《The Impact of Her - Season One》


 Prologue

    A kingdom was covered by dark, heavy clouds that carried a millennium¡¯s amount of rain. Along with the loudest thunders, the strongest bolts of lightning stretched across the dim sky.


    All because of a king and his heir ¨C his only son ¨C lying in bed, currently in a deep sleep.


    The time for them to regain consciousness? Nobody could say for sure.


    All the members of the court could do was to bargain with the ancient gods to spare one of them.


    The queen has been running the kingdom whilst worrying about the state of her family. She knew she was close to losing sanity, but she would remind herself to hold onto it a bit longer.


    ¡®The kingdom cannot afford to lose another appointed ruler,¡¯ she would often tell herself. Her husband and son were already at the brink of death. She couldn¡¯t be swept away by this diplomatic crisis.


    T¡¯was in the middle of the day ¨C springtime, to be exact ¨C and it has rained continuously for weeks. People lost track of time because they¡¯ve been submerged into wet weather for the longest time. And though water continued to fall from the heavens, they went with their usual activities without complaints; something that the queen praised her people of.


    She now sat beside her almost lifeless husband, holding his hand at his side. Depressed yet alert, she hoped that he would awaken today. It has been her wish since he and their son were trapped in an endless cycle of sleep. And she held onto this almost unrealistic wish, not because of his duties but because she missed her husband too much already.


    He was her rock, her guide, the person who complimented everything about her. His protection and love allowed her to reveal her strengths and weaknesses without shame.


    ¡®Is it too much?¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡®Is it too much to ask that either you or our son would wake up today? To ease my worries for just a moment?¡¯ she continued as her tears fell.


    Her daughter watched helplessly from the side as her mother wept silently. The princess walked towards the queen, her hands folded in front of her. She reached out to her mother¡¯s shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. An assurance that she wasn¡¯t alone.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The queen held her daughter¡¯s hand, not letting go of her husband¡¯s. She didn¡¯t remove her stare from her husband. She even tried not to blink.


    After a moment of silence, the king coughed. His cough persisted as he continued to gain consciousness.


    The queen¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± she called out to him. ¡°Dearest,¡± she turned to her daughter in a panic, ¡°Fetch for the Medicine King as quickly as possible.¡±


    The princess nodded and rushed off.


    ¡°Your Majesty, are you awake?¡± the queen called out to him again. Her gentle grip tightened, praying that this wasn¡¯t a dream, that he was truly alive.


    The king slowly opened his eyes as he adjusted himself to his environment. The light in the room was faint but it was blinding to a man who was under the curse of unending sleep. As his sight became clearer, he was pleasantly surprised to see the face of his beloved. Slowly, he reached out to touch her face.


    ¡°Thank the heavens!¡± she closed her eyes as she whispered. His hand cupped her cheek and she buried her face in his touch. ¡°Thank the heavens you¡¯re awake,¡± she sniffled as tears of joy ran down her cheeks.


    He smiled, relieved that it was all over. But their brief moment of happiness was replaced with horror when something came across the king¡¯s mind: their son.


    ¡°Where¡¯s our son?¡± he asked his wife, eyes widened. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    She froze as she received his question. She stood still, eyes wide open as she feared how he would react to their son¡¯s state.


    The king held onto her arms and repeated his question, not wanting to let go without an answer.


    With a deep breath, the queen pointed to the bed beside the king¡¯s¡­ and there he was: the prince of the kingdom, still trapped in his own slumber.


    Not waiting for another minute, he rushed towards his son. He stumbled along the way but he didn¡¯t pay any mind to it. All he wanted was to be beside his heir.


    His son was breathing as if he was plainly taking a nap. His little hands were laid on his stomach. His head was raised by a velvet pillow.


    Gut-wrenched, the king held the boy¡¯s hand, doing his very best to fight the tears. He wanted to cry but as king, he didn¡¯t want to show any signs of weakness. However, he was breaking deep inside. The sight of his young child in a deep sleep was too much for him to bear. He¡¯d prefer to be in his position, knowing that the kingdom would be better with the younger, future monarch.


    ¡°How long will he be asleep?¡± he asked his queen, not tearing his stare away from his child.


    ¡°The Medicine King said the day of his reawakening is unknown. The same was said for you, my love,¡± she explained gently, her hands on his shoulders. It was her husband who needed the comfort now.


    ¡°Tell him to do everything, to try anything, just to bring back my son.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Your Majesty,¡± she whispered, slowly sitting beside him.


    And with that, the king finally succumbed to his tears, weeping in the arms of his queen.

 Chapter One - Prince (a)

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 Chapter One - Prince (b)

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 Chapter One - Prince (c)

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 Chapter Two - Pedestrian

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 Chapter Three - Introduction (a)

    She has mesmerizing green eyes that you just want to look at and for you to drown in. Her rosy cheeks were complemented by an absolutely captivating smile. For that moment, we both got lost in each other''s stare.


    She was the first to snap back to reality. She quickly pulled her hand back. "Forgive me for staring, good sir," she hid her face from me in her hood.


    "Please, I don''t mind it all. I should be the one to apologize for the trouble I caused," I replied. "Being a man upholding the belief of being well-mannered, that was wrong decision making on my end." As every single fruit was returned to her basket, I helped her stand.


    She then scanned my being, her eyes traveled from my head down to my toes and back to my face. "Why are you even in this alley, good sir? By your manner of dressing, you don''t seem like you''re from this area."


    "I''m but a humble traveler. However, some men were sent after me and I needed a place to hide me, and my horse as well," I explained, gesturing towards Lady. "But as I can see," I looked around, "There''s nowhere to hide in this place."


    She suddenly heard the galloping of horses from afar. "Are those the men after you?"


    I turned to look behind me. The horses started to come closer. "Please, madam," I looked back at her, "I need a place to hide and quickly."


    She nodded and without any hesitation, she grabbed my hand and I grabbed Lady as well. She led us into a dark, narrow alley with a dead end. I put Lady in at the very end so nobody could see even a silhouette. We waited patiently until they arrived.


    They stopped in front of the alley where we were hiding.


    "Search every street! Search every alley!" the captain screamed his orders. "The prince must be returned to the castle before the royal family arrives!" As the guards divided into groups, they all rode away.


    She stepped out of the alley first to check if they were truly gone. She gave the signal that it''s safe to come out. I grabbed Lady and we walked out from the dark.


    I sighed, relieved. "That was indeed a close one," I expressed as I looked around, still on the look-out.


    "Those men looked like royal guards. Why were they looking for you?" she asked. Eyes widened, she froze as she realized something. She looked at me from top to bottom again and asked, "Are you royalty? Were you the prince they were talking about?"


    "Come," I gently pulled her to the side, my voice lowered. "You were right when you said I''m not from around here."


    "You''re not a humble traveler like you said, am I right?" she asked, not wanting to wait for an explanation.


    A smile slowly crept on my face. "Yes, I am the prince that they talked about. They were sent after me because as a prince, I wasn''t supposed to go outside on my own, especially to a place I''m not familiar with," I explained.


    "That explains the running into random alleys," she remarked with a teasing smile.


    "Anyways, I would like to thank you for your help, madam."


    "That was nothing," she smiled under the hood of her cloak. "And please, don''t call me ''madam''. It''s too formal and I''m of humble birth," she continued. The silhouette of her smile was enough to drive me insane. I would love to see her face without the cloak on.


    "Um, it''s not that hot out here. Why don''t you remove--"


    "No!" she shouted as she stopped my attempt to remove her hood.


    "Oh, I''m sorry," I quickly retreated my hand. "Did I do something wrong? Was I stepping out of line?"


    "I, um... apologies for my sudden response," she looked down at her feet. "When I''m outside, I don''t usually remove my hood. I don''t like people staring at me," she explained.


    "Oh, I''m very sorry. I was being too brash. I didn''t know you weren''t comfortable doing so."


    "However, you do have a point," she answered. "It''s not that sunny today and seeing that we''re having a conversation, I guess it''s better that you know the face of the one whom you''re talking to, right?"


    "Please, if you don''t want to remove your hood, I completely understand," I reassured. I was fine if that''s what she wanted. If that''s where she was comfortable with.


    "No, I don''t mind," she put her hands in front of her. She gently removed her cloak, revealing a brownish-black hair; a small amount of hair with both upper sides braided into a crown. Her eyes glowed in the light and her smile became clearer, giving me continuous butterflies in my stomach.


    I didn''t notice that I was staring for quite a while until she asked, "Um, is there something on my face?"


    "Oh! Um," I shook my head as I looked down, "There''s nothing wrong with you. You''re... quite beautiful," I said as I looked back at her.


    Her face slowly turned red as she looked away, avoiding my stare. Then a painful silence came in between us. Robert, think of something to talk about! Quickly! Oh, her name! You haven''t asked for her name yet.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "If you don''t mind me asking, madam, but may I know your name?" I asked.


    "Um, well..." she suddenly stammered as she looked down to her feet. "My name... I don''t consider it as a real name."


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "I don''t have a name." She then shook her head and immediately corrected herself, "Well, I was given a name but it''s more of a... nickname."


    "How is that the case with you?" I asked another as my brows furrowed.


    "It''s quite a long story. It might take the whole day for me to explain," she giggled through her reply.


    "I''m sure I can keep up," I smiled. "But before you tell me the whole story, can you tell me your name first?"


    "I''m not sure telling the story is a possibility," she chuckled. "And I also don''t recall me agreeing to tell you the reason behind my name."


    "Why is telling the story behind your name, not a possibility?"


    "I have to get back to work. I''ve already taken too much time away from it," she said.


    "You... work?"


    "Yes, in a bakery," she nodded in enthusiasm.


    "Then, we should start walking back," I started to prepare Lady for the ride.


    "Wait," she put her hand out as she moved closer to me. "Did I hear you correctly? Did you say ''we''? And won''t your horse cause a crowd, prince?" she smirked as she called me by my title.


    "Oh," I stopped as I remembered the chaos that happened a while ago. I''ve already made too much of a mess and I wouldn''t want that to happen again. However, I couldn''t just let her walk alone. "As of the moment, I couldn''t care less. I need to make sure that you''re safe."


    "What for?" she asked, absolutely confused. "I''m not trying to be rude but I don''t think my safety is any of your concern."


    "Think of it as me, repaying the kindness that you''ve shown me and for scaring you with Lady a while ago," I explained. I hope she wouldn''t try to find an escape from my lame excuse to spend more time with her to get to know her.


    "Goodly prince, you don''t have to."


    I knew it. She has a persistent character, too strong for someone like her.


    "First of all, madam," I winked as the word "madam" escaped my lips. I continued with a smirk, "I insist on doing so. Second, you may call me Robert. Simply Robert. And third, I believe you owe me a nickname and a story so I might as well walk you back to the bakery."


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if we simply forget the ¡®repaying your kindness¡¯ part and go our separate ways like perfect strangers?¡± she asked with a child-like smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s too late for that, madam. At this point, my interest in your story is piqued so I have to know the person who helped me today,¡± I smirked. ¡°And trust me, I won¡¯t stop until I know your name and the story that you still need to tell me.¡±


    She rolled her eyes and scoffed. ¡°My nickname - well, what is considered to be my name - is Laura,¡± she smiled as she finally gave in to my request.


    I bowed as I reached for her hand. I gently pulled it closer to my lips and kissed her knuckles. ¡°It¡¯s an honor for a man like me to meet such a lovely and kind-hearted lady like you, Laura,¡± I smiled as I looked up to meet her gaze.


    As soon as our eyes connected, she quickly pulled her hand back and turned away before I could fully see the blush on her face. ¡°You love being too formal,¡± she remarked before she cleared her throat.


    I chuckled as I smiled to myself. ¡°I guess I do,¡± I stood upright.


    She then turned to look at me with a smile on her face. A small amount of blush remained on her face.


    I would love to stare at her smile for as long as I can. Her smile somehow has given me the feeling of happiness and calmness. ¡°I¡¯ll consider Laura as your name. In that manner, you don¡¯t have to say it¡¯s your nickname,¡± I said. ¡°May I ask why your given name is Laura?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s part of the long story that I mentioned briefly,¡± she replied as she scratched her nape.


    ¡°Then we should start walking back to the bakery,¡± I smiled.


    She shrugged after letting out a sigh. ¡°If you say so.¡± She then giggled after.


    Without a moment too soon, we began to walk and she started to tell her story.


    ???


    We¡¯ve been walking for a while now and Laura has told me so much about her. From her unknown day of birth to being an orphan found in the footsteps of a forgotten orphanage, Laura has managed to survive the odds and become the strong person that she is today.


    At the moment, we¡¯re walking down the street of Bullingar which is also a busy marketplace but not chaotic as the one at the entrance. It was filled with numerous shops with different themes, making the street shine with a wide range of colors. And to my relief, a crowd hasn¡¯t formed yet ever since we took a step into this place. Perhaps the people here aren¡¯t fazed with a stranger and a horse.


    ¡°How is your story connected to your given name?¡± I asked.


    ¡°According to the headmistress, when I was found at their doorstep, the rain was pouring heavily. They thought I was going to catch a cold and get very sick but I didn¡¯t,¡± she explained. ¡°I also have had my share of severe illnesses before. When they thought I was going to die, I never really crossed the bridge between life and death. They said that I could be favored in the heavens. They named me Laura because it meant victory, strength, and favored by all.¡±


    ¡°I think your name suits you very well,¡± I nodded in agreement.


    ¡°And why would you say that?¡±


    ¡°I can tell by your attitude that you¡¯re not one to quit easily,¡± I smiled.


    She smiled to herself as she turned her face away from me. She put some of her hair on her ear as she cleared her throat. ¡°That was kind for you to say. Thank you,¡± she turned to me. As we shared a brief giggle, we stopped in front of a small shop. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    I looked up to read the sign that hung in front of the roof. Winston Bakery. I then turned my attention to its front and the bakery had a modest look to it. Some bricks were out of order and the window at the front seemed to be a bit slanted than normal. Barrels and crates were displayed beside a wooden bench that sat under the window. But even though the bakery doesn¡¯t look fancy or has pretty decor, it was still visited by a lot of people. Buyers have continued to come and go from this bakery. Maybe the food here is amazing. I could smell a bit of a delicious aroma, escaping the open door. Without knowing, I felt my stomach grumble as my mouth thirsted to try some of their creations.

 Chapter Three - Introduction (b)

    ¡°Are you a baker?¡± I asked as I turned to her. ¡°Or do you have a different position?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a particular job in the bakery. I simply assist everyone with what they do,¡± she replied. ¡°And as you can tell,¡± she briefly raised the basket. ¡°I¡¯m the one who is tasked to buy whatever ingredient is needed.¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Well, I should get back inside. They might be looking for me,¡± she started to slowly walk towards the entrance.


    ¡°Oh, of course,¡± the tone of my voice changed quickly as my emotions changed from being happy to disappointed. For some reason, I didn¡¯t want her to go. I wanted to spend more time with her. She seemed so calm and her kindness radiates all over her, which is something that can¡¯t be found in my realm. Maybe it¡¯s the reason why I find her so intriguing.


    ¡°Are you all right, Robert?¡± she asked as she walked back to me.


    ¡°Well--¡±


    ¡°Laura, where have you been?¡± our conversation was cut short as an old man walked out of the bakery. He headed towards Laura and he wasn¡¯t angry, just confused and perhaps, curious.


    ¡°Oh, Grandpa Ben!¡± Laura ran up to him and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. ¡°I got the ingredients you told me,¡± she showed the basket filled with different fruits. ¡°And I bumped into someone on my way home.¡± She then gestured in my direction.


    This Grandpa Ben doesn¡¯t look like a grandpa at all. Sure, his hair was gray and is shining underneath the mild sun but his overall appearance made him look like he wasn¡¯t young enough to possibly be called a grandfather. He was wearing a humble attire: a white shirt with brown pants and brown suspenders finished off with black shoes. His grayish-white beard was beautifully placed on his chin and his chin alone. His face was clean.


    I could already tell that this man matters to Laura so much. To see a lady kiss an elder and act as if she¡¯s a young, innocent child when he¡¯s around, I can tell that Grandpa Ben loves and spoils her in whatever ways he can.


    ¡°And who¡¯s this fine fellow you¡¯ve brought, child?¡± he asked with a smile.


    ¡°Oh, um, this is--¡±


    ¡°How are you today, sir? My name is Robert,¡± I bowed as I introduced myself, not letting Laura finish because she¡¯s struggling with her words. I stood upright and held out my hand for a handshake. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Grandpa Ben, it¡¯s nice to meet you, too,¡± he moved his walking cane to his left hand and shook hands with me with his right hand, smiling throughout. We then put our hands down. ¡°Are you a friend of Laura?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an acquaintance, Grandpa Ben,¡± Laura interrupted as she entered the conversation. ¡°We just met a while back.¡±


    ¡°Laura, haven¡¯t I told you that once you introduce someone to me, I will consider them as your friend?¡± he turned to Laura.


    At this point, it seemed like this conversation would be between the both of them so I cleared my throat before saying, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll take this as my queue to leave. I¡¯m just here to make sure that Laura returned safe and sound.¡± I had to choose my words carefully because I didn¡¯t want to sound like I was being rude by leaving them in the middle of a conversation. I did what I had to do for Laura and now, I have to go.


    ¡°Thank you again, Robert,¡± she looked at me and smiled a gentle smile.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Grandpa Ben stopped me as I started to hop on Lady. ¡°Who said who¡¯s going home?¡± he smirked as he put his cane in front of him, resting his hands on top of the handle.


    ¡°Grandpa Ben, please don¡¯t do this,¡± Laura slightly whispered to Grandpa Ben as she hid her face from me.


    ¡°You, young lady, are going to have to work on your socializing skills,¡± he scolded her as he briefly pointed a finger at her.


    ¡°What?¡± her eyes widened while her brows furrowed in shock, confused on why Grandpa Ben is scolding her.


    ¡°As for you, young man,¡± he then turned to me and started to walk towards me. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere until you have tasted some of Laura¡¯s specialty in the bakery: her version of apple pie.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Grandpa Ben. I¡¯m sure that Robert still has things to do,¡± Laura continued to protest behind him.


    ¡°Oh, shush, Laura, there¡¯s no need to be shy about your talents,¡± Grandpa Ben turned his head to the right for a quick second. ¡°Come on in, son,¡± he moved to the side as he made way for me to enter the bakery.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ???


    As I entered the bakery, the atmosphere was very light and cheerful. Everyone was smiling at one another and they all seemed to be on good terms with one another. The big window pane by the front brings in so much light and openness into the whole shop. There were five to seven tables with four chairs each and a long counter: half of it was for dining and the other half was for those who were taking their orders on the road.


    This sort of interaction has the feel of being too perfect, unrealistic. This doesn¡¯t happen in our realm. Everyone is always serious about their kingdoms and keeping everyone in check when we instantly forgot how to smile at times. And for me who has been in that kind of environment for the longest time, this is very refreshing to me.


    ¡°Robert!¡± Grandpa Ben shouted from the counter where people were dining. ¡°Please sit here. We have a long chat ahead of us,¡± he continued, pointing to a chair right in front of him.


    I rushed over to the counter and quickly made myself comfortable on the last stool. Grandpa Ben handed me a list of what they have in the bakery.


    ¡°What would you like, son? Choose anything you want.¡±


    As I read down on the menu, everything on it looked¡­ delicious. The list contained the name of the meal. At the bottom of the name was a short description of what that meal has and at the right side are beautiful hand-drawn illustrations of a certain meal. Such careful planning has been incorporated in this menu and it reflects on how radiant the atmosphere is inside the bakery and its effect on its customers.


    I would buy all of these just to make sure I¡¯d try every single one. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t. I shouldn¡¯t spend all of my money and I can¡¯t spend any more after giving seven pieces to that bastard a while ago. It might also cause another riot inside here and I wouldn¡¯t want to disturb the peace.


    ¡°Is there something wrong, son?¡± he asked, a hint of worry reflected on his face as he leaned closer to me.


    ¡°Grandpa Ben, all of these appear to be quite scrumptious,¡± I replied with a smile as I lifted the menu for a quick second. ¡°Just by their names and their ingredients, it¡¯s enough to make one¡¯s mouth water.¡±


    ¡°Then how come you haven¡¯t chosen anything yet?¡± he asked another. ¡°You seemed to be in deep thoughts. You couldn¡¯t possibly be thinking about this too hard.¡±


    ¡°I would like to buy one of everything on your menu. However, the money I have with me isn¡¯t enough to let me do so,¡± I lowered my voice as I scratched the back of my neck.


    Grandpa Ben suddenly burst into laughter. He enjoyed it for a few seconds then stopped, wiping a tear from his left eye. ¡°Oh, boy, you just made me cry,¡± he snickered, trying to stifle his laughter. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about it, Robert. You won¡¯t have to pay for anything,¡± he explained as he calmed down. ¡°It¡¯s a rule here that if it¡¯s your first visit, you can order what you want without paying.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t want you to lose profit because of me,¡± I replied, worried that I might cause trouble.


    ¡°Calm down, young man,¡± he answered, stopping me from speaking by giving me a tap on the shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Just choose what you want and you can have it.¡±


    I stared down at the menu once again, trying to decide if I should order the whole menu or just choose a few.


    Grandpa Ben then put his hands on each of my shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t stress yourself over this, Robert. Just choose anything that catches your attention.¡± He pulled his hands back to give me space to think.


    A few seconds have passed when I finally decided, ¡°I think I would like to try your special tea and the apple pie that you said Laura makes.¡± I then returned the menu to Grandpa Ben.


