The Forgotten Princess Rose
Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Chapter 103

Silence fell upon the room after Zayne’s comment which was directed at James. The princes looked to their father, waiting for him to call out Zayne for what he said.

To everyone’s shock, James laughed. "I wasn’t told you had a funny side to you."

"I didn’t know I had one as well," Zayne replied. He was quite serious but if James took it as a joke then so be it.

"You were the right person for them to send here. Isn’t he funny, Lilian?" James finally acknowledged his wife.

Lilian smiled, nodding her head to agree with James.

Finn sighed in relief, happy that Zayne’s words were not taken seriously.

"Sit down and enjoy some of the finest rum my kingdom has to offer. I sent my servants around to get the best ones for you," James said, pointing at the new bottle.

"Thank you for being so thoughtful but I don’t like to drink in settings like this. We should speak about the truce first and then we can see if there is something worth drinking over," Zayne replied, refusing the drink.

"Right. I thought the truce was already done since you came all the way here. Our kingdoms are both quite large so it would benefit us to be allies. Don’t you agree?" James asked.

"I agree that it would benefit you. We were not the ones losing-’

"Lies!" Richard yelled. To say that their kingdom was losing meant that he was not putting up a good fight. "We had your ships turning around."

"Is that so? When was this?" Zayne questioned, amused by the little tale.

"Enough!" James yelled, angered by where the conversation was heading. "We are not here to speak of who was losing or winning. We are here to join hands. Forgive him, Prince Zayne."

"I prefer to go by general when I am out of my palace. There is a lot that needs to be considered before we think of becoming your allies. You hadn’t mentioned your kingdom having slaves," Zayne said, paying close attention to the royal’s reactions.

"Slaves? M-My kingdom does not have slaves. Who has told you these lies? There are no slaves here. Richard, find the liar and bring before me," James spoke loudly, pointing to the soldiers in the room. "I will have them hung."

"If you hang me, the truce you speak of will be long forgotten. I saw it with my own eyes that you have slaves here. Do you think there is something wrong with my eyes, King James?" Zayne asked in a mocking tone.

James did not anticipate that Zayne would have seen it. Where could he have seen someone with slaves? James could only laugh to play it off. "I was not aware of slaves in my kingdom. Like you, I am fully against it. I will have my soldiers search the kingdom for anyone who owns slaves. Would that be enough?"

"Are you sending your soldiers out because you care or to please me? Your next answer will decide the fate of the truce," Zayne said, noticing every drop of sweat sliding down the side of James’s face.

It was obvious that James was aware of the slaves but like those involved in the business, James would benefit from it too.

"My husband did not know about it nor did I. We shall do our best to end where you saw there were slaves," Lilian spoke up to save her husband.

James gritted his teeth, annoyed that she stepped in just when he had the answer. "It is just as my wife said. I did not know of it or I would have stopped it long ago. It isn’t very often that I leave my palace to see how my people are doing."

"I can tell," Zayne commented. "It would do you some good to have a look around the kingdom."

"Or better yet, I should send my second son Mateo," James proposed.

Zayne smiled, finding it funny that James would send the spare but not the heir. "That is a good idea but you must be careful. Your people might come to like the son they see over the crown prince who hides away behind high walls."

"I do not hide away," Henry argued, the sound of his hand slamming against the wooden table echoing in the room. "I was ready to go out to defend my kingdom. It must be luck that we did not meet on the battlefield."

"Whose luck?" Zayne humoured the little prince. One of them spent years in the army while the other didn’t go further than the palace gates. "Is the crown prince an excellent fighter, King James?"

"Of course he is. He is my son after all. I can never find a good teacher to stay by his side for long since they keep losing to him. He is years ahead of his peers with his skill," James boasted, proud of his heir.

Zayne sensed something was wrong based on the expression creeping onto the second prince’s face. "Then, I would love to have a match against him one day. I love to meet new opponents. That will be after the truce is done."

"Of course. And the loser should not have any hard feelings. We must accept it," James said, laughing as he grabbed Henry’s shoulders to cheer him on. "I trust that my son will not fail me."

Richard hoped the king would change his mind. It wasn’t a great idea to put the crown prince up against a man like Zayne. Their build was different and one had more experience. It was well known that the crown prince wasn’t as good as the king made him sound.

After Henry cried about defeat and his father punished the teacher, who would be so foolish to win a match against Henry? Everyone who threw a match to let the prince win was in danger should Zayne beat him.

"I have been thinking for a while now. The best way for us to seal this truce is with a wedding-"

"No," Zayne denied the offer before James could finish. "I am not here to get married. I am sure the princess is lovely but you should not marry her off to a man she doesn’t know."

"My daughter knows her duty to this kingdom," said James.

"It is hard to tell with the way she is not present right now. Your daughter might know her duty but I know that I do not want your daughter. Do not mention marriage again as it will only infuriate me. We should start going over what you want from the truce," Zayne said, getting back on topic.

James could not move forward before he knew what was wrong with his daughter. "My little Kiara is the most sought-after woman in this kingdom. Any man would be on his knees, begging to have her."

"Good. Then she won’t have any problems finding a husband. That is if you are not boasting about her like you did about your kingdom and your son’s skills. Then I might have some doubt in your words," Zayne replied.

"You!" James stood up. "How dare you come in here and insult my daughter? As well as calling me a liar!"

"Well, I couldn’t say that you are truthful because then I would be a liar and we can’t have that," Zayne replied, tapping his fingers against the table two times.

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