We climbed up a bit more and we came across the guards.They held one of their own by his arms. “I assume that this is the prison keeper,” James said as he looked at them.“Yes, Your Majesty,” they replied.“Please, Your Majesty,” the prison keeper cried. “Spare me the punishment. I don’t know what I did wrong!”“You don’t know what you did wrong?” I asked as my brows furrowed. They all turned in my direction. The prison keeper’s eyes widened as I spoke.James chuckled. “Unfortunately, your plea doesn’t have anything to do with me,” he interrupted, which caused them to look back at him. “Because I wasn’t the one who bestowed upon you your punishment. Also, I wasn’t the one you offended with your… actions.”Frantic, the prison keeper returned to me and begged, “Please, Your Highness, have mercy on me. I don’t know what I did wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong.”“So, punishing an innocent man who stood up for others isn’t wrong?” I replied with a raised brow.“I was only following instru
“For all my life, I lived in absolute caution.“My parents were once loyal servants of the duchess when she was only a teenager. My mother was chosen as one of her ladies-in-waiting. My father was chosen as her page.“For the longest time, the duchess never treated her household with hostility. Most especially, her favourites. And when time came for my parents to ask for her blessing, the duchess happily allowed their marriage.“But that harmonious relationship with the duchess was destroyed because of a false allegation.“One of the guards accused my parents of stealing the duchess’ crown, which was a family heirloom. Because of that, they ran away from the castle and lived in the mountains in secret.“Day after day, they lived in fear for their lives. It only worsened when Mother became pregnant. Although they did everything to give me a proper, normal childhood, I was never allowed to visit the nearby city. They would make one excuse after another, just to prevent me from leaving t
“I returned to my quarters after that.“I just created an excuse towards my fellow servant. And I kept my lips sealed about that matter. Nobody in this castle - not even the duchess - knew what I knew,” the servant ended the story.Eyes wide opened, I stared at the floor. My mind froze but my heart raced. My hatred towards Benjamin burned more than what it was before.‘I knew it! I was right! Everything was a trap!’ I thought to myself.I tried everything that I got to convince my family that Benjamin was the true suspect. I argued with them, even went against the manners and conduct that they taught me. But they never believed me. We had to have numerous debates. James even had to risk his very life, just to obtain this confirmation that we needed.As my world swirled out of control, James’ hand held onto my shoulder. Slowly, he pulled me away from the servant. James sat in front of me and said to the servant, “Thank you for telling us the truth. I am certain that by doing this, you
“You don’t remember anything?” James asked.I reopened my eyes and replied, “All I can recall is that… we arrived in the throne room and I screamed. The next thing I know, I was on the ground and coughed out blood.”James’ brows furrowed. He looked to the healer and I did the same.“It is quite expected that an immortal will forget the first explosion of their powers. Although the prince has been using his powers for a long time, I believe there is more that he hasn’t discovered yet,” the healer explained. He added, “His body went into shock when it happened. So, it’s understandable that he doesn’t remember anything.”“My body went into shock?” I interrupted, which made the healer turn to me. “Wait, what happened-AH!” My attempt to sit up was immediately thwarted by an agonising headache.“Calm yourself, Your Highness,” the healer assisted my head as I laid back down. “You need to rest. Your body needs to recuperate.”I took a moment for the pain to subside. I then continued my questi
As I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a dim room.I turned to the window and it was already dark outside.‘For how long was I asleep?’ I thought to myself.Slowly, I sat up and laid my back onto the headboard. Thankfully, my head wasn’t in as much of a pain as it was a while ago. The medicine prescribed by the healer was so strong, it put me right to sleep.I looked around the room and tried to think of something that I could do. First thing that came to mind was I could look for James and assist him with the matter at hand. But if I did that, he would only make me return here and rest.And after what happened, James would never accept my help.A knock came upon my door. “Yes?” I answered.The door opened and it was the tortured servant. He was now neatly dressed and carried a tray of food. “It is me, Your Highness, Marcus.”“Marcus?” I asked as I was about to stand.“Please, Your Highness, don’t move,” Marcus replied as he stopped for a moment. Slowly, I sat down again and he proceed
Without any warning, I conjured a sleeping spell from my hands.“Your Highness, what are you doing?” Marcus whispered, panicking.“We don’t have much of a choice, Marcus,” I struggled to reply. The more power I used, the more my essence depleted. But I had to do a bit more because this spell had to work on fourteen soldiers. And it would last longer than usual as well.A few more grunts and finally, the orb was finished. Right after I pulled my powers back, I coughed out blood onto the carpeted floor.“Your Highness!” Marcus whispered as he caught me.“Who’s there?” a soldier called out from the hallway.Marcus and I shared worried glances. Our eyes widened as we heard a booming voice.“Is anyone there? If there is someone, you shouldn’t be on this side of the castle. Were you not aware of His Majesty’s decree that this wing is forbidden?” the soldier continued. “Whoever you are, reveal yourself.”“This wing of the castle is forbidden to visit?” I wheezed as I turned to Marcus. Once a
