Lioness Kingdom, Lioness Castle.
Birds were chirping their melodious tune as the sun gradually peeked from beyond the blue horizon. In the meantime, the dark sky was slowly overtaken by crimson layers, until it was completely shrouded in azure.
Today, the Lioness Kingdom appeared to have a visitor coming from afar. An emissary hailed from the neighboring Cantiaci Kingdom was seen standing in the middle of the hall at the Lioness Castle, while the figure of Lioness Kingdom's absolute ruler was sitting on the throne before him.
"King Lioness, I, representing the Cantiaci Kingdom, have come again to offer our deepest regret for the incident that happened 6 months ago. As the consequence of his actions, Your Majesty has punished Prince Edward by holding him captive in the Lioness Kingdom all this time. Even so, we sincerely ask for your renowned benevolence to forgive the young prince for his foolishness."
The Lioness King sat on his throne in a firm posture. However, one could see that his face was pale and his overall figure was much thinner than before.
"Esteemed Magister, this is already the third time you have come here, and for the same reason. Please return and tell your king to not waste his and my time anymore. I promise I will definitely return your prince in 5 years. *Cough* After all, that's a fair punishment for him for trying to hurt our princess."
The Cantiaci Kingdom's emissary once again bowed to the Lioness King. Then, suddenly, a figure who came together with the former carried a large chest, put it on the ground and opened it. Inside the chest, hundreds of gold coins and numerous jewels could be seen, blinding those who laid their eyes on them.
The sight of such astonishing wealth was enough to astonish the ministers of the Lioness Kingdom, who were also present in the hall, in particular one figure – Fantumar.
"Please, Your Majesty. This is a small token of our regret for the incident, as well as gratitude for releasing our prince."
At this exact moment, Fantumar decided to give his advice to the king.
"My king, we have to consider the future. We can't afford to be in a bad relationship with our closest neighbour for a long time. At the moment, as we cut off all trade with them because of the incident, many of our own people have suffered."
Upon hearing such words, the Lioness King seemed to be swayed.
Noticing that, Fantumar swiftly followed his advance. "Think about it, my king. What is the difference between 6 months and a few years? I am sure the young prince has already suffered enough and has regretted his wrongdoing."
The emissary obviously realized Fantumar was trying to persuade the Lioness King, therefore he quickly added, "Please, Your Majesty. I came with the will of the Queen of Cantiaci herself. She missed her son so much she had a hard time falling asleep ever since… Please forgive our young prince's misconduct and we will forever be grateful!" the Cantiaci Kingdom's emissary said, while doing a 90 degree bow.
As he heard the two people, the Lioness King seemed in doubt and fell into contemplation. But then, just as he was about to once again give his decision, a loud voice suddenly sounded from outside the hall.
A group of people were seen walking through the main door and entered the hall. These people were a dozen of Lioness knights, which were led by a beautiful golden-haired young girl wearing shiny knights' armor.
"My king, please allow me to have my say"
The young girl was none other than the Lioness Kingdom's princess herself. She walked forward with a confident gait and stopped right next to the emissary.
Seeing his daughter was here, the Lioness King nodded his head. "Yes, Gwen. You may speak."
"My king, what Minister Fantumar said about our people suffering because of this isn't completely true. Our port Lioness port was still our people's main source of trades and income; also I have talked to those traders, who normally trade with the Cantiacis, and we have helped them open new trade opportunities with the other kingdoms and countries across the sea to solve this problem"
Upon hearing Gwen's words, both Fantumar and the Cantiaci Kingdom's emissary evidently became irritated.
Alas, she wasn't finished yet, as Gwen once again opened her mouth and spoke with a stern tone.
"What our kingdom desperately needed at the moment is being proud of their own kingdom! We need to display to our people and others our integrity and strength! We need to show that no prince or king can attack our kingdom and not get punished for their actions!"
The words Gwen spoke were unexpected, but they also inspired everyone in the hall. Among them were the young knights who were under her command. One could even see that they were currently looking at her with admiration.
On the other hand, the Lioness King also smiled seeing how these past few months, his daughter has increasingly become more wonder to his eyes.
Fantumar was trying to say another word, but the King stopped the former by raising his hand. He then looked at the emissary and said,
"You have heard what the princess has said and I agree with her. I genuinely apologize, Magister, but Prince Edward will have to extend his stay at our kingdom for a few more years. Please tell the queen he would certainly be treated well here and that she doesn't have to worry."
The Cantiaci Kingdom's emissary looked at the Lioness King and realized the latter was determined with his decision, especially after the addition of the presence of the Lioness Princess. Therefore, he gave up and decided to leave with anger on his face.
