Diamond in the Rough

Chapter Five

(* You can get audio here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1727473001 *)

Apart from the first embarrassing moment, the advisor stated several more small gifts that the King readily accepted.

"Very good, very good! Then, in exchange for your gifts, I will let your granddaughter stay as my daughter's companion for her upcoming wedding!"

This...This was what the Prince did not expect!

The woman was going to stay here in the palace!? Have you gone crazy, Royal Father!?

The small crowd in the room showed their obvious excitement and what not and the Prince once again clenched his fists...This was too much!

The old advisor and his father really worked hard! They worked very hard!

The Prince gave his silent approval to their play and wanted to escape, yet he knew...The woman would also be here!

The whole capital will know that a woman that wasn't royal and was old enough to become someone's wife was going to stay at the palace where the Prince was. It's bound to start a few rumors, it's bound to be an annoying situation to get through!

The Prince was not happy!

Just before he thought things couldn't get worse, the King pronounced that a palace gathering will be done the next evening and that...The woman will have the first dance with the Prince...

It just got worse...

***

It wasn't easy to spend as little time as possible in the company of the woman 'Adaline' but Prince Elton somehow achieved it. He wasn't going to just stand there and not do anything!

What he couldn't run away from though, was attending the palace gathering, simply because the first dance had already been stated by the King himself.

Having kept himself busy all this time, Prince Elton grumbled the whole time he was getting into his outfit.

Before he even had his outer coat on, the Princess barged in on him, laughing to see that she was glad that she had not come any earlier!

"She seems pretty nice to me!" The Princess stated to her brother's grumbling moments later.

"She's probably acting!" The Prince stated, gently flicking her forehead. "You'd fall for any trick!"

"I'm not that dumb! Come on, give her a chance! Oh, she's got a pet..."

A knock on the door stopped Princess Bethany, she was after all in her brother's quarters.

"Your Highness, Lady Adaline is waiting for you."

The Prince took a deep breath and left, making Princess Bethany sigh. "Really, she's nice!"

Before this gathering, the Princess has even been thankful for an extra friend. She didn't think her father would suddenly let someone who wasn't a royal into the palace specifically for her and so she has made the best of it by going to see Lady Adaline as often as possible...They even had lunch together today!

It was exciting and it was a nice to help her from getting nervous as well. It wasn't like she was changing her mind from marrying Cid, it was more like the idea of being married...Maybe...Or was it because she and Cid will...Be together!

Whatever it was, Princess Bethany wanted to squeal too much lately, and she was staying up to late! Now that she had a friend in the palace, she was acting somewhat normal once again!