Raised From The Wild-Chapter 323: Charles Gray

Charles approached the king of Ra-Iya with a warm smile and extended his hand in greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you here, Your Highness," he said, with a hint of regret in his tone. "I do apologize for not welcoming you earlier. Please allow me to make up for it by ensuring your stay here is as comfortable as possible."

"It is not a problem at all, Chancellor Gray."

As King Ralden extended his hand toward Charle’s Gray, he greeted him with a warm smile and a brief handshake. His voice was magnetic and deep, making it sound pleasant to the ears. Charles Gray was momentarily taken aback by the king’s charisma and charm, feeling like he was in a daze. Nonetheless, he composed himself quickly and smiled back at the king.

Princess Amaya was caught off guard by the revelation that the gentleman she had accidentally collided with earlier was none other than the Chancellor of Uropa State University. Her face turned a deep shade of red as she struggled to convey her sincere apologies for the incident.

"Chancellor Gray, I apologize for not recognizing and greeting you inside the elevator earlier." Princess Amaya said politely. She offered her hand, which Charles Gray accepted. He grasped her soft hand firmly and held it a little longer. Amaya felt a familiar warmth. Did she miss Marx too much? She berated herself for having such a reaction to a stranger and withdrew her hand.

"This is my younger brother, Donello, and over there are the delegates from Lireya." She pointed to the back of the banquet hall, where twenty-something young people huddled around a small bar table.

As Donello extended his hand, Charles reciprocated the gesture by nodding first and then shaking hands firmly. Despite the formalities, Charles knew that he and Donello were not equals. After all, Donello was not only a distinguished member of the royal family but also held the title of Young Prince of Lireya.

"His Majesty, I noticed that Ra-Iya has more athletes this year than the previous Biennial, and there is none from Lupanya. I understand that Lupanya has become a vassal of Ra-Iya. Are the athletes representing Ra-Iya?" Charles shifted his gaze from Princess Amaya to King Ralden.

King Ralden chuckled. "Ahh, we haven’t officially announced it yet, but soon Lupanya will become a province of Ra-Iya."

Charles Gray frowned.

Princess Amaya was a bit surprised. She did not know that the country of Lupanya would be swallowed by Ra-Iya.

The Lupanyan tragedy was big news that dominated the headlines of Aesiana for over two months. What was more tragic was, when the Second Princess of Lupanya announced that Lupanya would become a vassal to Ra-Iya as she was the wife of the King of Ra-Iya.

The news then stated that the palace of the Royal Family was built above a fault line. Whether the long crack existed before the palace was built or appeared afterward was unknown. But when the earthquake with magnitude 7 struck the capital of Lupanya, the entire palace collapsed. Unfortunately, only a few survived. The entire Royal Family was not lucky. Many died during the tragedy. The few who survived the earthquake died afterward due to severe injuries and complications. The only remaining heir of the royal family was the second princess, who married the king of Ra-Iya a month before the tragedy.

The citizens of Lupanya, Lireya, and Albanya were in uproar then. They criticized the second princess for selling her country to her husband.

Different conspiracy theories dominated the internet in the aftermath of the tragedy. It was said that what happened to Lupanya was the work of the Dark Phoenix. Everyone knew that Dark Phoenix’s goal was to conquer the world and unite the four big continents under one rule. The guinea pig was Lupanya.

Princess Amaya was saddened by the tragic loss of lives, which included that of the Crown Prince Gamaru. It was said that he survived because his royal guards protected them with their lives. Though he was seriously injured, it was not fatal enough. Unfortunately, he died in the hospital. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Princess Amaya met Prince Gamaru only twice, during her 18th birthday and Tamara’s wedding. He tried to woe her, but when he knew that Princess Amaya was an unreachable star for him, he graciously conceded, and Amaya concluded that he was a noble man.

Her grandfather and the king of Albania both sent an elite team to investigate the deaths of the surviving members of the Lupanyan Royal Family, but they did not find any foul play at all. Even the Alliance sent their team to investigate the collapsed palace, but the findings pointed out that it was a natural calamity.

"This is my wife, Lilac. She is the second princess of Lupanya. She accompanied me here to give moral support to the athletes from Lupanya." King Ralden introduced the beautiful young woman beside him.

Princess Amaya had never met her before. She estimated that she must be the same age as her.

Charles Gray glanced at the stage. The program was about to start.

"I need to get back to my seat. I hope that everyone will enjoy this gala dinner." His gaze lingered a second longer at Princess Amaya before he turned away.

King Ralden, as a man, understood that kind of look. The chancellor had shown interest in Princess Amaya. A glint flashed across his eyes, but he hid it before turning to Princess Amaya.

"I arranged a seat for you over there, Amaya. Please join us." His hypnotic voice reached Amaya’s eardrums. She almost said yes, but then she saw Prince Raquim with Stephane talking to a few dignitaries at the other table. They left just before King Ralden joined Princess Amaya’s table. She remembered she had agreed to share a table with him.

"I am sorry, King Ralden. I had agreed with Raquim that we would dine together."

King Ralden’s face darkened. The hand holding Lilac’s thin waist tightened, and she almost gasped in pain.

"Of course, Prince Raquim and even Donello can join us. It is an opportunity for us to discuss collaboration and your cousin Zanzara," the king said with his most charming smile.

"Okay then." Princess Amaya nodded and followed him to the table near the stage’s front.

King Ralden was in a great mood. His lips formed a confident smile, and his eyes darkened with hidden desire.