Calanthir Kingdom

Ona was in her usual spot under the tree with a beam of sun kissing the left side of her bare shoulder to arm leaving her dark chocolate brown skin glowing and shining while sitting on the round wooden chair without supporters covered by the blue long dress she put on.

Using her right arm engulfed by the apple tree shadow to paint the red apple inside the glassy cup filled with water afront the painting board before her eyes with the wind slightly blowing her long black 4c wavy hair lengthening to her lower back in the right direction.

The breeze was endearing.

However, her black eyes shifted abruptly when the long thick bronze gates of the palace creaked to open welcoming the black car driving inside with the male guards and female servants running to welcome whoever was inside the car.

Her eyes darted away to put down the brush in her hand so she could descend the well-designed cliff to see well the man, but the sound of the heel clacked against the dusty brownstone on the ground made her head turn swiftly with her lips separating in slow motion.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She stood still. Her eyes caught the handsome man with the white skin shimmering under the sun in his thin fabricated cream white shirt, exposing his chest while tucked neatly inside the dark brown well-tailored slack with the black and shiny formal shoes making the bold cluck with each step he was taking. 

The eyes of Ona never blinked. The man was ridiculously handsome and felt like she was under his spell.

Gosh! She received a side smile when the man slowly looked up to meet her gaze. Ona couldn't handle the heat but run away, but she knew that it was going to be inappropriate for her not to welcome the guest too. She was the princess in her royal – The Calanthir Kingdom.

She walked with her chest rising and falling from blowing air from her mouth maybe trying to calm herself down. To get rid of whatever spell she was cast under.

How can an unknown man make her feel that way? She had never experienced that feeling in her 23 years of existence.

Her wood sandals made no noise when she entered the palace. She took a halt, took a deep breath in – held it for a minute then out slowly. 

She found her parents and the servants side by side with bowed heads but her eyes were not yet seeing the man's profile, up until her shoe got dragged against the shiny white stone on the floor evidencing that she was not walking in wary.

The man peeped and her eyes were there to catch his handsome face again. She saw him acting in an abrupt motion to help her not to fall.

"Be careful," he said. With his left hand on her waist. So cold but giving her flutters. "Are you okay?"

"Thank you, and yes…. My… my dress got tucked under the shoe," true, her dress was long enough to get dragged on the floor too.

"I see, I'm sorry, I am Kalus Windsorrow from Valtira Kingdom," his voice was not helping much to Ona's stomach. It had sent piles of flutters with a smile that was escaping his lips.

Ona widened her eyes realizing that they were actually waiting for the guest for days and there he was in front of her taking her breath with every action he was making.

But she finally managed to open her lips by saying, "Nice to meet you Mr. Windsorrow, and I'm Princess Ona Astrum of this Kingdom." Her gulp was not audible enough for Kalus to hear.

She saw him stretching his hand to reach hers. She revealed her hand to him. He held it. Mmmh, tingles happened between their skins, she felt it then watched him placing a small kiss on her knuckles.

****** 

The Calanthir Kingdom had lost their trusted Accountant a month ago. Ronan was a great accountant, and the king loved him as his best friend. King Thome Astrum gave him an honourable funeral and it took him weeks to try to find another Accountant but he knew that the Kingdom needed one, so he made sure to send the word out.

That's when he received a letter from Valtira Kingdom assuring him about having the best Accountant with 10 years of experience, Kalus Windsorrow. And yes, Kalus never lied about his experience, he had worked from Kingdom to Kingdom over the past 10 years. When he received the news about the Calanthir Kingdom in need of a new Accountant, he made sure to apply for the position and he came along with his trusted assistant Gideon, they've been working together for the past 10 years and very well.

When he arrived in the Calanthir Kingdom, he was welcomed with love by the guards, servants, Queen, and King then the princess he had been staring at for a moment that King Astrum had to distract them by clearing his throat.

He respectfully apologized for his behavior. 

I mean who would blame him, princess Ona was immensely gorgeous. Her beauty was made for any man to fall in love with her instantly.

Kalus moved his legs away from her sight to sit on the dark green royal couches highlighted with gold.

Queen Astrum had already made sure the guest's bedrooms were prepared weeks ago but she instructed her servants to quickly prepare them again with the male guards already taking the suitcases to the bedrooms.