    He turned to his staff and began giving instructions. ¡°Rodrigo, I need one of your tea creations.¡± He then turned to Laura, ¡°And you, little one, I need one of those pies.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Grandpa Ben,¡± she nodded with enthusiasm and went to work.


    Grandpa Ben pulled a chair and sat right in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m so happy my granddaughter has finally found a friend around here,¡± he started.


    My brows furrowed. Did I hear him correctly? Did he just call Laura his granddaughter?


    ¡°I beg your pardon, good sir. Did you say granddaughter?¡± I asked, incredibly baffled. Laura said she was an orphan. How could she be his relative?


    ¡°I was pertaining to Laura. And please, don¡¯t call me ¡®sir¡¯, I don¡¯t own this town,¡± he replied, shaking his head as he stifled a chuckle.


    I smiled as his was contagious. ¡°Sir--I mean, Grandpa Ben, how come you said Laura¡¯s your granddaughter? She said she was an orphan,¡± I continued as I leaned closer, keeping my voice at a low volume.


    ¡°Well, she wasn¡¯t lying about that. She was an orphan,¡± he replied, his voice changed to a bit more serious tone. ¡°I¡¯m the one who adopted her. Originally, I signed up to be her grandfather but I have since adopted her as my own which makes me her father as well.¡±


    Laura is fortunate to have a father and a grandfather in one person. Perhaps that¡¯s why she has such a gentle nature: it¡¯s because of how Grandpa Ben treats her.


    ¡°So, Robert, who are your parents? And where do you live?¡± he asked, crossing his arms and putting them on the counter.


    His question made me stop and think everything through. Up to this point, I¡¯ve introduced myself as a random stranger that happened to pass by and assist Laura. I can¡¯t tell him that I¡¯m not of this world. My identity as an immortal must be protected at all cost or I¡¯ll end up with a crowd again. I don¡¯t think that Grandpa Ben is the type of person that tells people everything but still, I don¡¯t want any eyes on me in this place.


    ¡°Did I say something wrong, Robert?¡± he asked as he noticed my silence. ¡°Did I say something offensive?¡±


    ¡°Oh, not at all, Grandpa Ben. It¡¯s just, um¡­¡±


    Come now, Robert, think of something.


    I continued, trying to be as careful as I can be, ¡°You see, Grandpa Ben, I¡¯m not from around here so I don¡¯t think mentioning my parents would be worth it.¡±


    ¡°Is there some kind of family conflict? You seemed¡­ uncomfortable talking about your parents,¡± he said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that there are so many things that happened with my family that made our relationship as a unity turn sour,¡± I replied, my lips formed into a firm smile.


    ¡°Can you share a bit about that?¡±


    Maybe I could share a few things to lift some weight off of my chest. I didn¡¯t tell him that I¡¯m from a family of immortals so I think it¡¯s safe to share a few of my frustrations with him. He seemed to be interested and concerned as well.


    ¡°I think¡­ I think it¡¯s the marriage arrangement they pushed me into that ultimately destroyed my relationship with them,¡± I answered, looking down on my hands that are now intertwined with each other.

 Chapter Three - Introduction (c)

    ¡°If you¡¯re in an arranged marriage, I assume you came from a rich family, am I correct?¡± he smirked.


    ¡°I guess we can call it that way,¡± I replied, hesitant. I¡¯m not the kind of person that¡¯s proud of his title and parades his wealth outside of the castle. To be completely honest, I prefer to look like a normal being whether I¡¯m inside the castle or not. Boasting what I have was never an attitude of mine.


    ¡°One order of tea and apple pie, ready to be served!¡± a worker shouted behind Grandpa Ben, putting the meal on the counter behind him.


    Laura then appeared from the workplace, grabbed the tray, and headed towards me. ¡°Here you are, good sir. Tea and a freshly-baked apple pie,¡± she said as she put my order directly in front of me. ¡°Enjoy!¡± she smiled and started to head back to the workplace.


    Grandpa Ben let out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m sure he will,¡± he teased Laura.


    She then turned around and stuck her tongue out to Grandpa Ben. After their little moment of playful banter, Laura headed back to work.


    ¡°Go ahead, son. Try it,¡± he reverted his attention to me.


    I smiled as I gently lifted the cup of tea closer to my mouth. As the hot liquid touched my tongue, I could say this is one of the best kinds of beverage I¡¯ve ever tasted. ¡°Sir,¡± I put the tea down. ¡°I mean, Grandpa Ben, I have to say that this is one of the best teas that has ever touched my tongue.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you liked it. Rodrigo was the one who makes all the beverages here,¡± Grandpa Ben said with a sense of pride. ¡°He said his recipe has been handed down through his family for generations and it is a well-guarded secret. Whoever created the recipe was a genius and all thanks must be given to its creator.¡±


    ¡°A genius, indeed,¡± I smiled. My eyes then turned their attention to the apple pie.


    ¡°Since you had, as you said, the best tea you¡¯ve ever tasted, are you now ready to taste the best apple pie in this place?¡± he asked, his expression full of enthusiasm.


    ¡°Well, by the looks and the aroma of this pie, it must be mouth-watering,¡± I complimented, pulling the slice of pie closer to me.


    ¡°Though I must warn you, boy¡­ those who have tasted Laura¡¯s apple pies went mad about them. They would always return here and eat as much pie as they could,¡± he replied as he handed a fork to me.


    I stuck my fork into the pie when someone from the baking area started to ring a handheld bell. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for lunch, everybody! Lunch is almost here!¡± he continued to shout as he walked around the baking area with the bell. ¡°Enough with all the breakfast pastries and beverages. It¡¯s time for dessert!¡± he continued. After ringing the bell and shouting like a mad man inside the bakery, he went back to this workstation.


    ¡°You have someone who keeps time in check here, Grandpa Ben?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, yes, we do. We have to,¡± he answered as he folded his arms and laid them on the counter, supporting his weight as he leaned towards me. ¡°We want to be different from other bakeries here as much as possible. We don¡¯t want to be a bakery that bakes bread and only bread. Our treatment in the workplace is like family. So, every time a customer enters that very door,¡± he pointed to the shop entrance briefly. ¡°We serve breakfast, snacks, and desserts for everyone¡¯s delight,¡± he added.


    ¡°What time do you normally close the bakery?¡±


    ¡°When the street clocker starts to ring his bell during the evening, we take it as a sign that it¡¯s time to close the shop. If there are people who wanted midnight snacks, we would deliver them after we close the bakery,¡± he explained. ¡°Now, that¡¯s enough talking. Go ahead and try the apple pie,¡± he pointed at the pie.


    Oh, right, the pie! I turned back to the pie and carefully sliced a small bite. As I lifted it, it looked just too delicious that you just wanted to eat it with your eyes alone. I was about to take a bite when Lady started to whiny in front of the entrance.


    ¡°Your horse has a bit of an attitude, son,¡± Grandpa Ben snickered.


    Lady doesn¡¯t usually act that way unless there¡¯s a crowd. What¡¯s happening with her? Is she trying to tell me something? I turned back to Grandpa Ben, ¡°Grandpa Ben, do you know what time it is currently?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ well, for starters, it isn¡¯t officially lunchtime yet. The street clocker hasn¡¯t announced it yet,¡± he explained.


    Right after he said that, I heard someone shouting outside on the streets. ¡°It¡¯s time for lunch! Time for lunch! Those who are currently working, it¡¯s time for lunch!¡± a young man started ringing a bell, along with five other men who were beating their drums. He continued to shout as he passed by the shop.


    ¡°Well now, it¡¯s really time for lunch,¡± Grandpa Ben laughed.


    So that¡¯s what Lady was trying to say! It¡¯s time for lunch. It¡¯s time for her lunch and I need to be heading back home. I don¡¯t want my family to know I was out of the castle, especially James.


    ¡°Grandpa Ben, I have to go,¡± I replied, standing up as quickly as I could.


    ¡°What?¡± he stood up, his brows were knitted together in confusion. ¡°But you still haven¡¯t tried the pie yet.¡±


    ¡°Maybe next time, Grandpa Ben. I can¡¯t be late for family lunch,¡± I answered. Without wasting any more time, I ran towards the entrance.


    ???


    As soon as I reached Lady, I wasted no time and quickly jumped onto her back.


    ¡°Wait!¡± a voice shouted from inside the bakery. I turned to see Laura as she raced towards me with a basket in her arms. ¡°Here you are,¡± she said as she handed over the basket, covered with a plaid blanket.


    ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡± I asked as I received it.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get the chance to finish the pie so Grandpa Ben told me to put it in a basket and give it to you,¡± she smiled. ¡°It¡¯s still fresh and as I can see, it wasn¡¯t touched so it would be a waste if we threw it into the trash,¡± she put her hands on her waist.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Oh, thank you, Laura but there¡¯s no need for this,¡± I started to hand the basket back. ¡°I told Grandpa Ben I will try it on my next visit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight us back, son,¡± another voice came from the entrance. Grandpa Ben then walked towards us and stood behind Laura. ¡°Take the pie home with you. Share it with your family. They might like it.¡±


    ¡°But Grandpa Ben--¡± he then put his hand out to block my protest.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, son. I don¡¯t want to hear any excuses. You¡¯re bringing it home,¡± he smirked as he rested his hands on top of his cane.


    How can I fight back? There¡¯s two of them. I¡¯m outnumbered. I must accept defeat this time. ¡°So, when¡¯s the next time we will see each other?¡± I asked Laura as I turned to her.


    She smiled before she replied, ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to wait for your next visit, Robert.¡±


    ¡°I certainly hope I¡¯d see you again,¡± I returned her smile. One way or another, I¡¯ll find a way to keep seeing her without my family knowing. For once, I think I found someone with whom, I think, I can share my thoughts.


    ¡°We will, Robert,¡± she smirked as she crossed her arms.


    I was about to answer but Lady began to whiny once more, even threatening to stand. ¡°Well, I must be on my way. I will see you again, Laura,¡± I replied then I turned to Grandpa Ben after. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    ¡°Come back anytime you want, son,¡± he smiled. ¡°You¡¯re always welcome in our bakery.


    I nodded in response and went on my way back to the castle.


    ???


    I quickly dismounted Lady as soon as we arrived at the stables. As I fed Lady her food today and gave her some water, somebody hugged me from behind. By the looks of the soft, blushing hands, I could tell it was Mallory and she was sobbing. Her tears were enough to soak the back of my shirt.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you love me, Robert?¡±


    I carefully removed her arms from my body. ¡°Mallory, I don¡¯t have time for this,¡± I turned around.


    She hugged me once more, her tears soaked the front of my shirt. ¡°Tell me, Robert, why can¡¯t you love me?¡±


    I removed her hands from me again, this time with a bit of force. ¡°I told you already, Mallory: I only view you as my sister,¡± I explained as calmly as I could. I can sense myself slowly losing patience as the blood rushed to my cheeks. I felt suffocated in this situation.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not how I feel for you,¡± she protested.


    I groaned as I swiped my hand across my face out of frustration. ¡°Mallory, even if I did try to love you romantically, it would never work. Out of all the people in this castle, you¡¯re one of the few who know that I¡¯m arranged to marry someone else,¡± I spouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± she suddenly shouted as she shook her head. ¡°Give me a chance to be with you even just for a little while. After that, you can forget that there was ever something between the two of us,¡± a river of tears continued to run down her cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mallory but I can¡¯t do that. I would be lying to myself and I would be lying to you,¡± I answered. ¡°As a sister, the last thing that I want to do to you is to hurt you by pretending that there¡¯s a chance between the two of us. You deserve a man who will love you wholly.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t that man be you?¡±


    ¡°No, Mallory.¡±


    And with that, I went on my way to the kitchen. I wanted to turn back and make sure that she will be okay but at this rate, she doesn¡¯t want to be comforted by me. She will only continue to push her request and that will only prolong the conversation that could easily turn into an argument.


    ???


    The very moment I stepped foot into the kitchen, the first person I started to look for was Nana Olsa. I had to keep this apple pie safe and she¡¯s the only one I trust with matters such as this. But no matter how hard I looked around, she was nowhere to be found. And it didn¡¯t help that the staff was hurriedly preparing the food for lunch.


    ¡°Nana Olsa?¡± I started to call out as I walked around the kitchen. ¡°Nana Olsa?¡±


    I felt a sudden tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Madam Purrey, the sous chef.


    ¡°Robert, is there anything I can help you with?¡± she asked with a concerned look on her face.


    ¡°Oh, Madam Purrey. It¡¯s a good thing I found you,¡± I sighed out of relief.


    ¡°Is there something wrong, little one?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen Nana Olsa?¡±


    ¡°Nana Olsa is not here, Your Highness,¡± she replied as she folded her hands in front of her. ¡°She¡¯s currently in the dining hall, assisting the servants in preparing for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Madam Purrey. I¡¯ll be on my way. Please let her know that I was looking for her.¡±


    ¡°I will, young prince,¡± she then stepped aside to make way for me.


    After a quick nod, I ran out of the kitchen and started heading to the dining hall. I can only hope that my family hasn¡¯t arrived in the dining hall yet.


    ???


    As I was running for my life in the hallway, Gonzalo suddenly popped out from a corner which caused me to bump into him in my attempt to stop.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± he exclaimed as he caught me before I could fall onto the ground.


    ¡°Gonzalo,¡± I tried my best to catch my breath as he helped me stand back up. It¡¯s a good thing he was quick to catch me. Or else, we¡¯d both be on the floor right now. Out of breath, I put my hands on my knees as I panted.


    ¡°You¡¯re expected in the dining hall, Your Highness,¡± he informed me as he put a hand on my shoulder.


    I removed his hand as I began to stand upright. ¡°I¡¯m very well aware of that, Gonzalo.¡± I took a deep breath in and let it all out as I finally got my breathing back to normal.


    ¡°Well, young prince, if you¡¯re composed already, I suggest that you change your clothes into something a bit more formal and join your family.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to change,¡± I shook my head. I walked closer to him. ¡°How dare you send the guards after me, Gonzalo,¡± I started, my voice lowered.


    His eyes widened. ¡°Um, Your Highness, I have no idea of what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he stuttered throughout his lame excuse. His eyes were quick to land their gaze onto the floor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Gonzalo. The guards said you sent them after me,¡± I replied as I tried to control my anger for as long as I could. He disobeyed my command and now, he has the guts to lie in front of my face?


    Gonzalo continued to stare at the floor. He answered as he cleared his throat, ¡°Your Highness, I only did what was right.¡±


    ¡°What was right?! I specifically told you that I don¡¯t want anyone to come with me, especially the castle guards! What if they told the king about what happened?!¡± I shouted in a whispering voice. ¡°Do you think what you did was right?! Instead of protecting me from the mortals, you made it more obvious that I was an immortal! Do you realize what you have done?!¡±


    He quickly went down on his knees and responded, ¡°Please appease your anger, Your Highness. I ordered the guards never to tell His Majesty about your stroll.¡±


    ¡°And how sure are you that they won¡¯t tell him? What is your guarantee that they will keep everything to themselves?¡± I leaned forward as I moved closer to him, towering over his crouched figure.


    I heard Gonzalo gulp before he said, ¡°I made them swear, Your Highness. But I¡¯ll have a word with them later today.¡±


    ¡°The next time I tell you what to do, I expect you to follow my orders. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    Gonzalo lifted his head to meet my gaze. ¡°But Your Highness, you were breaking the rules. I couldn¡¯t just let you break the rules as you are the heir to the throne of the Western Wind.¡±


    ¡°Does it look like I care about the rules, Gonzalo?¡± I crouched down to his level and moved my face closer to him. ¡°If I gave a damn about the rules of this kingdom, do you think I would even consider going to the Mortal Realm myself for a simple stroll?¡±


    Gonzalo quickly shook his head in response.


    I stood up as I let out a sigh. ¡°I will let this instance go. But if you ever disobey me in the future, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll regret doing so.¡±


    Gonzalo got on back to his feet without hesitation and nodded. ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°And because you made an even bigger mess, I want you to modify the memories of those who have seen the fiasco a while ago,¡± I continued. ¡°I can¡¯t have anyone praying and wishing for someone to send another immortal.¡±


    Gonzalo nodded again.


    I handed the basket over to him. ¡°Bring this to my room. Place it under my bed, where no one can find it.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Your Highness,¡± he bowed, accepting the basket. He then headed to my room and I made my way to the dining hall. Fixing the sleeves of my shirt and making sure that my hair isn¡¯t a mess, I¡¯m silently praying that there would be no other surprise in store at lunch.

 Chapter Four - Fiasco

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

 Chapter Five - Emotions

    I¡¯m making my way to the kitchen, the stables as my endpoint. I was passing by through the hallways when I heard someone call out to me. ¡°Robert?¡±


    I stopped, turning around immediately. It was Nana Olsa. I walked back, meeting her halfway. ¡°Hello, Nana,¡± I greeted, taking her into my arms.


    ¡°What happened during lunch, son?¡± she asked as we pulled away from our hug.


    ¡°Nana, I don¡¯t want to have this discussion right now,¡± I complained.


    She gently held onto my arm. ¡°Walk with me son,¡± she requested.


    I let out a sigh and nodded in defeat. We then made our way to the garden.


    ???


    ¡°Son,¡± she started as we entered the garden. ¡°Your father is an affectionate man. Everything important to him, he holds them with great care. The only problem with him is he doesn¡¯t know how to express it so he rarely shows any kind of emotion.¡±


    ¡°How is that the case, Nana?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of what happened to your grandparents. They loved each other with all their hearts,¡± Nana began to tell a story. ¡°But she couldn¡¯t handle the pressures of being a royal. Your grandfather was ready to sacrifice everything for her but she feared for your father and his siblings.¡±


    ¡°Elizabeth said the same thing but it happened between James and Mother,¡± I replied as my brows furrowed, baffled.


    She nodded. ¡°When your grandmother left, your grandfather was heartbroken. Because of what happened to them, your father closed his heart to protect himself from getting hurt like your grandfather. He started to care less about you and your sister,¡± she continued. ¡°What happened to your grandparents happened to your parents. But your mother decided to stay to keep you and your sister safe. Your father regretted that he didn¡¯t show you that he loved you when you were a child. That¡¯s why he¡¯s trying to connect with you now.


    ¡°Did he send you to talk to me, Nana? Can¡¯t he just walk up to me and explain everything to me himself?¡±


    ¡°Young one,¡± she stopped us in the middle of the garden, turning to one another. ¡°How could he explain everything to you when you treat him so coldly? He¡¯s already trying to make a connection with you but you don¡¯t want to accept it.¡±


    Can¡¯t he understand that I don¡¯t feel it? I don¡¯t even see that he¡¯s trying to be a father to me. If he truly is trying to be a father to my sister and me, he should be putting more effort into his actions. Trust isn¡¯t easy to build, most especially to rebuild. Trying to repair a broken trust is the same as playing with a broken mirror: it¡¯s impossible.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to consider it now, son,¡± she smiled at me. ¡°I just want you to think about it.


    Mother and Elizabeth have already asked me for this favor. I just don¡¯t understand why they keep on asking me to think about it. I let out a sigh. ¡°I will, Nana, for you.¡±


    ¡°No, son. Do it for your father and yourself,¡± she blocked my reply. ¡°You two must connect. You don¡¯t know how much he wants you to see him as a father, not just in the title.¡±


    I just gave a nod. I don¡¯t want to say anything else because if I opened my mouth, I will only disagree with her even more. After those two clashes with James and scolding from my mother and sister, I¡¯ve had enough for today. ¡°I have to go, Nana. I¡¯ll see you later when I return.¡± I kissed her on her forehead.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± she stopped me, holding onto my arm.


    I thought for a moment as I must be cautious with what I¡¯m about to say. ¡°Somewhere that¡¯s not within the castle grounds. You did say I should think about it so I¡¯m going to go and have a change of scenery.¡±


    She cupped my face with her gentle hands. ¡°Do be careful.¡±


    I nodded and proceeded to the stables.


    ???


    I was busy preparing Lady for another stroll to the Mortal Realm when a hand suddenly attached itself to my arm. I looked and saw Mallory, her eyes puffed and almost red.


    She must have been crying all this time.


    I sighed as I shook my head. ¡°Mallory, I don¡¯t have the time to do this with you. I have to be somewhere else right now.¡±


    ¡°Please give me a chance to be with you, Robert,¡± she said. ¡°Give me a chance to prove to you that I can love you more than any woman can. Let me prove myself to you.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°You already have, Mallory. You¡¯ve proven yourself to be a good friend and sister to me. Let that be the end of it between the two of us,¡± I slowly removed her hand from my arm. However, as soon as I got it off, she clung to my arm with both hands. ¡°Mallory, don¡¯t you feel sorry for yourself?¡± I continued, completely irritated. ¡°Do you want me to paint a picture of how desperate you look right now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about what I look like, Robert,¡± she whined. ¡°All I want is a chance to call you mine.¡±


    When will she give up? Can¡¯t she just accept the fact that in her lifetime and mine, there will never be a chance for us because right from the beginning, there was never a chance?


    I scraped my hand across my face out of frustration. I just want her to leave me alone. I just want for this conversation, this matter to end here. ¡°Mallory, what do I have to do to make you stop bothering me? What can I do to make you stop crying every time you and I would bump into each other in this castle?¡±


    She held my hand as I could see a glimmer of hope coming from her tired eyes. ¡°Will you do anything just to make me stop crying?¡±


    As she asked that question, I immediately regretted what I said. She¡¯s going to take advantage of what I just said. But if this is the only solution for her to stop disturbing my peace every time an opportunity arises¡­ might as well do what needs to be done.


    I pulled my hand back from her grip. ¡°As I recall, you mentioned that if you¡¯re given even just a chance to be with me, you¡¯ll stop bothering me, correct? You¡¯ll stop this overly-dramatic act that you¡¯re currently doing right in front of me, correct?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes, I did say that,¡± she quickly nodded.


