A/N: I hope that the first chapter wasn't too short! It felt like a good place to stop. I'm glad that I got the second chapter out in good time. I hope you like it!
My meetings were about trivial matters that probably could have been taken to Zen. I assumed his work had been transferred to me on the account of my mother. She believed that the newlyweds needed to be stress free for awhile. Sounded just like her. She was probably still sour that after she got married she hardly ever saw her husband for the first few months.
"Your Highness, Lord Haruka is requesting to see you." I didn't turn around and continued to stare out the window. I was watching a beautiful sunset and didn't want to miss it. The sunlight was making the tops of the trees turn an amber gold. Birds flew off in the distance while the white mountaintops sparkled. It was breathtaking. My attention was averted by the messenger clearing his throat. Sighing I turned my head. He had ruined the moment. How disrespectful.
"Let him in." The small boy bowed low, then stepped aside to let Lord Haruka in. The blonde haired man held his head high, as he should. Lord Haruka valued his position as a noble as most should. He would act the part. "Have you made the changes I requested?"
"Yes your Highness. Unfortunately the list hasn't gotten much shorter." I eyed the purple folders again. There were only two this time, but each page would have twenty names and there were about fifteen pages in each book. That would make six hundred marriage candidates. What a pain.
"Let me have a look." I sat down quickly, and Lord Haruka brought them over. It didn't take me long to noticed that they were ordered by the power and influence they had on their country. That meant that the second book would probably be women that I never heard of. I eagerly pushed that book away. That cut my pain in half. "You can get rid of that one. They won't be worth my time."
"Of course your Highness." Lord Haruka quickly picked it up. Seeing as I had dismissed him, he left the room with one final glance. I usually didn't enjoy people watching me read documents or important files. It irritated me more than anything.
The first three woman on the list were woman I knew quite well. Princess Cassandra, Lady Renee, and Lady Naomi. All three of them were from the same kingdom. They had countless supporters, and even worked together on a few economy projects. Sadly, since they were all from the same kingdom it would cause a rift if I chose one over the other. Quite possibly a revolt. I couldn't have that happen.
About halfway down the first page I saw a name I heard regularly. Kiki. No doubt about it; if I proposed to Kiki she would downright refuse. While we could be called friends, she would choose someone she didn't know ten times over me. I could say I felt the same. We would both be fine with the relationship we had at the moment.
Reading the names and trying to put them to faces was tiring. I had to remember where I had met all of these woman, if I even met them at all. By the time I got to the last page it was well over midnight. I shut the book, stretching and groaning. I would pick out a few in the morning. These women would be people I could tolerate, maybe even enjoy talking to. I sincerely doubted that, but it was worth lying to myself.
Everyone in the castle knew that they had to be overly cautious when I woke up irritated. I felt like I haven't slept at all. I had spent half my time in bed tossing and turning. Yesterday I had been numb to my decision. Today it was a completely different story. What was I thinking? I made my own decisions; I wasn't one to be pushed around by the questions of my subjects. Now, I was obligated to pick out a wife.
It was the worst decision I made. Even so, I got up, put on my fake smile, and went to work. I hid the folder in my drawer so I wouldn't have to look at it. My breakfast was soon brought up and I ate it quickly, as if that would make the day end faster. Truly I was in a terribly mood.
It only got worse when a certain someone decided to annoy me.
"Prince Izana." I looked up, glaring at the messenger that dare disturb my work pace. He was clearly scared for his life by the look I was giving him, but continued to do his job. "Prince Zen is here to see you." That lightened my mood. Maybe teasing my little brother would make my day better.
"Bring him in!" I worried that my excitement was showing through my eyes, so I toned it down a little. It wasn't at all like me to behave this way. It may be possible that my decision was making me lose my cool. Within seconds, my brother strode in.
He was wearing casual clothing, which was odd because he usually wore regal clothing when speaking to me. His eyes were still cold, like they were whenever he saw me. I smirked at his stiff attitude. He was quite cruel to me. Couldn't he let his guard down around me for once in his life.
"Lord Brother. May I speak freely, and say exactly what's on my mind?" Uh-oh. Zen only asked to speak freely when he was extremely angry with me. What did I do wrong that got Zen at my throat?
"Go ahead. Just don't be too harsh. I'm not in a good mood today." I watched him carefully. His permanent frown seemed to be twitching. Why? Suddenly Zen lost it.
He started laughing.
I was bewildered. Zen usually had a shred of decency around me. Now he was acting like he was hanging out with one of his friends. Like Mitsuhide, Kiki, or Shirayuki. He would never act this way around me. So why now?
