Chapter Two-Hundred-And-Nine
**3rd Person POV**
The reunion was a gutsy one. The sight of Charlotte riding on Thunder took away the remnant images of seductive Lady Francesca. Charlotte was his favourite person in the world although he would never admit that even to himself lest Reginald found out. He waved excitedly at her and she waved back too with the same gusto. When they were within walking distance of each other, they disembarked from their horses and ran to hug each other.
Charlotte and Harlin were not the type to publicly display affection but when they saw each other, the rest of the world did not matter. It was the same with Reginald. People had begun to see the trio as a power bloc of an inner circle. A lot of Alphas had tried to get their children to become friends with them so they could be a part of this sanctum of power but they had all failed. Their bond was very strong and they were fiercely loyal to one another. There was no one who came close to being a part of their inner circle. Princess Harriet's children, Toby and Anne would have come close but there was a remarkable distance in age so they were not allowed into the circle. It surprised everyone that although Harlin was a good six years younger than the twins, they included him in everything they did.
At a point in time, Queen Emily and Princess Alison had to force them to stop communicating with one another because the twins had begun teaching Harlin things he should not be aware of. As a result, Harlin had lost every ounce of innocence very early. Alison had had to change all the maids that worked closely with Harlin to much older women or those who held not much in aesthetic appeal because her nephew had learnt from Reginald the art of seduction and he was using up his maids as lesson notes.
“Look at you! You still have that baby face,” Charlotte pinched her cousin's cheek. She was elated to see him. The second dawn had broken, she had left her father's side in search of her horse so she could begin her journey. Her father had wanted her to stay so she could listen to the summary of the report on the investigation that had happened through the night, but she had insisted that she must leave.
“I assure you I no longer drink milk,” came his response. Charlotte, who understood the implication of what he had said, laughed heartily.
“I am not Reginald so I would not indulge you in your latest conquest. You do owe me a proper fight,” she returned with a smile. Besides Reginald and her father, Harlin was the only other fine swordsman with whom she could practice her skills. He was swift with his sword and she was looking forward to mastering his technique now that she was here.
“I should warn you, I have added to my skills with the sword,” he said in response.
“I have not been sleeping myself and unlike you, I have been involved in actual conflict,” Charlotte's eyes twinkled as she said this.
“I wonder what it feels like. Aunt Alison does not allow me to volunteer in any battle and what's worse, when I ask Aunt Em to convince Aunt Alison, she only makes things worse,” complained Harlin.
“I have told you, Harlin. You do not ask for permission. You simply do things,” said Charlotte. They both laughed as their memories flooded instantly with things they had simply done without permission that had led them into a lot of trouble with their aunties.
They walked side by side in comfortable silence while leading their horses behind them. They had so much to say to each other but neither knew where to begin. Their silence was broken however by the appearance of Francesca's voice.
“Prince Harlin! What a coincidence!” Harlin looked up and saw Francesca’s beautiful face. She was even more beautiful under the light of the day and while he did want to take her to his bed, he did not feel the urge as forcefully as he had the other day. Harlin suspected it was because of her ties with Lowell and more so because she had just said the words “what a coincidence.” He had learnt that whenever people used those words, there was no coincidence but a planned ambush.
“Lady Francesca, it is a delight to see you again. Forgive my manners, Lady Francesca, meet Princess Charlotte, Princess Charlotte, Lady Francesca,” said Prince Harlin by way of introduction. He watched the way Francesca’s face brightened up as she shook Charlotte's hand. He was beginning to suspect that he had not been the person she had wanted to ambush. Perhaps, the Lowell's were vying for a friendly opening to approach Charlotte.
Harlin tried to free his mind off the obsessive thoughts. He did not know why a thousand conspiracies swirled about his head when he thought about the name Lowell or anyone connected to it. It was uncanny because he did not have such strong convictions about any other person.
It was a good thing that Charlotte and Harlin shared a strong bond. She was able to sense at once that something was amiss so she reserved her warmth and was only polite to Francesca.
“Prince Harlin, I was hoping to discuss something with you in private. I have been to the palace but I was unable to secure a private audience with you,” Harlin could not tell if Francesca was lying. No one had informed him of her visit and he had never made mention of her to anybody, his personal servants, that she should be kept away.
“What about?” he asked.
“Perhaps we can discuss it tonight? Lowell is holding a party to celebrate his wife's birthday,” he had not missed the way she had kept Lowell's wife impersonal. Some best friend she had to be.
“I will not be attending, Lady Francesca.”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