    I let out a sigh; not of relief but defeat. I know that if I get into a relationship with her, it would be difficult for me because I have to pretend and lie to her that I love her. And if I ended the relationship, it will be even more difficult for her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you a deal, Mallory,¡± I answered, crossing my arms. ¡°But whatever is in this deal, that is only what I can do for you. Nothing more, nothing less. Do you understand?¡±


    She nodded, paying full attention to what I¡¯m about to say.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the chance to be with me just so I don¡¯t have to deal with this melodramatic scene for the rest of my life,¡± I started. ¡°We can be a couple only until I turn twenty-one thousand years old. I think that¡¯s a fair chance for you.¡±


    ¡°Really? You would do that¡­ for me?¡± she asked, her tone became hopeful. She also started to smile amidst the tears running down her cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing this because you said you wanted to. And I don¡¯t want to see you crying every time we bump into each other. I don¡¯t like it when people are sad, especially when it¡¯s because of me,¡± I explained.


    She quickly locked me in her arms, saying, ¡°I love you so much, Robert.¡±


    I removed her as fast as I could, my face not amused.


    ¡°Please do not do that.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she hugged me once more but I removed her again. ¡°Robert, I just wanted to show you how much I love you.¡±


    ¡°First of all, you¡¯ve told me too many times today and it¡¯s getting annoying,¡± I replied. ¡°Second, I don¡¯t like being touched or hugged by anyone other than my mother, my sister, and Nana Olsa. Don¡¯t expect me to be all-loving and sweet, whether it¡¯s in public or in private.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I can¡¯t even hold your hand in the castle grounds?¡± she asked, confused.


    ¡°Yes, that is also included.¡±


    ¡°But why? If we¡¯re a couple, what¡¯s wrong with that? Shouldn¡¯t we be proud of our love?¡±


    ¡°Mallory, you¡¯re being delusional. I already told you: I don¡¯t love you the same way you love me,¡± I repeated. ¡°And I¡¯m being careful with my image. My family¡¯s reputation is very important to me and I must protect it.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that all you care about is your image? You don¡¯t care about what we have?¡±


    ¡°Mallory, this relationship I¡¯m offering you isn¡¯t of any value to me. I value our friendship but if you¡¯re asking me to do the same with this so-called relationship, I can¡¯t do that. I agreed to this so you would stop with your endless proclamations of love,¡± I explained. ¡°And if I don¡¯t care about my image, we could lose everything. And if that happens, you would love everything as well. Would you want that for yourself? Would you want that for Nana?¡±


    She stood quiet for a moment, staring into nothingness. ¡°Robert¡­ you said we¡¯re now a couple. But you don¡¯t look like you¡¯re happy about it.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not, Mallory,¡± I replied, turning around and locking Lady¡¯s saddle in place.


    ¡°Then why did you agree if you don¡¯t even want it in the first place?¡±


    I groaned. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s deaf or she¡¯s playing dumb because I¡¯ve explained this already and she¡¯s asking me the same thing over and over again. ¡°Mallory, didn¡¯t it occur to you?¡± I asked as I turned around to her. ¡°I did it for you.¡±


    Her lips slowly formed a smile and hugged me again. ¡°You do love me,¡± she uttered.


    I removed her arms from me, holding them firmly as I looked into her eyes. ¡°Let me repeat this for you, Mallory: I did it because I want you to stop professing your love to me. I didn¡¯t do it because of feelings,¡± I let go of her hands.


    ¡°You really can¡¯t love me?¡± her eyes started to swell again.


    I closed my eyes as I let out a sigh, my hands on my waist. I have somewhere I want to be and Mallory is just becoming a nuisance now. ¡°Mallory, no matter what you say or do, I love you as my sister. All I can give you is friendship.¡±


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re a couple, why don¡¯t you try loving me for real?¡± she asked as she started to cry.


    I sighed as I made sure that the saddle is locked in place. I then turned back to her. ¡°Mallory,¡± I gently wiped her tears. ¡°Look, I agreed that I will be yours until my next birthday. A year isn¡¯t enough to know if you truly love someone.¡±


    She sniffled. ¡°I know you can¡¯t offer any more than what you incorporated within the deal but¡­ can¡¯t we be together for the rest of our lives?¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t Mallory,¡± I replied. ¡°You know that I already have a fiance. And once I turn twenty-one thousand years of age, we¡¯re to be wed.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯d rather marry someone you don¡¯t even know than to be with someone who knew you since birth?¡±


    ¡°Mallory, I have no other choice. It¡¯s a decree from my parents and hers,¡± I answered, hopping onto Lady after. ¡°And like what I¡¯ve said many times already: I see you as my sister. Therefore, I can¡¯t be with you.¡±


    And with that, I gave Lady a light kick on her side and we went on our way back to the Mortal Realm.

 Chapter Six - Rescue

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 Chapter Seven - Unrequited (a)

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

 Chapter Seven - Unrequited (b)

    ¡°Is that true?¡± she smiled.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I moved even closer, her hand safely engulfed in my hands. ¡°I promise you that no one will ever hurt you, not even me. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe even if my life depends on it.¡±


    She smiled as she looked down at our connected hands. She then slowly pulled her hand back, ¡°Never make a promise that you can¡¯t keep. A promise isn¡¯t something to be taken lightly.


    I pulled out my pinky finger and moved it closer to her, almost right into her face. An adorable giggle came out of her. ¡°What?¡± I asked, trying to stop myself from catching her contagious giggle.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we a little too old for pinky promises?¡± she continued, still giggling.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I shook my head after a short silence. ¡°Do you agree and believe what I just said?¡±


    She then smiled her beautiful smile; a smile that accents her beauty even more. I¡¯m running out of words to express how beautiful she is whenever she smiles at me. She took her time as she looked at my finger back at me. She gently twisted her pinky with mine, ¡°I trust you¡¯ll keep your word, young prince.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will,¡± I responded with full confidence. We pulled back our pinkies after my reply.


    ¡°Would you like to return now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°We just got here. I would like to stay a little longer. I also had an idea: this place could be our hiding place,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°What do you mean by our?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Every afternoon, we could meet here and spend some time together,¡± I shifted my attention back to her. ¡°By the look of this scenery, watching the sunset would be perfect. We could watch every sunset together.¡±


    ¡°You do know I have work in the bakery, right?¡± she replied. ¡°I can¡¯t just sneak out of work every day to watch the sunset.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Grandpa Ben about it, then,¡± I answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s just a horrible idea, Robert,¡± she frowned as she disagreed with my idea. ¡°It isn¡¯t even close to a good one, Robert.¡±


    ¡°Laura, telling him can¡¯t be that bad,¡± I blocked her answer. ¡°He would appreciate it if we tell him.¡±


    ¡°Robert, if you do that, he will continue to tease me at work,¡± she said. ¡°And if the rest of the bakery hears about it, they will tease me as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him not to tease you, then.¡±


    ¡°Your ideas are just making everything worse,¡± she let out a sigh as she rolled her eyes. ¡°He¡¯ll tease me more if you ask him to do that.¡±


    ¡°Then what can we do if all of my suggestions aren¡¯t good enough?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask anything of him. I¡¯ll meet you here every afternoon. Just don¡¯t tell him anything.¡±


    ¡°He might think of something suspicious if he catches you skipping work every afternoon. You said it yourself,¡± I reminded.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be happy if he catches me going out because that¡¯s what he wants,¡± she argued. ¡°If we tell him, he¡¯ll tease us and he will never stop.¡± She turned her attention back to the sunset.


    ¡°The sunset¡¯s starting,¡± I said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡± she remarked, in complete awe of the beauty of the sun.


    I looked at her face while she¡¯s busy staring at the sunset. I took in every inch of her face without her knowing it. The way the wind blew her hair, the way its brown shade radiated when the sun hit her hair, the way her emerald eyes shine as they¡¯re made from pure crystal. Without a doubt, there are a lot of beautiful women in court. However, I surprised myself to be even taken aback by the simple beauty of a mortal.


    The ladies of the court are superficial, always covered with different palettes on their faces. Their gowns show off an unrealistic size of their bodies. Laurs is just her, simply her. Her character is her true beauty.


    I smiled as I appreciated the stunning view in front of me, ¡°Absolutely breath-taking.¡±


    Her eyes batted a few times out of confusion, turning her head towards me after.


    I cleared her throat and pointed towards the sunset, ¡°The sunset, I mean. The sunset is just¡­ beautiful.¡± I quickly turned my body towards the sun, doing my best to put all of my attention to it.  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯ve known you for a long time?¡± she spoke.


    I looked in her direction and found her staring back at me. As the sun continued to set in front of us, we stared at each other, not taking our eyes off of each other. I was lost in her emerald gaze and she was entranced with my stare. For that moment, it¡¯s like I can see right through her. I can see who she is.


    ¡°Perhaps we already met somewhere in time, I just don¡¯t know where or when,¡± she continued.


    Without any sort of warning, my hand landed on hers; as if my body has a mind of its own. With a smile, I answered, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d like to go back to that specific time and tell you how much I enjoy having you near me.¡±


    My response caused her to smile, her face started to flush and turn into a shade of light red. How adorable she is when she¡¯s blushing.


    She turned her face to the sunset, seeing that it¡¯s about to finish. ¡°We have to go. Grandpa Ben might be looking for me already,¡± she said as she stood up.


    She didn¡¯t even answer what I just said. All I got was a smile and I don¡¯t even know what that meant. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± she was quick to notice that I wasn¡¯t standing up.


    ¡°Hm?¡± I turned my head to her in haste as I noticed as well.


    ¡°Are you all right? You¡¯re not standing up yet,¡± she continued.


    I began to stand up. ¡°Everything is fine,¡± I started to brush off any dirt and grass that gas attached itself to my clothes.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± She doesn¡¯t seem to be believing my response that there¡¯s nothing wrong.


    I just gave her a light smile and nodded. I don¡¯t want to open my mouth because I might say something to offend her.


    We headed to our horses and began our trot back to the bakery. I decided to keep my silence during the whole trip back. I fear that I might ask why she has no response to what I said and I don¡¯t know how I will react to her possible response.


    ¡°Robert?¡± she called my attention.


    My brows perked as I turned to look at her.


    ¡°Why are you so quiet? Is there something that¡¯s bothering you?¡± her brows knitted in the middle of her forehead, confused. I could see that she was deeply concerned with me. But how can I tell her that there is something that¡¯s bothering me?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing,¡± I shook my head, my voice in a low volume but still enough for her to hear.


    ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied casually.


    No, Laura, I¡¯m beyond the feeling of being okay. You didn¡¯t give me any response when I told you that having you near is one of the things that has put a smile on my face. Couldn¡¯t you say anything else on the matter other than just to smile at me?


    ???


    A while later, we arrived at the back of the bakery where she keeps Leo. I hopped down Lady as she let Leo rest in his stable. After that, we started to walk towards the front of the bakery.


    ¡°Thank you for the stroll and stories, Robert. I enjoyed it.¡±


    Can¡¯t she tell that I¡¯m trying to pacify a storm inside of me? Am I not sending enough signs for her to realize that?


    ¡°Well, I guess this is where we part ways,¡± she turned to me as we arrived in front of the bakery. ¡°Thank you again, Robert,¡± she repeated, turning around and making her way back to the shop.


    My mouth blurted, ¡°Are you not--¡± I stopped myself before I could even continue.


    My sudden phrase stopped her from her tracks, causing her to turn around and walk back toward me. ¡°Is there something you want to say, Robert?¡±


    ¡°I just¡­¡± I continued to fight the urge to speak, the force that¡¯s pushing me to the edge. It¡¯s urging me to tell her what I¡¯ve been feeling ever since we left the fields.


    ¡°Robert, you know that you can tell me anything,¡± she looked earnestly into my eyes.


    As I looked into her eyes, I had more courage to stop myself from speaking. She looked so fragile in the sense that if she heard one negative thing, she would break into a million pieces. I know myself; I know that I can be offensive at times and it¡¯s something she doesn¡¯t deserve.


    I sighed, lowering my head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I looked back at her, ¡°You can go back to work now. I¡¯ll be off.¡±


    ¡°Robert, there¡¯s something that you¡¯re not telling me,¡± she crossed her arms, examining my body language. ¡°Why are you stopping yourself from being heard? You know you can always tell me what¡¯s running in your mind.¡±


    Not wanting to talk about it, I quickly turned around and jumped onto Lady. I need to get away from her to prevent myself from saying something that could hurt her feelings.


    ¡°Robert, what¡¯s happening to you?¡± she persisted, wanting to know what¡¯s wrong.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s happening, Laura. You said you needed to return to the shop,¡± I said. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve returned you safely, I need to go back home.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the reason why you¡¯re acting strange,¡± she responded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to discuss what you think, Laura. I need to go home,¡± I replied. I punched myself in my mind for the way I just talked to her.


    She moved away from Lady and me, taken aback by how I answered her. This is why I don¡¯t want to talk anymore. If this conversation will continue, I¡¯m afraid it will be the end of our beginning.


    ¡°Have a safe trip home, Robert,¡± she sneered as she turned her back on me. She rushed back into the shop without giving me a second look.


    I sighed as I closed my eyes, shaking my head out of disappointment from what I just did. She didn¡¯t deserve that kind of treatment. But I have to return home now before dark completely falls.


    ???


    As soon as I arrived at the stables, I hopped off Lady and let her loose inside the stables for a while. I kicked a nearby bucket with all of my anger, water splashed all around the hay inside the stable.


    ¡°AAAHH!¡± I screamed to relieve some of the frustration that has built up inside of me all the way home. As I looked back on my previous scenario with Laura, I never felt so disappointed in myself. I handled that situation very badly.


    I know she didn¡¯t mean to cause me any pain or anger. It wasn¡¯t her fault that I got angry. I was overthinking everything and because of that, I treated her in such a way that I don¡¯t even know myself. I was raised to be a person with manners. That shouldn¡¯t have happened.


    Lady went on and helped herself with the stack of apples on the side as I sat down on a bench, my head slowly sunk into my hands. I let out a sigh of desperation as I knew that she probably hates me by now.


    I then heard footsteps coming to the stables. I looked up and saw Nana Olsa, carrying a bucket.


    ¡°Robert, dear,¡± a confused yet concerned look on her face. ¡°Were you the one who screamed?¡±


    ¡°Nana, I rushed over to her. I peeked through the bucket and saw that it was full of soil. ¡°Let me help you with this, Nana,¡± I took the bucket from her and walked back into the stables.


    ¡°Oh, thank you, my boy. Just put it on the side of the entrance, please,¡± she sat down on a nearby chair.

 Chapter Seven - Unrequited (c)

    ¡°Why were you carrying this, Nana? Was there no one to help you?¡± I settled the bucket on the right side of the kitchen entrance.


    ¡°Your mother requested for me to tend to her roses,¡± she answered as I head back to the bench beside her. ¡°You know how much she loves her roses and she only entrusts them to me so technically, I did tend to them on my own.¡±


    ¡°Would you like for me to get you something to drink?¡± I offered.


    She giggled. ¡°No, dear boy, I will be fine. I¡¯ll fetch some for myself later. However, you didn¡¯t answer my previous question,¡± she draped her skirt over her legs as she carefully crossed them.


    ¡°What question?¡± I asked, hoping she wouldn¡¯t ask again.


    She stared at me, giving me a smile that¡¯s telling me she knows I¡¯m hiding something from her. ¡°Something happened to you, am I right?¡± she started.


    Although I know I can¡¯t hide anything from her, I have to use the very best of my abilities to hide my dilemma from her. ¡°I don¡¯t understand where your question is coming from, Nana.¡±


    She gave a light chuckle. ¡°Robert, if you think you can hide the fact that you¡¯re completely distraught right now, you¡¯re mistaken. I know how you act when you¡¯re fine and when you¡¯re carrying something with you.¡±


    ¡°No, really, Nana, I¡¯m completely fine,¡± I lied but I think my body language is giving everything away. ¡°This is why I¡¯m so confused about what you¡¯re telling me.¡±


    ¡°Robert,¡± she looked at me, her gaze intensified but with love still. She¡¯s trying to make me say it. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re going to lie to me? Even to yourself?¡±


    I continued to stare at her as I tried to see if she would give up knowing what¡¯s wrong. But in the end, I was the one who gave up the whole charade. I sighed, put my head back into my hands, and pulled tightly onto my hair.


    She sighed from where she was. ¡°Pretending that everything is always fine will be the death of you, young man,¡± she started. ¡°I know that in this world, you can¡¯t trust anyone. Not everyone has your best intentions in life. But when it comes to matters like this, if you can¡¯t tell your parents, you can tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±


    I looked back at her, trying to keep myself from crying. Slowly, my eyes started to swell with tears. I¡¯m frustrated, angry with myself for what I did to Laura. She was just being a good friend but look at how I reacted to her concern. I acted as if she betrayed me.


    ¡°Oh, my child,¡± she walked towards me, kneeling as she reached me.


    ¡°No, Nana, don¡¯t kneel. Your knees will hurt,¡± I held onto her arms as I tried to stop her.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Robert, don¡¯t you worry about me,¡± she replied, her knees completely on the floor. She then put her hands on my knees. ¡°I¡¯m not that old to have my knees hurting whenever I kneel. Let¡¯s talk about you right now.


    I nodded as I looked down to my feet. My eyes slowly burned, the tears wanting to come out. I continued to stop them from falling, not wanting Nana to see them.


    ¡°Robert,¡± she lifted my face, a tear finally fell on my cheek. ¡°Oh, my little one,¡± she wiped it away, ¡°Don¡¯t hide those tears from me because I won¡¯t judge you. Why don¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s going on inside your head?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t open my mouth. It felt numb, frozen because I was still trying to prevent myself from crying. It took a few seconds for me to get myself together before I spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve done something terrible, Nana.¡±


    She cupped my face with one hand and I immediately held onto it. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°A friend of mine was concerned with me and I treated her in a way¡­ that James would treat me,¡± tears ran down my face as I explained. With every word that I utter, my mind would always recount that moment when I saw the hurt in her eyes and she turned her back on me.


    ¡°What did you do to this friend?¡± she asked again. ¡°How did you know that you treated her in the manner of how James does with you?¡±


    ¡°She was just making sure if I was all right but I treated her coldly. It was disrespectful of me and now, I don¡¯t think she would still talk to me,¡± I fully succumbed to my tears.


    ¡°Oh, hush, my dear one,¡± Nana quickly hugged, rubbing my back in slow circles to coax me. ¡°There, there, young one. It¡¯s all right. Let everything out. I¡¯m right here.


    I clung to her even more, my hold on her tightened as I let all of these held-back emotions out through my tears. Nothing has ever made me reach the point of breaking down except for family matters. I¡¯m disappointed in myself. Even my intuition loathes me for my actions.


    Nana continued to rub my back for a few more seconds before she released me, helping me sit upright again. She then offered a napkin.  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I cried too much, Nana,¡± I wiped my face with the napkin. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t keep it in anymore. The guilt is too much to bear.¡±


    She smiled as she held my face in one hand, caressing my cheek with her thumb. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize for crying, Robert. Crying isn¡¯t a sign of weakness. It shows that you¡¯re of flesh and bones, which makes you even stronger,¡± she said. ¡°Now, don¡¯t feel too bad about yourself. I know you didn¡¯t mean what happened to you and your friend.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t, Nana. I was trying my best to keep my mouth shut in order not to say anything that could offend her,¡± I explained. ¡°But she kept on pushing to know what¡¯s wrong and I couldn¡¯t help myself but say words that she wasn¡¯t supposed to hear, an approach that she doesn¡¯t deserve.¡±


    ¡°Everybody makes mistakes. Even if we¡¯re immortals, we¡¯re not perfect and we tend to make mistakes every once in a while,¡± she said. ¡°Even the prince of the Western Wind isn¡¯t immune to mistakes. What¡¯s important is you know you¡¯re in the wrong and you¡¯re willing to make things right. Am I correct?¡±


    I nodded, sniffling.


    She patted me on the head. ¡°I¡¯m proud to have raised you and to see you grow into such a good person. I trust that you know how to make things right.¡±


    Nana did raise me for almost all of my childhood. Because my parents were occupied with their duties as king and queen of the Western Wind, they didn¡¯t have any spare time to raise my sister and me. It¡¯s a good thing that Nana Olsa was there when I needed someone to look up to.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get this right, Robert. I know you will,¡± she smiled as she patted me on the back.


    I nodded, still sniffling. For a man who doesn¡¯t cry much, I produce a lot of snot.


    ¡°Well, then,¡± she stood up, ¡°I have to go back inside and help others prepare dinner. I have to make sure that everything is perfect. Your mother has requested another family dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to join them right now, Nana,¡± I shook my head, standing up as well. ¡°I¡¯ll have one of the maids clean your napkin for you, Nana.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need for that, son. You can keep it,¡± she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you need it more than I do.¡± She grabbed the bucket of soil and walked into the passage, heading to the kitchen.


    I let out a deep breath and prepared more apples and water for Lady. After everything was to her, I started making my way back inside when someone called me from behind, ¡°Hello, Robert.¡±


    I turned to see Mallory coming into the stables. ¡°Oh, hello, Mallory.¡±


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± she asked.


    My brows furrowed, confused. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I need to know,¡± her lips formed a firm line as she walked towards me.


    ¡°Are you my mother to know my whereabouts?¡± the sarcasm in my tone as I replied. I turned around and continued to head to the entrance, only to be stopped again by her.


    I deserve to know because we have a relationship,¡± she protested.


