Be My Princess

Kat walked back to the West Wing while pondering who could be the person who had sent an invitation to Natacha Irung. The oddity of the past three weeks' chain of events had achieved to awaken her investigative spirit; and she somehow felt that all those events were linked. But if it were to be true, it would mean that someone somewhere – definitely at the palace – was bent on destabilising the royal family… But to what end?

When she entered the West Wing and saw the maids, she immediately enquired of the crown prince's whereabouts.

"The crown prince is in his bedroom." Jane answered.

"He did not head for the Forest Palace this time…" Kat thought as she took the stairs.

When she reached the landing, she paltered internally for a short moment, then finally made up her mind to walk towards Angel's bedroom. Again, in front of the door, she hesitated a few seconds before knocking. It took her to reiterate her knocking two more times before Angel finally answered; and as soon as he opened the door, she let herself in without waiting for his invitation.

While Angel looked at her with astonishment, Kat admired the surroundings. The architecture did not differ from that of her own bedroom, but manlier tones had been used in its decoration and in the choice of furniture. Through the door of the study left ajar, Kat could see a white piano; undoubtedly the one Angel was using when he created the composition she had 'borrowed' at Francis' birthday.

"I don't think I invited you to come in." Angel pointed out.

"You didn't." Kat calmly replied. "Irritating, isn't it?" She added as she walked to the balcony.

Angel remembered how he himself had once barged into her room without invitation and capitulated.

"You have a better view of my balcony than I of yours. I hope you don't spy on me when I stand there to contemplate the stars." She teased when he joined her.

She was attempting to kill the awkwardness, but Angel seemed in no mood to laugh. Or even to beat around the bush.

"What are you doing here?" He asked bluntly.

Kat looked at him. What was she indeed doing there? Wasn't she angry at him just an hour ago? Yet the anger was gone; all she could think of at the moment was that Angel was in need to talk. Which meant that he needed someone to talk to. Plus, she was never good at staying angry at people for long.

"Don't you like being a prince?" She asked in response.

Angel silently looked at her for a moment. He seemed hesitant. And when he turned to look up at the sky, Kat expected that he would shut her out and ask her to leave.

But instead the crown prince placed an enquiry of his own. "When you look at the sun, or the moon and the stars, do you ever think that they might not be happy to be stuck up there…? That, deep down, they might wish to be something… anything else?"

Kat took a quick glance at the sun then looked at the clear blue sky before looking back at Angel.

"And if they were granted that wish, what would happen then?" She replied. "How would the earth sustain itself without sun or moon?"

Angel looked back at her.

"I believe that God has created everything in nature with a specific purpose." She continued. "That's why we can see that there is a perfect equilibrium in the natural ecosystem. In the same way, I believe that He has created people with specific purposes. Divine purposes…

To you, becoming heir to the throne appears as an unexpected twist of fate because you were never envisioning the sudden demise of your uncle; but I don't think it's something that took God by surprise. He is all-knowing, right? So it is possible that, per God's plan, you were in fact destined to sit on the throne from the moment you were born."

Kat placed her hand on Angel's arm in sign of encouragement.

"In your position, it's important to define yourself aside from the crown; but it is just as much important for you to understand that you cannot be completely defined without the crown either." She explained. "What I mean to say is that, though the crown is not all you are, it's still a part of your identity."

Angel kept quiet, mulling over Kat's words. "Wajikit." He simply said after a moment.

Kat nodded and stood quiet for a moment before finally asking: "Who do you think did that?"

The crown prince looked at her with an expression of gratitude. The fact that the maiden believed that he wasn't the person behind Natacha's pop-up at the ball was somehow instilling new strength in him.

"It's still too early for me to be able to come up with names." He answered.

"Leaking private information, sending anonymous e-mails, getting an invitation to Natacha Irung… Somehow, it seems like the work of one person. A person with a specific goal… And good resources."

"That's what I think as w…"Angel stopped when he full registered what Kat had just said. "Wait a minute; what anonymous e-mails?"

"The ones that were sent at the time of the first leak." Kat replied with hesitation, taken aback by Angel's puzzled expression. "Didn't everyone at the palace receive one?"

"No one at the palace has ever talked about receiving an anonymous e-mail. Why didn't you say anything about that?"

