Raised From The Wild-Chapter 324: The King’s Hidden Desire

King Ralden led the way to Prince Raquim. Raquim seemed engrossed in dealing with a diplomat from Usturia. He bypassed him and continued to their assigned table.

The waiters assigned to serve them pulled out chairs. King Ralden sat beside Princess Amaya.

"Amaya, it’s been a while since you visited the orphanage in Ra-Iya. Your cousin is also hoping to see you before she gives birth. She is feeling moody and homesick towards the end of her pregnancy. I hope you and her sister can plan a visit to Zanzara soon." The king’s soothing voice resonated in Amaya’s ears.

Two words seemed to be etched into her mind: "Visit Zanzara".

"Okay, I’ll come visit next month." Amaya agreed without hesitation.

Donello, who was sitting beside him, frowned. "Sister, next month is your final exam."

Amaya seemed to wake up from her daze. "O yeah, how can I miss that? I am sorry, Your Majesty. I am not available next month."

"Then, how about the following month?’ King Ralden suggested.

"Okay," Princess Amaya agreed.

Donello’s frown deepened. He noticed that his sister seemed to be flustered. However, he could not find any more reason to contradict the King of Ra-Iya.

Prince Raquim finally settled beside Princess Amaya just as the program was about to start. Donello gave up his seat and moved to the next seat beside Raquim.

King Ralden regarded Raquim. He could easily decipher Raquim’s intentions towards Princess Amaya. He noticed the desire and adoration that Raquim had in his eyes every time he looked at her. Raquim was very skilled at playing his cards right: he befriended the Princess without directly revealing his intentions. Although King Ralden didn’t approve of it, he knew that Princess Amaya was an otherworldly beauty, and many excellent young men were attracted to her and wished to be her partner.

King Ralden’s lips curled up as he watched Prince Raquim trying to catch Princess Amaya’s attention. But what can he do against a seasoned womanizer like King Ralden?

"How is your father, Raquim?" King Ralden asked the young prince to stop him from pestering Amaya.

"My father is okay, Your Majesty," Raquim replied politely, exuding an aura of nobility.

"Do extend my regards to him." King Ralded said casually.

"I will, Your Majesty." Prince Raquim’s reply was curt.

"I am looking forward to visiting your kingdom, Prince Raquim. I heard you have started many infrastructure projects, especially in transportation."

"Yes, Your Majesty. We are behind in infrastructure compared to Lireya, but we will soon be able to catch up." Raquim cast a sideways glance at Princess Amaya. He wanted her to be proud of him, and he wanted to be worthy of her.

"Are you constructing an underground railway tunnel?" asked the curious King of Ra-Iya. "Hmmm," Prince Raquim responded before turning his attention to King Ralden.

"Aren’t you scared that the disaster that took the lives of many people in the capital of Lupanya will also happen in Albania?" King Ralden probed while he scrutinized Raquim’s expression.

Prince Raquim paused. He considered his answer carefully. "Your Highness, we take it seriously. We hired experts from different countries to study the feasibility of the project. We do not take lightly the safety of our Albanian people. We want to pursue modernization but not to the extent of sacrificing the safety of citizens."

Princess Amaya turned to Prince Raquim with admiration and applauded his words in her heart.

King Ralden was irked by the princess’s reaction.

"I am just reminding you, young prince. The tragedy of Lupanya could have been avoided with careful planning." King Ralded tried to mask the irritation in his voice.

"Thank you for your reminder, Your Majesty. I will surely take it to heart." Prince Raquim replied politely.

"Are you graduating this year, Princess Amaya?" King Ralden’s voice was gentle and soothing as he leaned closer, admiring her perfect profile. The slight curve of her forehead, her high nose bridge, and her long dark lashes enhanced the beauty of her almond-shaped eye, the contour of her slightly parted lips, and her upturned chin; everything was placed in perfect harmony. King Ralden found himself mesmerized, and the longing to possess her started to take root. None of his wives could compare to even just her side view.

He had taken a liking to her the moment he laid his eyes on her three years ago but could not convince his grandfather to give her to him in marriage. Instead, he married Zanzara, who was nothing compared to her.

Princess Amaya turned to King Ralden and was taken aback by how closely he was leaning towards her. To create more distance, the princess subtly leaned to her left. King Ralden noticed the movement and straightened up, causing Amaya to relax.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I am graduating in two months."

"Donello spoke with pride as he looked at his sister, "Isn’t she amazing? She started school just three years ago, and who would have thought that she would complete her schooling in less than four years!"

"I spent a lot of time studying while I was in Miraga. My father, Ibrahim, was incredibly knowledgeable. He had an amazing memory and he shared a lot of information with me." Amaya’s eyes lit up as she spoke of her father.

"You must be a genius, Princess, to have learned so much without access to books or the internet," Prince Raquim said admiringly.

"It is because I have an awesome teacher." Princess Amaya always credited her father with her achievements. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The more King Ralden listened to the conversation, the more he desired Princess Amaya. He knew it would be difficult, but whatever he wanted, he always got it, no matter the cost.

Their conversations were interrupted when the emcee officially started the program, which was not very long. After an hour of speeches and occasional songs and dances, the emcee finally announced that food would be served.

Charles Gray joined them at their table, directly sitting opposite Princess Amaya. He frowned when he noticed the Princess was sandwiched between Prince Raquim on her left and King Ralden on his right. Even if he wanted to sit beside her, he had no chance.

The man felt irritated by the way two men, one young and one old, were fawning over her. He looked at her, and their eyes met. Suddenly, he felt a pang in his heart when he saw the loneliness in her eyes.

’Why is she sad? What had she experienced for her to have such a desolate look in her eyes?’