Prince?

"Hmm? Your words flatter me but unfortunately I must locate my betrothed." said Belladonna with a gentle smile towards the feminine figure with wafting long wavy auburn hair that resembled dancing flames, its tendrils gently caressing the side of her face. The most immediate feature of this figure was her towering stature. By no means was Belladonna short as she stood at five foot six inches but the woman before her stood roughly six feet tall.

The thing that broke Belladonna's idle curiosity filled gaze though was a soft giggle that filled the air in response to her words. Deep down the laughter had pained Belladonna for how dare this person laugh at her like a fool but on the outside that warm smile permeated the air. Belladonna tongue though wanting to politely excuse herself realized that there may be more to this person than meets the eye.

The figure had a bit of a boyish charm to them. Despite their long wavy hair they clearly wore no makeup or at the bare minimum none that Belladonna had noticed. Their figure upon a second inspection yielded that despite the subtle budding curves they were clearly lean and tone which was on display between the various armor pieces which made up a knight's regalia that bore the colors of interweaving vibrant reds and blues.

However the following action by the figure absolutely froze any idle thoughts within Belladonna mind as in a flurry of motion the figure pulled her by the waist with one hand so they were joined hip to hip as the other gently tilted her chin up she was forced to gaze up into those ruby irises which reflected her rosy red cheeks.

Belladonna could not muster any words in her current predicament as her hands gently pressed against the figure's chest in hopes of putting some distance between the two of them however her efforts were of little to no avail. She was simply a rabbit in the wolf's maw.

"Seems the little flower is willing to let another take advantage of her even while being betrothed. Do you have anything to say for yourself."

However Belladonna's replay was to turn to look at the ambassador in hope of aid but they were met with a gentle shrug before they turned and walked away leaving Belladonna to fend for herself. With a racing mind it was clear to her that this person should hold at least some ranking title for no other reason for the ambassador not to aid her or for this person to be here for as noted by the ambassador this was the royal garden.

"Apparently my flower doesn't even show any sign of remorse. Maybe you are just so smitten by my beauty?"

Belladonna however was lost in her train of thought and had not heard nor realized her situation. The thing that finally snapped her out of her stupor were the soft luscious lips of her capture pressing against her cheek. In a moment everything snapped back to reality as Belladonna immediately began to stumble through her words to muster up some form of resistance.

"This is ... The prince will ... You can't!"

"I can't what?"

"I know you may be part of the royal family but I am owed to the high prince!"

"Well it is only the playing of two girls. Nothing too serious though, flower." replied the figure with a disgustingly breath taking smirk that made Belladonna wanna punch them and lean in at the same time.

"It is still indecent even if it is just too girls playing!" Belladonna squeaks were met with a giggle.

"Maybe here in Valaresh we share brides?" were the simple words muttered that managed to petrify Belladonna in fear.

"Was this a custom she hadn't known about? Was she meant to serve the whole royal family? Was she nothing more than a toy?" filled Belladonna's head as she began to sink into her shadows once more for it seemed her hope had begun to dim.

"Flower? Flower? Flower?" said the figure gently placing kiss after kiss on Belladonna's face hoping to continue to tease her but it was clear that their flirting had gone a bit too far. The figure began to panic upon the dawning realization of how they dealt with this situation and then as if to further push them into guilt, tears began to roll down Belladonna's porcelain cheeks.

"Flower I humbly apologize for my flirting. I just wished to make a good impression on my bride to be though it seems that my approach to the matter at hand was flawed. Please accept my apologies and hopefully allow me to mend the situation."

The words uttered by the unknown figure began to sow confusion into Belladonna's mind before shifting her focus onto one simple word, "MY". A simple word was the key that began to turn the gears in her mind once more. It finally made sense to her.

"Wait your High Prince Ishara?"

"Yes I am? Pleasure to make your acquaintance." said the figure as they had already begun to take a few steps back but now utilized the new spacing between them to offer a small humble half bow.

"Wait but you're not a prince?"

"Yes technically I am princess but I know of the customs of Soltaria and well I doubt my offer would have been accepted if my identity was truly known not to mention your country's clearly patriarchal nature."

"Then I am yours?"

"Yes by common tradition however I don't expect your love or adoration immediately. Furthermore I don't wish to bound you to me unless you wish to formally accept me. Though I clearly made a fool of myself in my hopes of courting you."

"Wait pardon me Princess Ishara but why me?"

"I learned of your situation through my handmaiden's idle gossip. Something about the situation revolving around you seemed a bit suspicious which peaked my curiosity so I decided to looking into it. I learned of you and your situation which honestly lead to me becoming a bit smitten but also annoyed at your predicament."