Chapter 39

"You can mingle with others another time, Gina. Right now, I am here to have some fun with my grandmother but it seems we also have to be on the lookout for Killian Bune. Cyrus, please scout the area and report anything you find out of place. You might wish to prove yourself worthy if you ever see Killian but I order you to return to my side if you run into him than fight," Amelia said.

She could tell after their run-in with Killian, that Cyrus was upset he was not able to fight and protect her. It was understandable he would want to show he was capable of protecting her considering the fact she picked him over many Blackwell guards. However, they needed to play smart rather than focus on restoring honor.

Amelia messed up by storming into the throne room to confront her father only to be sent away as live bait. Rather than arguing with her father when there was no one to back her and shield her from his punishments, what happened with Killian was an eye-opener for her to control her emotions and do things smartly.

"Why do you think Killian would come to the queen's home?" Cyrus didn't think the king would hold the old woman captive to get at her son. He had Amelia within his reach and sent her away so his plan wasn't to use another Blackwell to mess with the king.

"My grandmother told me she once spoke with Killian without my father's knowledge. If there is a person the king of the north might use as a middleman to relay his words to my father, that person would be my grandmother. I don't think the king of the north cares about war," said Amelia.

If he did, he could have marched more of his men unto their land. Killian was traveling in a small group most likely to avoid loss on his side as he just wanted her father's head for the people he killed.

"I agree he might just be after your father. If he kills your father, he can either place one of his relatives on the Blackwell throne or he will put a Blackwell he trusts on the throne. One that will listen to him if they do not want to die. I will scout the land until you are ready to depart," Cyrus bowed then walked away from Amelia and Gina.

"If Killian kills your father and places one of his relatives on the throne, it won't end well for the people of the Blackwell kingdom. I hope he only came here to take your father's head back to the north," Gina feared the future state of the two kingdoms.

"Whatever happens, I am going to try my best to make sure no one from this kingdom has to live in fear. Even if I have to die trying. My grandmother suggested that I marry Killian Bune for peace but I am against it. The North hates the Blackwells and I do not want to leave my home. I would never have a good future in the north," Amelia confidently stated.

"I wouldn't want you to go to the north either. I would have to join you but I would be scared out of my mind. The only saving grace would be how good-looking they say the men of the north are. How depressing would it be if my husband was out there this entire time?" Gina's shoulders dropped. "It explains why I am not married yet. My husband is not in this kingdom."

"Gina, I am not the expert in this sort of thing but rather than stressing about who your husband will be, why don't you just allow him to find you naturally? Why are you in a rush to get married so quickly? Trust me, it's a blessing to be able to get to know the men around you through dating and then later settling down with the man you like rather than meeting someone one day and there's talk of marriage when you barely know them."

Amelia was referring to her own future. She wasn't in a position like Gina to be able to take time choosing the man she wished to spend her life with. She had to be quick in choosing a partner and it was likely that she might never love her husband. Her marriage would solely be to strengthen her position in the castle.

Amelia knew how much Gina wanted to find the man of her dreams but she wanted her friend to take her time and not choose the wrong man because she was going off on looks. Amelia would love to be in Gina's position where she could marry for love but as a princess, she knew to never expect such a thing.

Gina on the other hand wished to tell Amelia she wanted to get married quickly so she could soon end having to work as a maid in the castle. Her husband would work while she was the one to stay at home and take care of the children. She was young but she did not wish to get a certain age and was still not married.

"I suppose he will come when I am not looking," Gina replied. She was aware of how Amelia would not be in the position to marry for love and never get her happily ever after. "For the rest of this trip, I will not think about men and neither will you. This is a girl's trip."

"Gina, you have forgotten Cyrus is here with us and I can bet my crown he will not want to do anything girly with us," Amelia could picture him frowning just from hearing Gina calling this a girls trip.

"Please," Gina disagreed. "He listens to every word you say. I'd bet if you ordered him to wear a dress he would do it. For the longest time, I confused his loyalty for him having feelings for you. That's out the window now that we know he is searching for someone."