Retrieve the Kingdom

Unexpected Encounters

The tall figure stared at her, it was uncomfortable for Phoebe. If she could only go inside the room to break the awkward moment, but the door was just pushed behind her, and it locked it. The young man looks from her head down to her feet. “You’re new here.”

Phoebe kept looking around except on the sight of the mysterious guy in front of her, based on his clothes, he seems a noble man, his cold eyes are still looking at her, waiting for a reaction or an explanation for what he realized earlier. “Could you please go away?” She turned to her right and walked away from the awkward scene. 

The face looks so familiar to her, it felt like he saw him somewhere in her life. Her head aches as she tries to remember where or when. It couldn’t be in her past life, she was reborn after the day she died, there is no way that she will meet him at the same age as she met him in her past life. She stopped as he called her.   

“Who are you?” His cold voice made her shiver, it felt like every minute she will die, it feels like a death threat around him. “Don’t mind about it.” She briefly said as she ran away from him and came back to the main hall of the castle. 

“Why are you panting, Phoebe?” She looked up as she saw the archduke who seems concerned. “Do you encountered some sort of ghosts?” She shook her head, “Scarier than that, do you have anyone accompanying you here, sir?” She fixed herself and wipes her sweat. 

“Well, I am mostly alone here. My wife is always on a trip, but I got visitors today.” Phoebe was a bit confused as she realized that she may be encountered one of the visitors that the archduke has. “Come, I will let you meet them.” The archduke led her to the living room, which is empty. Bermin was confused and looked around. 

“I am here, uncle.” The familiar cold voice emerges from the room. She looked at the young man again, he is still looked bored, he didn’t even bother to comb his hair. But above all of that, she stopped. He called him uncle, she tries to remember any member of the family she had before that has an uncle-nephew relationship with her past life’s uncle. 

“Andres?” She called loudly, she didn’t notice that she made that loud. The prince looked at her with his eyebrows raised, “I thought you don’t know me.” Phoebe raised her head as she realized her mistake, she quickly thought of an excuse to not raise any suspicion. “Because you are a prince, of course, I’ll know you.”

“But you seemed that you didn’t know me earlier.” He sits on the couch and still looking at her. “It was awkward, okay? Anyone who just randomly approached me is strange, not because you are a prince I will react differently.” Andres snickers and the archduke gets between them. 

“Now, now. Don’t get in an argument for your first meet. Anyway, since you seem to know him, well, Andres, be acquainted with Phoebe.” He looked at her again, “Hi, what’s her business here anyway? She seems a daughter of a peasant.”

Suddenly, anger rushes to her blood and almost slapped him as the fast reflex of the archduke stopped her. “Andres, be friendly.” The arrogant prince just hisses, “Fine, nice to meet you, Phoebe.” Bermin made Phoebe calm as she takes a breath. “She is my scholar, this school year, I will support her schooling.” 

“You participated with that scholar thing, uncle? That’s new…” He squinted his eyes to his uncle who just laughed at his antics. “Anyway, where is your brother?” He shrugged as he rises from the couch, “I will get some tea.” He went to the kitchen.

“Is he that arrogant, sir Bermin?” She looked at the archduke who just shook his head in dismay. “Gotta get used to that.” He smiles at her and went his way to find the brother of the arrogant prince. She sat on the couch as she realized that Andres has a brother, that’s the only information she knows. 

In her 16 years of another life on earth, she hasn’t heard that Andres has a brother. Even in her past life. Maybe she heard some rumors before, but she didn’t remember anything. She is intrigued by who might be his brother. 

She followed the archduke as he finds where the other boy is. Bermin knows she is following him and just let her. They went to the back of the mansion as she discovers a well-mowed lawn and a path towards a small garden. They followed the path and in the distance, she can see an arch welcoming them and some hedges with beautiful flowers. 

They entered the small garden and it was like a fantasy forest. She saw a figure sitting on the only bench there. “There you are, Andrei,” Bermin said as the teen looked at him. “Uncle!” He exclaimed as the archduke approached him. Phoebe stayed beside the tree and watching them. 

“Phoebe, what are you doing there?” He asked as she was snapped back to reality from deciphering what happened. “Oh! Uh…” The archduke shooks his head while giggling. “Join us.” She shyly approached them and stands beside Bermin.

“Wait… Is she the one you have been telling me, uncle?” Bermin nods, “She will now live in my mansion while she takes her high school years.” The boy looked at her, “Cool! I am Andrei.” He offered his hand as Phoebe hesitantly accepts it and shook her hand gently. “Nice to meet you, Phoebe! I guess you are smart since uncle said only smart people will be chosen as a scholar.” 

“How old are you?” She suddenly asked out of the blue. “Oh? I’m 16!” Phoebe realizes that maybe he was born after she died, but she didn’t know her aunt Laila was pregnant. “Oh… We’re the same age.” She smiles as the teen hyped up. “Awesome! Someone who can understand my antics!” Bermin laughed as he ruffled the boy’s hair. 

