The King's Beloved

~ [Music Recommendation: "The Heart's Tale" by BigRicePiano (Instrumental only) - available in Youtube] ~ Please listen to it in loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this scene ~

Hi Beloved Readers!

For today's extra chapter, I wrote about Zeid and Rania, how they met, and started their love. Hope you enjoy it! <3

Ps: This is "Part One" only. Next parts will be in the upcoming extra chapters, along with other "Untold Tales" from other characters.

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Water poured like rain from the shower room where Zeid stood still with a blank expression on his face. His mind was elsewhere. Far beyond the bathroom he was in, or the luxurious suite where he stayed, and even far beyond the present. With eyes unblinking, he reminisced about the past as his heart longed so deeply for Rania. 

He could still clearly remember the day he first saw her …

From the school gates, she stepped out of their family car, lifted her head to look at the high school she just transferred to, and smiled like an angel. She wore the same stylish, blue and white school uniform like the other students, and carried a cute backpack on her back.

Zeid was at one of the corners near the school gate that time, where a woman stood in front of him, confessing her love. The sound of the car on a rather very peaceful and quiet, luxurious school, distracted him.

"Aa-hm, Zeid … I love you!" shouted the woman with all her might. Her face flushed red from embarrassment. "I've liked you since the very first time I met you! You're so good at everything, and you're very smart. A-and … and …" On and on, she continued professing her love.

But Zeid wasn't listening to her. His eyes fell on the angel with platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes, walking up the stone paved pathway towards the main building of the school.

"Another stuck up princess, I bet," Zeid thought in his mind. When Rania entered the building, he rolled his eyes and looked at the woman in front of him.

"So? What do you say? W-would you like to go out with me?" the woman gulped.

"Hmm?" Zeid hummed in a mocking tone. He looked at her like a devil mocking her entire being. "I didn't even listen to anything you said".

"H-huh?" the woman was taken aback. "I … I said that I … love ..."

"Pft!" Zeid snorted. "Love? Seriously?" he asked as one of his eyebrows raised high. "Don't make me laugh. If I must know, you're only sucking up to me because of my family name".

"T-that's not true!" the woman's eyes teared up. "I really love you!"

"How much? For you to stay away from me?" Zeid scoffed. "I expect to never see your face again afterwards".

At these words, the woman clenched her fist as rivers of tears fell from her eyes. Then, she turned her back from him and ran away as fast as she could.

"Aww … pity. If I were her, I would have taken the money," Zeid shrugged and went on his way, back to the building where he was initially going.

Due to this, later that day, when school was over and Zeid just finished playing golf as part of his club activities, he was confronted by a group of men who were in their senior years. One of them was familiar to him - the brother of the woman he just rejected that morning.

"You know, you're barking at the wrong tree," Zeid warned them. "I'm not someone you should anger. So while I'm still being nice -"

"Fu*k off!"the brother yelled at him. His face spelled "furious" all over. "How dare you take advantage of my sister and dump her?!"

"Pft! When did I take advantage of her? I won't even touch her with the tip of my finger even if she's the last woman on earth," Zeid scoffed and laughed.

"So you're saying my sister is a liar?! You motherfu*ker!"

Then the men ganged up on him and started attacking him from all directions. 

But Zeid was well-trained when it comes to different sorts of martial arts. 

Being an heir of the Ardor family, the richest family in their country, he had been exposed to kidnapping since childhood and decided he needed to learn to defend himself at all times. He couldn't just rely on bodyguards who 'somehow' always managed to fail when it mattered to him. So he decided to handle it on his own - including learning the secrets of black organization.

Such dark things for a teenager like him. But these things kept him alive up to now. And what's more, it gave him power not only to protect himself, but control things the way he wanted them to be. Yes, to the point that at the young age of 16, he already created his own name in the dark organization and had been granted the "black card" with an almost invisible sign of a chameleon. It was a card given only to the most exclusive members of the group.

"You're ganging up on me and this is all you've got?" Zeid mocked them as he easily evaded all their lousy attacks.

After a series of punching and kicking, Zeid defeated them all and left them crawling on the ground. 

"This school really sucks. Can't even do anything about their students fighting," Zeid sighed. He then left and walked towards the shower room near the golf area.