"Well… at the time, I assumed that I was not the only recipient of that e-mail. Then, after everything that happened on that day, it slipped my mind. It's only coming back to me now… Why would it be sent only to me?"

That was a very good question…

"Do you still have it?" Angel enquired.

"I'm pretty sure."

Kat took out her phone and went to her e-mail application. The mail was still at the top of her inbox list. She clicked on it then handed the phone to Angel. The crown prince scrolled through the pictures, then frowned. The pictures of Natacha and him kissing in the hotel corridor were never released to the public together with the others. Why were they sent exclusively to Kat?

Angel looked at the e-mail address. "Can you forward me this e-mail?"

"Sure."

"I hope it can help us find the culprit faster." Angel added.

Kat took note of Angel's e-mail address and forwarded the e-mail to him. She was feeling apologetic to have forgotten about such an important information. However, she strongly believed that she had remembered it at the right time because the likelihood was very high that, if she had remembered that mail earlier, she would have deleted it.

"Sorry about the delay I may have caused to your investigation." She still said.

"No need to apologise." Angel replied with a reassuring smile.

Kat smiled back. "Well, I will take my leave now."

"Changadim Kat?" Angel called as she motioned to walk away.

The young woman interrupted her movement. "Yes?"

"I'm truly sorry about last night."

That time around, Kat knew he was not apologising by formality; so she smiled. "Apology accepted."

Angel's phone rang when Kat was leaving the balcony.

"Yes, Nswann-Mulap Chang… What?"

The anxious tone made Kat turn around.

"… I'll be right over."

Angel ended the call and looked at Kat, who had interrogative eyes set on him. "The king has collapsed." Angel let out in a breath.

"What? Is it serious?"

"I don't know. The doctor is already on his way."

"Can I come?" Kat asked when she saw that Angel was rushing towards the door.

"Unfortunately, no. This kind of matter concerns the royal family only. Normally, I should not have disclosed this to you."

"I understand."

Kat followed Angel up to the entrance of the West Wing then watched him head for the Central Palace in big strides.

"I hope it's not life threatening…"

While the rest of the royal family was waiting in the sitting room of the king's apartment, Queen Sophie had gone up to the king's bedroom with the doctor and the royal secretary.

Angel was pacing nervously, incapable of calming himself down. The fact that his last conversation with the king had been fuelled with contention was making his mind restless. What if the king were not to regain consciousness? Would his last memory of his father truly be of his expression of disappointment at his son's statement?

Those two questions twirled incessantly in his mind, increasing his anxiety and guilt, until a more alarming one raised…

What if his reaction in the private office was the reason why…?

The door to the king's bedroom finally opened. As Queen Sophie and the two men walked down, those waiting gathered at the bottom of the stairway in expectation. Angel scanned his mother's face. She seemed relieved. Surely, it was nothing grave.

"No need to worry, it's nothing grave." The doctor announced as to concur Angel's assumption. "The king has already regained consciousness. It's just that the stress generated by his workload has finally taken its toll on his health. A month or two of rest, and a little medication will be enough to get him back on his feet."

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

The doctor then turned to Queen Sophie. "Please make sure that he rests for at least six weeks and takes all the medication I have prescribed. If he is stubborn, next time might be life threatening."

"Twajiktish, Mwant Sames[1]." Sophie replied as the doctor bowed before her, then the rest of the royal family.

After the doctor had left, she explained to the rest of the family that the king had already agreed to follow the doctor's advice and that, in consequence, for a six-week period, the most urgent of the king's responsibilities would be allocated to the crown prince while part of Angel's responsibilities would be handled by Prince Francis.

"Given that Crown Prince Angel already has his own load of responsibilities, he cannot be asked to handle the king's workload in addition without help." George Chang explained. "By tomorrow, I will provide Crown Prince Angel and Prince Francis with a six-week schedule covering their new responsibilities."

"And if there is any further query, Nswann-Mulap Chang will be there to help you. The king is not to be disturbed during his rest." The queen added before she turned to her son. "The king has requested to speak with you, Crown Prince."

Angel walked into his father's bedroom with apprehension on what the king wanted to talk to him about. He took a few step towards the side of the bed, then came to a sudden halt. The sight of the king lying on his bed, pale and weakened, made the young prince feel as if something were hampering his throat because, as far as he could remember, his father had always appeared like an unbreakable colossus to him.

