The Extra's Reincarnation-Chapter 62: Strange Encounter

The king nodded graciously at Ophelia and Diana’s greeting, his eyes scanning over the rest of the group and within seconds Nivel and Erica grabbed both Julian and Ezekiel’s heads forcing them to bow before the king.

"It’s an honor to be in the presence of the royal family," Both Erica and Nivel said.

"Rise, my loyal subjects, and your young companions as well."

As they straightened, Julian caught a glimpse of the princess. Francine’s gaze was darting between the members of their group, her eyes sharp and assessing.

For a brief moment, her eyes locked with Julian’s, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Oh… is that you Ophelia?"

Although the king was standing right in front of her, his eyesight had deteriorated significantly over the years. He was too proud to be seen as some doddering old fool in glasses, he stubbornly refused to wear them at public functions, much to the quiet exasperation of his family and advisors.

"Y-yes… your highness," Ophelia replied, fighting to keep the edge out of her tone.

A vein throbbed in her temple as she plastered on a smile.

Honestly, the nerve of him! You’d think after decades of knowing each other, the least he could do was recognize my voice. Men!

"Well It’s been quite a while, and I’m glad that you’re in good health again,"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, I’m grateful for your concern."

King Paul smiled warmly. "Of course. The Florence family has always been a pillar of support for the crown. I was relieved to hear of your recovery."

His gaze then shifted to the rest of the group, lingering on Julian and Ezekiel. "And who might these young ones be?"

Ophelia gestured towards the boys. "This is Julian, son of my maid Erica, and Ezekiel, nephew of Nivel, a guest at my estate. But in a sense these are all my closest friends."

"Greetings Great King,"

Julian and Ezekiel bowed again, their movements a bit stiff with nervousness.

"Ah, I see, you’ll keep making new friends like always, I remember our days in the academy where you’d say good morning to everyone in the classroom,"

"Well, if that’s what you still remember me by then I guess the image of me remains good in your mind,"

"Indeed," King paul smiled.

As his eyes glanced back at the two boys his wife Queen Azura stepped forward, her eyes kind as she regarded the boys.

"Are you enjoying the festivities, children?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ezekiel replied eagerly. "It’s all so amazing!"

Julian nodded in agreement, but his attention was drawn to Princess Francine.

Her eyes were staring him down intensely like she saw a bug resting on her window screen.

As Julian struggled to keep eye contact with the King and Queen he knew a simple slip up of words would drive Francine’s suspicions through the roof.

"And what of you, young man?" King Paul addressed Julian directly.

"What do you think of our capital?"

Julian swallowed hard, acutely aware of all eyes on him.

"It’s... impressive, Your Majesty. The city is beautiful, and the tournament was exciting."

The king chuckled. "Indeed it was. Perhaps we’ll see you competing in our Royal 8 Challenge, hmm?"

"Darling..."

Suddenly, the atmosphere had gotten tense after the King’s words and his wife seemed to be staring daggers at her husband for suggesting something like that out of the blue.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

The King quickly recomposed himself and laughed his words off.

"Of course, of course. I was merely jesting, my love. Still, you must admit, they do seem like capable lads."

"Paul, really! This is hardly appropriate conversation."

Azura hissed at her husband, her grip tightening on his arm.

"Ah, yes, well," King Paul cleared his throat, clearly flustered by his wife’s reproach. "What I meant to say is that you both seem like fine young lads. I’m sure you’ll grow up to be strong pillars of our kingdom, whatever path you choose."

Julian nodded politely, relieved that the awkward moment seemed to be passing. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling of Princess Francine’s eyes still boring into him.

"Your Majesties," Lady Ophelia interjected smoothly, "I hate to cut our conversation short, but I believe you have other engagements to attend to?"

"Oh yes, you’re right," Queen Azura said, placing a hand on her husband’s arm. "We mustn’t keep the other nobles waiting. Right Sweetie?"

Queen Azura smiled however it seemed to have more malice than it did innocence.

Ehem…

"Ah… you’re right," King Paul said, sneaking up to Ezekiel and Julian.

"If you two enter the Royal 8 challenge, I can guarantee if one of you becomes the sole blade, I’ll add 50 gold to your starting allowance—"

BAM

In a swift motion, the Queen delivered a sharp blow to the back of her husband’s head, causing him to yelp in surprise and pain.

Without missing a beat, she grabbed him by the collar and began dragging him heartlessly down the hallway, muttering under her breath about the impropriety of his behavior.

As the royal couple made their hasty exit, Princess Francine turned to face the group, her expression a mix of amusement and apology.

"Please forgive my father’s enthusiasm," she said, her voice tinged with a hint of laughter. "He can get a bit carried away at times. It was truly a pleasure meeting all of you. Enjoy the rest of the festivities!"

With a final, lingering glance at Julian, she turned and gracefully hurried after her parents.

"Y-yeah, you too!" Ezekiel called out, waving awkwardly at the retreating princess.

Ezekiel laughed awkwardly waving at Francine who left to catch up with her mother and Julian let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. The encounter had been brief, but intense - especially that last look from Princess Francine.

"Well," Lady Ophelia said, breaking the stunned silence that had fallen over the group, "that was certainly unexpected."

Diana nodded, her brow furrowed slightly.

"Indeed. I’ve never seen His Majesty so... informal."

Ezekiel, on the other hand, seemed to have recovered from his awe and was now practically bouncing with excitement.

"But did you see that? The King himself talked to us! And the Princess too!"

"Huh, are you stupid? What do you think they were gonna do when we blocked the entire hallway, stand there?"

"Oh shut up Julian, It’s called common courtesy. The King was just being friendly and sociable with his subjects."

"And how would you know so much about royal etiquette?" Julian asked, smirking.

"Are you sure you’re not secretly some prince from another kingdom?"

At Julian’s teasing remark, Ezekiel’s smile faltered, and a troubled expression crossed his face. Even Nivel seemed taken aback by Julian’s words, his eyes widening in surprise.

Realizing his joke had fallen flat, Julian quickly tried to backpedal.

"Hey, I was just joking. I mean, who would actually believe you were a prince?"

"Come now," Lady Ophelia said, clapping her hands together. "Let’s not spend the day arguing. There’s still much of the festival to enjoy,"

Nivel cleared his throat, nodding in agreement.

"Yes, you’re absolutely right, my lady. We should make the most of the day while we can."