บท 35: Selecting The Best Candidate

Seeing a familiar face brought a smile upon Margaret's face. She crouched down and gave Titan a good belly rub as he flipped onto his back. She had always wondered where the dog went, little did she know he had been with Dante all this time.

Laina was happy to see that Titan liked Margaret, she too crouched down and rubbed his belly.

"He seems to be taking a liking to you," Laina commented with a smile.

Margaret smiled, "This one's a friendly one too."

Now that Laina was back and well, it was time for them to head back to Kinshearth. There were things for them to tend to when they got back. The earlier they returned, the better.

It took them about two days to get everything packed and ready to go. With Titan by her side, they made their way back to Kinshearth through the portal they had come through.

When they exit on the other side, an entourage of ministers, generals, palace servants had all assembled to welcome their crown princess home. As soon as Laina stepped through the portal gate, everyone got onto one knee.

"Welcome home, your highness!" They all greeted her in unison.

It was a sight to behold, and Laina could not get used to it. She walked down the steps, Titan trailing close by while Margaret followed behind her. Laina was first greeted by Grand General Tobias and Royal Chancellor Lucinda.

"Crown Princess Laina, welcome home. You're just in time," Lucinda greeted her.

"Just in time?" Laina asked, "In time for what?"

The Royal Chancellor turned to look at the Grand General for a moment before clearing her throat to continue, "Well… you see…"

"You have suitors who've been waiting for your return, your highness," Tobias explained.

Laina's eyebrow creased as she folded her arms in disbelief. From the look on their faces, she knew something must have happened while she was not around. Not wanting to confront them in front of everyone else, she asked for their conversation to continue in the throne room.

"Your highness, it would be best if we explain it to you elsewhere," Lucinda quickly interjected.

"Are you defying the princess's orders?" Margaret spoke up from behind.

"Know your place, handmaiden Margaret," Tobias shot her a glare.

But Margaret was not afraid of the general. She was afraid of no one.

"Margaret made a fair point. Why can't we continue your conversation in the throne room?" Laina backed her up.

The way the general and chancellor were speaking was suspicious. They were definitely keeping something from her. Laina knew her return to Kinshearth had been delayed.

She did not want to waste any more time standing around. Nothing would get done at this rate. She clapped her hands together to get all of their attention.

"Let's meet in my quarters then. The royal office. Margaret, oversee the unpacking," Laina ordered.

Margaret bowed, "As you wish, your highness."

With that settled, Laina made her way towards her quarters with Tobias and Lucinda. Titan followed closely next to Laina, never leaving her side. The general and chancellor were surprised to see that the princess now had a dog trailing next to her, but they did not think too much of it.

Together, they walked towards Laina's quarters and into the royal office.

"So, would you care to explain to me what you two mentioned earlier? About suitors?" Laina asked as she took her seat behind the desk while Titan made himself comfortable at her feet.

Lucinda nudged Tobias, prompting him to speak.

"In your absence, your highness, a few suitors from different Kingdoms and Nations have come forward to ask for your hand in marriage…"

Laina's nails dug into her arm. She wanted to stop Tobias from speaking then and there. But she controlled herself. Laina wanted to know the full story before she made her move.

"...Royal Chancellor Lucinda and I have gone through the liberty of shortlisting a few options," Tobias said as he snapped his fingers.

A guard, who had entered the room together with them, handed him a set of documents. Tobias then handed the documents over to Laina. She muttered a word of thanks before flipping through them.

There were a total of four candidates whom they had picked for her. Laina was a little disappointed to see that Dante was not one of them.

- Of course he would not be in here, Laina! You were spending time with him this whole time!- she chided herself as she bit her lip in an attempt to stop the blushing on her cheeks.

She hoped that the chancellor and general did not see any of it.

Out of the four candidates, two of them caught Laina's attention immediately. The Duke and the Prince. She knew who these two men were. Both of them had made a lasting impression on her at the Ball.

Seeing her pause on those two profiles prompted Lucinda to speak.

"Ah, that is Prince Radford, second eldest prince of the Windford Kingdom. And the other is Duke-"

"Duke Harris of House Lackerwood of the Registerium Empire," Laina finished her sentence for her.

"Yes… that's right," Lucinda replied with a forced smile.

These were the two people who nearly ruined Laina's night at the ball. She had hoped to put them behind her but it seems like they were back to haunt her. Laina put down the files and looked up at Tobias and Lucinda.

"Out of all four of them, who is the best candidate?" She asked them both.

Seeing as the crown princess was asking for their opinion, the general and chancellor were secretly happy. They had expected Laina to fight back strongly against the idea, yet she was now asking for their opinion on the best match?

They could not be happier!

"Prince Radford would be a great option, your highness. According to the information we have gathered about him, he has great experience in Kingdom management," Tobias explained.

Lucinda backed Duke Harris instead, "I think Duke Harris of House Lackerwood is a solid option too, your highness. His family is in the jewelry business in Registermium. His knowledge with gemstones would be greatly beneficial to Kinshearth."

It was taking everything in Laina to keep her silence. Did her subjects think so low of her abilities to govern Kinshearth? She took in a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"All four of them are in the throne room right now?" She asked for clarification.

Tobias swiftly replied, "Yes."

Laina closed the file with a plastered smile on her face, "Good, I shall head over to meet them."

She got up from her seat, Titan got up too. But before she could take another step forward, Lucinda stood in her path.