"Your," Zen lost himself in another round of laughter. After a few seconds he managed to compose himself to the point where he could speak again. "Getting married? Who would have ever thought." Zen was shaking with mirth, while I was getting frustrated. Was it really that much of a surprise? "Anyway Lord Brother, you can stop your little joke now."
"Joke?" I repeated. Zen nodded.
"I saw through you. You don't actually intend on getting married. You should probably tell Lord Haruka that your not serious before he tells the whole castle." Zen let out the rest of his chuckles. He was done laughing now. For the first time in my life I was actually hurt. Not serious? What if I was?
"I'm serious." The words slipped out before I could rethink them. But once I said them, the shadow of why I had done this disappeared. I was serious. When I had seen Zen and Shirayuki get married, somewhere deep in my heart I realized I wanted what they had. I wanted someone I could rely on; someone that I could share my secrets with. I wanted someone who would tell me they loved me.
"What?" Zen's voice was quiet. I quickly put up my shields. I hardened my eyes as I stared down at my little brother. It was then that I noticed that I had risen from my seat. His eyes never left mine, and they had a spark of curiosity in them.
"I'm serious. Do you think that I would joke about a matter like this? It's hardly appropriate. Do you think I'm a child?" Zen opened his mouth, but I continued, not giving him time to speak. "You have to remember, Zen, that I am the First Prince of Clarines. This is only part of the responsibility I hold. You are dismissed."
"Yes, Lord Brother." Zen bowed low, then exited the room. Outside, I could hear the whispered conversation between him and Shirayuki. She must have been waiting outside. "It appears he's serious. I seriously thought that he was playing a prank. Even if it was hard to believe. I think I'm more shocked that he's actually going through with it."
"He's probably ready. You should just accept it Zen. Be happy for him. After all, we owe it to him that he allowed us to be together." Shirayuki's optimistic voice was comforting. I was ready. At least, I think I was. I wasn't sure. That was a first for me as well, not being positive that this was what I wanted.
I couldn't hear their conversation after that. They must have moved away. I sat back down and opened the drawer with the purple file sitting in it. I pulled it out and went to work. I wrote down all of the names that would bring Clarines prosperity. I stopped in confusion at one of the names.
Yuuka Nypholia, Daughter of King Riegle Nypholia; Age: Nineteen
King Riegle ruled a kingdom on a different continent. The kingdom of Imilyash was apparently rich with minerals and ores. Most merchants came from Imilyash with high quality jewels. If I remembered correctly, mercenaries had killed all of his children when his castle was attacked in the middle of the night. He was too old to have anymore children at that point. There had to be a mistake. Even so, I wrote down her name.
By the time I was done I had twelve names on my list. That would take up way too much time. I would have to send a request to each one on the list to come and meet with me for a marriage interview. It would be nice to somehow shorten the list. Maybe I could put my own wants in now.
Lady Asila was beautiful and quiet. I had just met her recently when she tagged along with her father to discuss important matters. Her eyes were brown, as well as her hair. She was sixteen. Unfortunately she didn't seem quite exciting. She was too focused on getting all of her etiquette right. It should come as second nature to her. So, without much reluctance I crossed her name off the list.
Princess Miria Dixon was certainly interesting. I couldn't remember her as well as Lady Asila, but she had made a remarkable impact on me. Princess Miria was certainly older; she was twenty three. Which for a princess was quite odd. She had light ash brown hair and forest green eyes; it was her personality that caught my attention. She wasn't afraid to tell others how she felt. If she did managed to offend someone she would answer their complaints with 'I'm sorry you got offended'. I still couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a terrible mistake on her part.
Lady Layla Ashdown. That was a mouthful. I had only seen her once, and while she hadn't made me bored like Lady Asila, she didn't make quite the impact Princess Miria had. Lady Layla's hair was pitch black while her eyes were a startling true sapphire. She had seemed obsessed with appearances, always wanting everything to be perfect. Although, I did enjoy a little unplanned surprise once in awhile.
Lady Evangeline Breckenridge had never said a word to me. Her father and I met on occasion at his manor. She was always formal and elegant. She was seventeen and had golden blonde hair. Her eyes were a dull brown. She was quite diligent in her studies and could always found with a book.
Then there was Princess Yuuka. I had no information on her. I had never seen her before. She was a mystery to me, if she even existed at all. I was even more convinced that there had been a mistake. I crossed her off the list. Then I moved on, going through the rest of women. Lady Alice Sherington, Lady Ophelia Evans, Lady Helene Astor, Princess Scarlett Ravenswood, Princess Freya De Clare, Lady Tabitha Millington, and finally Lady Violet Down. I quickly crossed off Lady Tabitha. I didn't understand why I had written her down in the first place.