"I apologize for arriving late, I had to make sure to be leaving the Kingdom in a good state first," Kalus said.

"We are glad that you're here and you will help us with the crisis," King Astrum said with an assuring tone. "So tell me, is there someone as good as you in your kingdom who will be in charge?" 

Kalus made a genuine laugh and said, "Yes, I had three apprentices that I made sure to strictly teach them everything and when I left, they did a very remarkable job."

"We need more men like you who don't want to be wit alone," King Astrum said. "

Whenever Kalus would steal glances at Ona who was sitting next to her mother, the Queen, her heart would skip a bit with flutters inside her stomach. His light brown eyes exuded the romantic man.

Ona stood up after she whispered to her mother that she wanted to check if the servants did a good job of preparing the bedrooms for the guests, her mother allowed her. Ona gestured for Nia, her trusted – her best friend servant to follow her. 

Nila, was 10 years older than Ona, with a husband already living in the royal cottage which they shared with few servants. She and Ona became best friends instantly from Ona's early age and she did a remarkable job for raising her.

King and Queen were the best parents that Ona wouldn't trade for the world. She was the only child to them with their Kingdom far from other kingdoms, and as well the other Kingdoms were far from each other.

She walked to the other side of the palace with Nia.

"Out with it," Ona said, she wasn't that oblivious with the facial expression Nia had been making beside her.

Nia shook her head with a flash of smile all over her endearing rose beige skin tone and curly red hair all over her face making her look younger.

"He's handsome right?" 

Ona gave her a side eye with pursed lips before agreeing with nods and, "Yes." 

"I mean, I have never seen you hiding blushes for a man and not staring deeply into his eyes when talking to you." Nia was right.

Ona never found any man in her kingdom attractive, not because they were not striking high profile or not handsome, all of the men in the kingdom were very handsome but not to Ona, and all of them had respected that. She was a princess after all.

They strode inside the first room of Gideon, the assistant of Kalus. Gideon was also striking wealth, but in a low position, not the same as Kalus. He was handsome too as he made the female servants unsettled and giggling in a faint tone.

He had noticed that. His height and body type were the same as Kalus's, tall and masculine but with a different hair hue. Gideon had light brown hair cut while Kalus was a blonde, slicked back and wavy to his neck.

Ona and Nia had admired how the room was sparkling before going to the next room.

"So, do you think if he asks you to have a day with him would you allow him?" Nia asked in a wary tone.

"If he does yes, the butterflies in my stomach had not been giving me a break," her voice was toned down even though there was no one around them to hear, she couldn't risk it.

"I saw the way he looks at you and the way he spotted you outside, it felt like his soul and yours called each other, or maybe hearts."

"Do you think he's interested in me that much?" before Ona could get an answer from Nia!

The deep voice transmitted faintly in her ears saying, "Princess Ona." With a hand placement on her lower break.

Gosh! Her heart skipped. Knees seized with numbness. 

Her turn was swift and her chest hit the hard chest with her upper chest.

Nia stepped away from them. The room was sparkling clean and she knew that Ona won't need her anymore.

"Are you okay Princess Ona?" Kalus asked as he took one step away from her, arched his stomach to meet her forehead, and blew air on it.

His breath seeped through her skin so slim that she found her eyes shutting slowly driving her to the unknown portal.

"Princess?" Kalus called out her name. "Princess Ona." Kalus had worry written all over his face that he had to use his thump to rub her soft cheek.

Gosh… Ona felt her cheeks warming up. Luckily with her skin tone, redness won't flash on her cheeks. She quickly spaced in then took a few steps away from him and quickly said, "Thank you, I'm okay and your room is ready for you to settle in, I hope you will enjoy everything in here…. Good ni-." Gosh, she nearly said her night, it was not even in the afternoon.

Her legs made a rapid turn and trotted out to her room, but instead, she called out her servant's name.

***** 

Kalus strode inside. His eyes wandered into the room and scrutinized every corner inside. It was so attractive and appealing to his eyes. He walked to the bedside and ran his long fingers on the cream-white satin sheets and loved how expensive they felt on the fingertips.