    ¡°Our relationship was never real,¡± I turned to her, rolling my eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what kind of relationship we have! We¡¯re a couple now which gives me the right to know where you plan to go and what you plan to do!¡± she shouted.


    I walked towards her with a smirk, towering over her as I reached her. ¡°As far as I know, you can only say that when the relationship you have is real, where both parties are truly in love and willing to surrender one another to each other.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I still have the right because I¡¯m in love with you,¡± she insisted, stuttering as she struggled to find a reason against me.


    ¡°We¡¯re not in a real relationship so I suggest that you stop whatever this act that you¡¯re going,¡± I raised my voice a little so I could get my point across and make sure that it¡¯s stuck in her memory.


    ¡°For me, this relationship is real,¡± she answered.


    ¡°This relationship was never real to begin with,¡± a hint of anger slid under my control. ¡°Our friendship is undeniably true but this relationship as a couple will never be true. You need to stop your delusions and remind yourself that this is only temporary.¡± I proceeded to walk into the kitchen, not caring if she will cry or not.


    ???


    As I was walking in the hallway, I came across Gonzalo. ¡°Gonzalo?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± he bowed.


    I nodded and continued to walk ahead of him and he immediately followed. ¡°Any updates or reports that I need to know?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Your parents were looking for you, Your Highness,¡± he started. ¡°Most especially, His Royal Majesty.¡±


    That information caused me to stop. ¡°James was looking for me?¡± I turned to him.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Where are they right now?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Your mother went to visit your aunt, Lady Bethilda,¡± he answered. ¡°Your father is currently in his study. He has a few lords with him.¡±


    ¡°And my sister?¡±


    ¡°As I can recall, I¡¯ve seen her enter the library,¡± he replied. ¡°I overheard her telling your mother that she will be having her ¡®alone time¡¯ so my best guess would be in the library.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Is there anything else?¡± I asked for assurance.


    ¡°A man that was looking for you a while ago,¡± he said. ¡°He said you and him are quite close.¡±


    ¡°Did you get his name?¡± I asked, my brows furrowed.


    ¡°He never mentioned his name, Your Highness,¡± he replied. ¡°But it does look like he knows you very well. He knew where to find you.¡±


    ¡°Did he ever mention returning?¡± I asked another.


    ¡°He did say that he will return some other time because he still has other matters to take care of,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Thank you for your diligence in daily reports for me, Gonzalo,¡± I praised him. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading to my room now. If you need anything, just let my page know that you¡¯re welcome to enter at any time.¡±


    ¡°Do you need anything to be sent to your room, young prince?¡± he questioned.


    This is why I entrust everything to Gonzalo. Aside from my protection, he¡¯s always on top of everything that I could need. Even if I don¡¯t say it, he¡¯s willing to prepare everything ahead of time so I won¡¯t waste time asking for something.


    ¡°Thank you, Gonzalo, but as of the moment, I don¡¯t need anything,¡± I smiled, putting my hand on his shoulder. I removed my hand before I added, ¡°All I need right now is some rest. I¡¯ll call for you if I need anything.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Your Highness,¡± he bowed, moving aside as he waited for me to leave.


    I gave him a formal nod and I went on my way to my room.


    ???


    Once I entered my room, I jumped right onto my bed. Not even thinking of removing my shoes, I closed my eyes in an attempt to have a quick nap.


    ¡°Had fun with your little trot outside?¡± an all-too-familiar voice echoed throughout my room.


    I sat up and began to scan my room. As my eyes passed by the window, I took a second look. There stood a figure that I¡¯ve known for years now.


    ¡°Hello, Benjamin,¡± I smiled.

 Chapter Eight, Season One - Visited (a)

    I stood up and walked towards him, him doing the same.


    It¡¯s been a long time since we last saw each other, brother,¡± he remarked as we shared a brotherly hug.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, brother,¡± I smiled as we pulled away. Benjamin has been my best friend since childhood. He¡¯s the prince of the Kingdom of Eastern Sun. Everything about our lives is similar. The only difference between us is that he isn¡¯t in an arranged marriage.


    I would say he¡¯s incredibly lucky with his life.


    ¡°When did you get here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A while ago,¡± he replied. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get past your guard. He¡¯s quite challenging. He seems to be very protective of you.¡±


    We shared a quick laugh. ¡°So, you¡¯re the man Gonzalo mentioned. He¡¯s quite impressive when it comes to my protection,¡± I answered, almost boasting. Gonzalo deserves all the credit for his efforts to keep me safe.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite surprised he doesn¡¯t know me,¡± he said, baffled.


    I snicked. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure if you were ever introduced to him, even as children.¡±


    ¡°You might have a point there,¡± he responded. ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to meet the person who¡¯s in charge of your safety. I¡¯d like to thank him for his excellent job in doing so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send for him right away,¡± I smiled.¡± Would you like something to drink or nibble?¡± I offered.


    ¡°I do fancy a bit of wine. Do you happen to have some to spare for a guest?¡± he smirked, teasing me to get a laugh out of me.


    ¡°Always the funny one, aren¡¯t you?¡± I snickered. I walked over to the corner of my room and rang the service bell. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a seat while we wait?¡± I gestured at the table by the window as I walked back to him.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he nodded.


    ¡°I do have a lovely view of the garden so let¡¯s enjoy the scenery as we wait for Gonzalo.¡± We began walking towards the table as I reached him.


    ¡°But you rang your service bell, right? Isn¡¯t a maid supposed to be answering your call?¡± he asked as we sat down.


    ¡°The maids are for my family. Specifically, to my sister, since she has a lot of demands,¡± I explained, crossing my legs, ¡°Gonzalo answers to my every need. Ordered by the king and queen.¡±


    A knock came upon my door and Gonzalo entered the room.


    ¡°Just the person we were talking about,¡± I smiled, turning to Gonzalo¡¯s direction who was already walking towards us.


    He made his bow. ¡°You called for me, Your Highness?¡±


    I pointed at Benjamin, ¡°Gonzalo, I would like for you to meet Prince Benjamin, my best friend. He¡¯s the man you mentioned a while ago, am I correct?¡±


    Gonzalo took a good look at him before saying, ¡°Yes, young master. It is indeed him.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s very eager to meet you. He has spent quite a lot of time in this castle and me in theirs when we were children,¡± I explained. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you don¡¯t remember him but he would want for you to know him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to finally meet you, Gonzalo,¡± Benjamin smiled as he bowed his head towards Gonzalo.


    ¡°It¡¯s a privilege to meet His Highness¡¯s most trusted person,¡± Gonzalo bowed to Benjamin. ¡°My deepest apologies if I didn¡¯t recognize you earlier, young prince.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize, Gonzalo. It¡¯s not something to be mad about,¡± Benjamin smiled before turning to me. He then continued,¡± I have to say, brother, your parents made the right choice for your head of security. Gonzalo over here is a very refined man.¡±


    ¡°Well, I could boast that Gonzalo is always on top of his duties because it¡¯s true,¡± I added.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s completely true. I don¡¯t think Uncle James would choose someone mediocre to keep his heir safe,¡± Benjamin replied.


    ¡°Can I get you anything, Your Highness?¡± Gonzalo asked, turning in my direction.


    ¡°Yes, Gonzalo. Would it be possible for you to bring us some wine, please?¡± I requested.


    ¡°As you wish, young master,¡± he bowed. ¡°Would you like something to go with it?¡±


    ¡°If you could bring us some bread, that would be great,¡± I smiled. ¡°And a few sweets, if possible.¡±Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°And you, Your Highness?¡± he then turned to Benjamin.


    ¡°I will have whatever it is that Robert will have,¡± Benjamin replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have them prepared and delivered immediately,¡± Gonzalo bowed once again and walked away, carrying an affirmative smile.


    ¡°He¡¯s so formal, quite firm,¡± Benjamin continued our conversation as we laid back on our chairs.


    ¡°I did tell him not to be so uptight but that¡¯s just the way he is,¡± I chuckled. ¡°I guess that¡¯s his way of getting everything done.


    ¡°So, where were you a while ago?¡± he questioned. ¡°Gonzalo mentioned that you went outside and headed to the Mortal Realm. And that¡¯s not all: I heard you went there twice today.¡±


    I let out a nervous chuckle as I ran my fingers over my lips.


    ¡°Can you tell me why, Robert? Because for you to leave the castle and go somewhere twice in a day is unusual,¡± he added.


    ¡°Why would you say that it¡¯s odd for me to do so?¡± I asked.


    ¡°When we were children, you¡¯re already satisfied to play in the garden. And when we grew up, you would only go outside when you and your family visit some of the businesses your court supports,¡± he explained. ¡°You don¡¯t even attend banquets and random parties that your family holds every now and. Now, I¡¯m hearing that you left the castle grounds twice?¡±


    I let out a quick snortle as I bent forward, my arms on my knees.


    ¡°Can you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± he leaned forward as well.


    ¡°Well, I met someone,¡± I lowered my voice in volume as much as possible. I wouldn¡¯t want the maids to talk about everything that I did today.


    ¡°You met someone?¡± Benjamin leaned in even closer. ¡°Is this a man? Or a woman?¡± he raised an eyebrow and smirked.


    ¡°Um¡­ a woman,¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°You met a woman?!¡± he asked, not careful with his sudden outburst.


    ¡°Keep it down, Benjamin!¡± I shushed him. ¡°Yes, I did meet a woman in the Mortal Realm.¡±


    ¡°And let me guess: you like this girl, am I right?¡± he questioned.


    Gonzalo suddenly arrived, pushing a cart with wine, the bread that I requested, and some fruits.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say that I don¡¯t,¡± I hesitated with my answer as Gonzalo prepared everything for us.


    ¡°Is this woman a part of the upper class, the working class¡­ or the lowest class of all?¡± Benjamin continued as Gonzalo gave us our cups.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say that she¡¯s in the lowest class but she does work to support herself,¡± I explained as Gonzalo poured wine into my cup, making sure that he doesn¡¯t fill it up. I can only drink half a cup of wine because I don¡¯t usually have wine unless there¡¯s an occasion.


    ¡°So, she¡¯s in between the middle and lower class,¡± Gonzalo then poured wine in Benjamin¡¯s cup, filling it to the brim. Benjamin is a wine lover, given to drink when as soon as he turned thirteen thousand years of age. ¡°You know, there¡¯s nothing wrong with loving someone. Age, race, or even classes doesn¡¯t matter when it comes to love.¡±


    ¡°The thing about that, brother,¡± I spoke a bit louder this time as Gonzalo left the room. ¡°I¡¯m in an arranged marriage. What I¡¯m unsure about is if I should stop my feelings for this woman or not.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I never agreed to a marriage arrangement,¡± he took a sip from his wine. ¡°I fought against my parents about that. When they saw that I couldn¡¯t be persuaded, they stopped.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could do that with my parents,¡± I took a bite from a piece of bread.


    ¡°You can do that, my brother,¡± he answered. ¡°You¡¯re their son. You have the right to speak your mind.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you something: my parents are the total opposite of yours. I see eye to eye with my mother but with James,¡± I stared at the bread in my hand, shaking my head, ¡°Not a chance.¡± I then took another bite.


    ¡°James?¡± he asked, confused.


    I forgot! He doesn¡¯t know that I call my father by his name. Didn¡¯t I already mention that to him?


    ¡°I mean, my father,¡± I corrected myself, reaching for another piece of bread.


    ¡°Wait,¡± he put a hand on top of mine, my fingers already touching the bread. ¡°Did you just call your father by his name?¡±


    I gave him a nod as I proceeded to get a piece of bread.


    ¡°Why do you call him James?!¡± he asked, confused and close to anger. ¡°Are you out of your mind?


    ¡°Benjamin, that wasn¡¯t my decision,¡± I protested. ¡°He told us to call him that. He demanded that from me and Elizabeth.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t even oppose his decree for you and your sister to call him that?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with him! I¡¯m certain that you already know how our relationship goes!¡± I said. ¡°My relationship with James was never good, to begin with. We¡¯re doing good in chaos but when it comes to getting along, don¡¯t expect anything,¡± I sighed as poured wine in my glass, only filling it by half. I took another sip, ¡°He was never a father anyway. Why would I call him any salutation for a father?¡±


    Benjamin sighed as he shook his head slowly, staring down at his cup of wine. ¡°Brother, you and Uncle James were the best of friends when we were children,¡± he leaned closer, his voice in a more serious tone. ¡°You two used to go on fishing trips together when he gets the chance. Anything that says ¡®outdoor activity'', you two are at the top of your game,¡± he added.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything like that,¡± my brows knitted in confusion. ¡°How come you do?


    ¡°Look, brother, I think it¡¯s best that you fix your relationship with Uncle James,¡± he replied. ¡°You may not remember much about your childhood but trust me when I say this: your father loves you more than his life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try, brother. I¡¯ll try,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°I know you will,¡± he smiled.


    Benjamin was always there for me from the very beginning. He was my continuous support. Even though we only see each other from time to time, he would constantly check on me through his mother and mine. Truly, a brother to me.


    Ith one final gulp, Benjamin finished his wine. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time for me to return home.¡±


    I followed suit and finished mine in an instant. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out,¡± I said as I stood up from my chair.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to call Gonzalo to clean everything first?¡± he asked as he got up from his.


    ¡°I have a dumb-waiter here in my bedroom so I¡¯ll clean it myself,¡± I replied. ¡°It¡¯s connected to the kitchen so Gonzalo doesn¡¯t have to get up here to clean a simple snack.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± he smiled.


    With a brief laugh, we started heading to the stables.


    ???


    ¡°Thank you for the visit, brother,¡± I started as Benjamin began to prepare his horse.


    He turned around as he put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, brother. In fact,¡± he continued to prepare his horse. ¡°I should be the one thanking you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I stood in front of him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how bored I am in our castle?¡± he complained. ¡°My saliva will run dry very soon without someone to talk to.¡±


    I snickered. ¡°You have Helga and Helen, right?¡± Helga and Helen are Benjamin¡¯s older twin sisters. ¡°They¡¯re a bit¡­ huge and annoying. And when we say huge, I mean humongous. Elizabeth and I get along with them quite well. However, I don¡¯t spend a lot of time with them and my sister would prefer to stay by Mother¡¯s side whenever we visit the Eastern Sun.

 Chapter Eight, Season One - Visited (b)

    ¡°Brother, I would rather stay inside my study than talk with my sisters!¡± he exclaimed as he locked the saddle on his horse. He turned around to face me, ¡°All they talk about is parties, dresses, and what the Winroe brothers are doing every day!¡±


    ¡°Winroe brothers?¡±


    ¡°The twins that they met in the Kingdom of the Northern Sky,¡± he sighed as he took one final check around his horse. ¡°They befriended someone in that kingdom. Whoever that is, that person would send my sisters daily reports on what those twin brothers are doing every day. They even threatened the maids to stay away,¡± he continued.


    ¡°Looks like your sisters found their future husbands,¡± I let a joke slip out.


    ¡°And who¡¯s suffering from the consequences of that? Me!¡± he pointed to himself. ¡°They continue to bother me, asking me to befriend those boys!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± I suggested. ¡°They could be great people to talk to from time to time.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to befriend the Winroe brothers!¡± he protested.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with befriending other people?¡± I questioned, baffled on why Benjamin doesn¡¯t like that idea.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t understand their language and accent!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re losing me quite a bit, Benjamin,¡± I expressed my confusion. I don¡¯t see anything wrong with befriending these brothers that he mentioned. I¡¯m always open to having new friends since being a royal, I¡¯m contained in a specific circle here in our kingdom. Having other people to talk to would be a great relief.


    ¡°I don¡¯t speak the native language of their kingdom!¡± he continued talking hysterically. ¡°I overheard them fighting over something the last time we visited their kingdom and I had no idea what they were talking about.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they can speak our universal language, Benjamin,¡± I replied, an attempt to give him a different perspective. ¡°All you have to do is try.¡±


    ¡°They do speak our universal language but they have this thick accent that I can¡¯t get through!¡± he complained. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to learn another language but¡­ if you heard them speaking in the universal language, you¡¯ll wish you should¡¯ve kept your mouth quiet.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell your sisters that you don¡¯t want to do what they want?¡± I suggested. ¡°That¡¯s the easiest solution that you can do to save yourself from agony.¡±


    ¡°If I do that, they would whine continuously and they will tell our mother,¡± he groaned as he rolled his eyes. ¡°And once my mother intervenes, she¡¯ll scold me and she would force me to befriend the Winroe brothers.¡±


    I¡¯ve always been thankful to have Elizabeth as my sister. She can be annoying at times but she doesn¡¯t torture me the same way Benjamin¡¯s sisters do to him. ¡°Then what are you planning to do?¡±


    ¡°I always tell them that I will but when they ask if I already did it, I keep on making excuses on why I haven¡¯t yet,¡± he answered, a smirk appeared on his lips.


    ¡°What do you tell them?¡± I asked another.


    ¡°Most of the time, I use my responsibilities as my excuse,¡± he said. ¡°In reality, my responsibilities as a royal don¡¯t take all of my time. I¡¯m the one who keeps my schedule full. I¡¯m thankful to the gods that my sisters never complained regarding duties.¡±


    ¡°How are you doing with your responsibilities, if I may ask?¡±


    ¡°Every day, it¡¯s almost the same thing. I have my meetings, I have daily, weekly and monthly reports,¡± he began to count everything on his fingers. ¡°Amidst all that, I still have fun with everything I¡¯m doing. What about you? How are your responsibilities?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about mine right now, Benjamin,¡± I smiled as I declined his question. ¡°I¡¯m currently out of sorts personally and you know that when we have a conversation, I never liked talking about responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°Of course, brother. I can respect that,¡± he nodded. ¡°Well, I have to be on my way, brother,¡± he jumped on his horse. ¡°It may be heading towards the end of the day but I can already feel the piles of reports being dumped on my desk while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°Take care of yourself, brother.¡± I smiled as I looked up.


    ¡°You as well, brother. I¡¯ll see you soon,¡± we shook hands and went on his way out of the stables.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡± Gonzalo suddenly came from behind me.


    ¡°Gonzalo.¡± I greeted, turning around.


    He bowed and quickly replied, ¡°His Royal Majesty is asking for your presence in his study. He said he has something to tell you.¡±


    I groaned at the message from Gonzalo. I thought this day was going to end on a lighter note because of Benjamin¡¯s visit¡­ but it looks like James is planning to ruin my whole day again.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    I nodded and proceeded to walk back inside with Gonzalo behind me.


    ???


    When the door of James¡¯ study was in sight, his guards crossed their spears to block our way. ¡°Your Highness,¡± one of the guards greeted. ¡°His Majesty is currently in a meeting. Is there something you would like to tell him?¡±


    ¡°Gonzalo over here,¡± I gestured to Gonzalo who was right behind me, ¡°Mentioned that His Royal Majesty has summoned me. I¡¯m surprised that you didn¡¯t know about that.¡±


    ¡°Our apologies, Your Highness. Please don¡¯t take us as incompetent,¡± the other guard replied, still blocking the door. ¡°However, as long as the king doesn¡¯t tell us that someone will be coming here when he¡¯s in a meeting, we don¡¯t let them in.¡±


    Suddenly, the door opened and James¡¯ page appeared. ¡°Young prince,¡± he bowed. ¡°I heard that there¡¯s some sort of commotion happening outside this study. Is there anything that I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°His Royal Majesty asked me to fetch the young prince,¡± Gonzalo entered the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s why His Highness is here.¡±


    James¡¯ page looked at us, baffled. ¡°Did he, now?¡± he slowly turned to Gonzalo, giving him an icy stare. ¡°I¡¯m the king¡¯s royal page. If he¡¯s summoning for the young prince, he would¡¯ve told me to do so.¡±


    ¡°No need to have a long discussion about this, gentlemen,¡± I interjected, trying to prevent them from disagreeing. ¡°If my father¡¯s household doesn¡¯t know about it then I can respect that. I have nothing against that,¡± I continued. ¡°Please tell my father that I was here.¡±


    The guards and James¡¯ page bowed.


    I gave them a slow nod and walked away with Gonzalo.


    Not far along the hallway, I heard, ¡°Robert?¡±


    I came to a halt, turning my head to see James standing by the door.


    ¡°Come here, please,¡± he gestured for me to go back.


    I sighed as I scratched the back of my neck.


    As I returned to where I was previously, he asked, ¡°I called for you. Why didn¡¯t you knock?¡±


    ¡°Your household mentioned that you were in a meeting,¡± I explained.


    James suddenly turned to the guards and his page, scowling over them.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± they all uttered, bowing all at the same time.


    ¡°Would one of you mind telling me why you stopped my son from entering?¡± he questioned. I could see his fists shaking by his sides.


    ¡°Forgive us, Your Majesty,¡± his page replied, his attempt to hide the fact that he¡¯s shaking is failing him. ¡°You were in the middle of a meeting and we thought you didn¡¯t want to be disturbed by anyone.¡±


    ¡°Also, Your Majesty,¡± one of the guards entered the conversation. ¡°You never told us that you asked for Gonzalo to fetch the young prince. So, we thought they¡¯re here without telling you.¡±


    James let out a long sigh, crossing his arms. His reaction made the three men go down to their knees as fast as they could.


    ¡°Please, Your Majesty, spare us from your punishment,¡± one of the guards started to cry out. ¡°We didn¡¯t know, Your Majesty. We didn¡¯t know.¡±


    I started to feel guilty because they¡¯re being frowned upon by James because of me. They weren¡¯t rude to me when they said I couldn¡¯t enter. They adequately told me so I wouldn¡¯t say they have offended me or something. These people don¡¯t deserve James¡¯ anger.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± I intervened, bowing in the process. ¡°If I may?¡±


    As I knelt on one knee, I saw him turning around slowly from where my head was.