Princess Freya De Clare struck a chord in me. I had heard her name before, but I couldn't place it. I also felt like I had seen her, but couldn't remember. It was quite frustrating. My interest was piqued, so it didn't matter. I would meet her soon enough.
I looked back at the list. That was nine names. Nine people I had to meet and nine choices. That is, if they even considered my request. I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair. If only there was a way to meet with them all at once.
My eyes shot open at my own thoughts. MY BIRTHDAY! Of course! How could I forget?! I could invite them all here under the disguise that I wanted them here for my birthday. In the few weeks they would be here I would spend time with each of them and decide which one I liked the best.
Now that I thought about it, my idea was a bit cruel. They had no idea that I was going to be judging them. But wouldn't that make it more perfect? They would have no idea, so they would just be themselves. Then again, people always pretend in front of me. My inner thoughts voiced themselves and excitement coursed through me. It was like a game. I would have to read them perfectly.
I quickly copied the names down onto a clean sheet of paper and picked up the purple folder. Then I went to my door almost throwing it open, but then remembered who I was. I was Prince Izana, the First Prince of Clarines. I did not act in such a manner. Smoothing down my ruffled cloak, I opened the door slowly and stepped out. The guards standing outside my door stiffened.
"Would one of you take these very important items to Lord Haruka?" I placed a special emphasis on those two words, letting them know that if they lost the items or they were somehow leaked to the public, they would be responsible. "Tell him that the people on the list need to be given invitations to attend the castle for my birthday celebration." My smile was plastered onto my face, and one of the guards stepped forward.
"Of course your Highness. It will be taken care of immediately." I didn't give him any thanks as I handed the papers to him. It had slipped my mind. I was too excited for the game that was to come. It's not just a game. Your serious about this! A part of my mind reminded me that I did need to stop acting like a child and actually act like a responsible adult. What was it that his mother always told him while he was younger? Adulting is what we tell ourselves, trying to cover up the fact that we are still children on the inside.
I quickly went back into the room to hide my chuckles from the guards. I had woken up irritated, but now I was feeling a lot better. This wasn't such a terrible idea after all.
Later that evening I ran into Lord Haruka on my late night walk.
"Ah, your Highness. I thought I should let you know, messengers are already on their way delivering the requests. I must congratulate you on your quick thinking. Inviting them all to your birthday was the correct decision."
"Thank you for your compliment. Were the other advisers pleased with the nine I have chosen?"
"Yes, they were all very pleased. In fact, they were won-" Lord Haruka stopped mid sentence and a look of confusion crossed over his face. His eyes bore into mine. I was a little unsettled by his change of emotions. "Nine?"
"Yes, nine." My gut twisted into a knot as I had a feeling something had gone terribly wrong. My answer had caused Lord Haruka's eyes to narrow.
"There were ten names on the list. Did you miscount?" I let my emotions through and glared at him. I didn't make mistakes. Lord Haruka didn't' back down; he kept his eyes on mine, watching the turmoil in them.
"I'm positive that there were nine." Almost positive. A seed on uncertainty had suddenly been planted in my mind. "Where's the list?" Instead of just saying anything Lord Haruka had turned on his heel and went back the way he came. I followed close behind, keeping my steps slow. There had to be nine. I only wrote nine. In my hurry did I accidentally write a name that I crossed off?
We stopped outside of a conference room and Lord Haruka went in without hesitation. I followed him, the guards that had been with me hot on my heels. For all they knew it could be an ambush. They were trained well. Lord Haruka picked up a paper that sat on the table and opened it up. He frowned and showed me the paper.
I snatched it out of his hands and quickly counted. One two three… my eyes widened as I counted to ten. There were ten names. Who had I written down? I quickly scanned the names and saw it. Right inbetween Lady Evangeline Breckenridge and Lady Alice Sherington. I had accidentally written down Princess Yuuka Nypholia.
"Do I need to have someone stop a messenger, your Highness?" Lord Haruka sounded arrogant, like he usually sounded around Zen. I sighed heavily. Oh well, one more person couldn't hurt. I still wasn't convinced she actually existed.
"No. It's perfectly alright. I'll just have to deal with one more interview. It won't hurt."
Hopefully.
A/N: TOO MANY NAMES! If anyone has any suggestions or questions, I would appreciate them and would be willing to answer them.