He made an impressed facial expression before going to his large leathered brown bag and sat on the huge comfortable bed, after he put the bag on the bed too. He opened the bag but remembered to close the door to lock it. He did.

Kalus was there to work not there to entertain with Ona, but having Ona there he knew that it was going to make his plan easy. 

He took out a small black side bag and placed it inside the side drawer first before taking out his clothes to the large closet.

The room was spacious, so bright inside same as the whole palace. It had less gold inside like other palaces. The landscape looked extraordinary than the other kingdoms he worked for.

To him, he loved everything about the palace.

His clothes were packed neatly inside the closet by him and he felt a need to take a shower before going through the papers he had brought.

A knock came through his door. He took a moment before walking up to the door to open it. He grasped the door knob and anticlockwise it slowly to unlock then opened the door quarterly.

"Oh, sorry sir, my apologies, the Queen brought me here to tell you that the food is ready," the male servant said after he swiftly bowed when he encountered the bare chest of Kalus.

A wry smile escaped his lips, "It's okay, tell the King and Queen that I will be there in a moment.

But Kalus had a hint of disappointment written all over his face when he closed the door.

Was he expecting to be Ona?

Well, he strode inside the bathroom, all made of different textures of stones with their hues and oak woods, he had loved everything in there. It simplified the palace as his dream.

He ran the faucet and, "Mmmmh," he moaned when the warm water hit his bare white skin leaving it to hot pink.

Kalus had no tattoo on his body, not even a single one he was a bit hairy on his body but he always made sure that his chest was clean.

He wrapped his body with a white and long white towel to dry off the droplets of water that were cascading all over his body to the floor.

The modicum rough stone felt so good under his feet.

After he was dry, he put on the divine scent of lotion to his body and slipped out the shirt from the closet, it looked like he owned the same pattern of the shirt he was wearing earlier but in different hues. He put on the dusty brown one then with beige slack and black sandals.

His cologne was spread upon his head for the droplets to fall over his body. Gosh! His hair was slicked back, exposing his chiseled and well-sculpted face with the slim pointy nose.

He stood tall afront the tall mirror and smiled when he found himself well dressed and handsome.

He was.

In the meanwhile, Ona was heading to the family dinner room. Her servant Nia trotted to her room to call for her. She had changed her dress as she was wearing the peach floral one that exposed her chest and shoulders. It was long, but not long enough to drag down the floor.

She pinched her dress up when descending the stairs so she could walk with wary, however, her eyes caught a glimpse of a handsome man passing her that she nearly tripped and it was going to turn out bad. She was going to dislocate every part of her joints including the neck.

With the whiff the man had left, but no, it was not the whiff because his fragrance succumbed to Ona's fragrance, it was sweet and freshly powerful.

"Princess," gosh, she had thought Kalus was not in her sight. Kalus was down with their arm stretched up to reach hers. Ready to help her and walk her to the family room. "Be careful," he gently said.

Ona walked with wary and reached for the hand. Her body was stiff but trying by all her means to walk upright and proudly.

She was the princess of the palace, the palace which they were going to sustain his needs. She earned more money than him.

He had to become stiff and rigid around her not her being frigid around him.

She removed her arm from his when reaching the family dinner room before her parents saw them.

Gideon was already behind, he also had changed his look and he looked even more fresh.

When Ona arrived, Nia was behind her chair ready to pull it out for her, but Kalus insisted on doing that. Ona's parents smiled.

Ona was done with tertiary, as she recently just graduated from becoming a professional painter.

Ona took the skin color of her parents, dark chocolate brown with their beauty. She and the Queen had the same body physique but of course, Ona was more attractive, she looked young, pretty, and gorgeous while her father was a tall man with a black beard and bald head by choice. Her long hair was inherited from her father, the King.

The King and Queen they had wished Ona would have met someone already but not that only someone. A man who would give her dignity and provide for her and one day maybe the man would take over the kingdom as they had tried multiple times to have another baby, a son. They never got blessed.

Ona sat down with a smile flashed on her face while Nia was few distance from her.

The table was decorated with nothing but delicious meals. All different, meats, breads, vegetables, fruits and fruits salads with drinks. It looked mouth-watering, ready to devour all the food with teeth.

