The Rise Of The Tigress

Handsome stranger.

Rayne's POV

After the ardous journey we'd made in the night, we still had to attend the princess' birthday ceremony.

Considering the fact that the king did not know of our presence, I was very cautious if everything that happened around us.

Inspite of my weariness, I knew before I was told that I had to find the princess, to whom the prince was engaged.
That shouldn't be too hard, I guess. Well it was the princess' birthday.....what did the nobleman I ask call it again?...... Natalis...Con..vi..vium? Something of the sort.

Currently, we are in the ballroom. Don't ask how we got in without being known. Anyway, I guess I'll just tell you.

Prince Valerian and I travelled ahead of time for safety reasons.
It is no secret in the empire that the emperor, Valerian's father, was in critical health.

The five kingdoms of the empire are equally power hungry, for which reason the princes had already started to fight over the succession to the throne.

The exception was this kingdom though, since the royal family had one child, with no son.
This was the reason for the engagement with Prince Valerian.

In order to make rule over the empire fair to all the five kingdoms it consists, succession was unanimously agreed to be decided by warfare.
Brothers fought heartlessly for the crown.

All other empires held the Ravencrest Empire with reverence and fear as the path to the throne was one filled with blood. One not for the weak.

The Theidopolis royalty were for sure not weak as they had successfuly won the wars twice in a row. Their reign had lasted for a century now and seemed likely to go on.

Why?You may ask.

Prince Valerian, better known as the warrior of blood, was the empire's top general and had never lost war.
That says a lot since the empire was always at odds with a neighbouring enemy empire and the prince in question was only nineteen years.

In the four years, he had lead Ravencrest's army in battle, loss had quitted the empire's vocabulary.

Unsurprisingly, he managed to gain himself enemies within the empire despite the glory he brought.
The time was nigh for these enemies to reveal their horrid claws...not at all like they would stand a chance.

Not against Prince Valerian of Ravencrest. My prince was a force not to reckoned with....one look at him and you could tell.

Though not tonight.

I did not understand exactly why we had to come to this meaningless ceremony.

The Prince had never been one to care for such insignificant festivities. Not to talk about one in the honour of a princess to whom he was engaged to without his consent.

I blocked the memory that threatened to resurface. When the Prince had learned if his engagement, I wished I had disappeared into thin air at that moment.

I shook my head as I brought myself to reality once more. Surely not for such a reason.

Seated in a slightly dimmer part of the ballroom, the prince still exuded a strong aura. One of an apex predator. That warns all prey to wisely keep a distance.

Six months serving him and I still wasn't used to it...yet I had to stay close to him. Why does my life hate me?!

"Who is that she is dancing with?"

He asked as he tilted the fragile champagne glass to his lips.

She?

I looked in his line of sight and was surprised to see Princess Emerald there.

So we really did come for her! Look at the heartless prince going soft!

"That is Duke Marcello's only son, Lionel Marcello. He is also her cousin"

I immediately informed. Looking to the corner of my eye so as not to be seen, I monitored the expressions on the prince's face.

Why did he want to know? Was he jealous?

"They seem very....close"He continued expressionlessly making my task of deciphering his thoughts futile.

The Prince was like an open book with blank pages, useless to read as it was in vain.

He didn't say anything after that but he seemed to be thinking, if not just looking at nothing.

When the song being played ended, the prince smartly rose to his towering height and made his way to the dance floor without a word.

Is the Prince if War going to dance?! Wait, can he dance?

I watched as he approached the princess and her cousin who were now talking animatedly.

He tapped Sir Lionel on the shoulder, I could guess, asking to dance with the princess.

Oh, we're in for a show!

Emerald's POV

Lionel you dumbo! How could you leave your partner in crime in this awkward situation.

The guy standing before me was handsome, that much I could say.
But looks aren't all because this guy gave me chills.

He stared at me intently.

Not in the lewd sort of way but like directly into my eyes. I wanted to look away but my eyes felt compelled not to.

"May I have this dance, your highness?"

His voice was steady and firm. Confidence laced in every word. The last thing I wanted to do was dance in this handsome stranger's arms!

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Sorry for the delay, had to do school work. Hope you enjoy. The real drama is slowly unfolding, so don't be impatient.

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