Be My Princess

"They did what?"

"They left the palace in an unsealed car early this morning." Isabella calmly replied.

"Without royal guards?"

Angel looked at the West Wing maids. When he had gotten back to his apartment about half an hour, he had noticed that the maids were agitated and immediately enquired about Kat. Disbelief was his first reaction when he was informed that the maiden seemed to have left the palace in the morning in company of the queen and had still not returned. In need of confirmation, the crown prince had then asked the maids to follow him as he went in search of his grandmother. But Isabella – who had enquired about the queen's whereabouts when she had not seen her at breakfast – had had no more information than what the maids had already told him.

"Do you realise that you were not assigned to the West Wing just to serve the maiden but also to look after her?" He pointed out to the maids.

Jane took a step forward. "I take full responsibility for this mistake, Your Highness…" She stated with a shaky voice. "When Changadim Kat asked me to get her clothes in a size slightly bigger than hers, I should have inquired further… it just never crossed my mind that she was thinking of…"

"Stop scaring the maids, Angel!" Isabella intervened. "It's not like they were set as watchdogs to surveil the maiden's every move."

At that moment, Queen Sophie and Kat made their entrance in the private sitting room; whispering and giggling like high-schoolers. It was only when they noticed the little crowd in the room that they interrupted their chatter.

For a moment, everyone in the room was stunned by the queen's outfit.

"Is something wrong?" The queen enquired when she saw the grave expression on her son's face.

Angel dismissed the maids, walked to his mother and took her hands. "Maaku, where have you been all day long? Why did you leave the palace without guard?"

"Oh, Changadim Kat had the great idea to take me on a mother-daughter fun day out," Sophie explained with a bright smile addressed to Kat.

Angel looked at Kat. "How could you even think of taking the queen out of the palace without guard? What if something had happened to her?"

"Angel!" The queen called out. "Don't scold her; she only meant well."

"But Maaku, you know well that the royal family cannot leave the palace without escort," Angel argued. "Had something happened to you, I…"

"You would have then had ground to be angry at her." The queen finished before she looked at Kat with a smile. "Changadim Kat was missing her outings with her mother and thought of me as a substitute for one day. Nothing bad has happened; so why make a mountain out of a molehill? Because as far as we are concerned, the queen and the maiden never really left the palace." She added with a wink addressed to Kat.

Baffled, Angel was at a loss of words for a moment.

"Now that we know that the queen has returned safe and sound, we will take our leave." The royal consort said.

Francis imitated his mother and bade goodnight to everyone, winking at Kat – who replied with a smile - as he passed by her.

Before Josephine and Francis could leave the room, Sophie took Kat by the shoulders and spoke loud enough to be heard of them.

"Thank you so much for today, Kat. Now I wish even more that this stubborn son of mine could win your heart. That way, Hannah and Lily might get to have another mother-daughter fun day out."

Josephine balled her hands into fists but kept walking without looking back.

Sophie then turned to Isabella. "I hope I did not keep you worrying all day long, Maaku."

"I was worried only when I did not know where you were. But when I understood that you were out with Kat, my heart settled." The queen mother explained. "Even though I would have never thought that you could agree to something this adventurous, I still trusted that you would never do anything that could endanger yourself or the Throne."

"Wajikitanyi, Maaku. If you allow me, I will be turning in now."

Isabella nodded. "Uladikanganyi."

Sophie left the room, humming and swinging her shopping bags with the glee of a carefree adolescent under the intrigued gaze of her mother-in-law and the stunned gaze of her son.

"What exactly did you do to her, Kat?" Isabella asked when the queen was no longer in sight.

Kat looked in the direction where the queen had disappeared and smiled. "I just wanted Mwad to have one day where she is not treated just like the queen of Ruund… One day where she could be like a common woman… a common mother spending the day with her daughter… a common wife buying stuff for her hard-working husband…"

Both Isabella and Angel looked at Kat with puzzlement. Her last statement seemed to bear a deeper meaning…

And indeed it did. After accidentally hearing the king and the royal consort's conversation, then again accidentally stumbling upon the queen and the royal consort's exchange, Kat had felt the urge to comfort the queen. But since she could not openly address the matter, a fun day out was the only way she had found to convey her empathy towards the queen's hidden plight.

"It seems to have worked wonders on her," Isabella commented. Then she stood up. "I am going to turn in as well. I suppose you must be tired after such a day, Kat; go rest. I will see you both tomorrow."

"Uladikanganyi, Ngaak," Kat replied with curtsey.

"Uladikanganyi, Ngaak," Angel bade as well.

Once Isabella had left the room, Kat quickly headed for the corridor leading to the West Wing. She was dreading what Angel would do now that they were left alone, but the crown prince simply followed suit without uttering a single word.

They engaged in the corridor, and Kat took advantage of the quiet moment to appreciate the night scenery. From between the colonnades were reaching the cascading melody of the fountain water coming from the inner courtyard on their right and the chirps of crickets coming from the garden on their left. The unexpected complementarity in the sounds was somehow giving a romantic connotation to the surrounding atmosphere.

