"Her Imperial Highness, Princess of Genry Greetings!" Nanny Riley suddenly opened the large door inside her room, making Ashleah who currently just woke up shocked.
"Oh? Nanny you're a little early—" Ashleah couldn't even finish what she was saying when her Nanny almost flew her way to the Princess, making her confused. "What's happening Nanny—"
"Rumors are quickly spreading about you and Duke Deoncan!" She said, Ashleah didn't know if her Nanny was surprised, happy, or even confused about the rumors. The nanny was smiling yet her eyes were everywhere!
"What do you mean? It's not like there is something going on with us—" The princess yet again could not finish what she was saying when the door opened again was now welcomed by her Father who was panting non stop.
"WAIT–" Her Father raised his right hand and shook it a little "–Please do not greet me, but Ashleah have you heard about the rumors about you and Duke Deoncan because of yesterday's event!?"
"Father, what are you even talking about please do explain it to me! We did nothing wrong yesterda–" The princess stopped, her eyes slowly widened and her breathing hitched.
The princess slowly realized what they were talking about because Nash held her hand and she even hid behind him yesterday! Both of them knew for a fact that no one was looking at them, or were they wrong all that fcking time!?
Meanwhile, Nash ruffled his hair and groaned loudly making his butler, Theo shut his mouth and didn't continue what he was saying about the current rumors spreading around the commoners and now the high nobles too.
"I really thought no one saw us." The Duke chuckled sarcastically and shook his head before standing up and stretching his body lightly with his eyes closed. "It's not like the rumors would go that far, right Theo?"
The butler did not know how to answer his Master, he just nodded his head and did not continue to say what he was going to say earlier. That... everyone was telling them to get married as soon as possible.
Both were silent as they stood in front of the Emperor inside the Imperial Palace's throne room. Ashleah gulped and looked at her nails and statrted to tap it at each other, Nash was looking straight eye to eye with the Emperor.
"I heard about the rumors that you hid behind Duke Deoncan, Princess Izel." Her father straight up said making the blood run to her cheeks and ears, Ashleah looked up with her blushing face and widened eyes. "Some commoners saw you two at the side, and based on both of your reactions, the rumors seemed true, Is it not?"
With that Ashleah fwiped her head to Nash, and she saw how his ears were red making her blush even more and fwip her head yet again in front of Father and gulped slowly.
"C-Can I say my opnion about the situation, Your Majesty?" Ashleah finally built up some courage to talk and open her mouth, even though she knew that she was stuttering at least she did it!
"You may." Emperor Adler said with a soft smile plastered on his face as he nodded his head, almost everyone inside the very room was waiting for the Princess to finally speak up.
"I do think that it was just a friendly act between us. The Duke Deoncan knew that I was kind of scared and was trembling that time, I just hid behind and he held my hand to make me feel like I was at ease, yet it does not mean that there is somsthing going on between me and the Duke Deoncan."
Nash nodded his head, totally agreeing with what Ashleah said. Both had no plans in marrying each other in such young age! They are also busy with their missions, marriage can wait—
"My, Princess Izel please do calm down. Your marriage can wait, let's just hope that the rumors would die out soon. I've received some letters from different kingdoms that their Princes are going to visit the Imperial Palace soon—"
The Emperor couldn not even finish what he was saying when Duke Deoncan suddenly butted in. He knew for a fact that what he did was wrong, yet he could not help but to speak up with what sh*t he was hearing right now.
"Your Majesty, what are you talking about?" Nash blurted out making Gab and Kian chuckle to themselves. The Duke sure does not know how to hide his feelings, does he not?
"Since my daughter is a daughter of an Emperor, sure there are a lot of young men that would wish her to be their bride. My, my, Princess Izel has a lot of suitors does she not, Duke Deoncan?" Emperor Adler looked at Nash with a teasing smile and squinted eyes, making the man gulp and avoid the Emperor's gaze.
"Father it's not like they would have chances with marrying me. Seriously, I just want to be an Empress with my own strength and own hard work." She said as she crossed her arms against her chest and pouted her lips as she rolled her eyes.
"We can never tell what the future holds, my daughter. You might fall in love with one of the princes." As those words left his mouth, his eyes landed on Nash who rolled his eyes and scoffed sarcastically making the Emperor chuckle lightly.
"Is that all Father?" Ashleah said, she was kind of sure that the Emperor won't call them for those kind of rumors. The Emperor smiled and nodded his head.
"Please, everyone head out the throne room. Leave us behind." Gab and Kian and the other knights with Theo nodded their head, heading out the throne room Nash and Ashleah both exhaled relaxed sighs.
"Sinve the two of you are right here in front of me, here is the letters about the plan." He stood up and pulled something behind his back, and there was two pieces of paper. "Everything is inside there, you can ask me questions after reading it. BUT! Please do refrain reading it when people are around you. Just to make sure that this plan would only be the 4 of us, I am going to invite Axis later or maybe tomorrow to give him his copy."
They both nodded their heads and hid the paper somewhere inside their clothes. "Is that all your Majesty?" Nash asked, the Emperor yet again chuckled and shook his head.
"As you know, my birthday is coming up soon. You both know what that means don't you?" He tilted his head slightly waited for their response, the two nodded their heads again. "I do think that her suitors would definitely go to the party that I am throwing—"
"They shouldn‐"
"What are you talking about Na– Duke Deoncan?" Ashleah raised an eyebrow and looked at Nash with her pursed lips, Nash looked back and raised his eyebrows back at her and was about to scoff yet the Emperor cleared his throat making them look at him again.
"You can call each other by names when you are in front of me. In fact, I even overheard some conversations of the three of you. It is fine, you are friends right?" The Emperor said, Nash and Ashleah nodded their heads again.
"Father, your upcoming party might be one of the annoying one ever huh?" Ashleah blurted out making her Father laugh out loud and nod his head.
"I do think so, a lot of men might ask your hand for marriage at the first sight of you or they may even ask you to dance with them."
"But I am very sure that his Majesty's first dance on the party would definitely be Ashleah. Am I right?" Nash said, the Emperor nodded his head with a smile plastered on his face.
Ashleah and Nash was silently walking inside the Imperial Palace's huge garden. No one dared to even speak a single word, not until Nash cleared his throat.
"You have a lot of suitors now huh?" He blurted out sarcastically making Ashleah roll her eyes and scoff. "The Ashleah years after this was more like a woman who would kick the sh*t out of you." He laughed, and with that Nash received a smack from behind.
"Oh shut up Nash, I wasn't the one who literaly ran around just to be friends with me!" Ashleah responded back, making Nash shocked and he laughed again.
"But, are you seriously okay with those weird men asking your hand for marriage?"
"Hell no, I ain't giving my hand to anyone—"
"That's not what I'm talking about!"
And with that, the two completely forgot about how serious the situation about her marriage was and ended up teasing each other.