My Prince [ WMMAP X OC! PRINCE ]

Chapter. 4 :: Belle's pledge

Claude twirled the glass of wine in his hand, letting the noble sitting across him spew his useless thoughts.

"Your Majesty, I heard about Lady Irene passing away," the nobleman said shamelessly. "What about marrying another woman? You need an heir after all," he suggested with a hint of greed in his eyes.

Right, Claude hides the fact about having a firstborn already, deciding to introduce Makarios in his debut—tthe only people who know about the young prince's existence are the emperor's trusted people, Felix and Belle. And the servants serving under him in his palace. He also made a law to those people who knew about the young prince that if they ever spilled a word about the prince, he would execute them personally—eenough for everyone to shut their mouth.

He can't be careless knowing what happened to Irene; someone's probably planned to assassinate her before she was crowned as an emperor. Because it's a hundred for sure that she was going to be the empress, many nobles probably enviously made their move and killed her.

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, he looked at the guy who continued spouting trash out of his filthy mouth and said, "I have a daughter. Your Majesty, would you like to meet her? She's a wonderful woman who I think has what it takes to be an Empress."

'What a shameless guy.' Claude's eyes narrowed. 'Should I have him arrested? ' Spouting his opinion when not needed. 'Or should I just kill him? '

Claude's lips formed into a cold smile, and his eyes glowed, promising pain. "Are you saying that my late wife doesn't have what it takes to be an Empress?" he asked. His voice was cold as he stared at the man's eyes, which began to tremble in fear. "Did you just dare to disrespect me?"

"No, Your Majesty! I wouldn't dare."

"You just did," not letting him finish, Claude said. Eyes boring at the man, "Spouting some opinion I didn't asked for. Aren't you a brave one? Don't tell me you don't fear me?" he said, his eyes eerily wide as he stared at the man, who immediately went on his knees, head down.

The people in the banquet watch them, but just a glare from Claude makes them all avert their gazes, scared for their lives.

"Forgive me, your Majesty!"

"Leave out of my sight."

Without a beat, the nobleman scrambled to his feet.

"You'll let him live your Majesty?" Felix asks, looking at the back of the nobleman who's running away, hand on the handle of his sword.

Claude tilted his head. "He's not worth my time," he replied, sipping his wine.

As the performance began, his eyes wondered at the middle—a woman with rich pink eyes meeting his cold blue jeweled eyes. She didn't avert her eyes from him; she stared at him intently, and she smiled at him, smiling as if tempting a moth to her flame.

Claude can tell that she's doing it on purpose. Tilting his head, Claude let out an amused chuckle. What a brash woman she is. Doesn't she know who she's staring at?

'Staring eyes to eyes with a royalty—mmost of all, him the emperor.'

An amused chuckled past through his lips, a cruel grinned formed. "How amusing." he said, gripping his glass. And abjuring feeling.

Eyes darkened as the woman approached where he was when the performance finished, bowing her head. "Greetings, your Majesty. I am Diana from Siodonna," she greeted him.

'So she does know who he is, yet she does all of that. How annoying. How vexing.'

Despite that thought, Claude gave her a smile that he used on every woman he met to get what he wanted from them, making Diana blush.