Chapter 45: The surprise guest III
The princess, though feeling the weight of the King and the mysterious man's stare, stood her ground with admirable courage. She could sense their unspoken desire for her to leave, but she refused to succumb to it.
She was a princess of a vast kingdom, for god's sake. How could she let herself be humiliated like this?
Her face hardened, and she ignored their piercing gazes as she turned to look at Ceremus.
"Your Majesty, who might this young man be?" She casually asked.
Ceremus could see the way she looked at Hael, eyes full of awe and admiration. The very sight of it made him boil with anger, but he restrained himself. "No one you should concern yourself with, " he hissed.
Nastasya was momentarily stunned. From Ceremus' tone and expression, it looked like he was ready to kill anyone who asked. The princess, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, could no longer bring herself to speak to the King.
Hael suddenly felt pity for the young woman. She hadn't done anything wrong, yet Ceremus was so cold to her. He could guess the reason for his aloofness, and it made him happy to know that despite how beautiful this young woman was, her looks didn't seem to rattle him. His eyes were only on him, but that didn't excuse his rude attitude.
He looked down at the princess and gave her a polite smile. "I don't think we've been introduced. I am Hael, a figure of mystery in King Ceremus' court, " he said, adding to the intrigue.
The princess was startled by his sudden introduction, not expecting the young man to speak to her first. "Oh, uh, I see. You are the King's personal...wait, personal guard!! " she exclaimed.
Hael found her reaction amusing but nodded his head. "Yes, Your Highness."
Nastasya's mouth hung slightly open, but she quickly regained her composure when she realized she was still in public. "I wasn't aware that His Majesty had a guard. How curious." She said, her voice soft.