~ Eight - Season I ~

I turned my head and saw Laura, racing towards me with a basket in her arm.

“Here you are,” she said as she handed it over, covered with a plaid basket.

“What’s inside of it?” 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, only a small bite was made. It will be a waste if we throw it in the trash,” she continued, putting her hands on her waist.

“Oh, thank you, Laura, but there’s no need for this,” I replied as I tried 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 bakery. Grandpa Ben walked towards us and stood behind Laura. He continued, “Take the pie with you. Share it with your family. Who knows? They may like it, too.”

“But, Grandpa Ben–” he then put his hand out, blocking my protest.

“It’s all right, son. I don’t want to hear any excuses. You will bring it home,” he smirked, resting his hands on top of his walking cane.

How could I even argue with them? There were two of them. I was outnumbered. I should accept defeat this time. “So,” I turned to Laura, “When is the next time we will see each other?”

Smiling, she replied, “I guess we’ll have to wait for your next visit, Robert.”

“I certainly hope I’ll be able to see you again,” I returned her smile. One way or another, I would need to find a way to keep seeing her without the knowledge of my family. For once, I might have found someone with whom I could possibly open myself to.

“We will, Robert,” she smirked as she crossed her arms.

I was about to answer but Lady whinnied once more, even threatening to stand. “Well, I must be on my way. I will see you again, Laura,” I replied. Turning to Grandpa Ben, I continued, “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Come back anytime, son,” he smiled. “You are more than welcome here in our bakery.”

I nodded in response and went on my way.

~*~*~*~

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

“Why can’t you love me, Robert?” she said through my shirt.

I carefully removed her hands from me. “Mallory, I don’t have time for this,” I said, turning around to face her.

She hugged me once more, her tears now soaking 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 see you as my sister,” I explained as calmly as possible. I sensed 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, utterly frustrated. “Mallory, even if I did try to love you in a romantic manner, it will never work. Out of all the people in this castle, you’re one of the few who know that I’m arranged to 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 ran down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Mallory, but I can’t do that. I will be lying to myself, and I will be lying to you,” I answered. “As a sister, the last thing that I want to ever do to you is to hurt you. Pretending that there’s something between us is outrageous. You deserve a man who will love you wholly.”

“Can’t that man be you?” she asked, teary-eyed.

“No, Mallory.”

And with that, I headed to the kitchen. I wanted to turn back and ensure that she would be fine. But at this point, she didn’t want to be comforted. She would only insist on her request, and that would only prolong this conversation.

A conversation that could easily turn into an argument.

~*~*~*~

The very moment I stepped foot in the kitchen, the first person I looked for was Nana Olsa. I had to keep the apple pie safe, and she was the only one I trusted with private 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 also in a hurry to prepare lunch.

“Nana Olsa?” I called out as I walked around. “Nana Olsa?!”

A sudden tap fell on my shoulder. I turned around and it was Madam Purrey, the sous chef.

“Young prince, is there anything that I can help you with?” she asked with a concerned look on her face.

“Oh, Madam Purrey, it's a good thing that I found you,” I sighed out of relief.

“Is there something wrong, little one?” she asked.

“Have you seen Nana Olsa?”

“She’s not in here, Your Highness,” she replied, folding her hands in front of her. “She’s currently in the dining hall, assisting the servants in table preparations.”

“Thank you, Madam Purrey. I shall be on my way now. Please, let her know that I was looking for her,” I replied.

“I will, Your Highness,” she bowed as she stepped aside.

After a quick nod, I ran out of the kitchen and headed to the dining hall. I could only hope that my family hadn't arrived in the dining hall yet.

~*~*~*~

As I ran for my life in the hallway, Gonzalo suddenly appeared from the corner, causing me to bump into him in an attempt to stop.

“Your Highness!” Gonzalo exclaimed as he caught me before I could fall to the ground.

“Gonzalo,” I tried my best to catch my breath as he helped me to stand back up. It was a good thing that he quickly caught me. Or else, we would have been both on the floor. 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 stood upright. “I’m very aware of that, Gonzalo,” I replied. I then took a deep breath in, and let it all out as I finally caught my breath.

“Well, young prince, if you’re composed enough already, I suggest that you change your clothes into something a bit more formal, and join your family,” he said.

“There’s no need for me to change,” I shook my head. I then walked closer to him. “How dare you send the Royal Guards after me,” I continued, lowering my voice.

His eyes widened. “Um, Your Highness, I have no clue what you’re talking about,” he stuttered through 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 controlled my anger for as long as I could. He disobeyed my command and now, he had the guts to lie in front of my face?

Gonzalo continued to stare at the floor. He answered after 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 Royal 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 realise what you have done?!”

He quickly went down on his knees and replied, “Please, appease your anger, Your Highness. I ordered the guards to never tell His Majesty about your stroll.”

“And how certain 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 gulped as he replied, “I made them swear, Your Highness. But I will have a word with them later today.”

“The next time I tell you what to do, I expect you to follow orders. Do I make myself clear?”

Gonzalo lifted his head to meet my gaze. “But, Your Highness, you were breaking the rules. I can’t just allow you to dismiss the rules as you are the heir to the throne of Western Wind,” he replied.

“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 Moral Realm myself for a simple stroll?” I continued.

Gonzalo quickly shook his head in response.

I stood up as I sighed. “I will let this instance pass. But, if you ever disobey me in the future, I’ll make sure you will regret doing so.”

Gonzalo got back on his feet without hesitation and nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“And because you made a bigger mess, I want you to modify the memories of those who witnessed 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 as well. “Bring this to my room. Place it under my bed, where no one can find it,” I instructed.

“As you wish, Your Highness,” he bowed, accepting the basket. He then headed to my room, and I went the other direction, towards the dining hall. Fixing the sleeves of my shirt whilst I made sure my hair wasn’t a mess, I silently prayed that there would be no more surprises in store at lunch.