《The Retribution of the Ice Cold Maiden》03 - Are you enjoying the party?
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"Happy Birthday, Third Prince, Bruce...!!" Another voice echoed near the third prince of Valentinus Royal Family amongst the crowd surrounding him.
"Thank you, Young Master, of Baron Flint Manor. Your presence to my humble occasion is appreciated." replied the third prince, in a respectful voice.
Today was the third prince, Bruce Valentinus's eighteenth birthday. In the Aristocracy of the Evergreen Kingdom, it is the age, where one becomes an adult
and is legally allowed to be married. For girls, the age is sixteen.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. By the way, this is my simple but elegant sister. She turned sixteen last month, she excels in dancing, poetry...blah, blah..." the young man kept rambling about the sister who was standing by his side. The sister kept her head down, blushing the entire time.
The Prince sighed inwardly. This was the fourth person today who tried to introduce him to a female by their side. But it was expected, the third prince was at marriageable age now and who wouldn't want to have ties with the Royal Family? Not to mention, the third prince was a handsome person with good morals. He exuded a charm that was unlike his elder brother, the first prince. Both were handsome in their own accord. If the First Prince was like a sharp blazing sword, the third prince was like a formidable warm shield. Plus, unlike other kingdoms, the brothers relation was harmonious and they did not fight for the throne. In fact, the third prince was helping his brother gain the throne and thus it made him the first prince's most trusted ally. So, it is very clear that when the first prince ascends the throne, the third prince would be the second in command of the future king. Hence, the frenzy for the marriage candidates for the third prince.
"Your sister is surely an simple and elegant lady with those accomplishments..." the third prince replied respectfully, but he felt like crying inwardly.
'How is this girl in any way simple? If she wasn't moving around, I would have mistaken her for a jewelry mannequin. How high maintenance is she?'
"...I certainly hope she can find a good husband. Oh look, is that my sister calling me...? Please, excuse me..." The Third prince slipped away from the conversation as if covered in oil. He quickly made his way to the Buffet table where a noble lady with Red hair similar to his but brighter had her back turned to him.
"Big Sister..." The Prince exhaled tiredly.
"Who's eating...?! I am certainly not...!! I am strictly following my diet and---- oh, it's you..." the lady turned around abruptly to the third prince seemingly chewing on something.
"What? Tired already...?" The Second Princess, Rose Valentinus asked gulping down the mouthful of food.
On the surface, the second princess was a kind and imposingly elegant young lady. One look at her long red hair and fair skin, any male would fall head over heel for her. However, once anyone gets to know her, they would realize that this person is nothing short of a violent chimpanzee. Her mood swings are amazingly frequent, she eats food as if it was her last meal and is an incredibly jealous person when it comes to love. Once, a person she liked cheated on her in her dream. She immediately rallied her army and surrounded the manor of the person in question. It took the King everything he had to suppress the matter. He compensated the person and his family greatly and even confined the Princess for a whole week. It broke his heart, but frankly, he deserved it for pampering her since young as she was the only daughter he had.
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"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" The Prince asked begrudgingly. "You knew the women would swamp me afterward which is why you invited every aristocrat lady out there."
"Of course, how else will my little brother find the love of his life?" Princess Rose proudly answered. When she found out that the guest list did not have many young ladies invited, she sent a letter this morning to every noble house inviting every young lady there is, even the engaged ones. Thus, the reason why Selena received the invitation to the party.
"Besides, if you wait for too long, you will be twenty-four and still not married." The Princess said, eyeing a balcony with the corner of her eyes.
She was looking at a handsome young man with strikingly similar facial features to her, except his red hair had a bloody shade and shorter compared to her but longer than her younger brother. He carried an authoritative aura and an imposing attitude. He held a bit of fierceness in his eyes which would make someone with a weaker will bow before him.
"Hmph... If only he wasn't such an unsocial person, he should have had at least two children by now...!! Give me nephews and nieces, you useless sibling." Princess Rose harrumphed, sinking her teeth into a chicken leg.
The First Prince, Oliver Valentinus, was the first in line to the throne, but wasn't declared a crown prince because he had not chosen a consort yet. But it was somewhat not his fault. Being trained as a soldier and an active general, he wasn't that interested in love or being married. He wasn't against marriage since he knew he can't escape it, but all the ladies chosen by the King or Queen were frightened by his threatening aura as a war general, and since his wife would be future Queen, such weak-willed women were immediately rejected by the First Prince.
"Don't become like your brother. Chose a good wife and have children. If you don't, Mother will punish me again by making me go on a diet." The princess tried to convince her brother, with tears in her eyes. It seems that the Queen put her up to this, thought the prince.
"Greetings to his Royal Highness..." A voice sounded as the siblings were talking. The third prince turned his head to see a young man wearing a flashy green suit and alongside him was a young lady wearing yellow clothes that matched his style.
Feeling another headache coming, the third prince turned himself towards the young man and composed himself before talking.
"So, it is the first young master of Marquis Johnson's Manor. Thank you for coming to my party Young Master, Grant." The Prince replied to the same person, who dumped Selena almost an hour ago. The lady by his side was obviously Patricia, who he declared who he was in love with.