    ¡°Spare them from any punishments that you have in mind,¡± I began. ¡°They don¡¯t deserve it. Although they may have forbidden me from entering your study, they were simply doing their duties. Rest assured, they weren¡¯t rude. They were very kind and they did tell me to return once you¡¯re done with your meeting.¡±


    He turned back to his servants. ¡°Is that true? What he said about you three is true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± his page quickly replied, nodding his head along with the other two. ¡°We would never dare to be rude to the young prince.¡±


    Then it was just silence for a few seconds. I kept my head low, humbling myself along with these people. Please, James, rethink your decision if you¡¯re wanting to punish them.


    James let out a long sigh and finally broke the silence, ¡°Because my son said that you¡¯ve been¡­ hospitable, to say the least, I will spare you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty! You¡¯re very gracious!¡± his page threw himself onto the floor in relief. One of the guards followed.


    ¡°Let this be a lesson to the three of you that whenever my family wants to have a word with me, they¡¯re allowed to enter my study,¡± James continued with his sermon. ¡°Whether I¡¯m in the middle of reports or a meeting, they can always have a word with me. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°We will remember it, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°I will inform all the other servants of this rule to make sure everybody knows,¡± his page quickly offered.


    ¡°Make sure that everyone knows that. I don¡¯t want this to happen again,¡± James finally put down his arms. I took this as a sign to stand up properly. ¡°Be thankful that my son is gracious enough to convince me not to punish you.¡±


    Without any hesitation, they turned their attention to me, bowing once more to the floor. ¡°Thank you, young prince! You¡¯re very gracious,¡± they all said in unison.


    ¡°Please stand,¡± I replied. ¡°There¡¯s no need to bow. You don¡¯t deserve any punishments. You were only doing your duties.¡±


    They all nodded as they slowly stood up.


    James then turned around. ¡°Would you like to come inside?¡± he asked me in a lighter tone.


    I nodded, my smile contained in a firm, straight line.


    James went on first and Gonzalo gestured for me to follow him, standing on my right side with his hand showing the way.


    ¡°Thank you, young prince.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness,¡± they started to thank me, shaking my hand as I walked past them. I gave them all a light nod and continued walking towards James¡¯ study.


    Entering the room, James still has visitors inside. He was in a meeting with the lords of the court. As the door closed behind me, the lords stood up and bowed to greet me, ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    I stopped as they bowed, paying my respect to them with a bow along with Gonzalo.


    ¡°Hello, my lords,¡± I started walking towards them. ¡°I hope everything is well with all of you,¡± I began to shake hands with all five of them.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing fine. Thank you for asking, Your Highness,¡± one of them smiled.


    ¡°He¡¯s all grown up now, isn¡¯t he?¡± James remarked with a proud smile, standing in front of his chair.


    ¡°Indeed, Your Majesty. And to think, it feels like it was only yesterday when he keeps on running around the halls of this castle,¡± another lord replied, causing everyone to let out a slight laugh.


    ¡°Well, I would like to have a quick word with my son. We¡¯ll resume our meeting tomorrow morning,¡± James answered. ¡°Would you like to join us for dinner later?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t want to be a bother to your family, Your Majesty,¡± the lord on my right responded.


    James raised his hand, stopping him from talking. ¡°Don¡¯t think of such things. My family and I would love to have you join us at dinner. Gonzalo?¡± he turned to Gonzalo after responding to the lords.


    Gonzalo walked out from my shadow. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± he bowed.

 Chapter Eight, Season One - Visited (c)

    ¡°Have the servants prepare five more seats on the dining table. The lords will be joining us tonight,¡± he instructed.


    ¡°As you wish, Your Majesty,¡± Gonzalo bowed.


    ¡°Also, kindly bring them to the accepting room as they wait. I would like to have a moment alone with Robert,¡± he added.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Gonzalo bowed for the last one. He walked towards the lords, ¡°Gentlemen?¡± he gestured to the door.


    They all nodded and bowed to James before leaving, ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    As the door shut tight, I started, ¡°What is it that you wanted to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Have a seat, Robert,¡± James said as he sat down.


    I let out a sigh and sat on the chair by the left side of his table.


    ¡°I already went through all the reports that you handled for me,¡± he began the conversation, looking at different reports scattered on his table. ¡°I¡¯m quite impressed with what you¡¯re currently doing. I¡¯ve sent more reports to your study and I trust that you¡¯ll cater to them as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°You can count on it, James,¡± I replied, crossing my legs and putting my hands on them. ¡°Most of my time is focused on handling those reports.¡±


    ¡°Although, there is one report that you¡¯ve sent back,¡± his tone suddenly changed as he grabbed another report. ¡°That I think you might have missed something. I need you to take a second look at it,¡± he handed over the report that he was talking about.


    As the report landed on my hand, I let out an expression of confusion? How could I ever miss something? I always do five reviews on a report before deciding to send it back to his table.


    I opened the report and started to read it. It was the report about an orphanage that we¡¯re closely monitoring. They were asking for additional monetary support because more and more children are arriving at their doorstep.


    I approved their request because the last thing I want to happen is to see children struggle. After all, no one can support them financially.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you said I missed something,¡± I looked back at him, closing the report. ¡°Everything about this report is reasonable and I approved it. There¡¯s no need for another look.¡±


    ¡°Robert,¡± he let out a sigh. ¡°We can¡¯t just approve all requests for monetary support. So far, you¡¯ve approved about twenty monetary support requests from our people. We still need to think of ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Think of ourselves when there are people who require help?¡± I replied, confused.


    ¡°Robert, maintaining the castle and everyone living inside of it doesn¡¯t come cheap,¡± he replied. ¡°Money doesn¡¯t grow on trees, we work hard for it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re working hard for money?¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Let me remind you, James, that the money you use to support this family and what keeps the economy of our kingdom afloat comes from our people who are the ones who work hard for money,¡± I continued. ¡°The money that we used in feeding the people here and having random construction around the kingdom are the people¡¯s taxes, which technically, they¡¯re the ones who are feeding us,¡± I¡¯m not allowing him to reason out. He wants the children in the orphanage to starve to death?


    ¡°They¡¯re able to feed themselves because I allow trade in this kingdom,¡± he snarled.


    ¡°And without the people in the trading business, you wouldn¡¯t even have money to collect from trade,¡± I snapped.


    His nose started to flare, his lips in a firm line. He began tapping his desk and I could tell he¡¯s starting to get frustrated with my reasoning.


    ¡°I may not be king yet, James,¡± I moved closer to him. ¡°But without those financial requests that I approved, you wouldn¡¯t be king right now and you would¡¯ve already lost a lot of money in the past months. You should be thanking me for keeping you in your chair.¡±


    He laid his back on his chair, showing a sign of defeat. He has no right to be angry about this. We¡¯re talking about our people, the people who put him on the throne. He was the one who said that to stay in power, we must give them our favors. That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing for him and he doesn¡¯t want it?


    I put the report back on his desk, standing up. ¡°This report is good to go. If you don¡¯t want to listen to my advice then I suggest you prepare yourself from the outrage you¡¯ll receive from the orphanage,¡± I remarked. ¡°And if that news gets out, I pray that the people of this kingdom would still love and understand you.¡±


    I walked away from the conversation and his study, leaving the conversation on that note and in that tone. As a royal, you must never forget what¡¯s important: the ones you must protect which are your people. If he decides to put his pride first, I have no fault in it.


    ???Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Currently in my study, going through the reports that are on my desk. This day did not end well but what do I expect? Aside from my impossible relationship with James, my current situation with Laura suddenly crossed my mind, which made me stop reading the current report in front of me.


    Laura¡­ what I did to her this afternoon was just¡­ disgusting. I do hope she will forgive me. What can I do to tell her that I¡¯m sorry? I turned to the table by the window, seeing that there¡¯s a pen with a paper beside it.


    A letter.


    Could a letter help resolve some of the pain I¡¯ve caused between us?


    Why am I even too troubled by this? We just met and yet, she has this sort of impact on me. What I did to her shouldn¡¯t even matter to me at all. But why do I feel this way?


    I continued to contemplate what I should do. Finish my reports or spend more time to think of an acceptable letter to apologize for my actions back there? My focus switched my stacked reports and back to the table by the window.


    My mind told me to keep reading, to finish the reports first. As the prince of the Western Wind, my duties as heir must come first. But my heart says otherwise. I was raised to be a good person, to admit when I¡¯m at fault, and to apologize for any wrong-doing I¡¯ve done.


    Duty? Or being a compassionate being?


    A sudden knock interrupted my deep thoughts. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    The door opened and Gonzalo entered, carrying a tray with my food. ¡°Here is your dinner as requested, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Gonzalo. Put it on that table, please,¡± I pointed to the table by the window.


    He nodded and carefully put the tray down. He then walked back to me, ¡°Also, Your Highness, His Royal Majesty would like for me to tell you something.¡±


    Hearing that James has another thing for me to hear makes me want to burn every report right now on this table. Just because I told him what he needed to hear, he can¡¯t face me personally to tell me something?


    Is this the effort that my mother, my sister, and Nana Olsa was telling me to think about?


    ¡°What is it this time?¡± I asked, letting out a tone of frustration as I looked up to Gonzalo.


    ¡°His Royal Majesty would like to retrieve all the reports on your desk right now,¡± he began. ¡°He said he will not be assigning any financial reports on you starting tomorrow. I¡¯ll have some of his servants to fetch the reports.¡±


    I sighed, shaking my head, my lips in a tight line. I glanced over the pile of reports to my left. ¡°If he says so,¡± I closed the report that I was currently reading, putting it onto the pile of unfinished reports. ¡°Here are the ones that are finished. You can tell him that he can make revisions to it if he wants to,¡± I instructed, preparing the finished pile on my right.


    ¡°Understood, young prince,¡± he nodded. ¡°Is there anything else that you would like to have me bring for you?¡±


    I glanced once more at the paper and pen by the table across me. ¡°I¡¯ll be writing a letter while I have my supper,¡± I started. ¡°I will call for you once I¡¯m finished. I would like for you to have the messenger send it to a bakery in the Mortal Realm. The bakery is named Winston¡¯s Bakery.¡±


    ¡°Bakery in the Mortal Realm?¡± Gonzalo asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Did they do something to upset you, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°No, everyone in that bakery was lovely people,¡± I defended. ¡°I just need to write a letter to a friend that I made there. The letter must be delivered tonight.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Your Highness,¡± he nodded quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll have the messenger prepare himself after dinner.¡±


    ¡°And also,¡± I walked towards him, my hands behind me. ¡°I would like to have this to be just between the two of us, Gonzalo. The king doesn¡¯t have to know about this. Tell the messenger the exact thing as well.¡±


    ¡°Is that a good idea, Your Highness?¡± Gonzalo asked. ¡°Because if the king finds out that we¡¯re doing something behind his back, punishment is unimaginable.¡±


    I began to stare at him, trying to show him that¡¯s beginning to annoy me once more. I thought I made my point clear: I need to have some things kept from James¡¯ knowledge.


    ¡°Gonzalo, what did I tell you before I had my lunch?¡±


    He started to think carefully. After a few seconds, he finally realized what I was talking about and simply nodded.


    ¡°The king will not find out anything if you keep your mouths shut,¡± I remarked. ¡°Also, he won¡¯t suspect a thing if you act just the way you act when you¡¯re told to do a certain task.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I understand,¡± he kept his head low.


    ¡°Good,¡± I replied. ¡°You may leave for the moment. I would like to have a quiet dinner on my own and I need to write a letter.


    He bowed and left the room without saying a word.


    I headed to the table, sitting down as I began to prepare dinner for myself. Fish, a few muscles, and vegetables, accompanied with a bowl of soup and a glass of wine. What a beautiful meal. I stared at it for a while and began to eat.


    ???


    An hour has passed, I¡¯ve finished my meal and I also have written my letter to Laura. I decided to read it again, just to make sure I don¡¯t cause any kind of confusion.


    Laura,


    I would like to apologize for the way I treated you this afternoon.


    I admit that I was hostile to you and I ended our day and our time together in the worst possible tone ever.


    I don¡¯t want you to think that I don¡¯t care about your feelings. You don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ve been regretting what I¡¯ve done to you.


    I would love to see you again. But if you don¡¯t feel the same way, I will respect that.


    I will wait for your response. I will be leaving a special item with this letter. If you plan to reply, wrap your letter with the item I¡¯ll be including inside and burn it together.


    You may think that it¡¯s an unusual way to send a letter¡­ but you have to trust me.


    Robert.


    I folded the letter into three parts and put it inside a small, elongated wooden box. Before closing it, I closed my hand into a fist and enchanted a simple spell into it. As I opened my hand, a blue, sparkling leaf appeared and I quickly put it in the box.


    I rang the service bell for Gonzalo as I tied the box with a simple box. I planted a small kiss on the box, which left me shocked. It¡¯s as if my body¡¯s moving without my permission again.


    The door opened and Gonzalo entered. ¡°Your Highness,¡± he bowed in front of me.


    ¡°Gonzalo, thank you for being here in an instant,¡± I then handed over the box. ¡°In this box is my letter. You know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I¡¯ve already informed the messenger and instructed him what you told me,¡± he nodded.


    ¡°Very well, you may go.¡±


    He caught sight of the soiled plates and utensils from my supper. ¡°Should I bring those down as well, Your Highness?¡±


    I turned to the table and back to him again. ¡°There¡¯s no need, Gonzalo. I¡¯ll send it down by myself through the dumb-waiter. This letter is your priority for me tonight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way immediately.¡± And with a quick bow, he left my room in haste. I began to pray to all the gods and high immortals, hoping that Laura would reply to my letter. Even if her reply is to push me away, I don¡¯t care.


    I need to know her thoughts.

 Chapter Nine, Season One - Lorain (a)

    Water started rushing in from every corner that I turned to. Running through the hallway, I was looking for the ones I¡¯m currently with. Everyone was screaming, running for their very lives. All I could do was follow the direction where everyone was going.


    ¡°Robert!¡± someone shouted my name behind me.


    I turned around to see who it was, only to be carried suddenly by a man.


    ¡°Hold onto me, son,¡± the man said, pulling my head closer to his shoulder. ¡°I got you,¡± it was my father. He was running in the same direction I was already running in.


    ¡°Darling, hurry!¡± the woman in front of us shouted briefly, turning her head towards us. It was Mother, holding the hand of my sister as we all ran.


    My father was about to catch up with them when he suddenly slipped. His grip on me got loose and I was submerged in water on our left.


    ¡°Robert! Hold on!¡± My father screamed as I tried with all my might to stay afloat.


    ¡°Robert!¡± Mother screamed my name as well.


    After a few seconds, I was fully underwater.


    I jolted awake, gasping for air. My shirt was drenched from sweat, my eyes wide open as I frantically looked around my well-lit room. What a nightmare that I just had. It felt like¡­ it was real. It felt like¡­ it did happen to me.


    Did it happen?


    I looked at the window and saw the sun was already up in the sky. It was already in the late morning and I¡¯m already behind in time with my reports. Without wasting any more time, I ran to my bathroom and began my preparations for the day.


    ???


    Sprinting through the halls of the castle, a voice stopped me from my tracks, ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    My left foot swung up in the air as I came to a sudden halt. I turned to see Gonzalo, carrying a tray with a tea set. ¡°Yes, Gonzalo?¡± I asked.


    Your mother has a message for you,¡± he said, walking towards me.


    ¡°Please make it quick, Gonzalo. I have a lot of things to do.¡±


    ¡°She has spoken to Her Royal Majesty Marta, the mother of Princess Lorain,¡± Gonzalo started. ¡°According to the queen, you and your mother will be having a meeting with her in the kingdom of Middle Earth. You are to leave early tomorrow morning.¡±


    I¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow and Laura hasn¡¯t answered my letter yet. It¡¯s been a week and still, I¡¯ve received no word from her.


    ¡°Thank you for letting me know, Gonzalo,¡± I replied. ¡°Is my mother home?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s currently in the library with your sister. They just finished their tea together,¡± Gonzalo gave the tray a bit of a lift. ¡°His Majesty also has something to tell you. Shall I continue?¡±


    Ugh! I wonder what he has for me this very morning. ¡°If you must,¡± I said after a long sigh.


    ¡°His Majesty is currently in his study right now. He was wondering if you have some time to spare in your schedule today,¡± Gonzalo continued with his report. ¡°He said he would like to go fishing with you, preferably this afternoon.¡±


    Fishing? Really? This is an attempt to connect with me?


    ¡°Well, I currently have my whole day planned but if something changes, tell him that I¡¯ll reach out to him personally,¡± I responded.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Understood, young prince,¡± he nodded. ¡°Do you have any other questions? Is there anything that I could get you?¡±


    ¡°Kindly bring my breakfast to my study, Gonzalo,¡± I answered. ¡°Also, has Princess Lorain replied to my last letter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask the messenger, Your Highness. If there¡¯s a reply, I¡¯ll deliver it along with your meal,¡± he responded.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be in my study if you need me,¡± I bowed, excusing myself from the conversation, and proceeded to my study.


    ???


    Carefully scanning through documents, Laura has been in my mind for the past hour and I can¡¯t get her out of my mind. Her smile, her eyes, her hair¡­ everything is just¡­ it¡¯s distracting me. I¡¯ve been shaking my head to snap out of it but somehow, her image kept appearing.


    I also kept an eye on the open window on my left. I never closed it ever since I sent her a letter. If she would follow the instructions properly, the smoke from the letter enclosed in the leaf with it will directly head straight here to my study.


    I made sure that the spell on that leaf will bring the letter directly where it was originally written. And I¡¯ve been waiting for seven days now and still, no reply.


    Could this be a sign that she doesn¡¯t want to see me? Even talk to me? Have I wounded her that much? Was I that rude for her to completely avoid me?


    A knock came upon my door.


    ¡°Enter,¡± I put the reports aside, giving space to the food that I asked Gonzalo to bring.


    The door opened wide and it was my page, carrying the tray of my meal. ¡°Your Highness,¡± he greeted, preparing my food for me.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Gonzalo?¡± I enquired.


    ¡°He said His Majesty requested his presence in his study immediately. A maid handed your meal over to me, saying that you requested for it,¡± he explained. ¡°And here, Your Highness,¡± he handed over a letter after he finished preparing.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this from?¡±


    ¡°The maid said it was the letter that you requested from Gonzalo,¡± my page said. ¡°Gonzalo never mentioned who it was from. He only said you requested for it.¡±


    Ah, this may be Princess Lorain¡¯s response to my letter.


    ¡°Thank you, young man. You may go,¡± I smiled firmly.


    He bowed and walked away, gently closing the door on his way out.


    I carefully opened the letter, smelling the paper as I always do. Princess Lorain has this sort of way of sending her letters to me. Her papers always smell like roses and I appreciate that from her. Her letter reads:


    Hello, Robert!


    I understand that your relationship with your father has not improved. It¡¯s the same with my mother and me. It has become a frustration of mine. And I understand how you feel about them expecting too much from us.


    It¡¯s hard to be the perfect child when you know deep inside, you¡¯re far from perfect. And even if you already told them you¡¯re nothing close to perfection, they still try to shove the foot of perfection down our throats.


    But enough about me and all of my woes. Let¡¯s talk about you. I would like to know more about your thoughts as it distracts me from my mother¡¯s leash. A strange sort of comfort for me, I know. But your words keep me filled with hope that one day, I will be gone from her grip and will be able to breathe again.


    Hope to receive a swift reply from you soon! This castle is going to be the death of me.


    Your friend, Lorain.


    I¡¯m not going to lie, I was smiling the whole time as I read her letter. She never hid the truth from me which is something you deeply appreciate in a person. People rarely give you honesty and when someone like this comes along, you¡¯ll have a deep sense of appreciation for them.


    And the best thing about us is that we understand each other because of our troubled relationship with one parent. She lost her father so her mother, as queen regent, has all the powers and has put all the pressure on her, not her two brothers. Her brothers always take her side but of course, they have no power against their mother.


    I grabbed a blank paper and pulled my pen closer as I began to write my response,


    To the lovely Princess Lorain,


    Like you, I don¡¯t understand why they have such unrealistic expectations of us. My nana did tell me that even immortals make mistakes. Why can¡¯t they have that same belief for themselves and their children? Nothing is about being perfect, it¡¯s about having the ability to learn from our mistakes.


    I also received news that I will be visiting your kingdom. I hope to finally meet you in person and get to know each other more.


    Your dear friend, Robert.


    Putting the quill down, I folded the paper in three and stamped a royal seal on it. I put it on the side and started eating my breakfast. My stomach has been grumbling for the longest time and I feel like I¡¯m close to fainting if I continue to skip my meal any longer.


    ???


    A few minutes later, my meal was done and I got half of the reports done as well. Looking at the pile that was already reviewed, approved, and denied, I think they¡¯re ready to be sent to James¡¯ study. ¡°Page?¡± I called out.


    The door opened and my page rushed towards me, bowing as he arrived right in front of me.


    ¡°Would you be so kind as to ring the service bell for me as I prepare my soiled plate and utensils as well as my finished reports?¡± I requested, standing up from my chair. ¡°I need Gonzalo for this task.¡±

 Chapter Nine, Season One - Lorain (b)

    Robert,


    I don¡¯t understand your instructions and why you specifically asked me to follow them in sending you a reply. But I guess I have to trust you on this one since you¡¯re the one who first sent a letter.


    For what happened on that day, on the day that we met, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth it to talk about anymore. I guess I¡¯ll brush it under the rug. Maybe something crossed your mind that made you act in such a way and I forgive you for it. We all have moments where our mood suddenly shifts to a different angle.


