Prologue

Virtus. Meaning the taste or love for curious of works of fine art. It also carries connotations of valour, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth, perceived as masculine strength.

The late King Ayaan I named the kingdom Virtus because he wanted his people to be brave warriors, good parents and strong lovers.

After his death, his son Ayaan the Second took the lead of the kingdom and married the most beautiful woman, Maya. Their love story was the most popular among people.

Women desired to be the king's wives because of his manliness, his courage, and his strong personality. Men desired to marry Maya because of her breathtaking beauty, her elegant manners, and her consideration of helping poor peasants. 

One year after their wedding, Maya gave birth to a baby, a beautiful boy. The king insisted on naming him Lucian—light.

After twenty-two years, Lucian grew up to be the most handsome man in the kingdom, and also the most desired one. His parents brought him a thousand of young women and young men, but he was always uninterested as his heart only belonged to his family and archery.

He spent all his days shooting arrows in the Arcus Area, which his father built for him.

The prince only had three friends— his knight Andry, his butler Nathan, and the chef, Leon.

“Your Highness, do you want anything special for dinner?” Leon asked.

“I am craving that dish I ate the other day. The one the Italian president's chef cook prepared,” Lucian said, licking his lip.

“Oh, you mean pizza?” Leon chuckled. “He was very kind to leave me the recipe. I will prepare it for you tonight, Your Highness.”

“How many times should I tell you not to call me this way when we are alone?” Lucian rolled his eyes. “You make me uncomfortable.”

“I am sorry, then.” Leon smiled and ruffled the prince’s hair before heading to the kitchen. Nathan entered a few moments after and sat in front of the prince. “The selection starts next week,” He announced, and Lucian only nodded.

“You seem very uninterested.” the butler chuckled.

“Well, I am,” Lucian sighed. “I do not care about having a wife or a husband. I just want my father to be happy before his death.”

“He will. I am sure of it.” Nathan smiled softly. “You should go comfort your mother. She is not feeling well lately.”

“Yes, I was planning to spend the day with her tomorrow. Will you ask Andry to bring the horses for us?”

“Of course.”

“Mother, I beg you to eat. Just for me, please. I prepared this soup especially for you. It is called gazpacho, my friend taught me how to make it after he came back from Spain.” Axel smiled softly at his mother.

He was working as a gardener at the Wraith House— one of the bourgeois families of the kingdom. 

He and their son, Erik, started being lovers secretly a year ago after they spent a lot of time together. Their relationship was based on love and trust, but lately, it got very complicated when Erik's parents started to think of an arranged marriage for him and the daughter of another rich family. 

Axel always felt sad because of their status difference.

“I just want to sleep, Axel.” His mother mumbled with a weak voice. “Just sleep.”

Axel sighed heavily and kissed his mother's forehead.

He thought about the announcement one of the royal messengers said earlier in the morning.

“All young women and men over the age of eighteen are summoned to present themselves at the royal court as a candidate for the future marriage of Prince Lucian. The lucky winner will have the chance to be a future prince or princess.”

“If I win, I can pay for my mother's cure.” he thought, staring at the woman's pale face. He was still very young for marriage, especially a complicated one with a royal family member. He would be playing with his freedom and his loyalty to Erik, but his love for his mother was stronger than anything. His mother meant his entire life, and she was the one who took care of him after his father died during the war years ago. He grew up to be strong and healthy despite their extreme poverty. She raised him to be patient and responsible, caring and loving, a forgiver and a helper. She worked hard from selling flowers to helping tailors and cleaning houses to afford her son a modest dinner. She did not care about hardships, sufferings and pain. She only wanted Axel to stay healthy.

“Just wait, mother. I will do anything for you to stay by my side.” Axel whispered, warm tears falling on his cheeks.

“The selection? Axel are you insane? What about us?!” Erik shook his lover's body. He was taken aback by his sudden announcement as he never imagined that one day he would live separately from him.

He loved him so much to let him go.

“I love you, Erik. Very much. But I need it for my mother.” Axel sighed.

“I told you that I will help you. I just need some time.” Erik rubbed the back of his neck.

“This is the problem, time. My mother does not have a lot of time. In addition to this, your father will never agree to help poor peasants like us.”

Erik sighed heavily. Axel was right. Lord Wraith was arrogant and proud of his high status. He would call helping a poor peasant an act of full disgrace.

“So, will you do it?” Erik mumbled and the Axel nodded.

“I have to.”

“This selection is more important than me now.” Erik scoffed.

“My mother is,” Axel said coldly.

“Go to your prince, then.” Erik pushed him and left.

Axel frowned when he saw all his rivals waiting in front of the castle. Looking at them made him think that he had no chance to be chosen by the prince.

The girls were wearing their most beautiful dresses and their smiles were radiant. While the young men were wearing suits he could never afford and talked about their favourite pastimes such as horseback riding, art, reading...

He thought about giving up everything, but he had to do it for his mother.

When he entered the castle, everyone was looking at him with disgust. He was wearing ripped wool pants and a long white shirt. He could not afford to buy clothes or paying for school.

Axel was poor and uneducated and his only pastime was growing flowers as his mother only taught him about those beautiful creatures. He knew all the names and meanings, but nothing about politics, physics, and arts. He was out of their world.

“Piece of crap.” He heard someone mumble behind his back.

“How dare you present yourself to the prince like this?!”

“So dirty!”

Axel felt his heart tighten inside his chest, but he clenched his fists and decided to ignore people.

“Your Highness, you turned down everyone,” Nathan whispered to the prince. “No one caught your attention?”

Lucian shook his head. He never felt as bored in his life.

“Just try, please?”

“I will, I will.” Lucian sighed with frustration.

After long moments, he kept on ignoring every candidate as they faked their personality in front of him and did the most arrogant things only to please him. 

Girls would lie about reading since they were four years old or painting masterpieces. The guys would pretend to be physically stronger and know about everything.

Lucian only rolled his eyes at everyone and wished for the day to end quickly.

“Next!” Nathan shouted and a young man nervously walked toward the prince and bowed to him.

Lucian lifted his head to observe the young stranger. He looked tall, strong, and very innocent.

“Lift your head.” He ordered, but the young man didn't move.

“Lift your head so I can see your face,” Lucian repeated with a serious tone.

Axel nervously lifted his head and widened his eyes when he finally saw the prince's face for the very first time. His beauty was mesmerizing and hypnotizing. 
He could not see or hear anything around him, and he could only see a handsome prince sitting on his enormous throne, and staring at him intensively.

As for Lucian, he was as surprised as him because Axel's beauty was different— from all the fake faces he saw earlier.

Axel was real.

His soft brown hair was surrounding a handsome face with two large brown eyes and pink lips.

Lucian cleared his throat after he woke up from his trance. “What is your name?” he asked.

“Axel, Your Highness,” the young man answered shyly.

“Well, Axel, what do you have to offer?” Lucian asked. “The other candidates offered me gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. What do you have for me?”

Axel nervously bit his lip and offered him a small bouquet of very strange and attractive flowers with a shaky hand.

“What are these?” Lucian asked with a soft voice, admiring the beauty of the pink and yellow plants.

“They are called Alstroemerias, Your Highness. I thought they represented you the most as they symbolise wealth, prosperity, and fortune.” Axel shyly said.

Lucian kept looking from his bags of jewels to the small bouquet, comparing them until he realized that the beauty of the flowers was incomparable. Thousand of diamonds and rubies would never equal such gorgeous creatures.

He smiled softly and stared at the stranger. “I like you, Axel.”