Without a doubt, there was nothing more exciting than the beginning of a new season, this not only excited the queen, but all of high society. Even more so, when the presence of a certain prince in search of a fiancée was on the way to give her more seasoning. A prince who, tired of the long journey, was finally able to get out of the carriage to stretch his legs. He looked sideways at her sister, she was happy, because she didn't come looking for a wife, everything was like a vacation for her.

Then he turned her attention to the hostess, Lady Irin, who bowed slightly and murmured a soft welcome to his highness. She seemed nice to the naked eye, he immediately understood why Becky was friends with her. They both walked in front of him as they talked about the royal ball that would take place that night. The mansion where they would stay was quite large, and it had beautiful gardens around it, which the prince wanted to explore, he liked to walk in nature and lose himself in his own thoughts, without being under the scrutiny of others.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I hope your majesties are not tired, since we must go visit the queen. Yesterday I received a message from her that ordered me to take you to her presence as soon as you arrived," Lady Irin said once they reached the hall of the house.

Richie watched his sister for a second, nodding. She understood that he agreed. The reality was that the prince wanted to end everything as soon as possible, but he had to wait for his sister's negotiations, so visiting the queen as soon as possible meant a certain advantage.

"It will be an honor to go visit the queen, Lady Irin, the trip was not as exhausting as we thought, there is nothing to worry about," the princess replied with a smile.

"It's true, it will be a pleasure to meet the queen," added the prince.

Lady Irin smiled with sincere joy, she was worried that her guests were really tired and not wanting to go see the queen, who was always attentive to details, so she would notice if they did not have the best attitude.

"Very well, I'll leave you for a moment, I must speak to my housekeeper, the carriage will be ready shortly, you can get in first," said Lady Irin, quickly leaving.

Once Lady Irin left, the princess took advantage of the moment alone with her brother to talk.

"See, Richie? I told you there was nothing to worry about. If I can talk to the queen as soon as possible, the better it will be for both of us, it may not be necessary for you to marry, but your attempt will appease the wrath of our kings."

"I saw how your eyes sparkled when Lady Irin mentioned visiting the queen, you're cheeky, sister," the prince replied with a laugh.

"I'm just doing my duty. Besides, I don't think you'll get bored that much, you'll see."

Richie smiled at her, of course her sister would be more optimistic, she had always been like that. He followed her to the carriage thinking that maybe she Becky would be a better heiress than him, but he would never force her to assume such a role. No, the best thing was for him to do her duty, to protect her from an unhappy life, in a marriage where there would never be love from her.

The ride to the queen's palace was relatively short and very pleasant, Lady Irin told both of them about the queen's tragic love story, the reason why she ruled alone. She also warned them that if the queen didn't mention anything about it, it was better not to bring it up. Regarding the meeting they would have with her, it would be somewhat brief, since they would later attend the presentation of the debutants of the season.

"Of course, your highness will play a major role there," Lady Irin said, looking directly at the prince.

"What do you mean, Lady Irin?" the prince asked with genuine curiosity.

"The queen will present you as her special guest, and it is possible that she will try to accommodate you with her choice of diamond, although she may not. The queen is very special, you will see."

"I think it will be interesting to meet the queen after all," the prince smiled at Lady Irin, who briefly avoided her gaze.

"You didn't tell me that your brother could be so charming, dear, I'm sure he will do very well this season." This time Lady Irin addressed the princess.

"I'm sure yes, he has more charisma than he thinks. Although he can be a bit slippery with the idea of marriage," the princess laughed, rubbing off on Lady Irin.

When he arrived at the palace, not only the servants were there to receive him, but the queen herself, who could hardly hide her curiosity about the noble guests. After an exchange of formal greetings, the small group proceeded to the queen's personal terrace, where she had already arranged tea and other sweets to wash it down.

The day promised to be sunny, though cool, as it often was in spring weather. Very close to the terrace, several cherry blossoms could be seen, which had scattered quite a few pink petals on the grass. A footman had tried to have them picked up and cleaned, but the queen ordered him to leave them, for she pleased the eye.

"So, Prince Richard, Princess Rebecca, my dear Lady Irin tells me, they are visiting to enjoy the new season," Queen Nam spoke, as silence fell after scolding the footman.

"That's right, Your Majesty. We also hope to find a good wife for my dear brother," replied the princess, smiling. The queen raised an eyebrow at her, then gently set the cup of tea down on her saucer before speaking.

"I guess you're also hoping I'll select my diamond to speed up the process, right?"

"I may be interested in your choice, your majesty. But that doesn't necessarily define who my wife will be," said the prince.

"What my brother means, your majesty, is that he would like to marry for love, even if it is something difficult to find," the princess spoke quickly, not wanting the queen to be offended.

"Yes, it can be a bit difficult for people like us to find, but not impossible. It's just that sometimes love isn't what you expect it to be," replied the queen.

The queen sighed, and her gaze was lost in the horizon for a few seconds, her affable face had become sad and even melancholic. The princess gave her brother a scolding look, somehow they had made the queen sad.

"But I'm sure it's something worthwhile, your Majesty. I have seen it in my parents, that's why I look for something like that, it's not just doing my duty, I would like to find a woman with whom I could share my whole life, and if that woman turns out to be your diamond, it will be quite a blessing without a doubt," said the prince, smiling.

The queen seemed to accept it, but before she could speak, her butler indicated that it was time to get ready for the ceremony. As she stood up, she looked at her guests with a faint smile before speaking.

"Very well, darlings, I must get ready for the ceremony. You may stay here a while longer, then I will do you the honor of entering with me the ballroom where all the debutantes will appear, and I assure you, prince Richard, you will be delighted with my choice."

Saying this, she left, leaving the guests alone with the palace guards. The princess let out a sigh, without realizing she had been holding her breath, clearly that talk had not gone as she expected.

"Don't worry, I think she took it well. I did not see that her majesty was angry," Lady Irin said to calm her down.

"I really hope we haven't offended her. I had the perception that my brother's unfortunate comment made her a little nostalgic."

"I didn't mean to, sister, I'm sorry."

"You'll have to let me speak first, brother, I think it's for the best. All you have to do is follow me and try to smile as much as you can. We are visiting this kingdom and we cannot bother the queen," the princess said with clear annoyance.

"Yes, I will do it. I shouldn't have said what I said, maybe I can..."

"No, it's too late to take it back. Let me fix this my way, it will be for the best."

"It's okay, sister."

Lady Irin barely contained the urge to laugh, hereally seemed like the little brother instead of the princess, from how shescolded him. She found the prince's concern about having let down her sister,who clearly had more experience conversing with high-ranking people, endearing.The prince had been a bit brave in her declaration, but he could also be a bitstupid if the queen wasn't so understanding and benevolent. Something told LadyIrin that the siblings would be quite fun to be around this season, they reallywere an endearing duo.