    I¡¯m sorry if I took so long to reply. I thought that maybe you could use some space to get some stuff out of your mind.


    I would love to see you again, Robert. I feel comfortable around you and I¡¯m happy to have met a person like you whom I can consider as a friend.


    Laura.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

 Chapter Ten, Season One - Unexpected (a)

    Minutes later, I finally arrived in front of the bakery. There, I found Grandpa Ben smoking his pipe, sitting comfortably on the bench by the window, his legs crossed.


    I went down Lady and pulled her to the side. ¡°Good morning, Grandpa Ben,¡± I greeted, walking towards him with a smile.


    He looked up, snapping out from staring into nothing. ¡°Oh, good morning, dear boy,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°How are you doing?¡± he engulfed me in a warm hug after standing up.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite well, Grandpa Ben. How about you?¡±


    ¡°Well, as you can see, I finally found myself some time to enjoy a smoke,¡± he replied, showing off his, what it seems like, antique pipe. He moved it closer to me, ¡°Do you want to try?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you, Grandpa Ben. I don¡¯t do that,¡± I politely refused. ¡°Also, I tasted the pie when I got back.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± he raised an eyebrow as he smirked, waiting eagerly for my answer.


    ¡°Well¡­ you weren¡¯t kidding when you said some people went crazy for those pies. It was a delight!¡± I replied with pride.


    ¡°I told you: you would be coming back here for more once you tasted Laura¡¯s apple pies,¡± Grandpa Ben chuckled. ¡°However, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re here for the apple pies, Robert,¡± he continued to smirk at me.


    I started to scratch the back of my neck, smiling shyly. ¡°Well, you caught me, Grandpa Ben,¡± I laughed nervously. ¡°Is Laura currently working?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s helping out with the muffins inside. One of our members is taking a rest for two days so she took responsibility for the muffins,¡± Grandpa Ben nodded.¡±


    ¡°I can wait for her. I¡¯m not in a rush,¡± I smiled.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t be silly. Sit here and I¡¯ll get her for you,¡± he led me to the bench, making me sit. After I made myself comfortable on the bench, he went inside to fetch Laura.


    What should I tell Laura? How should I approach her? Should I take her word for it and act like nothing ever happened? Or should I apologize now that I¡¯m here? Mother did say that the best way to apologize is to say it in person.


    Moments later, Laura came out of the bakery, wiping her hands on her apron. ¡°Robert,¡± she started walking towards me.


    ¡°Laura,¡± I stood up in a heartbeat, walking towards her as well.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I came to see you.¡±


    ¡°Did you receive my letter?¡± she asked another.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded. ¡°I told you: if you follow the instructions, I¡¯ll receive your response.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what kind of instructions those were,¡± she shook her head. ¡°All I told myself was to just follow the instructions to send my response.¡±


    ¡°Well, you did a good job on that,¡± I suddenly patted her on the head. I cleared my throat, ¡°Would you like to have a seat?¡± I said, pointing to the bench behind me.


    ¡°Um, of course,¡± she smiled.


    I let her sit down before me then I sat down after she made herself comfortable.


    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± she started the conversation. ¡°I was surprised to know that you¡¯re here during this time of the day. Don¡¯t you have¡­ duties to take care of?¡±


    ¡°I already finished some before coming here,¡± I replied, turning my whole body in her direction. ¡°There is something that I would like to say,¡± I held her hands in mine.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Robert¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for how I treated you on that day,¡± I looked straight into her eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t deserve that. I was being an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Robert,¡± she pulled back her hands from my grip. I thought she was mad but what she did next¡­ left me speechless. She held my hands in hers, caressing them with her thumbs. ¡°I told you: I forgive you. We don¡¯t have to repeat that day over and over again,¡± she continued. ¡°I know that as a prince, there are a lot of things on your mind and it can cause a few mood swings, here and there. Stop feeling guilty for that,¡± she smiled a comforting smile.


    I looked at her in complete awe. I didn¡¯t know mortals are capable of doing what she¡¯s currently doing now. The way Grandpa Ben raised her is impressive.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t frown too much. You¡¯ll grow old in no time,¡± she giggled, making me giggle as well.


    ¡°So, what happened to you when I was away?¡± I enquired.


    She sighed and groaned at the same time. ¡°Do you remember the man that I told you about? The one who¡¯s a bit too much of a Prince Charming?¡±


    ¡°Yes, why?¡±


    ¡°He returned here the other day, carrying all sorts of flower arrangements for me,¡± she said, annoyed.


    I looked around here on the outside of the bakery and peeked through the window.


    ¡°What are you looking for, Robert?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you said he brought you numerous flower arrangements, how come I don¡¯t see them anywhere here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t accept one from him,¡± she replied.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. That¡¯s the last thing I would want to happen: accept something from a man and get teased by the whole bakery because of it,¡± she complained, running her hands through her hair.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Think carefully for the next thing you¡¯ll say to her, Robert. ¡°Does Grandpa Ben tease you with that man? For sure, he will if that man is public with his affections for you.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, he didn¡¯t.¡±


    I suddenly remembered what she told me on the hills. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, you don¡¯t tell Grandpa Ben about your dealings.¡±


    ¡°Robert, Grandpa Ben knew from the moment that man stepped into our bakery that he fancies me,¡± she quickly blocked my response.


    ¡°But if he knows, how come he doesn¡¯t tease you to that man?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ is something I also don¡¯t understand,¡± she scratched the side of her forehead in confusion. ¡°But one thing¡¯s for sure: he teases me when it comes to you,¡± he looked back at me.


    ¡°That is¡­ a bit¡­ weird,¡± I stuttered. My heart fluttered with that comment of hers. I didn¡¯t know she was being teased because of me. I quite like it, for some reason.


    ¡°And I would like to apologize for that odd information but you had to know,¡± she immediately backtracked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind,¡± I reassured. I don¡¯t mind because I¡¯m happy to know that at some point, I think Grandpa Ben approves of me for her. It gives me some sort of leverage, should I develop more intimate feelings for her.


    ¡°I still have questions for you,¡± she jumped to a different topic. ¡°I hope it¡¯s okay to keep asking.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, ask whatever you want,¡± I gave her a warm smile, rubbing her back softly.


    ¡°As we¡¯re both now on the same page, you¡¯re a prince, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm-hm,¡± I nodded.


    ¡°How did you become the prince? Was your family truly born from royalty?¡± she asked. ¡°Or was there something else that happened for you to end up as a prince?¡±


    ¡°The truth is¡­ we¡¯re not completely from the royal family,¡± I replied. ¡°My parents were ones of the lords and ladies of the court that revolted against the previous monarch before them.¡±


    ¡°Revolted? Why?¡±


    ¡°There was a conspiracy¡­ that my grandfather, who was king during his time, was killed by the two men who wanted the throne for himself,¡± I began the story. ¡°They tore down the kingdom to shreds, everyone was starving. The remaining family members of my father and my mother revolted alongside the townspeople to remove them from power.¡±


    ¡°And how did that make your family the current monarchs?¡±


    ¡°My father and mother were married off quickly and with the blessing of the high gods, they were made monarchs by them and the people as well,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m being too intrusive, Robert,¡± she apologized once more. ¡°I just want to get to know you more.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, Laura,¡± I laid my hand on hers. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I also feel the same way; wanting to know you more.¡±


    ¡°Well, to your dismay, there¡¯s not much to know about me,¡± she continued. ¡°And if there are any, you already know them at this point. You have lots of stories about your life so it¡¯s best to say that I¡¯m the one who has a lot of questions to throw.¡±


    I sighed, chuckling at her response. She has a point and she continues to amuse me with her smart answers. ¡°Well then, go ahead and ask me.¡±


    ¡°Are you the eldest family in your generation? Is that why you were made as monarchs of the kingdom?¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, my father was the youngest,¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°Youngest?¡± she asked, confused. ¡°I thought it was always the eldest child who gets the throne.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s odd, isn¡¯t it?¡± I smiled. ¡°Well, the people preferred my father because of the strength and qualities he showed to the people. Also, his siblings weren¡¯t brave enough to join the revolt so the people held my father in high regard.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your father¡¯s siblings try to steal the throne from him?¡± she asked, shifting her body wholly to my direction. ¡°As you mentioned, he¡¯s the youngest. Technically, that¡¯s wrong, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the eldest brain-washed my father¡¯s siblings and they all tried to remove him from the throne,¡± I replied. ¡°But the people defended my parents and his siblings were banished from the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s quite¡­ tragic for your relatives,¡± her tone changed.

 Chapter Ten, Season One - Unexpected (b)

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 Chapter Eleven, Season One - Disappointed (a)

    Rushing towards the door, I think the guards sensed my anger as they quickly blocked the door.


    ¡°Let me in,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Your Highness, His Majesty is--¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care whatever he¡¯s doing right now. Let me in!¡± I shouted, not caring even if my voice is heard throughout the castle.


    I heard one of the lords inside say, ¡°Is that your son, Your Majesty?¡±


    I looked at the guards and they were confused, absolutely having no clue what to do.


    ¡°Are you going to open the door or are you going to wait for me to explode and have you both sent to the dungeon?¡± I threatened.


    They quickly removed their spears, giving me a way to barge into the study. The lords and James suddenly looked in my direction as the doors swung open and hit the wall behind them.


    ¡°Robert,¡± was all that James could utter at the very sight of me.


    ¡°May I have a word with you?¡± I replied, trying to control my anger.


    The lords began to look at each other. One of them mustered up the strength and entered the conversation, ¡°Your Highness, we¡¯re about to go on a trip right now. Your father needs to prepare.¡±


    I looked at them with one eyebrow up, ¡°I mean no disrespect for what I¡¯m about to say but did I ask for your opinion?¡±


    The lords took a step back together, fear and anxiety can be seen in their eyes.


    I looked back at James, ¡°Well, can we talk for a while?¡±


    James cleared his throat and spoke to the lords, walking away from his chair, ¡°My lords, kindly wait for me downstairs. I need to have a word with my son.¡± He continued, leading the lords to the door. ¡°He doesn¡¯t barge in like this unless it¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°But Your Majesty, we might be late--¡±


    ¡°We will not be late, my lords,¡± James reassured as they reached the door. ¡°We¡¯ll be there before you even know it,¡± he continued as the lords were finally out of the door. ¡°Guards, kindly escort them downstairs. Don¡¯t leave them no matter what,¡± he instructed.


    The guards bowed and went along with the lords.


    James slowly closed the door, letting out a sigh as he locked the door. ¡°What is this about, Robert?¡± he asked, turning around. ¡°You knew that I was with very important people. Did you have to barge in like that?¡± he walked towards me.


    ¡°Ah, so going on an unexpected trip with your advisers is much more important than going on a fishing trip with your son?¡± I replied sarcastically. ¡°And you know what¡¯s the best part?¡± I walked closer to him, putting my hands behind my back. ¡°I received this news from my mother which should¡¯ve come from you.¡±


    ¡°Robert, I understand you¡¯re upset that I didn¡¯t tell you,¡± he began. ¡°But I had to attend this trip. The people are in revolt because the current tax collector has been collecting money without our consent. We could schedule the fishing trip after you return from Middle Earth.¡±


    ¡°And you couldn¡¯t tell me this personally?¡± I replied, trying to keep my anger, which is at the very top, at bay. ¡°I would¡¯ve appreciated it. I would¡¯ve understood it more.¡±


    ¡°What are you so angry about, Robert? It¡¯s just a fishing trip. We can do that anytime,¡± he snapped.


    I stood there, taken aback by his response. It¡¯s all clear now: he didn¡¯t offer the fishing trip to make a connection with me. He just did that to make me think he was trying to reconnect, to feed his ego.


    ¡°I see it now. I see it all now,¡± I started to walk past him.


    ¡°Robert, it¡¯s not what you think,¡± he tried to backtrack on his response.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to add another lie to me just to appease my anger, James,¡± I answered, turning the doorknob. ¡°I thought you were doing that to reconnect with me and I was stupid enough to give you a chance; another chance to disappoint me.¡±


    ¡°Robert, that¡¯s not what I was trying to do,¡± he walked towards me, stopping in front of me. ¡°I did want to go on a fishing trip with you so we could have time together. I just need to handle a very important, diplomatic matter right now.¡±


    I shook my head, my lips forming a tight line on my face. ¡°No¡­ you didn¡¯t do this for our relationship as father and son. You did this so you could feel better about yourself. You did this so you could tell yourself that at the very least, you tried.¡±


    ¡°No, Robert, what you¡¯re thinking isn¡¯t true.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s true, James. Your actions say so,¡± I snarled as I leaned closer, ¡°I hope you¡¯re happy to see me frustrated with you, James.¡± I opened the door with brashness and walked out, preventing my tears from coming out.


    I started heading to the garden. I need some fresh air.


    ???


    Mother''s garden is always a beautiful site to see. All of her different flowers, plants, and trees¡­ so many green things to see and it helps my eyes and mind calm down. I sat on a cement bench in the middle of the garden, taking a deep breath.


    My hands are still shaking out of anger¡­ and sadness. I¡¯m just really disappointed with what just happened. And I thought he was doing it for the best. He was just doing it for himself, to make him think that he¡¯s trying to make something change between the two of us.


    I shouldn¡¯t have given him the chance to lie to me¡­ to hurt me.


    ¡°Robert?¡± a voice came from behind me. I turned to see Mallory, her hands behind her.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I sighed and shook my head. Just my luck, Mallory is here to add more to my misery.


    ¡°Hello, Robert,¡± she sat beside me, her hands still behind her back.


    ¡°What is it this time, Mallory?¡± I asked, annoyed. ¡°Because I don¡¯t have time to have another argument with you.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not here to fight with you,¡± she quickly said. ¡°I just thought that¡­ maybe you needed some company.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°That¡¯s very considerate of you,¡± I answered, looking at her. ¡°But right now, I just want to be alone,¡± I continued, looking away.


    ¡°I know I¡¯ve been a bother to you for the past few days,¡± she started. ¡°So, I¡¯ve decided to get something to¡­ at least, appease your anger. Here you go,¡± she pulled out her hands from behind her, holding a small basket with a ribbon that says Winston¡¯s Bakery.


    Winston¡¯s Bakery?! What was she doing here? Was she following me this whole time? Does she know what I¡¯ve been up to?


    ¡°Where did you get that?¡± I asked with wide eyes, pointing at the basket.


    ¡°Oh, I visited a bakery in the Mortal Realm because I had a friend there for quite some time now,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a long time since we last talked to each other and I have a lot of stories to tell.¡±


    Stories? Why do I have the feeling that she told his friend of hers about us? ¡°What kind of stories?¡±


    ¡°About my life, mostly,¡± she replied, opening the basket. ¡°How it¡¯s currently going, everything that I do now in the castle and¡­¡± she stopped right at the end.


    ¡°Did you say something about us?¡± I quickly asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that--¡±


    ¡°Did you tell someone about us?¡± I asked once more, not letting her explain anything.


    ¡°Robert, let me--¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need an explanation, Mallory,¡± I cut her off once more, this time my blood began to boil again. ¡°Just answer the question: did you mention anything about us? Yes or no?¡±


    She let out a sigh. ¡°Yes, Robert¡­ I did.¡±


    ¡°Mallory, I told you not to!¡± I scolded, standing up.


    ¡°Robert, please listen to me first,¡± she yelled, still sitting down.


    ¡°How hard is it for you to follow simple instructions?!¡± I continued my rant, not minding what she had to say. ¡°Is this how you want a relationship to be?! Constant arguments?!¡±


    ¡°Robert, calm down!¡± she stood up. ¡°I did tell her but I never mentioned your name, okay?¡± she continued calmly.


    I groaned as I turned my back on her. ¡°I¡¯ll let this incident go once. But if you do something as reckless as this again,¡± I turned my face to her. ¡°I swear, I won¡¯t hesitate to have you arrested.¡±


    She quickly held my hand, ¡°Don¡¯t be mad about this but¡­ I promised her I¡¯ll introduce you to her by tomorrow.¡±


    I faced her once more, my eyes are now wide open. I shook her hand off, ¡°Mallory, what are you trying to do?! What did I tell you before we started this?!¡± I continued to shout at her, ¡°You made a promise never to tell anyone. Now, you¡¯re saying you¡¯ll introduce me to a friend that could jeopardize my position as heir and my family as a monarchy?!¡±


    ¡°Robert, I just,¡± she struggled to find words to explain, desperate to reason. ¡°I just want us to be together forever. And I figured that maybe if I told other people, you would take responsibility for our relationship,¡± she continued. ¡°I thought that this is the way to do so.¡±


    ¡°Mallory, when will you wake up and accept the truth?!¡± I shook her lightly, looking into her eyes after. ¡°We can¡¯t be together forever and we will never have a forever.¡±


    ¡°Why?! Is it because you¡¯re arranged?!¡± she started to cry.


    ¡°Yes, Mallory, yes!¡± I shouted in frustration.


    ¡°Why are you choosing that unknown fiance of yours than me who knows you for almost all your life?!¡± she threw the basket to the ground, scattering all the cookies on the nicely-trimmed grass.


    ¡°Because I have to, Mallory, you know that!¡± I said, irritated. ¡°I have to do this for my family¡¯s reputation and my place as an heir!¡±


    ¡°Then cut off the engagement!¡± she yelled, throwing her hands in the air. ¡°Be with me, Robert. Please, choose me,¡± her hands clung to my arms as tears continued to run down her cheeks.


    I let out a sigh, doing my absolute best to calm down and regain control of my emotions. ¡°Mallory, even if I call off the engagement, I can never be with you.¡±


    ¡°Why do you always say that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Because I can only give you friendship,¡± I repeated, removing my hands. ¡°Nothing more, nothing less.


    ¡°Then, learn to love me, Robert!¡± she complained once more. ¡°Love me! You can do that! You¡¯re just not opening your heart to me!¡±


    ¡°You can introduce me to your friend but that will be the final straw,¡± I answered, fixing my clothes that have been rumpled because of this conversation. ¡°One more wrong decision from you and I¡¯m ending this relationship that we have. I will not repeat myself,¡± I walked away. I didn¡¯t turn back even though I heard her fall to the ground in tears.


    ???


    What was Mallory thinking?!


    I told her never to tell anyone and that includes a mortal! Throughout this deal that I made for the two of us, she¡¯s been such a headache. I already knew this was a bad idea but I still went on with it. How am I ever going to get out of this without her making a scene?


    ¡°Robert?¡± a voice echoed within the halls, causing me to stop walking. I turned around and I saw Nana Olsa.


    ¡°Nana Olsa,¡± I greeted with a smile.


    ¡°Can we talk for a moment?¡± she asked, smiling. ¡°This won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I nodded, walking with her to the window. ¡°What seems to be the problem, Nana?¡±


    Nana held onto my arms and started talking, ¡°I heard something from the garden and it bothered me.¡±


    Oh, great! I think Mallory spilled the beans even to Nana Olsa. ¡°What do you mean, Nana?¡± I asked once more, pretending that I have no clue what she¡¯s talking about.


    ¡°I overheard your conversation with Mallory about a contractual relationship which is something I¡¯m not pleased about,¡± Nana replied firmly. ¡°And I know you feel the same as I do.¡±


    ¡°Nana, I tried to talk some sense into her head about this before,¡± I explained, letting all of my irritation on Mallory out. ¡°But she wouldn¡¯t listen to me. Her stubbornness is getting on my nerves.¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want the relationship in the first place,¡± she answered, cupping my hands with hers. ¡°Just put an end to it because you¡¯ll end up hurting each other.¡±


    ¡°I want to end it as soon as possible but I¡¯m afraid she might make a scene if I do,¡± I said with a worried look. ¡°And she also promised a friend of hers that she¡¯ll introduce me. I still regard her as a friend and I wouldn¡¯t want to humiliate her.¡±


    She let out a sigh, giving my hand a light tap. ¡°Let her introduce you first. Then you can do what needs to be done,¡± she suggested. ¡°I love you and Mallory, Robert. You two are everything and I just want what¡¯s best for the both of you.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Nana,¡± I smiled out of relief. ¡°Thank you for watching over us, especially me.¡±


    ¡°I should be the one thanking you for being understanding of the situation,¡± she giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be the bigger person in this situation. I already made a mistake for agreeing to what she wants, the least I could do is to do the right thing,¡± I answered. ¡°But I¡¯m thankful because you¡¯re one of the people who knows me more than I do myself.¡±


    ¡°Your parents know you even more, of course,¡± she cupped my face quickly, giving it a light squish. ¡°And remember, I took care of you and your sister when you were children. Most especially you, dear boy,¡± she poked my nose after, making a ¡°poof¡± sound.


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle this situation carefully, Nana,¡± I reassured her. ¡°Trust me that I will do everything to make sure Mallory will understand.¡±


    She gave me a light pat on my right arm. ¡°I know you will, son.¡±


    ¡°Now, Nana, I would like to go to my bedroom and rest before packing my clothes,¡± I said. ¡°If you haven¡¯t heard, I¡¯m going to Middle Earth tomorrow with my mother.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard from the maids. You know how they love to gossip whenever they have the time,¡± she let out a quick laugh. ¡°You¡¯ll need a lot of rest especially for all the outdoor rides that you¡¯ve been making. What made you an outdoorsman?¡±


    The very thought of Laura made a smile on my face. ¡°I simply¡­ met a friend, Nana,¡± I answered, trying not to give everything away.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s just a friend?¡± she questioned, teasing me with a smile, a hand under her chin.


    ¡°Yes, Nana, I¡¯m quite sure,¡± I replied, still smiling at her because I know she¡¯s teasing me in a very passive manner.


