Everlasting (Volturi Kings)

Ch-55 A Knight And His Problem

"Y-You're King M-Marcassius?"

Queen Castella didn't hear their conversation and didn't understand her daughter's shock at all.

Marcus or Marcassius stood infront of Claudia with a growing smirk while she was just dumbfounded.

This man was the one she was going to marry? Really?

He was the opposite of what she had expected her mother would pick, he was interested in her fighting and didn't look at her in disgust or repulsion.

Claudia was sure that she did not behave in a way a princess should, she was slouching, she was being angry and she was also being quite insulting.

In her mother's words, what a princess should never have done.

"I-I thought....you were a cartographer?" She mumbled looking away into the scenery with a nervous chuckle.

"I do enjoy cartography." He smiled.

"I've never met someone who actually enjoys drawing maps or making scales."

"You're talking to one right now."

"Travelling around the world, huh?" She raised an eyebrow.

Marcus grinned and rested his elbow on the railing of the balcony. "I really do want to travel around the world, I just never could do it because of....

"Kingly duties." Claudia finished with air quotes and her mother facepalmed- not really how a Queen should act, just saying- while Marcus chuckled.

"Exactly."

Claudia and Marcus were lost in a bubble and didn't bother to even spare a glance at Castella or Fenix.

The Queen though relieved that her daughter didn't chase away the good king, didn't like it when she was being ignored.

Castella cleared her throat.

"Well, my dear Claudia. Now that you've met King Marcassius, you should go back to your room and get prepared for lunch. Fenix will escort you." She said and glanced at the knight who bowed before his Queen and the princess but oddly ignoring Marcus.

Claudia though didn't want to admit it, she had actually enjoyed her time with Marcus, she didn't know how long he would stay but she was curious to see how long he could tolerate her before running away.

Let's be honest, no king would want a Queen that can wield a sword and fight.

Marcus was probably only here to make a good impression, she wouldn't know that after she married him, he would lock her up in a tower and ban her from ever even touching anything sharp.

She need to get to know him more and this meeting wasn't enough, she then realized that whether this man was good or bad, she would have to marry him.

Claudia could only hope that Marcus was one of those new thinkers who treated a woman with respect and integrity.

"I was quite a pleasure to meet you, My Princess." Marcus smiled and gently held her wrist and the kissed the back of her hand.

Claudia suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and put on a tight smile, giving him a look that said she wasn't letting him off the hook that soon.

"It was nice to make your acquaintance as well, My King."

Claudia turned to Fenix who gave her a smile and a wink and was ignoring Marcus yet again, she grinned back and trotted to him coiled her arm under his elbow and looked at Marcus and smirked.

The king was a bit put off when he noticed how close the princess and her knight was but he pretended to not be affected and gave her a tight smile.

Queen Castella cleared her throat again, and lightly glared at Fenix and Claudia.

"Claudia, you need to powder your face, tell the maids to shadow your eyes again and don't forget the jewe-

Claudia rolled her eyes dramatically and Marcus coughed to hide his snickers at how openly she was insulting her mother.

If this were any other man, he would've chastised her even if they were complete strangers.

But Marcus was far from normal.

"I'm glad to see that you care so much about me. If only you cared about my wishes more than you did for my beauty."

Marcus had to admit, he felt a little pinch when she said that. He didn't know that she wasn't aware of the proposal. He thought that Castella would've told her when this was arranged in the first place.

A month ago.

Queen Castella looked quite embarrassed at her daughter snarky words and was glaring at her back whilst Claudia left the balcony dragging Fenix with her.

The woman then turned to look at him with a smile as if nothing had happened.

Marcus concluded that she was two-faced.

.....

"Are you sure you should've said that to the Queen, Claudia?" Fenix asked the princess as they both walked back to her room.

Claudia waved her hand off, scoffing. "I'm very sure, Fenix. She deserved it after only telling me about me getting married a month later after she arranged it."

Fenix narrowed his eyes in confusion, and looked at her. "Married? To whom?"

"You didn't know?" Claudia was under the impression that everyone other than her knew of her engagement.

"No, I was never told by anyone. Who is the man?"

"King Marcassius, the one you just saw." She pointed behind the direction where they had come from.

"Him?!"

Claudia watched as Fenix's face went from shock to complete bewilderment as his eyes revealed a hint of what seemed like...jealousy.

She didn't understand why, Fenix was certainly one of the most handsome men she'd ever met.

He was taller than most average men and had a muscular figure, neatly kept brown hair, green eyes and the kindness and manners that came with it was gold for a suitor.

Women basically worship the ground he treads on, from princesses to even Queens have come here only for the soul purpose of meeting him.

But the union between royalty and a knight or warrior was strictly forbidden and could lead to the execution of the latter and sometimes even the royal member.

Claudia viewed Fenix as a close friend and even more of a brother than her own blood one, Arlus.

He played a very important role in her secret training and covered for her when her mother became too suspicious.

"But he's...he's.." Fenix struggled to find words to describe the king in a way to make her try to revolt against this arrangement.

Claudia knitted her eyebrows. "He's what?"

Fenix looked away and sighed in relief when the doors of Claudia's room became visible.

"Nothing." He shrugged, walking ahead of her to open the door for her before bowing.

Claudia raised her eyebrows when she saw him bowing, something he never did in a long time and because she constantly told him not to.

"Are you sure?"

Fenix smiled.

"It's nothing, Claudia."