"My apologies." Angel finally let out when they got halfway to the entrance of the West Wing.

Kat stopped her walk and looked at him. "Apologies? For what?"

"I assumed that you had taken my mother out just to satisfy a selfish desire… But I was wrong."

Kat smiled and resumed her walk. "You should learn to read people, Crown Prince."

"I can read people." Angel objected.

"Maybe at a political or business level; but not a personal one," Kat argued. "Otherwise, you would not be apologising to me right now."

Angel rendered her smile. "Touché…"

They took a few steps in silence; then Angel spoke again. "Wajikitanyi… for my mother. I haven't seen her this happy in… ever."

"It's nothing. I just wanted her to step away from the crown for a moment." Kat explained.

"Really? After you so eagerly tried to make me understand that the crown is not something we can step away from?"

"Your case was different…" Kat stopped again, stepped between two colonnades and looked beyond the garden spreading before their eyes. "Somewhere out there, we will surely find commoners who think that their life would be better off if they were born in this palace." Then she looked back at Angel. "And here at the palace, we find the crown prince who thinks that his life would have been happier if he were born a simple commoner. Why do you think this is?

This is because we often fail to count our blessings. If each one of us were to take time to appreciate all the good God has given us instead of focusing on what we consider the better we do not have, we could find happiness and peace at heart even in the direst conditions. Appreciating who you are and what you have will make it easy for you to embrace and fulfil your destiny no matter the obstacles that can arise on the way."

"Your reasoning is very wise for a woman your age," Angel remarked, impressed.

Kat chuckled. "I can't take credit for that. I've learnt all this from my mother, and through Bible Study sessions at Church as well."

Angel nodded, and they resumed their walk.

"Queen Sophie does not have this problem." Kat continued. "But I think that, after being the queen for so many years, the crown has gotten too much in the foreground. That might have made her forget about her own self after a while. I just hoped that one day being someone other than the queen of Ruund could help her remember the woman who carries that crown."

"She might not be the only one who needs to be reminded of that…" Angel commented pensively.

"Well, maybe if you royals did not treat each other with so much deference even in your private time, you would not so easily forget that you are people before royalty."

They had now reached the top of the staircase inside the West Wing. Angel first looked at Kat with a smile; then that smile gradually faded as his gaze on her intensified. Kat immediately understood the growing intent behind his gaze; she had seen that same intensity in his eyes three weeks before; on the night of the ball. And, though she was not imprisoned in a tight grip this time around, she still felt as if a strong force were keeping her from stepping away from the crown prince. In a way, she felt like a mouse paralysed by the hypnotic gaze of a snake; unable to escape in the very face of danger.

Suddenly, the sound of a door being opened then shut downstairs came to break the tense atmosphere that had enveloped them. Coming from the kitchen, Tiana was startled at the discovery of the two people standing at the top of the stairs.

"Crown Prince Angel, Changadim Kat, do you need something?" She quickly asked after curtseying.

Angel did not care to reply to the maid; so he simply looked back at Kat and bade goodnight before walking away. But even after Angel had closed the door behind him, Kat could still not get her brain to resume its normal functioning. She slowly turned to Tiana and told her that she wasn't in need of anything, then mechanically walked to her bedroom once the maid was gone. When she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it, her right hand placed at the level of her heart, and breathed out heavily.

What had just happened? Did she actually wish that he would kiss her?

Whatever the answer to that question might be, Kat had one frightening certainty: If they had not been interrupted, and Angel had decided to kiss her, she might not have had the willingness to push him away…

In the bedroom opposite Kat's, Angel was splashing water on his face in an attempt to calm his senses down. He looked at his reflection in the mirror… What was that young woman doing to him?

Natacha's face popped in his mind at that moment, and he immediately put the two women against each other.

Why? When had he started to consider the maiden?

What was even more alarming was that, deep down, he felt like there was not even a need for consideration. The memory of him forcefully stealing a kiss from her came back to him…

Had he really fallen for the young maiden?

The answer seemed very much obvious. But that seemingly obvious answer tended to stir a weird feeling his heart: fear.

Kat had already agreed to help him be with the woman that, in her eyes, he loved. She had even assured him that she would not fall for him. So it was very likely that she might not reciprocate his feelings… Yet, a moment ago, it did seem to him as if the maiden would have not pushed him away if he had given in to his urge to take possession of her tantalising full lips.

But was it truly what he saw…? Or just his wishful thinking?

After that night, Kat decided to avoid meeting with Angel altogether. There were still four weeks left before the end of the interaction program; and she felt that, if she continued to interact with the crown prince in the meantime, she would eventually reach the point where it would no longer be possible for her to get over him. Hence, she took advantage of Angel's busy schedule and managed to avoid finding herself alone with him; or even bumping into him. But as the week went by, her mood only grew gloomier.

