would lose all control and only be driven by the desire to have her to himself?

Kat was right. He had nothing to reproach her; nothing to demand from her either. Accompanying Francis for the rest of the evening was the only logical decision the maiden could make given that he had found himself obliged to entertain Natacha. Then why did he feel wronged? Why did he have to wait for Kat to come back so that he could confront her? What was the true reason to his nonsensical behaviour? Those three questions kept swirling in his mind as he climbed the stairs.

In her bedroom, Kat was trying to settle her shaky body, and calm the disorderly thumps of her heart. She sat on the edge of the bed and touched her lips with trembling hands. Something had happened when he was kissing her… An unexpected awakening… Deeply buried feelings that his touch had suddenly unearthed… Exactly what she had refused to hear her heart tell her for quite a while; but that it was now shouting loud enough for her not to be able to ignore it any longer.

"Oh no…" She let out in desperation. "I am doomed!"

⁂

The following day, Kat was up earlier than usual. In the light of her recently discovered feelings towards Angel, she was unwilling to face him anytime soon. Therefore, she planned to attend the second Church service, then lock herself in her bedroom for the rest of the day under the excuse that she was not feeling well. However, when she rushed back to the West Wing after the service, she stumbled upon Angel about to knock at her door as she reached the top of the stairway. 

First startled by the unexpected appearance behind him, Angel regained his composure in an instant and approached her. "I just wanted to give you back you phone." He explained while handing the device he was holding in his hand back to her.

Without a word, Kat took her phone then walked past him to enter her bedroom; but Angel grabbed her arm the moment she touched the doorknob.

"Changadim Kat, wait…"

With cold eyes, Kat looked back him then lowered her eyes to the hand holding her arm. Angel let go immediately.

"About last night…"

"We don't need to talk about it." Kat interrupted.

"Yes, we do." Angel insisted as Kat was motioning towards the doorknob again. "I don't usually drink but, last night, I had a little…"

Kat scoffed. "If you are about to condone your behaviour by blaming it on alcohol, then you should just forget about it."

Angel gritted his teeth. "I am trying to apologise here."

"Apologise? For what exactly? Violating my privacy? Or my body?"

Kat's voice was low and calm so as to avoid arousing the curiosity of the maids standing downstairs; but her entire body was vibrating with anger. 

Angel breathed in and out heavily, then signalled the maids to leave. "You have all the right to be angry; but aren't you making a mountain of a molehill just because of a simple kiss?"

Kat balled her hands into fists and heaved a sound of disbelief. "A simple kiss… This spoiled prince!" She muttered. "You might think that, as a prince, you are entitled to get anything you want, but this person, this body, is not something you can touch whenever it pleases you to. This is my body; this is the temple of my God; and the only man who is entitled to it is the one who will marry me. So no; I don't think I am overreacting!" she said gradually louder.

At that moment, a Chimangat entered the West Wing, holding a scroll. Obviously a Royal Summons. Angel and Kat were obliged to interrupt their dispute and walked down to the entrance to hear his announcement.

King Angel II slammed four newspapers on the coffee table one after the other. Natacha Irung's presence at the ball was making the headlines; and the articles were mainly questioning the crown prince's willingness to fulfil the late king's oath.

"Can somebody explain to me how this young woman managed to get an invitation to Prince Francis' birthday celebration?" The king questioned.

The entire royal family, along with Kat and George Chang, had been summoned in the private office.

"I have already questioned the calligrapher who made the invitations. He stated that he personally ensured that all invitations were written in respect of the guest list that was sent to him. And we have checked the list; Miss Natacha Irung's name was not on it." George Chang reported.

Josephine's lips slightly curled up. With Adolph Irung's connections, it was child's play to get an employee to sneak into the calligrapher's office and swap the lists once the invitations were printed out. She had also made sure to have the invitations delivered to the East Wing first before they could be sent to the post-office so that she could retrieve the one with Natacha's name on it.

"We have also questioned the post-office staff. No invitation was delivered to the Irung residence." The royal secretary added.

