"We may not have birthed you but you will be our daughter, one way or another. Start with a scholarship and end as the Queen, any path you take is your choice to make."
In a modern-day monarchy, Ari is every bit a struggling student as any other. T...
Lee Seokmin peeked at the two from the corner of his eye. "What would you have me do with them?" he asked with a hint of disdain on his tongue.
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To Seokmin, the two perpetrators were existences a little below flies. They were thoroughly unprepared yet had managed to whisk away the Princess from right under everyone's noses. The more he looked at the two, the more he realised that the two weren't without talent. Seeing how they answered all of Ari's questions, they simply lacked grit and experience.
All that and they dared to touch the Princess? Seokmin's frustration took to reason his incompetence, having allowed such younglings to graze a knife at his client. But what was done was done. The duo needed to be taught a lesson. A broken bone was simply the start, the price of touching a Royal was much heavier.
Ari smiled with her eyes, her gaze softer than a moonlit meadow as it fell on her loyal guard. "Let them go," she announced, "They willfully gave away all the information they had. They've bartered it with their lives. It would not be right if I did not keep my end of the deal."
"But-"
The Princess silenced him with the raise of a hand. She understood the emotions of her guard but drew a line. "We can not allow the King's men to take them into custody. So, scurry them out of the Royal Residence as soon as possible. If the King finds out what we know, it will bring under scrutiny all our recent actions."
It could not be delayed. Clicking his tongue in disagreement, Seokmin left to follow the Princess's words. Just as he had ordered his men to begin, Joshua appeared within the horizon of her view. Stopping before Ari, Joshua's frantic eyes sweeped over her silhouette and then silently over to Seokmin behind her, making sure everything was truly alright.
Joshua felt his pulse in his throat at the sight of him, no words coming out. It wasn't until Seokmin had nodded and ushered him to get to work with a gesture of his hand that Shua visibly relaxed. He summoned the rest of his voice to ask, "Are you alright, Ari?"
The ends of Ari's lips curved slightly at the loosened honorifics. She had to admit, it felt good to be cared for. "I'm good as ever, Oppa," she assured him, letting out a light laugh. "You worry too much." Ari glanced at this creased forehead, thick with worry, "You'll get grey hairs at this rate."
Joshua shook his head at the ever-relaxed Princess. In his mind, he imagined Ari would have shiny black hair after greying out all of his. It just went to show how strong the Princess was. "So," Joshua glimpsed at the situation of the room, "Did everything go as you wished, Your Highness?"
Ari had dispatched Joshua to mitigate the crowd on her behalf. The hooded decoy was not expected to speak while the party was on. So, Joshua's appearance in the ballroom proved crucial. As a representative of the Princess, he could vouch for her political standing and fight any fires that were to rise. In case any of her supporters were to turn and ask, Joshua was kept in charge of managing her image.
