Kitanna
Chapter 112: CROWN PRINCE OF AVON

Chapter 112: CROWN PRINCE OF AVON

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: MOONLIGHT SONATA ~ LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN]

Sitting inside the courtroom since morning, a yawn threatened to escape from Kitanna’s lips, but she pressed her lips together, forcing it back. This caused a tear to escape her eyes; she moved her hand up to wipe away the tears, then remembered it would soil her makeup.

Kitanna turned her gaze to look at Nix; the man looked so engulfed in what was being said. She couldn’t even understand the baseline of the argument between the ministers, and it had been the same thing since morning. Each minister wanted to choose by themselves where she would marry from.

Nix felt someone staring at him; he moved his blue eyes to catch the brown eyes that were still looking at him. He noticed a smile plastered on her face. Nix raised his brow as if to ask her what the problem was. Kitanna pointed at her face, very close to her eyes.

Nix looked away from her; this caused Kitanna to frown. He was busy listening to official matters and paid no attention to her. She was almost concluding to clean the tears with her hands. Maybe if she destroyed her makeup and looked ugly, Nix would feel bad, and she would be allowed to leave the courtroom.

As her hands moved to her face, she noticed Nix pass to her side of the table, an embroidered piece of silk cloth. Kitanna took it, and when she looked at Nix, he was still listening to the officials and not looking at her.

She smiled as she used the material to dab her face gently. Lord Hieron, who was sitting at the head of the table, noticed this. The tricky blood in him decided to drag the princess into the discussion.

"We have all heard the ministers and reasons why we should choose these men from other kingdoms. But then, marriage should also have a little feelings attached to it. Why don’t we ask the Crown princess who she wants among these men?" Hieron asked after the arguments had settled.

Kitanna, who was busy blushing with the piece held close to her face, didn’t know when all attention now fell on her. She inhaled the scent coming from the handkerchief, and it smelled like agarwood mixed with floral water. It smelled like Nix; she blushed again.

When she noticed the silence in the room, she brought her hand down and saw countless eyes looking at her. She trailed her eyes to look at Nix, but he was discussing with another minister, leaving her to survive alone in the situation. Kitanna cleared her throat,

"Uhm....I think that’s a good idea too," she replied, testing her luck, then she dropped her hands to her side.

"If you think it’s a good idea. Then choose among these princes who will be your husband." One minister pressured; he was among the ministers who didn’t buy the idea of a mere princess taking over the throne.

Kitanna noticed the look of discontent coming from the minister. She asked him, "Minister Dominique, why are you so concerned with who I marry? If you are so eager to play matchmaker, give one to your daughter who has reached marriageable age. Why worry about me? It makes me wonder if your motive is really a pure one." The princess’s unfiltered words left the ministers in shock.

"Who is training the princess!? She dares to talk to the ministers in such a rude manner!" Another minister remarked.

Hieron tried to keep his smile far away when he opened his mouth to talk, "It’s my grandson who is in charge of the princess’s training. Are you saying he is not doing it right? Minister...." The elderly man trailed; he did not know most of their names and it wasn’t something he wanted to waste his time learning.

The minister calmed down when he heard the elder white Lord speak. "No Lord Hieron, I’m sure Lord Nix is doing a good job." The man sat back on his chair not moving to talk again. It was better not to provoke the bloodline of Zeno.

Kitanna grinned, "if I’m to choose my husband, it’ll be someone who cannot be controlled by the ministers. A man who has unbiased wisdom," the princess threw the hint to them, but they failed to understand, which was not her fault.

"We should know -" the minister who now stood up to talk stopped abruptly when the door opened, and someone stepped inside the room.

A young man, with short red hair and brown eyes. His clothes were enough to tell that he came from a royal family. His eyes looked focused and serious, making his brows slightly arched. But that didn’t hide that he was indeed a good looking man compared to other young men who sat in the royal court waiting to be chosen by the princess.

"Crown prince Adric!" A minister identified him.

The young man who now stood tall with elegance bowed slightly, "I am sorry for being late; I was having a little tour of the kingdom. Morado is quite a nice place to be in. I’ll love to take the princess with me next time; I’m sure she hasn’t had the opportunity to see life outside here." The crown prince smiled, flashing his blessed dimples.

Kitanna, who didn’t know what the man was talking about, cocked her head to a side.

"Forgive my manners. I am Crown prince Adric Galgani. The heir to the throne of Avon." The prince bowed again.

The hall was silent for a moment; the ministers were already swayed by the man’s elegance. Hieron glanced at his grandson; his blue eyes looked composed and calm. And it worried the old man.

Kitanna stared at the prince; he really looked good and spoke flawlessly with confidence compared to other princes she had met. But he wasn’t up to Nix’s standard still, she thought. She looked at Nix, and noticed the aloof expression which held no emotions still on his face. A sly thought crossed Kitanna’s mind, a thought to give Nix a small push to be open about his feelings for her.

"Crown prince Adric, I am Princess Kitanna Morgair. The heir to the throne of Morado. It’s my pleasure to meet you." She returned the greeting, standing up from her chair to bow gently, holding her dress out.

"Your beauty speaks volumes already; that’s why you are called the treasure of Morado." Adric threw his sweet words.

The ministers turned to look at the princess grinning from ear to ear. They were happy to see the princess smiling to at least one person.

Nix raised his face when he heard the prince call Kitanna a treasure, but he didn’t make any expression, still. He continued looking at Kitanna coolly.

Kitanna waved her hands shyly, "You flatter me too much. I’m like any normal princess." This time her eyes met with the blue eyes of Nix and she saw a lining of annoyance pass through it. She immediately decided to end the play, the smile on her face fell. But the case was not the same for Adric.

He walked to where Kitanna stood and held out her hand, bringing it close to his face. He dropped a soft kiss.

"It’ll be my pleasure to take you out while I’m in Morado. Let’s spend some time with each other." Adric flashed her another smile.

This time Kitanna didn’t move; she stood frozen as her eyes continued to stare at the glass blue eyes which looked directly at her. She felt her hand turn cold, and she quickly pulled it out from Adric’s grip.