Chapter 97: The Bride He Chose Long Ago
Iskara gave a slight nod in acknowledgement and continued, "I see. Princess Evelyn, I believe I must express my regret for all the harm you have suffered since your stay in this kingdom. But believe me when I say this, that those responsible will be punished severely for this."
Eve was taken aback that the king cared enough to mention his regrets, and she quickly replied, "It’s alright, Your Majesty. I was just caught in unfortunate circumstances, but luckily His Highness helped me out of the situation."
He turned to Ivan and said, "You did well, Ivan."
"Thank you, Father," Ivan replied with a poker face as he continued with his meal.
Iskara then stirred the conversation to something lighter, "I heard that you are also an assigned partner with Ivan."
"That’s correct, Your Majesty," Eve replied softly.
"I hope my son is helping you with your studies?"
"He is, Your Majesty. He has been very helpful, so I was able to catch up quickly on the last semester I missed." Eve replied in a grateful tone, which is exactly what she felt towards Ivan. Even with his indifferent attitude in the beginning, he still guided her in her studies, for which she was able to do well in her exams.
Iskara smiled, "That’s good." He paused and, before continuing, "Ivan must have already told you about the upcoming court hearing regarding the abduction incident you were involved in. I would like you to know that you don’t need to worry about anything. Ivan will let you know about everything that will be expected from you in court; the rest you only need to leave it to me and him to handle."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I am very grateful for your help and support." Eve bowed her head in reverence.
Iskara nodded in approval and smiled, "This is the least I can do for all the things you have been through in my kingdom."
After that, dinner continued with some lighter conversations. When it was time to leave, Eve and Ivan stood by the same hidden door they had used earlier.,
Iskara spoke, "Forgive me for the less formal setting of our first dinner. This was only to ensure discretion for your own safety. I hope when we meet next time, it will be more in an open setting, where you wouldn’t have to use such means to travel."
Eve bowed to him in courtesy again and replied, "Please don’t mention it, Your Majesty. To be honest, this setting actually put me a little more at ease to interact with you. Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner and keeping my safety in mind."
Iskara smiled warmly at her, "Take care of yourself, Princess Evelyn. It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you again soon." He then turned to Ivan, "Take care of her son," and gave him a look that said that he approves.
Ivan gave a nod to his father and then went to pick Evelyn up in his arms again in front of his father. Her eyes widened, and she quickly stepped back and said, "It’s fine, I can walk back now."
Ivan raised a brow at her and said, "Wasn’t someone worried about getting her dress dirtied?"
She blushed crimson at him, brazenly pointing it out in front of the king, and cleared her throat, "Yes, but now I can walk back; you don’t have to worry about it."
And before he could shamelessly argue more, she gave another bow to the king and quickly stepped inside the hidden path, practically running away from Ivan to embarrass her any further.
Ivan narrowed his eyes at her retreating back, while his father chuckled at their interaction, making him remember his time with his late wife.
Ivan let out a soft sigh and gave a slight bow to his father. He then stepped inside the door for it to close behind him.
Iskara stood there for some time and whispered, "Did you see Irene? It reminds me of the time when you used to run away from me like that. Seems like our son is a passionate lover just like his father."
His thoughts drifted to a five-year-old Ivan...
who pulled on his father’s robe to gain his attention. When Iskara looked down to meet his son’s innocent molten red eyes, he heard him say, "Father, when I grow up, I’ll take her as my bride. Will you allow it?"
Iskara’s eyes widened in surprise while Queen Irene, who was already sitting inside the carriage parked at the Palace of Light, let out a soft chuckle at her son’s bold question.
Iskara quickly recovered from his brief state of surprise and smiled at his son, who never asked him for anything. He lovingly caressed his head and spoke in a low voice, "I will, my son."
And for the first time, he saw his son give him an unbridled smile, his eyes sparkled, as he bowed to him sincerely, "Thank you, Father. I shall come back for her again."
Iskara let out a soft chuckle and then picked up his son in his arms and stepped inside the carriage to head back to their kingdom.
"After so many years, I wonder how he did not remember it. He had pestered me every day since then to go back to the kingdom of Luminear."
Letting out a soft sigh, he whispered, "Maybe it was because of that incident, he had locked away all those memories related to Princess Evelyn. Maybe...she will be his salvation."
He shook his head lightly before finally heading to his bedroom to retire for the night.
...
Back in the secret passage, Eve continued to hold her dress as she walked carefully in the straight path ahead with Ivan silently trailing behind her. His eyes fixed on her form, noticing how her long brown hair swayed with every careful step she took forward. Her heels were clicking lightly against the stony path, but that didn’t reduce her elegance at all. She glided through gracefully like a leaf drifting in the calm waters.
Soon, his eyes narrowed at her foot, which she was about to place on the protruding brick, and he instantly moved to pull her against him. Startled, she crashed into him and whirled around to give him an incredulous look, "Ivan! What’s gotten into you?" she exclaimed.
He let out a sharp breath and said, "This is why I was going to carry you, look down where you were about to step."
She peered down in confusion and murmured, "It’s just a stony path..." But her voice trailed off when she noticed a brick protruding more than the others. She then turned to look at him and asked, "Is it..Is it a trap?"
"Yes," With that, he swept her off her feet, only for her to wrap her arms around his neck, and she murmured, "For a hidden passage to exit for safety, it seems more like a health hazard."
Ivan’s lips twitched at her take on the passage, "This is why I said, only royals who live in the castle are capable of using it."
She let out a sigh and remained silent for the rest of the way. Once they reached the room, she went to settle herself back on the sofa, where she started to tidy up her notebooks that were still scattered on the table. The night started to get chilly, so Ivan lit up the fireplace and removed his coat, followed by undoing his shirt buttons.
Eve’s gaze drifted to his sculpted, bare upper body when he turned to ask, "Do you want to use the bath first?"
She quickly averted her gaze and squeaked, "You can go first."
He smirked at her reaction to his bare upper body and soon disappeared behind the door leading to the bathroom.
She let out a sigh while holding her burning cheeks, ’Am I turning into a pervert, staring at him so brazenly like that?’ she thought to herself. She shook her head lightly and went back to tidying up her books.
After some time, he emerged from the bathroom, dressed in his black pajama pants and robe.
"The bathroom is free to use," he told her, then walked across the room to a wall covered with books.
"Alright," Eve replied and left to get ready for bed.
When she returned dressed in her white nightgown, she glanced around to see that all the lights of the room were snuffed out with only the fireplace and the lamps on the bedside on. Ivan now sat leisurely with his back leaning against the headboard while he intently read the book in his hand.
She walked on the other side of the bed and climbed onto it to settle beside him, covering her with a blanket, she asked, "What are you reading?"
"History," he replied.
Evelyn raised her eyebrows and asked, "Are you studying for the upcoming classes?"
"This has already been introduced in the class before."
Eve got curious about what Chapter he was on, so she scooted over until there was barely an inch gap between them, and she leaned in a little to take a peek. As she did, Ivan shifted his eyes from the book to her, watching her read like a curious little mouse.
