Chapter Three

Leonidas

Dear Mom and Dad,

Writing this letter fills my heart with overwhelming emotion. It's challenging to convey the depth of my feelings as I bid you farewell. Expressing this pains me, but I cannot pretend everything is alright in my world when it's not.

I regret to inform you that I am not in the right frame of mind to continue as the Crown Prince of our great kingdom. So, I am relinquishing my rights to the throne. The time has come for me to embark on a new chapter in my life, yet you will always be in my thoughts and my heart.

You've been my pillars of strength, my guiding lights, and the source of unconditional love. I regret taking that love for granted and disappointing both of you. Leaving you is difficult, but it's something I must do. Please understand that I carry your love with me wherever I go. 

Thank you for your endless love and support. Please take care of yourselves and don't worry about me. My love for both of you is beyond words, and I will deeply miss you.

With love,

Maximillian

P.S. I apologize if this sounds like an order, Dad, but I do not want you to look for me. At all.

My family seems to be under a curse; there's no other explanation for the situation I have found myself in now. It all began with my father, who eloped with my mother to avoid marrying a girl he despised. Then, it happened to me after my girlfriend's death, leading me to relinquish my claim to the throne and leave home for twelve years. And now, my eldest son has followed in our footsteps.

Gripping the letter in my hand, struggling to resist the urge to throw something in a fit of anger or, worse, rip it into shreds, I rose to my feet and started pacing behind my desk. I wondered where the foolish boy could be, considering he was clever enough not to take his phone or any traceable device. 

He packed only a few clothes, likely had little money based on his letter, and didn't seem to have a specific destination in mind. It was certain he hadn't left the country, as he left his passport behind. He must have gone somewhere quite distant, yet not far enough that I couldn't find him if I put my mind to it. 

"You'd think at twenty, he'd be more sensible," I grumbled. "I guess not."

I turned around at the knock on the door, just in time to see it open and my wife walk into the study, her face etched with devastation ever since we discovered Max had left home. Despite the numerous guards, incompetent fools that they were, none of them saw my son leave the palace. He must have left sometime around midnight or early in the morning, wisely avoiding the bus station to board a bus to any specific destination.

"Why do you look like someone kicked your puppy?" I inquired, then added, "Or maybe your cat died."

Beth shot me a death glare in response, probably wondering why I was so composed given the absence of news about my prodigal son.

"How can you joke about this?" She demanded. "Your son is missing."

I shook my head, raising a finger to correct her. "He didn't go missing. He ran away from home like a stupid teenager," I said, folding my arms across my chest. "When he's done feeling very sorry for himself, he'll come home. It's not my fault he decided to emulate the prodigal son in the Bible... Minus the inheritance fiasco, of course."

She released a beleaguered sigh, rolled her eyes heavenward, and settled onto the sofa, crossing her legs and arms as she stared me down. But I remained unfazed. "You're not concerned at all? You're not worried about his health or state of mind?" She questioned.

It was my turn to roll my eyes, and I did just that, eliciting a growl from her. How rich of her to criticize me.

"I tried to get him to talk to me, Beth. I even opened up to him about my past, but what did I get for the pep talk? A blank stare from that..." I clenched my jaw to keep from uttering a cuss word. "I did my best, so it's up to him to figure his situation out. I have someone else to take his place if he's not willing to be a Prince."

"Just like that? You're going to give up on your son... just like that?"

"Yes, Beth," I replied. "I'll always love that stupid boy, but I won't let him do to me what I did to my father. He needs time and space to heal, and keeping him in a bubble like we've been doing for months since he returned is not the answer."

"This is not about you, Leonidas."

"I know that," I bit out. "You're worried about him, and so am I. Dad already has people looking for him, but I'm going to tell him to stop the search."

"Don't you even..."

"He specifically stated in his letter that he doesn't want to be found," I cut her off. "Did you skip that part?"

If looks could kill, I'd be a thousand feet under right now. My wife was furious, and I wasn't far off from that emotion myself. But between the two of us, she knew that I was right. I'd be moving mountains right now looking for him if he weren't much older, but he was twenty years old, graduated from Harvard University at the top of his class with a bachelor's degree in business administration, and a Master's degree earlier than most of his peers, and he had a black belt in taekwondo. I had no doubt that he could take care of himself without getting killed... Again.

With immense love for my wife, I approached her on the sofa, holding her hands and gently kissing her knuckles. Her blush indicated her anger wasn't at its peak.

"To ease your worries, I'll search for him, but I won't compel him to return until he's prepared," I assured her firmly. "He must navigate this journey on his own, alright?"

She sighed in acceptance. "Alright."

I tenderly held her face, planting a kiss on her forehead before heading back to my desk. I had a mountain of work ahead, both business and personal. Knowing my son, he might have ventured as far as Eisner or Havindelle. I doubted he was near my uncle Damien in Oleus, but one could always hope.

~~~~

"I already talked to Damien about this; he promised to be vigilant. Although, I doubt he'd travel so far," Dad assured me. "He'd probably choose a place where he's not known."

"I thought so too,"I nodded, even though there was hardly anyone in the five kingdoms unfamiliar with the Sebastiani family. 

"Are you okay, son? You must be terribly worried about him."

"I'm really not." I replied.

'You're not?' Dad sounded surprised, then he chuckled. "Of course you're not. You've always been different, in a good way. You'd be more concerned if he weren't a grown-up. He can certainly take care of himself."

I confided in my father about trying to be strong for Beth, who was devastated by his disappearance. He wasn't just shaken; what happened really shook him to his core. I can't exactly say that time will be enough to heal his wounds, both physically and emotionally, after the accident and the shooting.

The car accident had been so fatal that he'd had to undergo reconstructive surgery on his leg to repair damaged tissues and his face. Despite not being completely healed yet, I hoped he had the sense to take his medicine, which wasn't anywhere in his room. 

"We'll find him," Dad declared. "And once we do, I'm giving him a good spanking." 

"About that," I said, "He doesn't want me to look for him at all." 

"Was he out of his mind when he wrote that letter?" Dad questioned. 

"I'm sure he was," I sighed, knowing I had no right to be angry since I had done something even worse to Dad. Because of my inability to let go of the past, he had almost lost his life.

Max lost his best friend because of his foolish actions, and though Joni's death wasn't my fault, I carried the weight of the blame. If living a simple life could mend his wounds, who was I to deny him that? Beth had been my solace; perhaps he'd find his wherever he was.