"I know that you only accepted to interact with Changadim Kat because duty dictates you to do so; but did you really need to bring that young woman to the ball?" The king asked at Angel's address. "Couldn't you find another way to state your opinion? A way that is at least considerate to the Throne; and to Changadim Kat?"

"Your Majesty," Queen Sophie intervened, "you have no proof that Angel is the one who gave her the invitation."

"True. But I don't have a proof that he is not the one either. Or should I assumed that Lady Josephine is the one who did that? Or Prince Francis? Isn't he the only person in the palace with a connection to that young woman?"

"Your Majesty, I am the one who asked for a ball to be organised for my son's birthday. It's only normal that I be the one to take responsibility for this mishap." Josephine interjected.

"Lady Josephine, I think it's noble of you to want to take responsibility for this; but the real person responsible should be the one to do so." King Angel II looked at his son. "We've barely managed to settle things down through the press conference after the publication of your pictures with that young woman three weeks ago… but now, the people is starting to question you."

Kat looked at Angel. He was quietly holding his head down; but she could sense that he was burning up inside. At the ball, she had clearly seen surprise painted on his face when Natacha had appeared. The king's deduction could be understood in the sense that no one other than Angel had connection to Natacha; she too had thought the same way at first. But now, she had an inexplicable conviction that Angel was not the one who had invited her. The only problem was that there seemed to be no way to prove that.

"Do you realise that, if the people comes to lose their trust in your ability to be a good ruler, they will request for a change in the crown?" The king continued. 

In her study of Ruund history, Kat had learnt that, in the times of the uRuund Empire, the Throne was not hereditary. The uRuund people believes that blood does not always transmit the wisdom and qualities that make a good emperor. Hence, emperors were chosen by the Tubung[1] based on their shows of ability to reign[2]. And even if Ruund was now a modernised kingdom where the crown was inherited, the High Counsel still held the power to take the crown away from the crown prince – even the king; which was why the crown prince was always kept under serious scrutiny until he was able to prove himself worthy of the crown. 

That particular aspect of Ruund politics was the reason why King Angel I had never let his second son and daughter-in-law's affair be known to the High Counsel. Had that happened, it was very likely that another family would have been lying the foundation of a new dynasty by now.

"Don't go about thinking that I will favour you if we have to come down to that all because of your reckless actions." The king concluded.

Angel balled his hand into a fist and stood up. "If Your Majesty feels the need to take the crown away from me, I will not object to your decision. It was never mine to wear to begin with." He coldly said before walking out of the office.

"Angel! Angel!" Both his grandmother and father repeatedly called after him; but to no avail.

The king heaved a sigh of desperation and headed for his office.

"Ngaak, I can assure you that Crown Prince Angel did not do it." Kat said to Isabella as soon as the king had left the room.

Isabella took Kat's hand, smiled, then looked at the rest of the people present in the room. "I think we all should go back now."

While everyone else regained their respective apartments, Queen Sophie headed for the king's office. King Angel II was looking through the window and turned around when his wife walked in. Sophie walked up to the window and quietly stood next to her husband, contemplating the garden.

"Aren't you being too hard on him?" She asked after a moment.

"He is the crown prince of Ruund; the future king. I need to be hard on him in order to prepare him for the demands of the Throne." The king explained.

"But Angel has never once let the Throne down until now; why then is my king acting like he has never done anything worthy of your praise?"

"My queen, I know well that the prince shows much capability in all he is given to do. But he has also shown that he can let his emotions take precedent over sound reasoning; we all just saw it. Angel is my son; he is my heir… I know that he has all it takes to be a great ruler; so how can I not try to help him understand that his present actions can have very regrettable consequences and seriously jeopardise his position before the people."

Sophie took the king's hand. "Your Majesty has spoken well. Angel is your son before being the heir to the Throne; so don't let your royal office make you forget that. Try sometimes to be the father who knows and trusts his son, before being the king who has great expectations of the heir to his throne. I am certain that our son will be encouraged in fulfilling his duty as crown prince if my king could tell him what he just told

[1] Imperial Council

[2] Authentic fact. Emperors are chosen by the Tubung even to this day.