Pampered by the Villainous Tyrant King

Chapter 10

A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!

*********************

"Call me Percy."

Did he think that was hard to do? Annabeth had been getting tired of having to say "Your Majesty" all the time anyways. Besides she had younger twin brothers worth twice the trouble. There were no jokes and pranks she couldn't handle.

"Sure...Percy." She said with a wide grin.

The Eldoris king didn't seem disappointed that she took to calling him his nickname so easily.

"It's the first time," he said slowly.

Annabeth cocked her head to one side. Did he mean that it was the first time to call him by his nickname?

"The first time that you actually smiled sincerely for once."

Huh. So he had seen through the innocent looks she had been giving. Well, she supposed that would make sense. He was a king who had lived many years in the palace. What hadn't he seen?

In the end, King Perseus agreed to the experiment and Annabeth personally wrote a letter to Lady McLean to invite her as lady-in-waiting. The king would figure out the route that the crown prince of Tynan would take to Eldoris and construct a scenario where Lady McLean would meet with Prince Jason before any of them could meet with Alana.

In the reply to Annabeth's letter, Lady McLean agreed. The position of lady-in-waiting to the queen was a high honor. Annabeth sent a silent word of apology for this lady who was now unwittingly involved in this web of entrapment.

*********************

Marquis Thomas Dare strode in his office, displeased that his spies were sending information on the relationship between the King of Eldoris and the eldest Kiran princess. He had always thought that he would be the father-in-law of the Eldoris King one day. Eventually Thomas' grandchildren would be sitting on the throne, starting a new era in Eldoris. He reveled in that thought for fifteen years until the arrival of the Kiran princess.

"You see? After you became a knight, the king has never put you in his eyes ever!" He raged against his daughter.

Rachel's face was stony. "And if I hadn't become a knight, I would have never been able to remain so close to Percy. Have you ever seen him let another woman get close to him?"

That was true. No matter how many daughters of noble families were brought to him, Percy had tacitly refused or dodged their matchmaking requests. It had been rumored that the king had planned on taking Sir Rachel who had been serving faithfully at his side as queen.

Of course, Rachel knew that it was her own father who had been the main source of those rumors. Percy had never publicly or privately acknowledged those rumors to her, merely making use of those rumors to temporarily block some of the more zealous women. Rachel had never asked about the truth of those rumors to Percy, fearing his answer.

Then the word spread that the king was taking the princess of Kiran as his bride.

Who hadn't heard of Princess Alana who had flawlessly golden hair the color of sunlight and blue eyes that mirrored the sky? The news was like a bolt of lightning from nowhere that Rachel couldn't even process. But it turned out that Kiran had played some tricks and had sent an unknown princess instead.

Rachel had been insulted on Percy's behalf. How dare the Kirans be so rude? Even if Rachel wasn't marrying Percy, she at least wanted him to have the best that he deserved.

But the princess they sent, though frail, was just as attractive in both her outside appearance and personality. Even the tutors Percy had sent had been vocal in their praise of her academics.