— The Princess The Kingdom Lost
The Silver Palace had never looked so alive.
From the highest towers down to the marble staircases below, servants rushed endlessly through the halls while nobles whispered like wildfire had suddenly erupted through the kingdom.
Because —
Louis Toran Alaric had personally ordered the entire royal court assembled before sunset.
No explanation.
No warning.
Only one terrifying command.
"Attendance is mandatory."
Which meant nobody dared refuse.
Inside the grand throne hall, tension wrapped around the room like a tightening chain.
Ministers stood in organized rows beneath towering silver pillars while dukes, generals, royal advisors, and foreign envoys waited cautiously in absolute silence.
Even the Highcrest royal family looked overwhelmed.
Royals of Highcrest sat stiffly near the front, continuously glancing toward the massive entrance doors with visible unease.
Beside them—
The younger royals-- distant relatives whispered quietly among themselves.
"…Do you think we're about to witness history?"
"I think we're about to witness Louis terrifying an entire continent just to welcome someone."
Nearby, someone muttered under his breath.
"Same thing."
"Who is it?" Another asked but no one knows.
Meanwhile—
At the very center of the hall—
The Silver Throne remained empty. A new smaller seat similar to Louis throne was placed beside it.
"....Strange, it's for who?" Whispers everywhere.
And somehow that empty throne frightened everyone more than if Louis had already been sitting there.
Then—
BOOM.
The palace doors opened.
Every conversation died instantly.
Silver knights entered first in perfect formation.
Then came Sir Cedric.
Then Kingston.
And finally—
Roseline.
The entire court froze.
Because the young woman walking quietly beside the Silver King looked nothing like the terrifying rumors surrounding her.
She looked soft.
Graceful.
Calm despite the thousands of eyes staring directly at her.
Her silver-white gown flowed behind her like moonlight touching snow while delicate jewels rested against her hair.
And beside her—
Louis walked with the kind of cold authority that made rulers lower their heads instinctively.
Only that tonight—
Something felt different.
Because every few seconds—
The Silver King glanced at Roseline.
Not the court.
Not the ministers.
Her.
Like he was making sure she remained comfortable breathing the same air as everyone else.
The nobles noticed immediately.
Louis reached the throne platform before finally speaking.
"Raise your heads."
The command echoed sharply.
Everyone obeyed instantly.
Roseline stood beside him now, appearing calm despite the overwhelming atmosphere surrounding the hall.
Louis noticed immediately.
Of course he did. He smiled.
Without warning—
He pulled his throne slightly closer toward her side.
The entire court blinked.
Because the Silver Throne—
The throne carved for conquerors and kings—
Had just been moved because of her.
No one can tell who the lady is.
Louis always uses mask. So no one saw the resemblance. Few people can identify him without a mask.
Though some of the royals are already speculating, shocked, while some are curious.
Nobody knew how to process what is going on.
Roseline whispered softly beside him.
"…Louis, everyone is staring."
"They may continue."
The court: Silence.
Kingston quietly covered his face.
Even the maids and guards who followed kingston and Roseline from armathia looked seconds away from laughing.
Louis finally turned toward the assembly.
His silver eyes swept across the hall slowly.
Coldly.
"Several years ago," he began calmly, "the royal family of Alaric lost its youngest child."
Silence consumed the room instantly.
Many nobles visibly stiffened.
Because everyone knew this story.
The tragedy of the rebellion. The palace bloodbath. The killing of the former King and Queen and the entire royals in the palace on that dreadful day, only those who live outside the palace or left the palace for royal duty that day were alive. And the missing princess that had haunted the kingdom for years. Some even said she's dead.
Louis continued.
"We searched battlefields. Villages. Borders. Graves."
His voice never cracked.
Yet somehow the pain beneath it still reached everyone listening.
"But we failed to find her."
Roseline lowered her eyes quietly beside him.
Louis looked at her then.
And the terrifying king softened instantly.
The change was so immediate several nobles nearly looked physically disturbed witnessing it.
"She survived alone," he said quietly.
"She suffered while this kingdom celebrated inside safe walls."
The court grew even quieter.
"And while I failed to protect her…"
Louis slowly reached for Roseline's hand.
"…others did."
His gaze briefly shifted toward the Armathia royal family.
Crown prince Kingston Alexander immediately straightened.
"For that," Louis said firmly, "the Kingdom of Highcrest and the entire House of Toran owes House Armathia a debt that will never be forgotten."
Shock visibly spread across the nobles.
Because this.....
Then—
The Silver King finally turned back toward the court.
"From this day onward," he declared, voice echoing across the throne hall, "Roseline Evelynn Alaric is officially recognized as the lost Princess of Alaric."
The hall exploded.
Gasps.
Whispers.
Utter disbelief.
Some nobles nearly collapsed trying to bow quickly enough.
Several ministers looked ready to faint entirely.
Because the rumors had been true.
The mysterious woman who shook the Silver Palace, And the news circulating —
She was royal blood.
His sister.
His princess.
And judging from the terrifying possessiveness radiating from the throne—
Untouchable.
Louis lifted one hand slightly.
Silence immediately returned.
"Any insult toward her," he continued coldly, "will be treated as treason against the crown itself."
Louis was not finished.
"Any threat toward her…"
His silver eyes darkened dangerously.
"…will be erased."
The room turned ice cold.
Even foreign envoys avoided blinking.
Roseline quietly tugged his sleeve afterward.
"…Louis."
His expression softened instantly.
"Yes?"
The entire court looked emotionally exhausted already.
Roseline whispered carefully.
"You're scaring them."
Louis looked genuinely confused.
"They should be scared."
Kingston immediately started coughing to hide laughter.
Even Sir Cedric looked moments away from losing professionalism.
Meanwhile—
The court realized something, seeing the gentle side of their king....
The Silver King was not behaving like a ruler tonight.
He was behaving like an older brother who had finally gotten his baby sister back after years of grief.
One elderly duke carefully stepped forward afterward and bowed deeply.
"We welcome Her Highness home."
Immediately the rest of the court followed.
"Welcome home, Your Highness!"
The voices thundered through the hall together.
Roseline froze slightly at the sound.
A place where she belonged —
She truly felt it.
Not as a guest.
Not as someone wandering between kingdoms.
But as family.
Louis noticed the faint emotion in her eyes.
His expression softened again.
Then without warning—
The king removed the royal fur cloak from his own shoulders and wrapped it around Roseline himself.
The court: Absolute silence.
Because that cloak carried the royal crest of Alaric.
Kings did not casually remove it.
Kings definitely did not place it around someone else in front of the entire kingdom.
But Louis adjusted it around Roseline carefully anyway before asking quietly—
"Are you cold?"
Roseline stared at him helplessly.
"…No."
"You looked cold."
"…Louis."
"You may keep it."
The ministers collectively looked like they wanted to scream.
That cloak alone was probably worth more than several noble estates.
It was meant for only the kings.
But the Silver King looked entirely serious.
Louis turned toward the royal attendants sharply.
"Prepare the eastern palace."
One servant blinked nervously.
"Your Majesty… the eastern palace is usually reserved for Queen—"
"My sister."
"Yes, Your Majesty." He shut his mouth.
"Double the guards."
"…Yes, Your Majesty."
"No," Louis corrected coldly. "Triple them."
Roseline looked horrified now.
"Louis, I am not under siege."
"You were literally attacked three days ago."
"That was different."
"It was not."
Kingston quietly whispered nearby—
"He's going to lock her inside a fortress. A personal guard whispered back immediately—
"At this point I think the fortress is for the continent's protection, not hers.."
********^^^
Awwwnn. What a protective brothe
@Queenzayn