The Spare (18+ Only) - Noblesse Oblige #1

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

"I now present the Crown Prince and Princess of Synlasia: Prince Leo Derozan and his wife, Princess Isis DeRozan!" the bishop announced to the audience in the packed cathedral. The audience all stood up and applauded as Leo and Isis walked down the aisle of the cathedral and out of its front entrance, where a crowd of Synlasian citizens waited to officially welcome their future rulers. They came to a stop at the stone balustrade lining the landing beyond the grand cathedral's front entrance. The crowd filling the front courtyard behind the steel barriers erected a respectful distance away from where the couple stood erupted into cheers.

Isis grinned and waved with her right hand, her confidence boosted by the warmth of Leo's right hand wrapped tightly around her left hand. She spotted Siri jumping up and down excitedly among a group of children near the front of the crowd, a watchful Mrs. Prisa behind them, and winked at her.

Beside her, Leo was also waving at the crowd. He paused and looked down at her before swooping in to steal a kiss. Cameras flashed just in time to capture the moment and Isis couldn't help but feel curious as to what their photos would look like in the papers tomorrow. Would they show the love behind the very public display of affection from Leo? The way her happiness was probably casting a glow over her skin as she laughed in surprise at the gesture? All of that flew through her mind in the split second between the camera flashes and Leo pulling back from her. Then they were moving, surrounded by bodyguards, towards a waiting limo and her train of thought was disrupted.

As she settled in the soft, smooth seat, she let out a contented sigh. Leo slid in beside her, then Rai and Aysha settled in the seat opposite them and Jonah slid into the front passenger seat. As the doors shut, Isis reached up and plucked the heavy golden crown off her head and handed it to Aysha before kicking off her high heels and settling back with her head on Leo's lap.

"Holding that thing up made my neck ache", she explained in response to Leo's questioning look. He smiled, that faint dimple in his cheek peeking out and doing things to her heart, and tunneled a hand through the ends of her curled hair.

"It is a good thing we do not have to wear them often just yet", he replied, taking his crown off easily and resting it on her stomach. It was thinner and lighter than hers, because it didn't have as many of those useless glittery gems stuck in them that were meant to make hers more feminine and pretty. As a princess, this was a part of her job description – to be feminine and pretty and damn near perfect.

It wasn't fair. She would have to do something to add more purpose to her role than the usual stuff. Perhaps she'd take on several causes, starting with supporting the orphans at St. Margaret's, just to see them have enriching lives as they grew. That sounded more like it.

She was going to do that. Aysel would love the idea, too – she liked kids.

"It was a lovely service", Aysha said thoughtfully.

"Indeed. Too bad Prince Caelum couldn't stay afterwards", Rai added. Isis and Leo exchanged a glance at that.

When Xavis had called them in after that strange incident between Caelum and Johari, he had not been pleased. He had demanded details from all four of them; had listened to them tell the story, one by one, in stormy silence. When they were done, he had expressed his views on the matter concerning all aspects of it, and then delivered his sentence.

"Caelum and Johari – that was a stupid move, and all for nothing, as both of you now claim you don't want to be next in line anyway. I'm not letting you off easy. I will be speaking with your parents, Johari, on your engagement and whether or not we will be going through with it, at the earliest opportunity. You schemed on a pregnant woman under my protection – Leo's wife. You'll be punished further, I assure you. For now, you'll be locked in your new rooms until I have spoken to your family about your behavior.