"You have asked for me, Your Majesty?"

King Angel II slowly turned to look at his son then motioned to sit up; and Angel hastened to help his father then arranged the pillows behind his back to make him comfortable.

The king gestured for him to sit on a chair next to the bed before speaking. "I am entrusting the kingdom to you, Crown Prince Angel." He said feebly.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will do my best to fulfil my duty without failing you." Angel replied with a bow of the head.

"I know you will. But, beyond the crown prince, it is to my son that I want to speak." The king paused for a moment to spare his strength. "Don't ever think that I don't trust you; or that I don't appreciate all your accomplishments. As a father, and as a king, I am proud to call you my son." He then added.

Angel was taken aback. From memory, the last his father had talked in a 'father to son' manner was when he was still a child.

"Wajikitanyi, Tatuku." He replied hesitantly.

From the door left ajar, Queen Sophie smiled tenderly before slowly closing the door. The king had heard her plea…

"I also need you to understand that royalty is not only a call to duty." The king continued. "More than a title, it's part of our identity. The crown sure has its weight; but if you see kinghood only as a duty, that weight will only grow heavier with time."

Angel silently reflected on his father's words. They were meeting those of Kat at the same point; being crown prince was part of his identity; not just a title that was placed on him.

"I will keep your words at heart, Tatuku." He replied after a moment.

The king smiled. "Then I can rest assured."

Angel stood up and bowed before leaving the room. Somehow, his heart was feeling lighter. Not just because his father's condition was not as serious as he had feared, but because, in the king's room, he had felt like he was reuniting with his father after a very long period of separation.

Back at the West Wing, Kat was pacing nervously in her bedroom while waiting for the crown prince to return with news on the king's health. But when she finally heard his footsteps moving up the stairs, she froze in front of her door, faced to a dilemma. Angel had stated that the king's health was a matter of royal family secrecy; so she was in no place to enquire on the doctor's diagnosis. But, on the other hand, her mind would never rest at peace without answer…

Then her face lit up. What if she just went out and checked his expression? That could be enough to reveal whether or not there was reason to be worried. She reached for the doorknob, but a sudden knock at the door startled her. After brusquely retrieving her hand, she went for the doorknob once again.

Angel was standing in the doorframe.

Kat's heart jumped in her chest; not because she was afraid to hear the doctor's diagnosis; but because, at that moment, Angel's tall stature was exuding strength and security altogether. At that very moment, when she was feeling like caught in a raging storm created by the realisation of her feelings towards Angel and her fear for the king's life, the crown prince appeared like the strong anchor that could keep her from being tossed to and fro by the waves of mixed emotions surging in her. Hence, while she stared at him in expectation, all she could think of was taking refuge in his arms.

"It's nothing to worry over. The doctor says that all he needs is complete rest for a short while." Angel simply explained.

Kat snapped out of daze and smiled. "That's a relief!"

"Where you that worried about the king?" He asked with concern.

Kat did not know how to respond to Angel's question. She still had a hard time processing the fact that she had fallen in love with the crown prince and was still avoiding to think about the matter because, in her eyes, it was a lost cause as the heart of the crown prince was already taken by another woman. In consequence, her emotion were in shamble and she was battling hard to keep all in. But they had now found an outlet in her worry for the king, and were coming out strong over a matter that did not touch so much close to her.

"Don't mind me…" She answered with an awkward chuckle. "The wait must have taken its toll on my emotions."

Angel did not seem convinced but still nodded. "While the king is at rest, Prince Francis and I will have to take care of all the kingdom's affairs. It might become difficult for us to interact with you in the weekends to come." He continued.

"I see…"

Somehow, her wish not to interact with the crown prince any longer was being granted to her; but rather than rejoicing over the fact that she would not have to spend time with Angel, Kat was feeling oddly disappointed. She was being presented with the opportunity to get over the crown prince before her feelings could deepen, yet it seemed like both her heart and mind were revolted at the idea.

"I will ask Joshua to take over the riding lessons in the meantime." Angel suggested.

That time, Kat had to force herself to keep smiling. All of a sudden, horseback riding lessons were losing all their appeal without the crown prince there to teach her.

[1] Docto