After the emissary was gone, the Lioness King swiftly told everyone except Gwen to leave the hall. He then called his daughter and went on a walk with her.
Gwen swiftly took a hold of her father's arm and helped him, as they walked toward the palace balcony.
Looking at the view of the capital city from where they stood, the Lioness King exhaled a sigh that contained complex emotions. He slowly turned around and looked at the face of his dear daughter. "Gwen, you just came to rescue me from the wolves… again…" Another deep sigh was heard following the last part of the sentence.
Gwen turned to her father and looked at the latter with a concerned yet conflicted gaze. "Like I said father… Why are you still keeping that… poisonous human by your side. He never had the kingdom's best interest in him."
The Lioness King laughed as he heard his daughter's words. Gwen doesn't know if he laughed because of her utter contempt for Fantumar, or because of something else.
"Hahaha…" He laughed dryly, coughing in the middle of it. "Both you and I know it's not that easy. If I just recklessly throw him out, the kingdom would be in jeopardy with his absence."
Gwen naturally frowned at the harsh reality that presented itself to her.
"Even so, I don't agree with your decision to keep him, father. In order to save the kingdom, we MUST remove all the thorn that is inside, no matter how difficult the process will be."
The Lioness King smiled when he heard his daughter say such words. Even so, Gwen could see there was apparent trace of concern on her father's face when he looked at her.
"Hear me carefully, my dear daughter. I know you want to get rid of him, but you must be very careful in your endeavor. Remember I taught you to only fight wars that you can win. That Fantumar is very strong, my dear... And that's before we put the Cantiacis in the equation."
Hearing her father's care for her, Gwen's gaze turned even more firm. "I am not afraid, father. I have prepared and groomed a sizable number of knights that I can trust to protect our kingdom in the last few months.. This is also the reason why we should never free the Cantiaci Prince, that bastard Edward."
"Trust in this prediction of mine, father. The moment we release him, I'm one hundred percent sure the Cantiaci will immediately launch their attack again on us, just give me more time"
"Yes... yes... I can clearly see that those knights of yours really have grown…"
The king Suddenly realize something and ask
"But Gwen, I still wonder where was that knight who won the Tournament? The champion… Lanzo… I still wonder why is he not joining your group? …Did he go to another kingdom?"
Gwen was startled by her father's question. She swiftly recovered her bearing and said, "He... Just forget about him, father. He's not interested in becoming a knight." At the end of her words, a helpless sigh escaped unconsciously.
The Lioness King was taken aback by the unexpected development. "Wow... that boy seems to be more interesting than I thought to make my daughter like this. Hahaha..."
He then stared straight at Gwen and said, "I can't almost recognize you anymore, my dear daughter. You are so... amazing. Are you really my sweet baby girl?"
When the king put his hands on her shoulder, Gwen quickly put both her hand around him and hug her father. There was a moment of silence for both of them.
"Tell me, daughter. Truthfully." Gwen nodded her head at her father's words. "Are you happy?"
The unanticipated question caught Gwen off guard. She really didn't know what to say for a moment. These days she could easily speak about policy and politics but surprisingly this question seemed to be the hardest one to answer. Much to her surprise, suddenly what resurfaced on her mind was an argument she has with a particular person 6 months ago.
She quickly shook her head, trying not to think about it. Unbeknownst to her, Gwen's reaction caused the Lioness King to become interested in what she was thinking about. But she quickly answers her best not to make her father worried.
"Of course, I am happy, father. You are here in my arms, what else could I ask for?" Gwen answered with a smile.
The Lioness King chuckled as he looked at his daughter. "Hahaha… Gwen, that's not what I meant and you know it."
The King put both hand on her shoulder and stare her in the eyes and sid in a serious tone.
"Dear daughter you know... I can't always be here for you… I'm afraid..."
"Don't say that, father,." said Gwen slowly, while sadness gradually appeared on her face.
The Lioness King thought about something and said.
"Gwen… I worry for you... you know there's another way to make the kingdom safer"
It was apparent that what her father said has shaken Gwen, as the Lioness King could clearly see her daughter lose her composure. Gwen herself seemed to have guessed what her father was trying to say.
"It's been an announce officially that King Uther will step down from his throne and give the reins to his son, Prince Arthur. And for that, the Logress Kingdom has officially sent their intention to ask your hand for marriage"
The Lioness King took out a letter with a Logress Kingdom stamp from his sleeve and gave it to Gwen as he said, "I will not force you, my daughter. You can choose your own path. Whatever it is… I will support you."