    A giggle escaped her mouth. ¡°Well, I need to go back to the kitchen. Get some rest,¡± she walked away with a smile.


    I then headed over to my bedroom and laid down on my soft mattress. As I closed my eyes, Laura¡¯s beautiful face took over my dark surroundings. I drifted to dreamland with her, holding my hand.

 Chapter Eleven, Season One - Disappointed (b)

    ???


    My peaceful slumber was awakened by continuous knocking on my door. ¡°Your Highness? Your Highness?¡± someone called out to me, the knocking persisted.


    I groaned as I opened my eyes. ¡°Come in, come in,¡± I answered as I sat up, rubbing my eyes and fixing myself.


    The door opened and my page entered, rushing over to me. ¡°Your Highness,¡± he bowed. ¡°Gonzalo is outside. He said he has something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course, let him in,¡± I nodded, getting out of my bed. My page left and as he walked out of my room, Gonzalo entered.


    ¡°Gonzalo,¡± I greeted, finishing after I fixed my bed.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± he bowed. ¡°Apologies if I was gone for a long time, young prince. His Majesty has sent me on a very important errand.¡±


    ¡°He did mention it to me, because I was looking for you so no need to apologize,¡± I smiled, sitting down on the edge of my bed. ¡°My page said you have news for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s from His Majesty.¡±


    I groaned, rolling my eyes as I threw my head back. What is it this time? ¡°What did he say?¡±


    He began to prepare himself as it seems like he¡¯s about to say something that can outrage me. ¡°He warned me to approach you about this matter with extreme care. I would for Your Highness to keep his emotions at bay so I could finish,¡± he replied.


    I cleared my throat, sitting down properly. ¡°I will do my best, Gonzalo. Please proceed.¡± I¡¯m not going to make any promises because I know when it comes to James right now, I¡¯m not in the mood to be forgiving.


    Gonzalo put his hands behind him, ¡°His Majesty has requested a different schedule for your fishing trip with him after you visited the Kingdom of Middle Earth tomorrow. He also said that he¡¯ll make sure it will happen this time.¡±


    I closed my eyes, bowing my head as I let out a sigh. My hands tightly gripped the sheets on my bed. It isn¡¯t Gonzalo¡¯s fault but for him to mention the fishing trip just made my blood boil and my patience grow thinner.


    I heard Gonzalo quickly getting down on his knees, his head on the floor with his hands on each side. ¡°Please, Your Highness, don¡¯t be mad with me. I was only told to deliver this message to you,¡± he begged.


    I let out a deep sigh before standing up. I walked towards him, ¡°Get up, Gonzalo, please. You don¡¯t need to beg.¡±


    ¡°I will only stand if Your Highness¡¯s anger has abated,¡± he quickly answered in fear.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that, Gonzalo. I¡¯m not mad at you,¡± I replied.


    He stood up and fixed his clothes, his head still down.


    ¡°Did my father mention why he can¡¯t tell me this message in person?¡± I enquired.


    Gonzalo looked up to me, ¡°His Majesty arrived from his trip with the lords. They¡¯re currently in the study and are still having a meeting.¡± He continued, ¡°He said he would want to be the person to tell you but he fears that you won¡¯t listen so he sent me to do it.¡±


    I walked past him, keeping quiet because I¡¯m close to my limit. He fears that he might get rejected so he sent Gonzalo? He¡¯s never going to make an effort to reconnect with me.


    ¡°Tell him I will think about it,¡± I turned around, making Gonzalo do the same. ¡°Also, tell him,¡± I walked towards Gonzalo, my hands behind my back, ¡°That a disappointed child isn¡¯t easy to place. Tell him I¡¯m reminding him eagerly of that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± he bowed. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± he kept his head low.


    ¡°Kindly summon Mallory up here and tell her to make it quick,¡± I answered. ¡°I would like to have a word with her before I start packing for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Right away, young prince,¡± he bowed and went on his way. I sighed and started reading a few reports that I kept here in my room while waiting for Gonzalo and Mallory.


    ???


    In the middle of a very important report, someone knocked on my door and then it opened.


    My page peaked his head through the door, ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± I raised my eyebrows, not turning my attention away from the report.


    ¡°Gonzalo is here with Mallory,¡± he informed.


    I closed the report and put it on my bedside table, ¡°Let Mallory in. Inform Gonzalo to have my dinner sent up here in my room.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± he left the door open and Mallory entered.


    ¡°Close the door, please,¡± I stood up, walking towards her.


    Mallory gently shut the door behind her and walked over to meet me. ¡°You asked for me? That¡¯s odd.¡±


    ¡°We need to discuss my unplanned introduction to your friend,¡± I began.


    ¡°Robert, if you don¡¯t want to, I understand--¡±


    ¡°I did say I¡¯m letting you introduce me to your friend, correct?¡± I interrupted, my hands on my hips.


    ¡°Oh, thank you, Robert! Thank you!¡± She was about to hug me but I stopped her, blocking her with my hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not finished,¡± I continued. ¡°You may introduce me after I return from Middle Earth.¡±


    ¡°Middle Earth?¡± she asked. ¡°Why are you going there? When are you going there?¡±


    ¡°My mother and I have to go to Middle Earth tomorrow and I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be coming back,¡± I explained. ¡°We¡¯re going to spend some time with the royal family there.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that where your fiance lives?¡± I could sense she¡¯s beginning to worry about the fact that I¡¯ll be staying in Middle Earth for quite some time.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Yes, that is where she lives,¡± I nodded.


    Without hesitation in her eyes, her hands quickly held onto mine. ¡°You won¡¯t have another woman, will you? You¡¯re mine, right?¡± she quickly replied.


    I removed her hands, my brows knitted together. ¡°You¡¯re the other woman, Mallory. I was arranged to be with her first,¡± I answered. ¡°And I wasn¡¯t yours, to begin with.¡±


    She suddenly took a step back, gulping as her eyes widened. A stunned expression on her face, trying to stop the tears from coming out of her. ¡°Why do you have to be so harsh with me?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°You may go, Mallory. That¡¯s all I have to say to you.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so heartless to me, Robert?¡± she continued to ask. ¡°You weren¡¯t like this before we started our relationship.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because, at that time, you know to yourself that we¡¯re only friends and you weren¡¯t that annoying,¡± I said, raising an eyebrow at her. ¡°Now, if you would be so kind to leave me in peace while I prepare my things for tomorrow, I would gladly appreciate that,¡± I pointed at the door.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you be more gentle with me? Loving towards me?¡± she took a step forward.


    ¡°Mallory, don¡¯t expect much from me because this relationship isn¡¯t real and it won¡¯t last,¡± I continued, turning my back on her. ¡°We agreed that we¡¯re doing this to give you a chance to be with me. I didn¡¯t say I will be loving and caring to you. I can do that as a friend but not a lover.¡±


    She started to cry behind me.


    I closed my eyes, controlling my temper. ¡°If you¡¯re quite done, please leave. I don¡¯t need to hear you crying over something that shouldn¡¯t be a big deal.¡±


    She stomped her feet before rushing to the door, slamming it close.


    I sighed out of relief and began choosing the clothes from my closet.


    My door opened again. ¡°Your Highness, here¡¯s your dinner,¡± Gonzalo spoke. He carefully put the tray on my bedside table.


    ¡°Thank you, Gonzalo,¡± I replied, putting down more clothes on the bed. ¡°Can you please have some of the servants bring up one of the chests so I could put my clothes in it?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, young prince,¡± he bowed. ¡°Right away,¡± he quickly went and left the room.


    I stopped looking for clothes to wear and proceeded to eat my dinner.


    ???


    An hour has passed and I just finished packing my things and my dinner. As I waited for my body to feel sleepy, my door suddenly creaked open. I put the report that I¡¯m holding on the table, removing the cover from my legs.


    As I began to get out of my bed, Elizabeth entered the room slowly.


    ¡°Oh, Elizabeth,¡± I breathed out in relief. ¡°I worried for a second on who it was.¡±


    ¡°Um, your page wasn¡¯t here so I thought you¡¯re not that busy,¡± she reasoned, pointing to the other side of the door. ¡°Are you doing something? Is this a bad time to visit?¡±


    I smiled as I patted the part of the bed near me, telling her to sit beside me.


    She closed the door and walked towards me, grabbing my hand that I put up in the air to help her sit down.


    ¡°Elizabeth, how many times do I have to tell you that you¡¯re always welcome in my room?¡± I replied, cupping her hands in mine. ¡°No matter what I¡¯m doing, if you want to come and talk to me, you can.¡±


    She smiled and nodded. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to bother you if you¡¯re doing something.¡±


    ¡°Elizabeth, you¡¯re my sister,¡± I responded. ¡°You¡¯re much more important to me than anything else.¡±


    She suddenly pinched my nose after a giggle. ¡°When I entered, you seemed to be on your toes. Were you scared?¡±


    I scoffed, throwing my head back. ¡°Why would I be scared? You know I¡¯m always prepared inside my room. I was just nervous about who¡¯s entering my room without my knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Did you think it was James?¡±


    I sucked in a big breath and let it all out. Until now, hearing James¡¯ voice still makes me angry. But I can¡¯t show Elizabeth what I¡¯m currently feeling about James. ¡°I thought it was Mother. I was afraid she¡¯d be scolding me right now about something.¡±


    ¡°Afraid of being scolded on how you reacted to your canceled fishing trip with James?¡± she asked once more.


    I sighed as I looked down at her hands that are still in mine, caressing her hands with my thumbs.


    ¡°Robert, I¡¯m not here to lecture you. I would like to make that point very clear,¡± she started, reversing our hands. Now, my hands are in hers. ¡°I just want to know what happened.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t James already tell you the whole story?¡± I asked. ¡°Or did he change the whole story and made me the bad guy?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get to ask James because he was busy throughout the day,¡± she said, rubbing my right arm. ¡°Although, the conversation between you and James was overheard by the maids so it¡¯s them whom I had to ask.¡±


    ¡°Those maids sure love the gossip around this family, do they?¡± I smirked. ¡°No wonder they love working here because they have something to talk about.¡±


    She smacked me by the arm, causing me to rub the hit part. For a princess, she has a heavy hand. ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic, little brother. Tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°Elizabeth, if you already heard it from the maids, what¡¯s the point of telling you?¡± I let out a small chuckle.


    She hit me on the arm again, this time with an even bigger smile. ¡°Come on, Robert. I think I would prefer to hear from you because that conversation only involved you and James,¡± she insisted.


    I sighed, shaking my head as I looked down at my feet. The reason why I don¡¯t want to talk about this topic is because I don¡¯t want to feel all the negative feelings that I already told Nana Olsa about.


    ¡°Please, Robert, for me?¡± she clung onto my arm, moving closer as she shook me,


    ¡°All right, all right,¡± I replied, giving in to her request. ¡°But please, stop shaking me. I think my head is about to pop off from my body.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she quickly let go of my arm, sitting properly beside me.


    I let out a deep breath. ¡°To make the story short, James invited me to have a fishing trip with him and even though my gut was telling me not to agree, I said yes because of you, Mother, and Nana Olsa,¡± I started telling the story. ¡°You all told me to give him a chance and then, he ended up postponing when we¡¯re supposed to go already because of some important errand with the lords.¡±


    She sat beside me, quiet. I could see through her eyes that she¡¯s thinking of something to say to me.


    ¡°Elizabeth, if you¡¯re going to defend James, I don¡¯t have the time and energy to argue with you,¡± I answered.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m going to defend James, Robert,¡± she responded in a heartbeat. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to look at the big picture about everything. I don¡¯t want to conclude everything on my own.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s your conclusion?¡±


    She sighed for a bit. ¡°Well, for this one, I¡¯m on your side,¡± she patted my shoulder. ¡°James did invite you and for him to just cancel everything at the last minute is inconsiderate of him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. ¡°Finally, someone¡¯s taking my side.¡±


    ¡°However,¡± she carefully said.


    Oh, I know where she¡¯s going with the next thing that she would say. She¡¯s going to still tell me to give James another chance. ¡°Let me guess,¡± I groaned, knowing that being justified is only for a short time. ¡°You¡¯re still going to tell me to give him another chance?¡±


    She looked at me with concerned eyes. ¡°Robert, you have to understand,¡± she put her hands on mine. ¡°This one incident doesn¡¯t justify your thinking that he¡¯s not making any effort to reconnect with you as a father.¡±


    ¡°Elizabeth, I don¡¯t know how much understanding I need to have to keep giving James the chance to just destroy the totality of his image for me,¡± I answered. ¡°I think I¡¯ve given too many chances and since then, there are no other times where he would try.¡±


    She let out a deep breath and moved closer to me, pulling me into a hug. ¡°Just hold onto your patience, little one. I¡¯m sure one day, both of you will figure it out,¡± she comforted.


    ¡°I do hope so,¡± I gently laid my head on her shoulder.


    My door slowly opened and my page entered. ¡°Your Highness,¡± he bowed, staying beside the door. ¡°Her Majesty has sent word that it¡¯s time for you to have your rest because you¡¯ll be leaving early tomorrow morning,¡± he informed.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I removed my head from Elizabeth¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll just bid goodbye to my sister. You may take your rest.¡±


    He bowed again and left the room.


    Elizabeth and I looked at each other once more, giving each other a warm hug after. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it anymore. Have a good night''s rest,¡± she rubbed my back.


    I nodded, hugging her tighter before we let go. ¡°Shall I walk you to your room?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± she put her hand on mine. ¡°I have my maids waiting for me by the door.¡±


    ¡°Shall I walk you to the door, then?¡± I smirked.


    She giggled, pinching my cheeks again. ¡°Go to sleep. You¡¯ll need it.¡± She stood up and walked towards the door.


    I removed my shoes and went under the covers, making myself comfortable.


    ¡°Good night, dear brother,¡± she smiled as she stepped out of my room.


    As the door closed behind her, I blew the candlelight on my bedside table and closed my eyes. Slowly, I could feel myself drifting into a world where everything is just right and I don¡¯t feel any pain¡­ or any kind of emotion of any sort.

 Chapter Twelve, Season One - Voyage (a)

    It was morning, I believe. The rays of the sun entered the windows, giving light to the halls of this castle. I looked at myself from my feet. I was in my usual day clothes: a loose shirt, black pants, and boots.


    But as I was walking through the halls, I noticed that it was different. It looked like our castle but I never remembered the halls having this kind of design and decor. The curtains were still a shade darker than red but it has golden lines embroidered on the edges. Paintings were still hung on the walls but I didn¡¯t know who they were. And the carpet wasn¡¯t red, it was blue.


    And I could hear a faint sound of a piano, somewhere inside the castle.


    I don¡¯t know where I currently am but I just followed the music in hopes that I could somehow figure it out.


    ???


    A few moments later, the music was louder, it¡¯s as if I¡¯m in the same room as the piano. Ahead of me was like a balcony. Far below, I saw two chairs.


    I must be in the throne room.


    I walked closer to the balcony and there it is: a grand piano being played by a man. He doesn¡¯t look old but he doesn¡¯t look young either. He was wearing a red coat over a white shirt, white pants, and boots. He seemed to be immersed in the song that he¡¯s playing.


    It¡¯s like nobody can bother him.


    ¡°My love?¡± a woman¡¯s voice echoed.


    The man looked forward, smiling as he said, ¡°Sweetheart.¡± He continued to play and stopped when the woman reached him. She was wearing a white flowing dress. Her long, black hair gently moved as she walked with grace.


    ¡°Having too much fun with the piano again, I see?¡± she remarked as she stood behind him, putting her hands on his shoulders.


    He smiled as he continued to play, ¡°Is there something wrong with immersing myself in music every once in a while?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± she massaged his shoulders.


    He stopped playing, holding onto her hands as he stared down at the keys.


    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that you might forget your royal duties because I got you a brand new piano,¡± she giggled. Royal duties?


    He gently pulled her from behind, making her sit on his lap. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re concerned about my royal duties?¡± he asked. ¡°Or you¡¯re just feeling neglected by me?¡± he smirked, teasing her.


    As their foreheads touched, the woman let out a giggle, blushing as she looked right through the man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Your Majesties?¡± another woman¡¯s voice was heard, causing them to look in the same direction the woman entered.


    ¡°Apologies, Your Majesties,¡± a younger lady entered, carrying a crying infant. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be of any bother but the young prince has been crying for a while now. I¡¯ve done all I can to stop him from crying but he won¡¯t,¡± her voice was in a panic as she approached them.


    ¡°Let me carry him,¡± the man stood up, helping the woman stand up first. He walked over to the lady and the child was transferred into his arms. However, that didn¡¯t stop the child from crying.


    ¡°He seems to be¡­ in a very bad mood today,¡± the man remarked as he tried to soothe the baby.


    ¡°Has he been fed?¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°The wet nurses tried but he won¡¯t latch on,¡± the younger lady replied.


    Everyone was quiet for a bit, trying to think of something that could help the baby stop crying and immediately.


    The man looked at the piano and sat down. He started to play a lullaby, making the music gentle enough for the baby.


    After a few seconds into the lullaby, the child began to stop crying. He didn¡¯t fall asleep, he was just staring at the man.


    The man smiled and looked up to the woman, ¡°I guess our son loves music as well.¡±


    Realization finally hits me: this was a family, a royal family. The younger lady could be one of the maids that are keeping an eye on the child. And she did mention the baby was a young prince which means the man and woman are king and queen.


    I don¡¯t know what it is but I stayed here where I¡¯m currently sitting as I watched them. The queen sat beside them and the younger lady stood right beside the piano. They watched as the young prince was being soothed by the lullaby.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I can¡¯t help but feel something pinching my heart. Watching them made me cry for reasons I can¡¯t define. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I crave to have this kind of affection from James or because of something else.


    Watching them made me feel like I have this somewhat connection with them.


    And the lullaby was just¡­ familiar to my ears.


    ???


    As I slowly opened my eyes, the sun wasn¡¯t awake yet. I could still see the moon outside my window, through a little space uncovered by the large curtains. I don¡¯t know what time it is but for some reason, I sat up and stretched.


    Listening to my surroundings, it sounded¡­ so peaceful.


    I could never have this kind of silence when everyone¡¯s awake. Everybody always has something to do and even though we¡¯re scattered all around the castle, it also means that everywhere you go, there will be people talking.


    Then Laura came into my mind again. And the fact that I¡¯ll be going to Middle Earth today, staying there for a good few months to know how the kingdom functions and to meet people from their kingdom.


    I know that we just met and I¡¯m certain she could handle herself without me being around. But I have this feeling that I can¡¯t stand to be away from her and not let her know how I currently am while I¡¯m away.


    I got out of my bed and hurried to my desk by the window. I turned on the lamp, grabbed a paper and pen, and began to write:


    Dearest Laura,


    If you already received this, if you¡¯re already reading this, I¡¯m already on my way to another kingdom. I¡¯ll be staying there for a while to study how their economy is, how they run their everyday lives, and to meet new people for the sake of my kingdom.


    Having an alliance with them in the future means that I need to know them from the inside out. And because I¡¯ll be away for a long time, I¡¯m sending you this letter because I have no time to say goodbye. I¡¯m not sure if I can send you a letter for each day of the month that I¡¯ll be gone but I¡¯ll try my best.


    Please take good care of yourself while I¡¯m away. I don¡¯t require you to send a reply to this letter but I do want you to remember that this letter is my assurance to you what I will return.


    I will deeply miss you and I¡¯ll head straight to the bakery on my return.


    Your dear friend,


    Robert


    I enchanted another spell, producing a special box made of the strongest wood we have in this kingdom, and put my letter in it after folding it into three. I finished it off with a simple ribbon, tying down a white rose on top of the box.


    I stared at the box and laid a gentle peck on it. I held it in my hands, enchanting a spell as I thought of the bakery and within seconds, the box disappeared. I¡¯m not sure where Laura is but I made a spell that would find her and send the letter there.


    I looked out the window and started to prepare myself in all aspects for the months that I¡¯ll be away and for whatever it is I planned to do in Middle Earth.


    A knock suddenly came upon my door, causing me to turn.


    The door opened and Gonzalo entered, carrying a lamp. ¡°Oh, Your Highness,¡± he quickly bowed, in shock to see that I¡¯m already up.


    ¡°Good morning, Gonzalo,¡± I greeted as he stood up. ¡°Did my mother send you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± he nodded. ¡°She thought you were still asleep so she sent me to wake you. She said she knows it¡¯s a bit too early but she said it¡¯s better to be early than late.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Please have the maids draw me a bath, a rose bath,¡± I smiled, heading back to my bed.


    ¡°As you wish, Your Highness. Would you like to have your breakfast sent up here as well?¡±


    I nodded, my lips in a firm line.


    His bow was a quick one as he rushed outside my room.


    I let out a sigh and sat on my bed while reading the report I put away last night.


    ???


    A few hours have passed and I can already see a sign from the horizons that the sun is about to rise. I have finished all of the preparations needed for today. I¡¯ve also sent my things to where the carriage would be so the only thing that needs to come down from my room is me.


    I heard the door open behind me as I was waiting for the sunrise. Having a bit of sun before leaving could help me stay away during the whole trip.


    ¡°Robert,¡± a voice spoke, making me turn around.


    ¡°Mother,¡± I smiled as I walked towards her. I gave a kiss on both cheeks, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, dear one,¡± she smiled, holding my face with her right hand. ¡°How are you this morning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a bit sleepy but I hope I can stay awake during travel,¡± I said, holding onto her hand. ¡°As you can see,¡± I gestured towards the window, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the sun to rise so I could be fully awake.¡±


    ¡°My child, you do know that you can always have a nap during travel,¡± she replied, holding my hands. ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you to stay awake if your body can¡¯t take it.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Mother?¡± I asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take a quick nap as well?¡±


    ¡°Robert, your father and I have traveled a lot together. I think you¡¯re the one who needs to take quite a lot of naps during this travel,¡± she giggled.


