Chapter Three

"Your majesty,"

His special advisor said coming to stand by him, Lance looked at him.

"What is it?"

"Sorry to disturb your relaxing time but the soon to be queen wants to speak to you on the phone,"

He revealed, Lance was in no mood to speak to the would-be queen, in fact, he wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone, he was waiting for the maiden he sent out to return, he had asked if she had returned a couple of times and it was the same report, she should have been back hours ago, it wasn't that hard of an assignment that he gave her.

"Tell her to tell you whatever she wants to say and you can relay it to me later, I am not in the mood to speak with anyone right now,"

He ordered, walking back into his chamber.

"But my king,"

"No, but Patrick, or else you want to spend the rest of your week in prison,"

"Sorry, my king,"

He said and left, Lance checked the time again, it was past twenty o clock already.

"Why isn't she back?"

He asked himself as he stood up and walked out of his chamber, he called on one of his guards.

"Go check if the maiden I sent out is back already, it's being hours,"

"Yes, your majesty,"

The guard said as he bowed and walked off, Lance returned to his chamber, he already had a bad feeling about this, he should have had a guard go with them earlier but he hasn't wanted a lot of people to know the diamonds were being delivered and besides they weren't going to anywhere dangerous so he hadn't thought a guard was necessary, now he wished he had, not that she had a phone that they could call her with another thing he should change soon, the staffs were not given phones in the palace and his life would have been easier if she had gone with a phone, what's keeping so long anyway, he just hoped he hasn't done something that would put her life in danger, but then there was nothing dangerous about it except the worth of the diamonds he had asked her to deliver, a knock came on the door before the guard he sent came in.

"My king, she isn't back yet,"

He relayed.

"Okay, keep an eye out, once she comes in let me know okay?"

He said and dismissed the guard, being king of an almost failing kingdom fir nearly five years now he had tried his best to do what's best by his people but sometimes his best wasn't enough and he had to live with the fact that it will take years and years to rebuild the kingdom which his half brother had left in ruin, as a young boy, Lance didn't have much interest in being king, he wasn't even next in line, he had been a product of a mistress and was never once considered for the king's post, he wasn't trainee to be king and didn't even know he will be king one day, he had spent most of his young days abroad, with no thought if ever ruling this kingdom, that changed five years ago when his father on his sick bed had ask him to return home,he hadn't wanted to because his father hadn't being the best dad,in fact his father had not been a father to him, he barely saw him just as he never saw his mom, he couldn't blame his mom though, she didn't have any power and had given him away when he was born, and the last time he saw her was when he was ten years old.

Coming back to the kingdom after almost ten years away had been the hardest decision he had made, then his father had told him, he had to rule because his older stepbrother who was the acting king was bringing the kingdom down, in less than two years if his rule, his brother had succeeded in bringing a once growing economy of Otano down, it had taken a while for him to build trust among the elders and he resumed his duties as acting king, a year after that his father passed away and the elders hadn't thought twice to crown him their new king, five years into the run and he was still trying to fix the mess his older brother created, of course, that made him an enemy to Justin who despite being in the kingdom was banished from the palace.

"My king,"

Patrick said entering his chamber and disturbing his thinking.

"What is it this time Patrick, if you are going to deliver the message from the soon to be the queen then you can wait till tomorrow, I am in no mood to hear her nonsense talks right now,"

Lance warned.

"Why are you so on the edge Lance, you are making me seem like the bad person here, I am just doing my joke, don't be such a pussy,"

Patrick said and Lance eyes him, Patrick wasn't just his special advisor but also his best friend, might be his only friend in the whole kingdom, which is why he made him a special advisor, it was easy to relate with someone he was already used to, while he was away from the kingdom, Patrick had been his only source of information about the kingdom, it was only right for him to repay him even though he was regretting it now, the man was a pest, and only him could talk him down, even though he always does it when they were alone.

"I am not on the edge,"

"I think you are, first you threatened to get me locked up, you only say that when you have something disturbing you, is it because of the maiden? I am sure she will be back soon,"

"She should be back already, that's the point here, and I should already get the call that the diamonds were delivered,"

He let out.

"Well, I don't know, I told you this wasn't the time to send it but you refused,  that aside, what should I tell the nagging woman on the phone, she isn't taking any excuses,"

"Tell her whatever, it's not as if our union is a love match she should stop trying already, or I might call off the wedding altogether, I hate pests,"

He said in a dismissing voice, Patrick got the memo and left him, he checked his time again and let out a sigh, he just hope nothing bad had hoped, he should have sent a guard with them but he had wanted to be careful now he regrets not doing so.