On his way, he passed by Rania, who was merrily walking, hugging a book on her arms.

"Hm?" Rania stopped when she noticed that the man she just passed by had dirty clothes and a blood stain on the corner of his lips. She turned around and called the man, "Hey! Wait up!" Her voice was simply the sweetest.

Knowing she was calling for him, Zeid looked back and gave her a death glare. He just finished fighting a bunch of stupid idiots and didn't want to deal with a stuck up princess now.

But his death glare did nothing to Rania. She continued to walk near him, with a warm smile on her face. She rummaged her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief from it.

"Here, you can use this," Rania offered her hanky to him. "You've got some blood stains on your lips. Must be painful".

Zeid scoffed. "What do you want?"

"Hm?" Rania looked puzzled. Knitting her brows and shaking her head, she replied, "Nothing. I just wanted to lend you something to wipe yourself".

"Pft! For what? To gain my favor?" Zeid mocked her.

Rania tilted her head. "Hmmm … No. Why would I want to gain your favor?"

"Don't play innocent with me. I won't believe that you don't know me".

"Ahm … but I don't really know you".

"Hmf! Nice acting, you'd make a good actress".

At this remark, Rania sighed. Her smile faded from her face. It wasn't replaced by anger though, instead, she looked at him with worry and compassion.

Zeid was taken aback by the expression on her face. Never had he been looked at like that. It was unfamiliar for him.

"W-what?!" he yelled in his uncertainty.

Rania gently shook her head. Then, she lowered her head and grabbed one of Zeid's hands to give him the handkerchief. Gently, she whispered to him, with a voice that can soothe even the angriest of hearts …

"It must have been hard … living a life with no one to trust".

Zeid's eyes widened. "S-Shut up!"

Rania lifted her head and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Don't worry, you can trust me. I don't have ulterior motives, whoever you are," she said playfully, "And besides, we're probably richer than you are. So I don't really need to curry favor with you. Ha ha ha!"

"Pft! Ha ha ha ha!" Zeid burst in laughter. "You actually think your family is richer than mine? What is your family name?"

"But of course! My father is the richest amongst anyone!" Rania bragged cutely.

"And who is this great father you speak of?"

"Hmmm," Rania teased. "Should I tell you?"

"What? Scared now? Don't worry, I'll forgive your foolishness".

"Alright, I'll tell you, but keep it a secret okay?"

"Hmf! As if that's a secret. If I want to, I can get all the information about you in just a phone call".

"Wow, must be nice," Rania clapped her hands. "But my father is not someone you can just investigate".

"Dare me," Zeid replied confidently. His face was full of confidence.

"Okay," Rania nodded. Then, with a warm smile on her face, she answered him, "He's the one who created this world. And I'm His adopted child".

Zeid was shocked by her answer. He knew in an instant that she was referring to God. For some reason, he felt in his heart that he didn't want to disrespect her any more than he already did. He realized that he had been rude to someone innocent, to someone blameless.

"... And what of your biological father?"

"Oh? He was a good man and lived an honest and modest life. However, he's peacefully resting now".

"I see," Zeid's tone mellowed down. "I'm sorry to hear that".

"It's fine!" Rania smiled gleefully towards him. "By the way, my name is Rania Caeles, what's yours?"

Seeing her angelic smile, Zeid couldn't help but stare endearingly at her as he answered ...

"I'm … Zeid Ardor".

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Hi Beloved Readers!

As part of "Authors & Readers Win-Win Event", I've decided to do a mass release if we reach the below numbers of privilege readers for September! XD

1000 Privilege Readers = 10 chapters mass release

500 Privilege Readers = 5 chapters mass release

PS: It's just the start of September and I already have 36 Priv Readers, thank you so much! So JOIN them to achieve the next milestone! <3

Also, I adjusted my privilege tiers so it will be affordable for everyone. See below:

Tier 1 = 1 coin only, 2 advanced chapters (preferred)

Tier 2 = 99 coins, 3 advanced chapters

Please SUPPORT me on this event and purchase my privilege! XD <3

Tier 1 privilege is 1 COIN ONLY! Purchase it now! <3

Lots of Love,

Macy_Bae

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