<h4>Chapter 121: The Kings courtship.</h4>


    A strange fortnight passed, during that time Sigrid’s ball was moved because they had to observe two weeks of mourning for the death of the consort.


    Even the public execution of the captured rebels was dyed, they rotted away in prison slowly while the outside world started to forget about them.


    The newspapers however continued to write about them, sharing every sordid detail of the arch duke’s n which had been fifty years in the making.


    Signed, like many of the citizens had moved on and her interest was now captivated by something ridiculous, the Kings very public courtship of fairynd princess.


    As she sat in bed, sipping coffee and frowning at the picture on the front page of the paper which was of the king taking the princess shopping in public, she could not help feeling a little jealous. Why hadn’t her husband taken her shopping? Where was her courtship?


    Fairynd princess had the king carrying her shopping bags personally, he was practically eating out of her hands and the people were enjoying it. Thanks to the newspapers, for the very first time ever they could keep up with the affairs of the royal family and other noble households.


    "What are you doing?" Rnd strolled into the bedroom and gave her a curious nce.


    It was ratherte for her to still be in bed, given that it was almost noon. His wife was a work obsessed woman, by this time she was usually in one of her restaurants, coffee house or the ntations.


    "I am in bed reading the newspaper and drinking coffee." She answered.


    "I can see that." Rnd answered slowly, unbuttoning his shirt that was sticking to his back.


    He had just returned from an afternoon ride and another horse training session. He had also tried to bond with Venom again, and he had a rip in his shirt to show for it.


    Signed turned the front page of the paper to him and she pointed at the picture with vigor.


    "Look at this, your father’s courtship is bing a nuisance. I served porridge yesterday, and carried another baby.


    This one was toothless and she had the most adorable smile in the world. Where is my front page picture?"


    Rnd responded byughing. "Sigrid you have carried and posed for pictures with twenty babies in thest two weeks.


    At this point it is no longer a question of will she carry a baby after serving porridge and more of whose baby will she carry today?


    Haven’t you noticed that more and more women areing to these porridge stalls with babies?


    They are using you to get free pictures of their babies with the crown princess."


    She thought about it and he was right, there were more mothers and babies at the porridge stalls than actual hungry people in need of free porridge.


    "That is not my point, what I am trying to say is that your father has stolen my thunder. " she blurted out.


    Rnd did not understand so he looked at her with eyebrows shot upwards and curiosity.


    "I used to own the front page of the newspaper and now he is dominating it with his love gestures." She put down the newspaper and sighed dramatically. "He kissed her Rnd!!!!" She hissed, "On the lips in public!" She eximed.


    Her outrged tone was simr to that of a scandalised mother whose daughter had just lost her reputation at the hands of a rake.


    "You sound a little too outraged for someone that is throwing a bachelor’s auction. What is the difference between that and my father kissing his new .....err....I don’t know what to call her." He tossed the shirt in aundry basket that was sitting in the corner.


    Just like the rest of his siblings, he was disturbed greatly by his father’s bold disy of affection for Faeloria’s princess. It was worse than how he had behaved when Rina was alive.


    "Nobody is kissing at my ball." Sigrid said.


    Rnd guffawed, he looked at her with eyes that said.."Oh you little ignorant fool!"


    "What?" She asked.


    "It a ball Sigrid, you best believe that there will be some kissing in the corner somewhere. It’s even worse because yours is no ordinary ball but a bachelor’s auction ball. You are putting together unmarried men and women and encouraging them to hold hands, drink and giggle flirtatiously, I am willing to bet my sword that there will be one or two scandals on that night."


    She pulled her lips shut, there was no argument there, he had won hands down.


    Rnd was not done exining the cause of the Kings new public disys of affection. "You know who I me for this, for my father’stest irresponsible behaviour?"


    She shook her head.


    "The rise ofdy nche." He shared without hesitation. "I have not seen one episode of that show in which people te kissing, fondling each other secretly or breathing heavily as they exchange nces secretly across the room.


    The show is basically magic and sex, sword fight and sex, scheming and sex!!!!!


    My father must be a big fan becuse the way he is acting is not normal."


    He rolled his eyes, a thing that be rarely did and it made Sigridugh.


    "Your father is in lust or love. You cannot me that on the rise of Lady nche, I think you are one of those people that does not read or listen to the warning at the beginning of every episode which tells the viewers not to replicate the actions they have seen and everything is fiction.


    Besides, the king made some questionable decisions for Rina and nobody ever med them on something they had seen on TV." She reminded him.


    Sunny, Rnd’s white slightly chubby puppy trotted into the bedroom and jumped up on the the bed.


    "No, no, absolutely not." Sigrid shooed it away but the dog would not leave.


    Boldly, itid its head down on herp, and revealed it’s stomach. It started to whine, asking for belly rubs.


    Sunny and Sigrid had a love-dislike rtionship where Sunny loved her and she disliked the dog. It was nothing personal, she just wasn’t a dog person.


    "Rnd, take your furry menace away."


    He was already on it before shepleted her request. Sunny happily clung onto Rnd who rubbed his ears and belly.


    "How can you hate such a sweet puppy, you are a grump Siggy." Rnd yfully said,ughing as he yed with Sunny.


    "No dogs in the bedroom, I have just one rule Rnd." Sigridined.


    As usual, herints went into one ear and out another. If Rnd had his way, Sunny would be sleeping in their bed.


    She red at the fur on the bed and the man that did not care about it as he was kissing the top of Sunny’s head.


    "Mmm, by the way, miss Emma went so see my brother yesterday." He sat down in a chair and switched his voice from yful to serious.


    "What did she want from him?"


    "An investment in a movie she wants to produce."


    "What movie?" She asked curiously, looking at the system panel fortest updates in the novel.


    "Something called titanic."