"This is lovely, and thank you so much for your hospitality. Everything is so amazing," Kalus said respectfully.

"True, the bedroom is so comfortable and the food looks delicious," Gideon added.

"We are happy that you're comfortable in our palace, because now…. This is your home and feel free. And we mostly thank you," the King said while the Queen smiled.

"Ona will give you a tour of the palace and outside," the Queen said. "Let's eat."

Ona had butterflies in her stomach. The thought of her with Kalus outside walking made her have the figment of thoughts.

They ate quietly, but the King would throw questions there and there asking Kalus about his experience of being an Accountant and Kalus would give him excellent answers.

The King had never been so impressed and happy that he stopped feeling guilty for replacing Ronan, his best friend, his accountant.

After the breakfast.

Ona was walking slowly beside Kalus in silence. They walked inside a very enormous library filled with thousands of books.

"This is my dad's favorite place," Ona said with a smile staring at the man who was wandering his eyes.

"I can tell, this library is a dream," Kalus had his eyes all over the room.

The dark brown oak wood shelves were shiny and clean with books placed neatly and most of them were in dark hue with few tables and chairs made of oak wood.

"Do you love reading that much?" her sweet voice echoed.

The library was not dark and not bright either. Just the perfect color for quiet and cozy reading.

"I love reading with my whole heart and you? What do you love besides painting?" 

Ona widened her eyes.

"I saw you painting outside," Kalus reminded her.

"Painting is my everything."

Kalus had found their landscaping and gardens so enchanting. They were at the stream and sat on the big rock with their feet fluttering in the running water.

"I have never seen anyone so beautiful like yourself," his shirt was rolled up exposing the veins that Ona couldn't stop stealing glances at. "Your skin changes color to golden brown when kissed by the sun, your lips look so delicious and soft while your eyes are so inviting and calm with the innocence all over your face and I am sure whoever is your man, is very lucky."

Ona had been staring at his lips moving. She couldn't utter any word. She did not expect the words from his mouth. Her lower lip bumped when she slipped it between her teeth the slipped it out.

"I have never been with a man before." 

What?

Kalus moved closer to her and fortunately, Kalus had already told the guards and servants to give them time to be alone respectfully.

"You mean no one had ever touched your lips?" his voice was so thick and deep. With his breath kissing Ona's lips whenever talking.

"Yes." 

Kalus moved even closer to her, "Princess, you're so beautiful."

Ona was so dull, but something in her jolted her in so she moved away and said, "Because I'm not yet ready for any intimacy. I have dignity, I have to be married first before anything."

Kalus moved away too and said, "I respect that and not everyone is like you. I would wish to spend more time together so we could know more of each other."

Ona gave him a nod and stood up.

"Can I see your canvas please!" 

"Yes, follow me."

They both slipped their feet inside their sandals and walked side by side.

"What can you tell me about your kingdom, something you haven't told anyone?"

Kalus made a small laugh and said, "One day, I decided to grab some stones, medium ones, so I could build something like a fish tank." He chuckled. "I'm not an expert at building things. Outside then filled water in there. But I made a mess and killed my mother's flowers, she got mad."

Ona laughed so hard, "Oh you have parents?" 

"Yes, my mother was so sad when seeing me leaving because since I graduated, I never stayed fully at home. I mean I'm their only child so they wanted that, me being at home with them."

"I could understand them. I feel that with my parents also. I am so adamant about them not allowing me leaving home," Ona said.

"I can see, but maybe they want you to take over the throne, I mean it's yours after all."

"Not on my list," Ona chuckled in a faint tone.

Kalus didn't continue the conversation, instead, he changed it and talked about his childhood life.

Ona halted by the two doors made of wood. She slipped out a key from the right side of her waist which was hidden there and unlocked the door.

It was dark when she strode inside. But the light from outside made the room dim and she managed to lit the candles inside.

"Get in," she told Kalus who was by the door with hands tangled at his lower back. 

He took one step inside with admiration already all over his face.

"This is an impressive princess."

I mean, the room was engulfed with her canvas all over the walls and on the ceiling with some packed against the walls and few on the standing boards.

Kalus had eyes on the red apple one. He stood quietly with a finger on his slim lips. "This is beautiful," he said.