“Come on, let’s have our lunch.” He invites them to the dinner table, as well Andres. They had their lunch with Andrei who seems happy and childish about Phoebe. “I knew it! You are the daughter of that chef in Oliver. My mother once ordered there just for me, and I gotta say that your dish is so cool.” Phoebe giggles. She looked at both of the brothers, they are the exact opposite. Most probably Andres needed to pose a higher figure since he will be the heir. 

She froze again if he is the heir and will be taking the throne after the king dies. A lot of ideas ran to her mind and a lot of questions filled the spaces. She is hesitant to talk with the prince, but one day, she will have the courage to speak to him about something that can help her to avenge her death and save her kingdom. 

She and Andrei kept talking as Andres talked with his uncle about things that Phoebe won’t comprehend, as he quoted it. “Is your brother that rude?” They sat on the couch. “Well, he is what he is. He is friendly to others, though!” He positively said, even though his brother is obviously the bringer of the negativity. 

“Do you guys go along well?” She looks at the face of Andrei, seeing if he is just being positively lying. “Of course! As long as we don’t interfere much with each other, everything will be fine.” Phoebe squints at him, trying to catch him lying. “Believe me. He wouldn’t be taking all of what I do if he doesn’t like me.” 

“Are you sure?” She asked again and was responded by a nod from Andrei. “Don’t worry, he is just hostile to those he just met. He doesn’t want to show his soft side to strangers, you know. Besides, he is the future king, he must show that he is tough so that people will be agreeing that he will be the ruler.”

After minutes of talking, Andres approached him. “Let’s go.” He looked at the girl in front of her. “I guess we have to go now, see you anytime soon!” They went to their carriage waiting outside the mansion. Phoebe started to create theories in her mind, but she was still unsure what is happening behind all of this.

She saw a familiar figure fetching the two young men in the carriage. The archduke bowed at him, Phoebe did too in pressure. “Bermin, how are you doing?” With the voice, her blood rages, if she could just kill him right at this moment, she will. “I am doing fine, brother. It’s a surprise that you visited or even fetched your sons.”

King Dougal giggles, “Well, I just paid you a visit, it’s been a while. And, I just came back from my trip and decided maybe I will fetch them on my own.” Bermin just smiled at him, “Well, I guess see you three soon.” The king didn’t miss the chance to notice the girl beside Bermin. “I didn’t know that you already have a grown daughter.”

Bermin looked at Phoebe and to him, “No, no. This is just my scholar, her name is Phoebe.” As the king looks at her, Phoebe tried to be calmed and collected and flashed a fake smile to him. “It’s been an honor to meet you, your highness.” She raised her skirt a bit on both sides as she bowed elegantly at him, mocking him secretly.

“What a nice, lovely young lady you got here, Bermin. Anyway, we will be going now.” The archduke nods as the three boards the carriage and went to their way. “Come on now, Phoebe,” Bermin said as he went to the mansion, the girl decided to stay for a while outside. “I will just enjoy some good breeze here, sir Bermin.” He shrugged as she lets her. She looked at the distance as she watches the royal family go on their way. Phoebe clenched her fist, she almost vomits with what she said earlier. 

“I will get you soon.”

The next day, the archduke show her the school where she will spend her four years. It was so beautiful and had a lot of space than her previous school. Since it is high school, she will be learning more about logical things, since, in her middle school, all she learned was household things and girly things, as her society labeled them. “Next week will be the enrollment. Have you already decided what path you will take?”

“I’ll be involved in the politics.” The archduke was a bit surprised, “Huh, few girls take politics, but I will support you on that. Are you planning to be a councilor of some sort?” Phoebe shrugs, but she knows what she will be doing with the path she will take. “I will just go with the flow, but maybe I will aim for the highest I can take.” 

“You will be the second female head councilor if you will be one. Just like the late Councilor Mariah.” The archduke smiles at her. “Anyway, is the king doing alright with his reign?” Bermin froze as he looked at the young lady in front of him. He sighed, “It’s a long story, my dear. I can not really say to you if he did well or not, maybe someday I will be able to explain to you. You are too young.”

“How can I do well in my class if I don’t really know what’s happening?” She put on her innocent mask to the archduke, keeping him spill what he knows and whether he is with the king. “Well… Do you really wanna know, Phoebe?” She nods briefly but implying she is interested. “First, what do you think of our king?”

“Well, he is nice and has done a lot of great things!” She lied, she knows something’s up. One of the pieces of evidence was the father and son who got killed of the abusive military and was ignored because everyone was afraid. She knows that something is lurking in the minds of those who can contact the king, and questions she needed to be answered. 

“I guess you need to learn a lot. Here is what I know.”