39 She Is Really Ho (2/2)

”Your majesty is for my father. Your Highness is what you ought to use for me,” She said with a melodic chime of laughter. Darius rose up, embarrassed. He felt ashamed that he had used the wrong phrase. He obviously ignored that his gestures had been even worse.

Lara did her best to stifle her laughter; it would not do to alienate a potential ally. She had never seen a man attempt to curtsy before. It wasn't even a custom for females in their kingdom: women simply bowed their heads. Thus, she found his actions hysterical. Nevertheless, she had not come here to mock him, so she coughed and introduced herself, ”I am Lara Farlene, First Princess of the Pazhe Empire, Heir to the Throne. It's a pleasure to meet you, Darius.”

She extended a hand to him. Darius appeared to enter another bout of confusion. Hence, she decided to help him out.

”Just shake my hand. No need to be very formal with me. Treat me as you would any other person equal to your own station.”

Darius sighed. It was as if a truly massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders. She was a Princess. Nobles were known to be cruel, so he had imagined that royalty would be even worse. While there was Lionel, he had met Darius under special circumstances. Therefore, the Prince's station had never bothered Darius. After all, how could one take him seriously when he had such a shady disposition?

Darius shook her dainty hand. ”Haha, that makes things simpler then. It is an honor to meet you, Lara.”

Lara was surprised by how comfortable he was with being informal with her. Most people would find it difficult: after all, she was still a princess! However, Darius took to it like a fish in the water.

'It's not a bad thing. It'll make it much easier to deal with him.'

Lara herself was a straightforward person, so she appreciated such behavior.

Darius sat down and gestured for her to sit beside him. The couch was quite spacious, so it wasn't a problem. The two exchanged some small talk for a while, gradually lessening the distance between them. The more she talked to him, the more she liked his straightforward nature. Few people had ever acted so naturally around her. In fact, only her family had ever treated her with such familiarity. Darius was like a breath of fresh air to her. On the other hand, Darius enjoyed their chat even more.

'It seems she isn't as scary as I once thought.'

Darius had never before had a long casual discussion like this with a peer, let alone a girl, so he appreciated it quite a bit. The fact that he was attracted to her was just the cherry on top.

The duo talked about many things. Lara was curious about what it was like to live like a normal person, and Darius was curious about what it was like to be royalty, so they had plenty to talk about.

”So, Darius, tell me: how did you become so powerful?”

”Eh?'