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t tease me,¡± I whined, acting like a child.


    ¡°I¡¯m not teasing you, dear,¡± she snickered, squishing my face. ¡°I¡¯m just telling you that between the two of us, you need more rest because you¡¯re not used to traveling distant kingdoms.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take for us to cross the Sea of Gliss?¡±


    ¡°Since we¡¯re heading to Middle Earth, it will only take a month to travel,¡± she smiled. ¡°If you have spare time in between naps, you should see the Sea of Gliss. You¡¯ll find many wonderful creatures, friendly ones.¡±


    ¡°Of course I will, Mother. I will enjoy this trip as much as I could,¡± I nodded.


    The door opened once more and this time, it was James. I didn¡¯t want to react negatively, especially with my mother here. I don¡¯t want to start this day in a bad, irritating manner but when it comes to James, it seems the words ¡°bad day¡± are unavoidable.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone,¡± he approached us.


    ¡°Good morning, darling,¡± Mother smiled as James kissed her knuckles.


    ¡°Good morning, Robert,¡± he turned to me, his hands behind him.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I greeted with a quick bow.


    ¡°The carriage is waiting for the two of you, Amelia,¡± he turned to Mother.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± she smiled. ¡°Well, we must be on our way. Come, Robert,¡± she started walking ahead of me, holding my hand. Suddenly, James stopped me from going with my mother, grabbing my shoulder.


    ¡°You go on ahead, Amelia. I need to have a word with Robert.¡±


    ¡°James, I don¡¯t want to leave our kingdom, knowing that you two argued,¡± Mother faces us, hands on her waist.


    ¡°No, this is not an argument,¡± James quickly replied. ¡°I¡¯ll make it quick and I promise that we won¡¯t fight.¡±


    Mother shrugged and nodded.


    ¡°What is it, Your Majesty,¡± I started as soon as Mother left the room.

 Chapter Twelve, Season One - Voyage (b)

    ¡°Robert, I know how you feel about me right now but it shouldn¡¯t affect your duty when you reach Middle Earth,¡± he answered. ¡°Always remember in all things that you are the next king of the Western Wind. Everything you do will reflect our kingdom.¡±


    Everything is always about image and monarchy, isn¡¯t it? The very least he could do is wish for our safety during our travel.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that because I always have that reminder in my mind,¡± I said in full confidence. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    He sighed, looking like he¡¯s preparing something to say. ¡°About the fishing trip--¡±


    ¡°Please, James, I don¡¯t want to talk about this,¡± I quickly blocked his sentence, turning around to head to the door.


    ¡°Robert, please, let¡¯s have a civilized conversation about this,¡± he quickly replied, making me stop. I felt him walking towards me, ¡°I know you¡¯re angry and I know what I did was wrong.¡± He then stood in front of me, ¡°But if you give me a chance, I will make it up to you.¡±


    ¡°James, please, I¡¯m trying to have a good start today and for you to bring up that matter isn¡¯t going to help,¡± I answered, not letting him continue with whatever it is he has to say.


    ¡°Robert, I sent Gonzalo to tell you that I would love to proceed with our fishing trip after you return with your mother,¡± James persisted with the topic. ¡°If you would just give me a chance to prove that I can be a father to you, that I can start being a father to you, wouldn¡¯t that be better for the family?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re only doing this to tell yourself that you saved your family from destruction?¡± I raised a brow, crossing my arms.


    ¡°No, Robert, don¡¯t interpret my words differently,¡± James started to get frustrated with me. ¡°I just want you to know, to show that I¡¯m here, ready to make a change, ready to be the father I should¡¯ve been.¡±


    ¡°James, giving you a chance is like putting my life on the edge with two possible outcomes: either I fall to my death or be carried up to higher heaven because of some miracle,¡± I remarked.


    ¡°Please, Robert,¡± he continued to insist. ¡°I know I don¡¯t usually ask you for any big favors, much less understanding my ways but at least, in this matter, give me one more chance,¡± he continued. ¡°You know I didn¡¯t want to cancel our fishing trip yesterday. You know that to yourself. It¡¯s just that--¡±


    ¡°Duty comes first before everything, right?¡± I returned his statement.


    He stood there, silent. He gulped as he tried to hold back his tears.


    ¡°You should be proud of me, James,¡± I boasted, holding up my hands in the air for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m learning from you. I¡¯m learning to put my duties first as your heir before anything else in my life,¡± I continued. ¡°Who knows? Maybe when I return from Middle Earth, I¡¯ll be more like you.¡±


    His expression changed from shock to remorse. Is he now regretting the son he has created? The kind of heir he made? He wanted me to grow up quickly, to learn as his future heir, to be just exactly like him. Now, I¡¯m striving to be like him, and here he comes, acting like I¡¯m someone he doesn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Now, if you would excuse me, Your Majesty, I would like to go downstairs because the carriage is waiting,¡± I gave a formal bow and left him standing in the middle of my room. Without any second thoughts or looking back, I left the room and made my way downstairs.


    ???


    On my way to the main door, someone called out to me from the shadows, ¡°Robert?¡±


    I stopped and turned, seeing Mallory come out from a corner.


    ¡°Mallory,¡± I greeted as she walked towards me.


    ¡°Good morning, Robert,¡± she bowed.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the formalities?¡±


    ¡°Well, you said I can¡¯t be loving around you so I¡¯m acting as a servant,¡± she explained.


    ¡°Mallory,¡± I started after a sigh. ¡°My parents know that you¡¯re a good friend of mine so you don¡¯t have to act like a servant.¡±


    ¡°Let it be, Robert. It¡¯s the least I could do after being such a pain to you for days,¡± she replied. She put her hand in her pocket, clearly looking for something. ¡°Here,¡± she showed a small note.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked, receiving the letter from her.


    ¡°I have a lot of things to say and I don¡¯t have a lot of time right now to tell you so I wrote them down,¡± she said, anxious. ¡°And I know you don¡¯t want to hear anything from me since yesterday as well so a letter is the best thing I could do.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I nodded. ¡°Do you want for me to read it right now?¡± I slowly began to open the letter.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t read it here,¡± she stopped me, putting her hands around mine. ¡°It¡¯s better if you read it while you¡¯re on the ship. Right now, I just want you to go in good cheer,¡± she smiled.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± I put the letter in my pocket. ¡°Anything else to say before I step out the door?¡±


    She let out a deep sigh, looking down to her feet. She raised her head, ¡°Just take good care of yourself out there. Your kingdom still needs their heir to return.¡±


    She¡¯s been avoiding my stare ever since we started this conversation and I could see she¡¯s just being strong, trying to stop her tears from coming out. We may not be a real couple but I am her friend, her brother. I still care for her in many ways, even if she doesn¡¯t understand that or accept that.


    After a moment of hesitation, I engulfed her into my arms, holding her tight but with care. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything reckless while I¡¯m away,¡± I felt her return my embrace. ¡°Remember: this relationship may not be real but our friendship is more real than anything for me,¡± I continued as she began to cry on my shoulder.


    This will be the longest time I¡¯ll be away from anything in this castle so I can understand why Mallory is feeling this way.


    I rubbed her back as I carefully pulled away from her.


    She was quick to wipe away her tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m crying,¡± she replied as she continued to wipe her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize for having emotions,¡± I answered, wiping some of the tears myself. ¡°Being vulnerable is important, even to an immortal like you. Don¡¯t be ashamed of that.¡±


    She nodded as she sniffed, wiping her nose with her wrist.


    ¡°Hello, Mallory,¡± James suddenly greeted behind her.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± she curtsied as James stood beside me.


    ¡°Am I interrupting anything?¡± he asked as he looked at the two of us, confused.


    ¡°Not at all, Your Majesty. Mallory and I are just saying our goodbyes,¡± I explained, rubbing her arms in comfort.


    ¡°Take your time but not too long,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, Mallory. You¡¯ve grown so much.¡±


    She nodded, keeping her head down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you outside, Robert,¡± James went on his way.


    I turned back to Mallory who was still sniffing. ¡°There, there,¡± I comforted, walking closer to her. ¡°Stop crying. The last thing I would want to happen is to leave this castle, knowing that you¡¯re crying.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stop once I get every tear out,¡± I tried to smile amidst the tears.


    I nodded. ¡°I have to go. I¡¯ll see you when I return,¡± I patted her head.


    She bid her final farewell with a curtsy before I headed to the door.


    ???


    All of my family members were already there when I stepped out of the castle. The three carriages that will be taking us to the harbor are already waiting for us. I looked to the east and the sun was beginning to show itself, wishing us a safe trip.


    ¡°Robert,¡± Mother called my attention. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡±


    I nodded with a firm smile on my face.


    Mother began her goodbyes to James and my sister. As they did that, I called one of the guards¡¯ attention.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± he bowed.


    ¡°I have a task for you and this must be between the two of us only,¡± I started, putting my hands in my pockets.


    ¡°What is it that you want me to do, Your Highness,¡± he enquired.


    With an enchantment in my head, a small scroll appeared in my head. ¡°I want you to visit this place as often as possible and without anyone seeing you,¡± I handed the scroll over to him. ¡°Your main task is to make sure that everyone in this place is safe. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± he nodded as he hid the scroll within this armor.


    ¡°No one can know about this, not even Gonzalo and most especially, His Majesty,¡± I repeated, giving him a firm look.


    He bowed and walked back to his position.


    ¡°Robert?¡± I turned to see Elizabeth walking towards me, already with her arms open to hug me.


    Without saying another word, I hugged her with everything that I have. She will be one of the people that I will miss while I¡¯m in Middle Earth. I will miss her company, most of all. She has been my source of comfort when my mother and James are not around.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a pain to Mother,¡± she giggled, pulling away.


    ¡°Do you have to tease me, Elizabeth?¡± I whined. ¡°I¡¯m already leaving and you still find time to say such things to me?¡±


    ¡°Robert, I¡¯m just taking every opportunity to tease you because you won¡¯t be here for a long time,¡± she began to pout. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too much. You do know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do,¡± I held her hands, caressing them. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you more than you¡¯ll miss me. You know I depend on your presence too much.¡±


    She smiled before she messed with my hair.


    ¡°Robert,¡± Mother called out to me. ¡°Say your final goodbyes to your father,¡± she gestured for James to walk towards me.


    Elizabeth hugged me for the last time, ¡°Don¡¯t start a fight.¡± She pulled away and smiled, walking back to Mother.


    James then walked up to me. I put my hands behind me as he started, ¡°I hope you have an amazing time with your mother on Middle Earth.¡±


    ¡°As long as I don¡¯t forget my duties as a prince, am I correct?¡±


    He sighed and nodded. ¡°However, that¡¯s not the only thing I would want for you to do.¡±


    I looked at him dead in the eyes, waiting for what else he expects of me to do. Doesn¡¯t he know that he¡¯s already put so much weight on my shoulders? Does he have to add more? Being his heir has already put so many expectations on me. Adding more to what I should do will only make it even harder for me.


    I want you to take some time to enjoy the scenery and the culture in their kingdom,¡± he continued. ¡°Aside from doing your royal duties, you deserve to reward yourself for all the hard work you¡¯ll be doing.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, in case you didn¡¯t know, I will be studying their culture because my future bride is among them,¡± I replied. ¡°You don¡¯t have to remind me of something that I already know.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between learning the culture of a different kingdom for an alliance and taking in the culture and enjoying everything it can offer you,¡± he quickly answered. ¡° I want you to do the latter.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re telling me this, James,¡± my brows furrowed.


    He walked closer, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to think that the reason why you¡¯re going to that kingdom is all about duty. Your mother did point out to me that you deserve a life outside of your duties as heir.¡± He took a deep breath as he continued, ¡°And this opportunity may let you enjoy your life as an individual.¡±

 Chapter Twelve, Season One - Voyage (c)

    I continued to stare at him in confusion. He never gave this kind of instruction when it comes to me. For the entirety of my life, it¡¯s always been duty and work. It¡¯s not that I was forbidden to have a bit of pleasure but my time for leisure is always limited. For him to tell me these things is unlike him. Probably, it was Mother¡¯s doing. James would never allow me to do other things outside my duties.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to promise me to do that because I know you don¡¯t like doing anything for me,¡± he added. ¡°But at the very least, do it for your mother and yourself. Perhaps, that could motivate you to enjoy your life before getting married.¡±


    I took a deep breath and nodded, just going along with whatever it is he¡¯s telling me.


    ¡°Well,¡± Mother spoke, getting the attention of James and me. ¡°Shall we?¡± she gestured at the carriage, looking at me.


    I nodded and bowed in front of James, ¡°Your Majesty.¡± I walked over to Mother and offered her a hand, walking down the steps carefully in front of her as I assisted her down the stairs.


    As Mother began to board the carriage, I called out to one of t he guards.


    He ran towards me, bowing, ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Kindly tell His Majesty to set a date for a fishing trip when we return,¡± I instructed, quickly climbing aboard the carriage.


    ¡°As you wish, Your Highness,¡± he closed the door and walked up the steps.


    As I took one last look at the castle, Elizabeth and James, the carriage began to move and in every second, we began to move farther and farther away from the entrance. In a few moments, we¡¯re already out the gate, taking the king¡¯s road to the harbor.


    ???


    The ship had set sail and everyone on deck was preoccupied, doing their duties on the ship. I watched the sails as the wind continued to blow for us to keep moving. The water was calm and the sun was shining bright but it wasn¡¯t harsh on the skin. Colorful birds were flying around us, soaring through the wind.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡± someone called from behind me, causing me to turn around. ¡°Her Majesty went and took her rest. Would you like for me to prepare your quarters for you?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± I smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll do that by myself. Just have all of my things brought there and I¡¯ll sort everything myself.¡±


    The guard bowed and went back inside.


    I walked to the front of the ship, staring out into the horizon. Then suddenly, Mallory¡¯s letter entered my mind. I quickly grabbed it from my pocket, carefully opening it as the wind might blow it away. Her letter reads:


    My dearest Robert,


    I won¡¯t write anything to annoy you for the rest of your trip. Here are just a few reminders from me and I hope that you respect them.


    Eat well and always have your rest.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Enjoy what the kingdom can give you.


    Spend time with Her Majesty.


    And most of all, don¡¯t fall in love with anybody else. You may not be truly mine but in my heart, you are and I don¡¯t want to lose you to anyone else.


    Mallory


    I sighed as I folded the letter, putting it back in my pocket. I understand where she¡¯s coming from when she wrote this letter but she doesn¡¯t understand that our relationship isn¡¯t real and she has no right to demand of me to be loyal. However, I would respect her requests as a friend.


    As I put the letter back inside my pocket, Laura¡¯s face entered my mind. Her gentle eyes, her beautiful smile¡­ and it¡¯s as if I could hear her speaking through the wind. As the wind continued to touch my skin, I closed my eyes, imagining that her words were flowing through it.


    Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and looked beyond the horizons. The sun has shown itself, greeting me like any other day that it does. And all I could hope for is that this trip to Middle Earth would be worth it.


    ???


    Night has fallen and I¡¯ve just finished eating dinner when someone knocked on my door. ¡°Yes?¡± I answered, removing my attention from the report I¡¯m currently reading.


    The door opened and it was one of my mother¡¯s maidens. ¡°Your Highness,¡± she bowed. ¡°Her Majesty would like to come and visit you.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I settled the report on the desk as I stood, preparing myself for my mother.


    She bowed and walked out of the room, her place only to be replaced by Mother after a few seconds.


    ¡°Hello, dear,¡± she smiled as the maid closed the door behind her.


    ¡°Mother,¡± I walked towards her, hugging her.


    ¡°I see you brought a piece of home with you,¡± she smirked as she saw a few reports on my desk.


    ¡°Well,¡± I replied with a sigh, leading her to the bed. ¡°As you said, we¡¯ll be taking a long time to travel so why not get some things done while we¡¯re waiting to arrive in Middle Earth?¡± I assisted her in sitting down on the bed.


    ¡°I was thinking you would¡¯ve brought a book or something,¡± she said as I returned to my chair.


    ¡°Mother, you know very well that I never liked books.¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t but you never gave reading a try,¡± she giggled. ¡°You used to read books every day when you were a child.¡±


    ¡°Well, ever since James stopped caring for me, I think I lost my taste in reading fairy tales,¡± I retorted, setting all the reports aside.


    She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to carry any hidden anger against your father during this trip, Robert,¡± she started with a stern voice. ¡°If your father is going to be mentioned in court, please be on your best behavior.¡±


    ¡°Of course I will be, Mother,¡± I nodded. ¡°My relationship with James should stay within our castle walls. I¡¯m not that inconsiderate to do something to embarrass him.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± she smiled.


    Another knock on the door arrived. ¡°Who is it?¡± I answered.


    The door opened and it was one of the guards. ¡°Your Majesty. Your Highness,¡± he greeted both of us, bowing to each one. ¡°The captain said we¡¯re halfway through the sea. He said it would be best if you stayed in your room, Your Majesty,¡± he turned to Mother.


    ¡°Did the captain say why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There are times where bandits would raid ships that cross this part of the Sea of Gliss,¡± Mother began, making me turn to her. ¡°In every room in this ship is a quick escape route for passengers. I have to stay in mine because the route is only good for one person.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that ships have that,¡± I said, confused but amused at the same time. Curiosity filled my mind as I imagined the different escape routes in this vessel.


    ¡°Most royal ships do,¡± she smiled as she stood. ¡°I best be on my way, son. I do have a book to read.¡±


    ¡°Walk Her Majesty back to her room and place as many guards as you can by her door,¡± I instructed the guard, walking towards my mother.


    ¡°As you wish, Your Highness,¡± he bowed.


    Mother and I hugged for a while. Her hugs have always been comforting for me. The way she makes me feel safe within her arms is just unbeatable. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone in this world who can replace her embrace.


    ¡°Rest early,¡± she smiled, rubbing my arm after we stopped hugging. ¡°We¡¯ll be in Middle Earth in no time. During our travel, you must gather all the strength you need for our visit.¡±


    I nodded, holding her hands. ¡°Sleep well, Mother.¡± I bowed, greeting her as a queen.


    She did her curtsy as well and walked out of the room.

 Chapter Thirteen, Season One - Arrival (a)

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 Chapter Thirteen, Season One - Arrival (b)

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 Chapter Fourteen, Season One - Trouble (a)

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 Chapter Fifteen, Season One - Pirates (a)

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 Chapter Fifteen, Season One - Pirates (b)

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 Chapter Fifteen, Season One - Pirates (c)

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 Epilogue

    As the bow of the ship reached the ports, every crew member scrambled to get everything and everyone off the vessel. James instructed Gonzalo to have an army of soldiers wait for their arrival. The wooden ramp was finally lowered and Gonzalo boarded the ship along with the soldiers he rounded.


    When they arrived on deck, everyone was in disarray. Beaten pirates were tied up and assisted off the ship. Their dead was put to the side, awaiting assistance on what to do with them. Others mourned for the loss of their fellow mates.


    As Gonzalo looked around in search of his monarchs, the door to the cabin finally opened, and out came Queen Amelia''s ladies-in-waiting. They wept as a group of crewmates helped them get off the ship. The next thing he heard from the cabin was grunts and shouting, demanding to be let released.


    It was the pirates'' leader along with his men.


    Gonzalo stood before him, towering over his poor stature. The pirate leader smirked, unfazed by Gonzalo''s death glare. After a moment of tension between the two men, they were moved to the side as the king and queen were announced.


    "Your Majesties, are you hurt?" Gonzalo rushed over them, forgetting all manners and conduct.


    "We''re fine, Gonzalo, thank you," James replied as Gonzalo checked the monarchs'' well-being.


    As Gonzalo turned his attention to the queen, the next thing he saw caught him off-guard. An unconscious body was put on a stretcher, carried by the crewmates. The body was covered in cloth from the neck down. A puddle of blood was right where the chest would be.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    It was Robert.


    The prince of Western Wind was hurt.


    "Your Majesty, what hap--" Before Gonzalo could continue, he noticed that the king wasn''t in his usual composure.


    James was staring into nothingness. Emotionless.


    The captain approached him, bowing first. "Your Majesty, what are your orders for the prince?"


    "Have him sent back to the castle as quickly as possible. And send for the Medicine King. Tell him to hurry," Amelia answered, preventing her tears from falling.


    The captain bowed and followed his men.


    "Your Majesty," Gonzalo gently approached Amelia, "What happened?"


    The pirate leader laughed behind Gonzalo. "Such a pathetic heir. I barely deepened the knife and he''s lifeless on a stretcher," he chuckled.


    Everybody turned in his direction, ready to devour him with their anger. Before Gonzalo could strike a slap on his face, the pirate leader suffocated. His men were in a panic. They moved away from him, not wanting to experience the pain.


    Gonzalo turned to James and immediately knew it was him. James'' eyes completely turned white as he stared down at the pirate leader''s body. The pirate leader was turning blue. But James wasn''t stopping.


    "James, enough."


    Amelia''s firm voice calmed the storm within the silent king. "That''s enough killing for one day. Robert needs us right now. We have no time for this," she said. Without saying another word, Amelia was escorted off the ship and all James could do was follow in peace.


    The pirate leader continued gasping for air. Fear was finally printed all over his face. Gonzalo then knelt before him and whispered, "You useless living. You brought death upon yourself." He slowly rose and commanded the soldiers, "All those who are alive, bring them to the dungeons. As for their dead, you can either burn them or feed them to the fishes below."


    Gonzalo then followed his monarchs. He mounted his horse and rode after the royal carriage.


    The kingdom''s worst fear has been done.