"Is something wrong? You seem really down today." Francis remarked on that Friday afternoon.

As usual, he had managed to finish his work soon enough in order to spend time with her; even if it was just for a couple of hours.

Kat blinked. "I do?"

"Yes. What's bothering you?"

Kat could not tell him the true cause of her condition; so she looked for an alternative. "It must be because tomorrow is my birthday…" Kat started.

"Really? Why didn't you say anything?" Francis exclaimed. "We could have organised a small celebration for you."

"You mean something 'low key' like on your birthday?"

Francis chuckled. "We can bring it to an even lower key if that's too much for you."

Kat chuckled as well. "There's no need for that."

"Alright. What would you like to have for your birthday then?"

"My family."

Eyebrows raised, Francis looked at Kat in silent interrogation.

"We always celebrate each other's birthdays together… It's kind of a family tradition." She explained.

"I see. If your birthday had fallen today, I could have taken you to your family. Why does it have to be on a Saturday? Mine was on a Saturday as well."

"You're right. It's a shame that they both fall on Saturdays." Kat concurred. "We sure would have enjoyed them better if they had fallen on Fridays… or if our interactions were scheduled on Saturdays." She added.

"True. At least, on my birthday, Miss Natacha Irung's appearance had given us the opportunity to accompany each other at the ball. But it's unlikely something similar could happen tomorrow…"

Kat could not help but be irritated at the mention of that name; fortunately, she managed to hide it from her interlocutor. And to avoid being found out, she quickly changed the subject and enquired on how Francis was coping with princely duties.

"Very well actually," Francis replied with excitement.

And, as they strolled through the garden, the prince went on explaining to Kat how he felt that he was truly born to be a prince just by how easy it was for him to handle all the tasks he was delegated.

The following morning, Kat woke up early, expecting a call from her mother and siblings; but nothing came in. She could easily guess that her brother might still be asleep because it was the weekend; but her mother was always up early and, hence, always the first person to wish her a happy birthday.

Was she being forgotten because she was away?

Knowing exactly at what time Angel would go down for breakfast and how long he would last at the table, Kat took her time to shower and dress up so as to make sure that she would not bump into him when she would exit her bedroom.

"SURPRISE!!!"

The general clamour welcomed Kat as soon as she opened her door, and she nearly screamed out of fright. Once she came back from her surprise and recognised the people standing before her bedroom out, her jaw dropped. The very next second, she let out a squeal of exhilaration and rushed into her mother's arms before hugging her two brothers and her pregnant sister-in-law.

"Is this a dream? How did you guys get here?" Kat asked in an incredulous tone.

She really had difficulty believing that her family was actually at the palace to celebrate her birthday.

"Do you want me to pinch you?" Michael teased in response.

"Nswann-Mulap Chang called late last night. Apparently, it was a request from the prince." Charlotte explained.

"Royal officers were at our doors when it was still dark this morning." Joseph continued. "By the way, the royal private jet is just wow!"

Joseph's tapered almond eyes were sparkling with excitement. He had a lighter skin tone than any other of the Sama children, a trapezoid body shape, and an oblong face with a medium pointy nose. His thin upper lip was stretched in a big smile.

"I know, right!" Kat concurred. "Rose, I hope this trip is not too tiring for you?" She then asked her sister-in-law. "All because of me…"

The young woman had already started to lose her skittle figure to her pregnancy; but her slight weight gain was surprisingly enhancing the beauty of her dark-brown skin tone, oval face, round eyes, fine Nubian nose and down-turned lips.

She gave Kat a bright smile. "Don't worry, I'm not tired at all. I would have really felt bad if I had missed your birthday."

"Are you guys here for the whole day?" Kat enquired.

"We are here until tomorrow!" Michael gladly replied.

"Really?"

"We have been installed in the South Wing." Her mother added.

"Great! Have you been to the central palace yet?"

"Not yet. We came straight here after leaving our stuff in our rooms." Charlotte answered.

They left the West Wing and followed Kat to the open sitting room where they waited for the members of the royal family to be informed of their presence. Isabella and Sophie came in ten minutes later, and Josephine followed not long after. When the introductions, greetings and pleasantries session was finally over, everyone took place around the coffee table.

"So, what does a birthday tradition in your family actually entails?" Isabella asked Charlotte. "From what my grandson said, Kat seemed really down at the idea of missing it this year."

"Well, it's nothing grandiose actually. The family gets together; we cook, bake a cake, eat together, play games… And when it falls on the weekend, it's always an all-day family fun.

By the way, Your Majesties must join us for the birthday meal."

"Of course!" Isabella replied adamantly. "There's no way we could be left out of our dear Kat's birthday."

At the queen mother's reply, Michael nudged his sister and she pulled her tongue at him. Charlotte, whose sharp eyes the scene had not escaped, smiled and slightly shook her head. "There they go again!" She thought.