"You received guests without actually informing me? What do you take me for?" Isadora asked her nose flaring. She couldn’t keep her emotions on check despite the fact that Jade was just by their side. Lord! What picture was she portraying to their guest? And she raised her voice on her uncle...again? She must be courting death. And considering how proud her uncle was, she knew this would never go unpunished. And as if the devil was on her side,

"How dare you raise your voice to your King, princess?" Griffin asked. He couldn’t watch Isadora hurt his pride especially in the presence of Lady Jade. He threw a quick glance at her direction and what was that look on her face? Was she angry? But at who? Hell it would only be him.

"I’m sorry Your Majesty," Isadora apologized though she noticed something was off between the two. Why was Griffin acting so strange around this lady? He was almost immune to women so how...what the hell had happened to him, the ever cold King Griffin?

"What’s your opinion on this, My Lady?" Griffin asked turning to face Jade. Was he going to ask for her consent to forgive me? Isadora rolled her eyes at this.

"I don’t think I have anything to say Your Majesty. It is just but a family affair. But if asked, I would advice you apologize instead of her. You wronged her as a princess and not the other way round, " Jade voiced her opinion earning a frown from Griffin. He, a king, should apologize to a princess? Was this a joke or something. He laughed hysterically at the statement. Maybe she wanted to see the sympathetic version of him.

"You want me, a king, to apologize to a princess? Never in a thousand decades had such a thing ever happened. I don’t want to be the one to break history," he said.

"Men have great ego," Jade scoffed making Griffin’s face turn all shades darker. Was that ego? Maybe pride, but manly ego? And why did she say so? Didn’t she like prideful men, like him? Hell why would he care who or what she liked? He berated himself. What was wrong with him? Trying to please a woman was not in his nature, it was supposed to be the other way round, right? He was a king and women should be seeking him!

"I actually came to visit Her Highness, Princess Isadora," Jade said gesturing towards where Isadora was standing, still spellbound by the little drama unfolding in front of her.

"Is that so? I never thought my niece would have a ’Royal’ friend," Griffin said rolling his eyes at the word ’Royal’. It looked awkward...no awful! Didn’t someone tell him he was just bad at talking to women?

"Consider myself one," Lady Jade said looking him in the eye. But as shy and inexperienced as the Almighty King Griffin was with women, he ended up looking everywhere else but her face.

"If that’s the case, I guess I’ll leave the two of you alone," he said and stood on the same spot hesitant to leave. This was awkward now! Why was his feet rendering him lame when he so much wanted to step away from this woman. She was danger to him! She was doing things to him he couldn’t even explain and yet...damn it!

"It was a pleasure meeting with you, Your Majesty," Jade said lifting the awkward silence between the two. If Isadora was awed before, then this blew her mind. King Griffin, short of words to a lady?

Griffin didn’t know how but he found his itchy hands taking Jades and before he knew it, he had planted a kiss on her delicate fingers. He could feel her quiver and stiffen under his touch, the feeling of his cold lips on her skin making her flush red. "The pleasure mine, My Lady," he said lifting his face to meet with her gaze for the first time. Lord! She was sinfully beautiful. And her eyes...damn it! He raked his fingers through his hair letting his gaze dart everywhere else but her. He was afraid he would do something regrettable if he stared at her angelic face and alluring lips for another second.

"Umm... I was leaving," he said noticing a surprised Isadora. What was with that look on her face? He raised a brow at her but she ended up knitting her brows. Oh, he was leaving. "I hope you two will have some good time together," he added before turning around to leave. His face was a mix of emotions right now. He was feeling silly because of the way that woman affected him and embarrassed because he had shown a version of him that defined his weakness. But women were never his weakness until she...damn it! What the hell had she done to him? He even went as far as to kiss her knuckles without her consent. Where had his self control flew to that moment? 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

But he forgot the bad thoughts when he remembered the feel of his lips on her delicate skin. What did she think of him? She had flinched when he took her hand and it made him worried. Didn’t she ...like him? Like? Since when had king Griffin ever considered to be liked by someone, especially a woman?

"So you wanted to see me?" Isadora asked Jade who was watching Griffin’s exiting silhouette in an unreadable expression.

"Oh yeah," she said tearing her gaze from Griffin’s exiting figure.

"So, what is it that you want to talk about with me?" Isadora asked. She had referred to her as a ’Royal’ friend, something that Isa found uncomfortable. She didn’t like making friends randomly. And she was just too old to be her friend. That, Isadora could tell despite her young and lush looking body. Her eyes held ages of wisdom that couldn’t go unnoticed by anyone who looked keenly. Her beauty might deceive you she is young but behind that flawless skin and alluring smile stood a strong woman. How Isadora knew that, she couldn’t tell.