Raised From The Wild-Chapter 348: Never Too Late
Danella’s contorted grimace reflected her inner turmoil, but she felt powerless to confront her father.
"As you wish, Father," she said reluctantly.
"Good girl," Ibarra patted her on the shoulder before he turned around to continue discussing the matter with the ministers and court officials.
"Your Highness, the first princess’s birth certificate has already been amended." Lawyer Baler took the chance to speak to the prince when there were fewer people in the banquet hall. "Are you sure that you also want to update Princess Amaya’s genealogy in the history of Lireya?"
Prince Ibarra slowly nodded, his mind heavy with the weight of his decision. Rumors about Amaya’s parentage had circulated when Marx first brought her from the distant island, but he and his father had never confirmed them. Intriguing inscriptions on some of the jewelry displayed in Ibrahim’s Museum had been hastily covered up, seen by only a select few.
Prince Ibarra had already discussed this with his father, and they had both agreed that they needed to correct the mistake they had made all those years ago. While Danaya would remain his wife due to the legalities of their wedding, Amaya’s father would be rightfully acknowledged as Ibrahim.
Queen Lucinda was overjoyed by her husband and son’s decision. Their choice to officially recognize her eldest granddaughter as Ibrahim’s sole heir would bring to light a long-buried scandal. Despite this, she was confident it would only cause a temporary stir. She believed that people would be willing to forgive them in due course and accept the reality.
The announcement will be made on Ibrahim’s death anniversary, which was on the 21st of September.
"I had wronged my brother. It is never too late to right the wrong I committed," he mumbled, but Lawyer Baler did not catch what the crown prince had said.
...
Back in the arena in Uropa, Donello was beaming with pride as the Lireyan national anthem was played. He stopped on the middle platform intended for the gold medalist. He had his right hand over his chest, feeling a deep sense of nationalism.
The entire country of Lireya erupted in cheers as a sense of pride swelled within them. Just the day before, their princess had stood in the same place, wearing the same expression of pride. It had been a truly magnificent year for Lireya. The citizens knew that they owed it all to their princess. Ever since her arrival, their country had seen an abundance of positive developments and had gained positive recognition in the four continents.
After the awarding, Amaya and her brother went to the nearby ranch where the dressage arena was, as the awarding would be held there. They are just waiting for the last participants in both the dressage and the jump to complete their performance.
Prince Raquim wanted to go with her, but he needed to attend another event, as an Albanian athlete was competing for a gold medal.
The dean of sports was waiting for them at the arena’s entrance. Princess Amaya nodded at the dean, who led them inside. Her dressage and horse jumping coach was at the bleacher, engrossed in watching as the last dressage performer entered the arena. She was Adelle Black.
"Duke, how is the standing?" Donello always used the duke’s royal title instead of the dean of sports.
"Your sister is currently at the top of the list, but they did not show the score. I am confident that Princess Amaya will win the gold medal," the Duke of Ereseo replied.
Princess Amaya looked at the dean of sports, the duke with whom she almost had an accident more than two years ago. She admired this man for his devotion to his wife, Duchess Arabella. She almost hit their car when their driver was rushing to the hospital because the duchess’ water bag broke ahead of schedule. They did not formally meet at that time. The duke, still inside the car, nodded at her as a gesture of gratitude. When her son was born, the Duchess of Ereseo invited Princess Amaya to be the godmother during his one-month-old celebration. Since then, she developed a close relationship with the Duchess, who was five years older than her, and she also treated the Duke of Ereseo as an elder brother.
Princess Amaya settled beside her brother on the bleacher.
Adelle’s horse was an exquisite warmblood with a lustrous dark chocolate coat, exuding a majestic aura as they moved gracefully around the arena. The audience, however, seemed less enthused, as they had just witnessed Apollo execute a series of tap dance-like steps that left a lasting impression. Any subsequent performance seemed to fade in comparison to Apollo’s show-stopping display.
Then, someone started a conversation about how Adelle deeply connected with her horse, Aethon, as they grew up together. Their bond was so strong that they seemed to understand each other perfectly. They excelled in numerous dressage competitions, consistently emerging as the champions.
The conversation shifted to the Princess of Lireya. It’s baffling how someone who had only trained with her horse for two years could outperform Adelle and Aethon.
That conversation was not only heard in the arena, but it also became a trending topic online. Suddenly, photos of Adelle and Aethon as a pony appeared. The interaction between the horse and its rider was shared on the internet and forwarded several times. The netizens complemented the pair, and then someone started an article about Amaya only learning how to ride a horse when she arrived in Lireya two and a half years ago. Someone also complained that she only became an equestrian two years ago.
The sibling had no idea what was happening on the Internet. The dean of sports, however, felt his phone vibrate. When he looked at it, he frowned.
"It looked like someone wanted to manipulate the result of the competition using public opinion." the Duke of Ereseo said drily.
Princess Amaya and Prince Donello looked at the imposing Duke in bewilderment.