"It's the one I was busy with earlier but not done yet with it," Ona answered. With her body swayed but slightly like an excited little girl.

"It's giving peace."

Kalus eyes went up, head thrown to the back and picked up the library one. Ona had painted the library and he said, "Wow, and it's giving dad."

Ona chuckled, making Kalus chuckle too.

Her paintings were indulging but she knew that she hadn't made any showstopper. It was something she had been looking for.

But, she paused and admired the posture of the man before her. His posture was immense. She bit the insides of her chin with deep thinking and an impresses look.

Kalus stood and focused on her painting of the stream they were at. Gosh, it gave her what she thinks is her showstopper.

"What's wrong?" Kalus shifted his eyes to encounter the spaced-out Ona.

Ona was not aware that she was that obvious, so she shook her head and said, "Nothing." Trying to hide her smile.

He walked up to her and complimented her, "You're very talented Princess Ona, and have you sold any?"

"No, I haven't made any canvas to sell." She said simply.

"What about these?" 

"These my babies and they won't be for sale."

"I respect that and they're very pretty good." 

"Thank you and it's getting late, I think we should go back to the house - I'm very tired." 

True. Ona gave Kalus the tour of the palace first and the kingdom it had been nothing but the best and exhaustion and they still had another day for the rest of the tour.

Kalus took one last glance at the canvas before Ona blew off the last candle. She locked her painting room and her arm wrapped around Kalus and walked together back to the house making Ona not fall.

Once they arrived inside the house, Kalus said, "Thank you so much for today. I felt warm welcome because of you."

Ona gave a smile and said, "You're most welcome, and visit the library whenever you need."

"I don't want to disturb the king," he said 

"No, my father goes there only in the morning then comes out two hours after."

"Perfect, then I will visit there in the afternoon after I am done with my work," he said with a smile.

"And he will show you, your office tomorrow, so now make sure to have more rest."

"Sweet dreams princess."

Ona glanced at him as she walked to the stairs. All she needed was warm water inside the stone bathtub with refreshing flowers inside along with sage leaves and mint leaves.

**** 

"How was it?" Nia was already in her bedroom preparing her bath.

"Like a dream. Kalus he's a gentleman with well-mannered behaviors and somehow romantic," Ona had her dreamy eyes as she threw her body on the bed. "But I'm not ready for anything more for now." 

"I understand, no need to rush anything, Ona. Try to get to know him more."

Ona stayed in her bathtub, full of white water and filled with serene flowers with their scents lingering in the air excreted by the warm water. Her mind reeled with nothing but Kalus. Kalus who hauled inside her head without any invitation. She thrown her head to rest on the bathtub head supporter and started humming with eyes shut, not tightly.

******

"Do you think Mr. Windsorrow would be suitable for our daughter?" King Astrum asked his wife while preparing himself to slip inside the sheets.

"He's well-mannered, he exude wealth and he’s very respectful and have you seen how he looks at our daughter and how he takes care of her? I mean any parent would love that for their daughters," the Queen said.

The King flipped the sheets to open and climbed the bed with a faint groan, "Come here baby."

The Queen laid her head on the chest of her husband.

"I know. I love the boy for our daughter, lets hope he will also do an excellent job with our finances."

But the King really hoped their daughter would be married to the royalty, the prince but then again, if she was going to be married to the prince it would mean, she would also not be able to take over the throne, unless the prince wouldn't be the right heir to his own kingdom which would make him the suitable one in Calanthir Kingdom but he knew better that her daughter's happiness would always comes first and Ona made sure of that.

One thing about Ona, she wasn't controllable. Her choosing to study art it was her choice and no one tried to persuade her to choose a high ranking field to study.

******

Kalus was by the desk in his bedroom going through the papers he came with. He had a black quill in his hand and hard khakhi paper on the table writing something with mumbles.

His focus portrayed his handsome face exquisitely with the moon rays entered in his room through the opened window.

After he was done, he put away the paper inside the drawer without folding it and got back to his other papers which were left on the table.

Minutes turned into hours with his eyes fixated on the papers.

*****

Ona was already in her bed and put in slumber. The picture of Kalus inside her painting room never left her mind and she felt determine to act on her thoughts in the morning.