"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Happy Birthday, Third Prince." Grant replied respectfully and bowed. Patricia bowed with him.
Meanwhile, the second princess was observing the lady by Grant's side. As an avid gossiper, Princess Rose knew that Grant had no sister, but he was engaged to another Marquis's daughter, was it the same lady by his side?
'Bah... See, if you keep waiting, even average looking girls like her will be taken away. What will be left for you then?' The Princess thought to herself.
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Seeing that Grant was not introducing the lady by his side, the third prince realized that she may not be his sister and heaved a sigh of relief.
"May I know, if this lady is your fiancé, Master Grant?" the third prince asked casually since he also knew that the only heir of Marquis Johnson's house was engaged with the daughter of Marquis Booker.
"Ah...!! I-I..." Grant was taken aback. He didn't realize that Patricia had followed him to greet the Prince. He had just broken off with Selena and it may seem not that big an issue to normal people, but to aristocrats, there is a proper process for it. Abruptly breaking off an engagement, and that also, with a Marquis Household was a major disaster and could impact his image heavily. He was planning to slowly introduce Patricia to his family and urge them to break off the engagement carefully as he was not in a proper position to make enemies with another Marquis yet. However, since Patricia was elated that Grant was finally hers, she didn't realize that she was following him around, as if she was already married. It was too late by the time she realized her mistake. An engaged Aristocrat, meeting the prince of the country with another lady, was not only disrespectful but also would make his impression fall in front of the Royal Family.
"Er... Yes, she is my fiancé." Grant replied, after thinking for a moment. Patricia would be his future wife anyway, and the Prince didn't ask if she was Marquis Booker's daughter, so technically, he wasn't lying.
"I see." The Prince replied, seemingly thinking nothing of it. "Thank you for coming to my birthday, milady." The prince bowed slightly as a thankful gesture.
"You're being too humble, my lord." Patricia bowed slightly too.
Princess Rose frowned at the sight. Patricia should have bowed more, and she should have brought her head lower than the Prince. 'It seems that the upbringing of the Booker household is not as proper as it should be.' She shook her head in disappointment.
"We will take our leave then..." Grant immediately thought of retreating after seeing her actions and the Princess's Reaction. If the Princess notices Patricia and looks into her, the whole situation could go south fast. He held Patricia's hand and led her to the Dance floor.
"Did something seem amiss to you?" the Princess asked her brother.
"No, not really. But it seems lady Booker really likes Young Master Grant. She barely looked at me. That's the kind of love, I don't mind getting." The Prince replied, unaware, that the reason Patricia dare not look at him, because she didn't want the third prince to remember her face since he would later hear of the engagement breaking off and realize that the person in front of him was not lady Booker.
"Really?" The Princess's eyes glowed. "Then hurry up and chose one already. If you like that Booker lady, I don't mind, even if she is, a little plain."
Before he could reply, a muscular young man approached the two, seemingly sweating.
"Have any of you seen my little brother? There are people saying he was last seen with a young lady." the man asked.
"Ugh... again? Chris, your brother is getting out of hand. I admit he has a pretty face, but his attitude towards women is appalling. If it were up to me, I would have him castrated." The Princess scolded boldly.
"Sister..." Prince Bruce almost blacked out at the comment. 'You are a Princess of a Country, don't say such words casually.' he thought.
"I apologize on his behalf. Rest assured, when we return home, I will talk to Father and give him the appropriate punishment." Chris replied and escaped hurriedly. Chris Martin was the eldest son of Duke Martin Manor. He was the same age as the first prince and his second in command in the Army. He had a calm but strict demeanor since he was also military trained. His biggest headache was his Playboy younger brother, Calvin. Even though Calvin is smart and will take after the family business after his father, his playboy nature has given them no fewer troubles. Almost every week, a father of a young lady would come complaining about him, but since the ladies in question don't mind, there were no official formal complaints. So, the begrudged fathers would vent their anger on the Duke demanding from him to rein in his son.
"Stay away from him too. Why are there so many useless men around? One frightens away the girls and the other one is tainting them." The Princess scolded the entire Male Population.
"Right..." Bruce chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, I will be the average of those two. I will marry only one girl."
"First, find one. Currently, all the young ladies of the kingdom are here. Is there anyone who catches your fancy?" The Princess asked.
"Sister..." the third prince was sure he avoided the matter but it seems his sister would not leave here today unless he finds someone.
"Sister, first of all, I just turned eighteen. I doubt waiting a couple of days will make me like big brother. Secondly, I don't want a wife just to appease social standards. I want to marry my soul mate, just like our Father and Mother, and finally..." The Prince kept talking...
"I want a wife, who would not obey my every request, like a slave. I want someone... who will walk alongside me, criticizing my every wrong move so I know which path will be the right one."
"You..." The Princess stared meaningfully with shock.
"It can't be... are you talking about----" before the Princess can complete the question, a sharp voice echoed in the hall, silencing everyone.
"Are you enjoying the party...?"
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