Crowned Prince | hendery

19: The First Born Child of the First Born Child

It is rare for women to lead within the continent.

That is except for Maha'ali. Maha'ali since its founding chose its heir based on one principle alone, the first born child of the first born child. They believe that the leader capable of running their wisdom-driven country is the one born with the most wisdom, the first born child. Since then, Maha'ali has only allowed the first born child of the first born child to be leaders, regardless of gender.

That is until a generation ago.

Their crowned princess at the age of sixteen, just a few days before her coronation, disappeared.

The kingdom searched near and far, high and low, and in the most odd of locations just to find her and return her safely. Yet in the years that got added to their search, the people of Maha'ali grew weary and hopeless as their next leader had completely disappeared from the continent. Various theories came and go, one of the most popular was that she was taken up into heavens as she was as pure as milk, while others went as far as her leading rebellions in various small villages run by Maha'ali.

Yet right in front of Taeha was the greatest proof that those theories were as wrong as their guesses could be.

The king called her to the castle and into his office, which was why she was sitting there on the couch that sat close to the king's document-filled desk. He was sitting across from her shaking his leg, one that was so similar to his son's habits.

"Your majesty!" The outside of his office was filled with echoes from Hendery that two were ignoring.

"Taeha," the king finally says, "how did you know?"

Taeha sighs. "Foremost, I did not understand at the beginning why you were so angry, your majesty. You, unlike my father, have had no history of conflict among other kingdoms, yet you are not all too friendly with the royal family of Maha'ali." She gulps down, but remains stoic in her reaction and action. "If your son's romance is known far and wide–"

"My son's romance?"

"He and the former princess, your majesty." She bows her head not wanting to see the king's reaction.

"Ah," that was all she heard from the king.

"Father! Taeha!" It appears that Hendery still has yet to give up with hoping the door would open for him.

"I digress, your majesty. Your romance was also far known among the circle of nobles. Of your one and only beloved, how devoted you are towards the lady, yet no lady was seen with you, your majesty."

The king only sits there in silence.

"For as long as word has been spread no one has connected the former princess of Maha'ali with your majesty, nor have I."

"Then when has it changed?" With a hand over his mouth, he looked at her seeking an answer.

"Your anger spoke louder when you were resisting the prince's obligation to assist a kingdom you have long been on good terms with. It became much more abundant when you emphasized that he cannot face the royal family of Maha'ali." Taeha looks at the king directly and she immediately takes notice of the sudden change in the expression of his face.

"Taeha!" Hendery was still calling out their attention outside the door.

"I would have not realized that you and the royal family of Maha'ali were connected, aside from political agendas, if your majesty had not mentioned the royal family."

"Fear, shall I blame it?" The king sits up taking a deep breath in and putting his arms on his side.

When the king goes silent, Taeha also grows silent, yet at moment she would open her mouth and try to utter a word, but choose to not continue.

"If there is something you must say, do not hesitate."

Taeha bites down on her lips before taking a deep breath in and sitting herself upright. "Why was there a need to conceal this from the crowned prince?"

The king looks up then back down to his feet, before he looks up again and offers the princess an apologetic smile. "There is a reason why I married the queen instead of Hendery's mother, the former princess." The king's eyes shone in a way that she could not explain, but there was a warmth in them that she could feel across the huge table that separated them. "Because the kingdoms of the continent have agreed upon that they shall not marry heirs to one another, this was to ensure that there would be no conflict in claiming their next leader. Thus, our secretive romance was short-lived when our parents found it."

"Yet that does not answer why the princess disappeared, your majesty."

"I did not convince the princess to leave Maha'ali, in fact we had not been in contact for three months when she disappeared. In the time where we did not speak, I was wed to the queen, this was upon both our disapproval." He emphasizes his reason. "If I were to tell the royal family that I had no knowledge of her disappearance it would be a lie, as in our youth she spoke of running away from all her responsibilities as the crowned princess, of never assuming her throne and giving it to her brother. All she wanted was to not be a princess."

Taeha blinks a couple of times, it was as if she was hearing double for a few seconds. She could not say it out loud that her son shared her exact sentiments.

"It did not shock me to see her dressed in rags knocking on the window of the imperial castle quietly calling out my name." Then there was a smile, one that she would say mirrors Hendery's but does not share the same effect it had on her. "I was being selfish when I saw her, I should have convinced her to return home, but I wanted to keep her beside me."

"That is exactly what your majesty did." Taeha had pieced together the idea that Hendery might have been related to Maha'ali through the princess, but her mind could not wrap around the thought that for several years if the royal family had looked a lot more closely in the kingdom of Hwei they would've found their missing leader.

"I do not take pride in hiding the leader of Maha'ali, as it is everytime that I face the king of the said kingdom, I have yet to grow the courage to look him in the eye without wavering."

Taeha shakes her head and immediately stands up from her seat. She bows towards the king and stands up once again. "I should not be the one who you should be conversing with about this topic." She shakes her head, the exact same one where she feels like it was about to explode.

"Taeha," the king calls out to the princess ready to run out the door.

"Your majesty, I am deeply regretful of what I want to do, however, you cannot keep Hendery in the dark. He must know."

She opens the door without hearing the king's response. It has now been a few minutes since he stopped calling out their attention from outside the room, she expected that he would be gone, but there he was sitting on the floor opposite of the office door.

"Taeha." He breathed out as he stood up from the ground and walked straight to her. Without muttering another word, the prince embraces her into a hug, one that seems to relax the princess who appeared shocked.

With the realization that they were hugging, Taeha reaches out to soothe his back. Then they stood there in silence, where they exchanged no words between them. It was similar to the night in the room of the northern county. Where she was sure her whole body felt cold from the shock, but his chest on hers made her feel warm.

They were simply interrupted with the cough of the king from behind.

"Hendery," the king's tone was low. Once his son's attention was on him, he simply tilted his head towards his office. It did not take long before she was the one standing outside the king's office this time.

She wanted to return to the royal castle, yet she simply stood there staring at the door.

"Here I thought you and my brother weren't getting along." With his heels hitting the marble floor and announcing his presence Taeha turns her head around to see the youngest prince still in his equestrian clothing.

"What is it you mean by that?"

Renjun looks over at the guards standing by the king's door. "Shall we talk somewhere else, before my brother comes out of my father's office." Without waiting for the princess's reply, Renjun continues walking forward where he does not even turn around and check whether she was following him or not.

Yet the princess did.