Chapter 2 : Strawberry Cake

"But I wanna keep her."

He states in a rather whine-like manner, completely catches the beautiful woman off guard. 

You could tell by the way her pretty eyes went wide. She's surprised by her son's choice of words.

A certain man who appears to be in his early fifties walks up to her and bows. She strips her gaze away momentarily. 

The man had a gun on his side and something like a white wire connected to his ear. You can only assume he's of the guards. 

The Queen intently hears him out and then smiles, nodding approvingly to whatever he's told her. "We'll be there in a second." 

She replies in a soft whisper and he bows dismissively before taking his leave. 

Then she sends your mother a nervous grin before turning towards her son. Judging by the way she's biting her lip exposes her inner thoughts. Should she say it or not?

"Zale, sweetheart." The queen's hesitant voice trails off. "Your little friend needs to go to her mom first."

The boy remains unfazed. But his external act contradicts his actions. You blink In confusion. The boy's arms are tight on now, caging you. 

And that's when the Queen gulps down her nervousness to utter her next words. "You can keep her later."

If what she said earlier hadn't earned him a positive reaction, this one certainly did.

The young Prince grins, satisfied with the response he's got, and slowly loosens his grip around you.

A yelp slips the tip of your tongue when he leans in to give you yet again another peck on the cheek.

Prince Zale ignores the confused expression from both mothers, focusing to give you a smile of adoration.

"I'll see you later, Lia."

Mrs. Jia takes that as her cue to usher you towards her again. Luckily, you're granted the opportunity to finally go to your mother. 

"We'll be going now your Highness. I apologize again for the inconvenience." 

The Queen simply smiles before sending Mrs. Jia a don't worry about it gesture. 

-

Everyone cheers merrily as the King huffs out the spark from the thirty-second candle laying on top of the amazing seven-layered cake. 

The Sanders, along with other high class were invited to the palace to join in the celebration of their country’s beloved Leader: King Darwin Jack Cohen.

Prince Zale climbs up from his seat to scavenge through the sea of people.

With narrowed eyes, he searches for the little girl from before amongst the crowds.

The Queens notices that.

"What are you looking for, sweetie?" She asks sweetly, reaching her arms out to gently pull the Prince on his seat again. 

He obliges without a word and slumps on his spot with arms crossed, disappointment all over his face.

For the rest of the event, he continues to sulk, lips pursed forward to give off the vibe that he didn't want anyone disturbing his own little world for the time being.

The Queen creases her eyes with a smile as she takes in his cute behavior.

She gently bobs his nose with the tip of her finger before grabbing a tiny chunk of cake with her silver spoon.

"Here comes the airplane, Zale baby." She cooes playfully and the latter can't help but snap out from his sulking session at the in-coming treat. 

He lets out giggles at the funny noises coming from his mother, immediately opening his mouth and soon feeling the goodness tickling the insides of his tastebuds.

Strawberry cake. His favorite.

An hour later, he notices the number of people starting to decrease. Some had even approached their table to properly bid them a goodby before turning their heel to leave.

And that's when he sees you again. 

Lia.

All fast asleep in your dad's arms. 

Despite your face slightly hidden against the crook of your dad's neck, the young Prince's able to call out that it's you.

With a big grin on his face, he hops out from his seat and stands beside it, awaiting both your parent's approach.

"Jace, How long has it been!" The King muses towards your father with a big grin. I

It's been a while since he'd last seen his good friend.

"Four years if I must say." Your dad responds with a chuckle, giving his best friend a side hug all the while trying not to crush his daughter in the process.

Zale watches both adults conversing and he can't help but whine desperately.

Thus, he tugs on his mother's elegant silk dress, head craned upwards.

The Queen excuses herself briefly from the juicy topic she had started with your mother before turning her full attention to her son.

"What is it, sweetie?" 

Said kid doesn't say anything, but instead, he points towards your father.

Erase that. He was pointing towards your direction.

A warm smile spreads across your mother's face.

And with a swift motion, she takes you in her arms and approaches the expecting Prince. 

"I know you two have already met, but a proper intro would still be okay right?" 

The young prince nods in agreement before stepping forward. 

He has his eyes glued to your sleeping face with a smile tickling his lips.

"This is, Lia. “Your mother whispers softly. 

An idea pops up in the Queen's mind, and with a playful grin, she leans in.

Zale intently listens to what she has to say, brows furrowed in a concentrated manner.

When she finishes, she draws back to send your mother a wink.

The young Prince doesn't think twice before nearing in to give your puffy cheek a kiss. 

The action catches your mother off guard but she smiles later on. It's just an innocent kiss after all.

It was also kinda cute.

You begin shifting slightly in your mom's embrace and that's when the little Prince decides to drawback with a satisfied grin on his lips.

"Well then. Hope you'll take some time to visit us soon. Our Zale could really use a playmate considering the boy's been doing nothing but sticking his nose up his phone." The King laughs warmly, patting his friend's back."You better come visit us soon." 

Jace playfully rolls his eyes to the side. "I'll have to check on my schedul-"

"Oh, we will." Says your mother, cutting him off. "We'll be sure to visit you again your Highness. And I know Lia will look forward to it too."

Queen Liza sends her a wink. 

"We have to go now. Great party as always your Highnesses." Jace said, drawing his attention away from his wife to politely send the King his farewell. 

Then they leave afterward.