章節 18: Coming of Age Ball

The Coming of Age Ceremony must not be cancelled. Jeff must prove his worth along with the rest of the suitors, fight them fair and square.

When Jeff found out the Ball was not cancelled he was furious.

"Why can't you stand up and declare our love for each other?"

"I am a Queen and the future of the entire kingdom is in my hands, Prince Geoffrey," my voice sounded cold.

"What did the Oracle show you at the end?" Jeff was quick to figure it out.

"Jeff, I feel that it is apt for you to win my hand in marriage fair and square," my eyes were emotionless.

He glared at me for awhile and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I shall fight and win your hand in marriage like the man that I am," he gave a big bow and left the court.

"The ball is in a week. I will finally turn 18. Oh Mother how I wish you are here," I whispered out loud.

"Sereni, is everything all set?" I turned to my maid in waiting who is also my trusted confidante, also the daughter of my Minister of International Diplomatic Ties.

"Yes, Your Majesty. All the invited kingdoms are all notified and indicated their full attendance."

Nitreil was a moderate size Kingdom with a strip of coastal land and gorgeous beaches. The inland part of the kingdom are full of natural resources in the mountains and rainforest. The largest trade is with its neighbouring kingdoms on crops grown in the vast fields.

Jeff still continued to stay in the castle in his assigned guest room. He felt threatened when he thought his position as the future King was secured.

The first batch of princes and young Kings arrived.

Some of the Kings who arrived were of the younger age bracket, not more than age 35. They were only a handful of Kings though, only 3 of them turned up. Some of the unmarried Kings disqualified themselves as they are not able to send younger representatives to win the Queen's hand in marriage, that is the age-old rule for Nitreil.

They needed to have virility and agility as part of the requirement to win the Queen's hand.

One prince stood out. Prince Vincent, the youngest of 3 sons of the Kingdom of Magnio. Devilishly handsome with dark brown curls and blue eyes, chiseled jaw and at least 6 feet 8 inches tall, he just turned 24. Prince Vincent's eldest bro was already the King after their father passed away two years ago. His second bro married a lesser known kingdom's second princess and live in his own castle as a Duke, with a county of his own but no throne to claim. Prince Vincent was hell bent to claim a throne for himself. Besides being a strong contender with his powerful mastery of the martial arts and wits, Prince Vincent was well versed in the arts of poetry, music and painting too.

It was rumored that the Kingdom of Magnio were practitioners of the dark arts and black magic. Advisors have warned the Queen that the royal men may use all kinds of devious tricks to sway her decision in choosing only one man to rule by her side.

The Queen wore her usual protection amulet to ward off evil magic around her neck for this purpose. It was an ancient piece created by a powerful magic woman passed down the royal heirs of the Kingdom of Nitriel. The black stone would glow and turn purple if evil energy was near.

There was a limited number of female rulers on all the lands. Queen Theeya was like a gem that all these royal men were after like bees to the nectar. To continue the royal lineage it was inevitable that she marry and bear heirs to the throne.

Another strong contender was a King who lost his Queen only 5 years ago. King George already had a son from his late Queen who died giving birth to their only heir. At only 28 King George exuded maturity and his blonde locks accentuated his green eyes and tall aristocratic nose. His greatest strength lies in his tactical skills as he won over many allies across the lands, making his Kingdom of Pernah the most powerfully connected Kingdom with good relations with almost all the Kingdoms except for one, the Kingdom of Rash.

The ruler of the Kingdom of Rash had only a princess and two princes. The second prince, Prince Arthur was an enigma. The entire kingdom produced warriors and even the royalty were trained and served in the military, including their princess who married the General of the Royal Army. The only thing that was known about Prince Arthur was that he was 22 and this was his only attempt at winning another kingdom's Queen's Hand in marriage. His dark brooding quiet presence added a shroud of mystery to him.

That evening was the Grand Ball, Queen Theeya's Coming of Age Ball.

"Happy birthday my Queen, you look so beautiful," Sereni her confidant said with awe in her voice as she looked at Theeya.

Dressed in a resplendent gold threaded royal purple ball gown, the added golden trimmings added to the appeal of the simple yet elegant ensemble. Her hair was done up with a curl left to fall to her right shoulder. Simple but expensive jewelry adorned her hair and neck, complimenting the black amulet which never left her neck.

There was a knock at her door. Sereni opened the door and found Prince Geoffrey standing in his full royal garb.

"It May be my last chance to be with you alone, may I have the honor to walk with you, Your Majesty?" Jeff asked with a bow.

His eyes could not tear away from Theeya.

"Where did your self confidence go, Jeff? No matter what happens I will always cherish you," Theeya assured him.

"I don't want to be cherished as a friend. I want to marry you," Jeff said quietly.

"You know how this is, let fate decide and see where this brings us," Theeya said while she linked her right arm with Jeff's and they walked towards the Grand Ballroom. What will happen and will Jeff stand a chance at all in a room with 58 contenders?