The Forgotten Princess

Regaleon carefully placed the necklace around his neck. After a last look on the pendant, he hides it under his clothes.

"I will keep your mother’s memento safe." Regaleon said while giving a peck on my other cheek.

My heart was thumping rapidly with our close proximity with each other. I thought that I have gotten used to it by now but Regaleon’s presence still overwhelms me.

"I know you will." I smiled gently. "Will you eat dinner here tonight?" I asked expectantly.

"Yes, I plan to." Regaleon smiled. "But I am afraid I can’t spend the night with you tonight. I have some important matters to attend to, I’m sorry." He patted my head softly.

My cheeks felt hot with what Regaleon just said. "I-I wasn’t asking if you are going to stay the night here." My voice was a pitch higher in embarrassment. I turned my head to the side to hide my shyness.

"Hehehe." Regaleon chuckled. "I was just teasing you. But really, if there wasn’t something important tonight, I would have sneaked into your room and sleep beside you." He whispered near my ear. This made the hair on my body stand.

Regaelon cupped my chin and planted a sweet kiss on my lips. "I seem to not get enough of you." He made a wolfish grin. "I have missed you these past few days. I want to have my fill."

"W-What?!" I was speechless.

After that we had a ’sweet time’ by ourselves.

***

(Regaleon’s POV)

After eating dinner and having a ’sweet time’ with my fiancée Alicia, I have retired to my courtyard for the night.

Even though I want to spend the night with my beautiful fiancée, the agenda tonight is rather important. This meeting can take up to midnight to discuss.

After entering the hall, I walked straight towards the study room. As I entered, the guests I was expecting were inside already. I saw Dimitri standing at the side and bow his head to me.

"Good evening your highness." General Robert greeted me.

"Good evening brother-in-law." Alicia’s brother, the crown prince of Alvannia Richard was here as well.

"Good evening gentlemen." I greeted back. "I hope I didn’t kept you two waiting." I smiled courteously.

"No, not at all. Grandpa and I had just arrived as well." Richard hurriedly said. "And we know you came from sister’s courtyard. I am sure she has missed you so much."

"Yes, your sister asked me to stay for dinner." I smiled at this young man.

Two years ago, he was just a boy being trained by general Robert to be this country’s pillar in the future. Looking at how he has grown up, I am sure he will live up to everybody’s expectations.

"Well I’m surprised you are not spending the night there." General Robert said to me with a sarcastic tone.

"What? Is bother-in-law already spending the night with sister Alicia?" Richard had a surprised expression but it had a positive tone to it.

"How can I spend the night with your sister? We are not yet married." I made a white lie.

Of course I don’t want to be a bad influence on Alicia’s little brother. As for general Robert, I am sure he had known my sneaking in Alicia’s room at night. He has spies all over the palace working for him, so there are no secrets that can’t be hidden from him for long.

"I just hope that you uphold your promise." General Robert’s gaze was drilling my whole being.

"Do not worry general, I am always trying HARD to uphold it." I smiled angelically but in fact my devilish side really wants to break that promise. "Well then gentlemen, let’s start our meeting." I took my seat.

"As the crown prince of Alvannia, I have briefed Richard of the happenings. He will be the next ruler of this country and so he must know what is happening." General Robert said.

"I understand." I nodded. "Richard after knowing of your father’s plans, what are your thoughts?"

Richard’s angelic face became serious in an instant. There was a hint of sadness but also dedication in him.

"Knowing that father is planning to ally himself with the country of Jennova to wage war against Grandcrest is a shock to me. Even though he has good reasons that would benefit our country greatly, still war is something that can give huge losses to both parties. The common people would suffer the most if war breaks out." Richard said solemnly. "I don’t want this war to ever happen."

I nodded in agreement to Richard’s words. "I am happy that we have the same feeling. I would want to prevent a war from happening as much as possible. Dimitri, what is the status?"

"The reports have just arrived from the border of Jennova and Alvannia." Dimitri replied. "Now that Alvannia and Jennova are connected with an engagement, Jennova has prepared its forces in the border. Once Jennova’s queen asks for king Edward’s allegiance and army, I am afraid that war is inevitable."

"Hmm, is that so?" I cupped my chin in thought. "But it is not only Jennova which Alvannia is connected by engagement. Grandcrest is also connected with an engagement with Alvannia." I smiled.

"Yes, that is correct. But Jennova’s proposition is much harder to resist." General Robert said. "Jennova promised that after defeating Grandcrest in this war, they will split the abundant land in half. You know that Grandcrest’s lands have more resources."

"You have a point there." I said. "King Edward is really an ambitious man. Hasn’t he thought that war can destroy the lands he is hoping to achieve? It will take years before the destroyed lands can be beneficial again. Hasn’t he learned what happened it the last war?"

"I am sure that father also thinks of his people. That is why he hasn’t given his full cooperation to Jennova yet." Richard said.

"What I am curious about is why Jennova is pushing ALvannia to ally up with them to wage war?" General Robert cupped his chin in thought. "I can feel that something is fishy with the queen of Jennova. Just by letting her son the crown prince journey here to take a wife just means she is pressuring Edward with the alliance."

"Come to think of it, the crown prince of Jennova has Atlantian blood." I inserted the thought.

General Robert’s eyes widened. "Does that mean that the queen of Jennova, the crown prince’s mother, is an Atlantian survivor?"

"I am not sure about this. Dimitri, do we have any information with the Jennovian queen’s identiy?" I asked.

"Replying to your highness, we have none." Dimitri replied. "The information about the queen only states that she has never left her palace even once. Her information before she became queen is a blank. Also the palace has a tight security and we were not successful in planting a spy inside."

"A very secretive queen I guess. That just means she is hiding something." I said.