Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 61

“You,” he began, running his hands through his hair which he did not style for the festival, but he still looked good, “I saw you hug Lara’s uncle. Why did you embrace that foul creature like that?”

‘Oh,’ she thought, ‘So that is why he is looking at me like a jealous boyfriend right now or like he just caught me cheating on him.’

She placed her arms out with her palms facing forward, looking defensive. She did not want the prince to get the wrong idea about her intentions.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she clarified, “I was just acting. I was trying to seduce him so that he could tell me the truth. If I approached him differently, he would not have told me what I wanted to hear.”

Prince Yashiro twisted his mouth, half believing some of the words coming out of her mouth. To him, it did not look like she was acting intimate with Lara’s uncle so that he could tell her the truth. To him, it seemed like she genuinely wanted him at that moment, although that was not the case for Astoria. Right now, his mind and rationality were clouded with jealousy.

“You do not believe me?” she asked him, crossing her arms and frowning.

He said nothing and pressed his lips together, a slight frown on his face.

“Well,” she continued after seeing that he was not going to answer her, “As a matter of fact, when I entered this house with you and Lara, I had noticed that the fox was staring at me with lustful eyes. I figured I could use that to my advantage and get him to spill the truth. That is all there is to it, whether you believe me or not.”

There was silence in the room. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. A few minutes passed with them just sitting in silence, and Prince Yashiro let out an exasperated sigh.

“I know you were just acting,” he told her, clasping his hands over his head, “but still…I hated seeing you in the arms of another man. You belong to me, and I to you so…”

She internally smiled.

“Yes,” he heard her say, causing him to lift his head up and stare at her, “I know that, so I am sorry if I made you doubt me or if I made you jealous.”

Astoria was not saying this to mend her relationship with him, but it was to save Nexi’s marriage. She cannot have him thinking Nexi is a cheater or skank. From the fictional and fantasy books she read, she knew about this scene unfolding in front of her. She knew how men can be jealous when it comes to their lovers. She, herself, did not like it when she had to wrap her arms around Lara’s uncle’s neck and seduce him.

She almost threw up that time and was really holding herself back from punching the uncle’s face, kicking him in the chest, or even breaking his hands. However, she had known that she had to remain calm and collected. She had to make sure she did her job as a policewoman correctly, even if she was not a policewoman of this world.

“J-jealous?” the fox prince stammered, “Who said I’m j-jealous?”

She covered her mouth and let out a soft chuckle.

“Of course you are,” she told him, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hand, “You cannot even say the word ‘jealous’ with stammering.”

“I am not,” he said firmly, his voice increasing in pitch at the word ‘not.’

This caused Astoria to laugh a bit louder and clap her hands.

“Since your pride is on the line,” she told him, leaning back and giving him a playful wink, “I will just agree with you that you are not jealous. Although, you have nothing to be jealous of. I am your fiancé, remember? So my heart and soul only belong to you.”

She shook her head, tilted it down, and placed her hand on her heart.

‘Geez Astoria,’ she told herself, ‘That was so cheesy. What do you mean your heart and soul belong to him? Well, I meant Nexi’s.’

She heard a soft, deep chuckle and looked up to find the fox prince’s face was beaming because of what she told him. He was over the moon right now because of her precious words and reaffirmation. Yes, her heart and soul did belong to him, so any man who would touch her or harm her would be torn into pieces.

There was a knock on the door. The royal guards and Doctor Xion had arrived. There was also a carriage for Lara’s sick grandmother. The fox prince informed them of where Lara’s uncle was and where they would find her grandmother.

Astoria walked with the royal guards into Lara’s room, who was now fully awake upon hearing the commotion downstairs. She walked to the little fox’s side and held her hand.

“These are the royal guards, and they came to help your grandmother,” she told the little fox, “Your grandmother will be staying in the hospital until she has finished her oral surgery and has fully healed.”

“W-what about me?” Lara asked Astoria.

“You will stay at the palace until then,” she replied, smiling with her eyes and mouth, “Once your grandmother is healed, prince Yashiro will provide a house for you two to live in. You can forget about the bad memories that occurred in this house because of your uncle. You can be happy again, little fox.”

Lara nodded eagerly, happy that her grandmother would finally get the medical assistance she needed. Glad that she was going to live with her grandmother in peace. That she would live a happy life free from abuse and mistreatment.

She watched as Doctor Xion examined her sick grandmother. He wrote a few notes down in his book, ushered the guards to place her on the stretcher, and put her inside the carriage. This carriage was used for medical purposes only, so it was much wider and more spacious than a standard carriage.

The royal guards took Lara’s grandmother, with Doctor Xion following close behind them. Astoria waited for Lara to pack a few of her clothes in a disheveled suitcase. Once the little fox was done, she followed Astoria to the living room. Lara saw that her uncle was tied up and taken away by the royal guards.

She stepped back, her mouth wide open. She froze and stared with wide eyes and raised eyebrows as her uncle snarled and growled at the guards who were taking him to one of the horses. She blinked back tears as she realized that it really was finally over. She really was free and could live happily again.

“It really is over,” Lara heard Astoria tell her.

Astoria held her hand out for the little fox to hold. Lara slowly stretched her hand out and entwined it with the princess’. They walked outside to find prince Yashiro discussing a few things with Doctor Xion. The carriage which Lara’s uncle was in had left. Doctor Xion nodded a few times at what the fox prince told him.

Doctor Xion stepped inside the carriage containing Lara’s grandmother and left. The only people who were now present were Lara, prince Yashiro and herself. She and Lara watched as prince Yashiro approached them. The fox prince stared at his watch and saw that it was now 4pm. It was now getting dark as well.

“We should also get going,” he told them.

There was another carriage that Astoria had not noticed until now. Prince Yashiro walked towards it, Lara and herself following him. The royal driver opened the door of the carriage for them. The fox prince crouched down and picked Lara up, completely catching her by surprise as she blinked multiple times. He placed her inside the carriage and gave her her suitcase.

“Want me to carry you too?” he playfully asked Astoria, whose gaze was fixed on his.

“W-what? No, I-I can get in myself,” she stammered, stepping inside the carriage.

She heard the fox prince chuckle behind her, and she blushed as she sat down next to Lara.

‘Gosh,’ she thought, taking a seat next to Lara, ‘I can be such a sucker for him sometimes, and he is not even my fiance. It shows that I am getting swayed easily because I have never experienced romance before.’

She let out a long sigh and rubbed her eyes.

“Are you okay, princess Nexi?” she heard a tiny voice ask her.

She turned her head and faced Lara, who had a worried look on her face and thought that the princess was not feeling well because of the long sigh she let out. She placed her hands on top of Lara’s and nodded.

“I am just fine,” she told the little fox, “Especially since I managed to save you and your grandmother.”