Bethilda’s maids stood from their beds and rushed over to their mistress as we walked in.Bethilda ran over to them and hid them behind her. Her maids whispered amongst one another as we arrived. They huddled together, fear was evident in the room.“Your Highness, I know all too well that we are not on good terms,” Bethilda said with a shaky voice. “But I beg of you not to hurt us. Especially my ladies. They have nothing to do with my crimes.”I looked over to her ladies. The frightened looks on their faces reminded me of Mother when we were attacked on the ship. Why would Bethilda even think - just for even a second - that I would hurt her or her ladies?It wasn’t a secret that I had a certain disdain for the duchess. But the punishment was already in James’ hands. And I would never hurt anyone that wasn’t the figurehead of the matter.I handed the lock back to Marcus and replied, “I didn’t come here to inflict pain on anyone. I only wanted to speak to you privately.”Bethilda cleare
“I can sense the questions that are racing in your mind now,” Bethilda continued and I quickly turned back to her.“At times such as this, it is your father who you must talk to.”“You already mentioned this to me. Couldn’t you just tell me what I should know?” I asked.Bethilda sighed as she pressed her lips firmly together. She replied, “As much as I want to, it is not my responsibility to explain the entire history of our family. That obligation is on the shoulders of your parents.”“Then tell me only what you can. Tell me your side of the story,” I insisted.Bethilda chuckled. “Young Robert, your parents are not the kind that will twist lies into truths. The same goes with the truth to lies,” she answered. “If you doubt your father’s words, it is best that you consult my sister about it. But I will never take the responsibility of telling you everything.”“It shouldn’t be my burden to carry,” she added.“But–”A knock interrupted me. Marcus rushed towards me and whispered, “Your H
A prince had a peaceful night all to himself.His fireplace burned brightly as it kept his quarters warm against the harsh, cold atmosphere outside the old castle he currently resided in. A direct view of the beautiful moon outside his window. And a scrumptious meal right in front of him.He happily dug into his meal, which was something that he hadn’t done in a long while. Not after all the sleepless nights that he had. As well as the days where he pretended in front of his family.‘Ah, finally,’ he thought to himself as he cut through the tender meat on his plate. ‘A night where I can finally enjoy my food.’Just as soon as he was going to take a bite, a knock came upon his door. He groaned as he put his fork down. “Who is it?” he answered, irritated.The door creaked open and a servant called out of the dark. “Prince Benjamin?”“I thought I made it clear that I wanted to be left alone for a few hours,” Benjamin replied as he scratched his forehead.“My apologies, Your Highness, but
“Grandpa Ben?” my brows knitted together as I called out.“What are you doing here? Where did you come from?” I asked as he approached us.Grandpa Ben stopped right before us. He immediately glared at Gonzalo. But Gonzalo didn’t back down. He stared right back at Grandpa Ben.Grandpa Ben then cleared his throat and returned to me. “Go ahead. Bring Laura back. However, I want for the both of you to return safely. If I don’t see you with her, I will never forgive you even in death.”“Have you no regards to his life?!” Gonzalo protested, making us turn to him. “For the sake of getting your daughter back, you’re willing to put the prince at risk?! Don’t you mortals ever think of anything but yourselves?!”“And what about you Immortals? Don’t you do the same?” Grandpa Ben snapped. “I may look like a weak, old man. But I’m well-versed with stories of your kind. I never imagined that the myths of gods and goddesses being selfish were actually true. But you,” he pointed a finger at Gonzalo, “
The moon shone high in the sky as I looked out my bedroom window.The whole room was pitch black, dark as the night sky above. And only the powerful moonlight was able to illuminate my room.Well, at least a portion of it.I was incredibly frustrated with everything that I never bothered to light my torches as night fell.After I returned from James’ study, I remained in my room and did absolutely nothing. I simply sat by the window and drank tea without any signs of stopping. I also requested for an early dinner, an attempt to avoid James during dinner time.I just wanted to be left alone.I just wanted some space.‘I just want progress. Was that too much to ask for?’ my mind shouted, helpless as no one could hear it. And no one bothered to listen or even ask me.Then, a knock on my door echoed throughout the room. But I didn’t answer. I already rejected persistent knockings as I remained in my quarters. Even though someone from the other end called for my name, I never made my prese
Bethilda’s mouth hung in disbelief.“Your Highness, my heart's already breaking for the sacrifice that I am to make. Against my own beliefs and wishes, I am giving you my men to aid your cause. Just because I want them to have some time to prepare, that doesn’t mean I am on the other side of this debacle,” Bethilda protested.She added, “Your impatience will put their lives at risk. And that’s a risk that I will never be willing to take.”I pressed my lips together as my nose flared after a deep sigh. Truth be told, I gave my full respect to Bethilda as she put her servants before anything. However, I couldn’t wait again for a longer time. We already wasted too much time here and we never made any sort of progress in terms of the rescue mission.I cared for Bethilda’s household the same as I did for my own. But we couldn’t afford to wait another week before we could proceed. We didn’t even have the slightest clue on what could be happening within Benjamin’s territory.The mere thought
Bethilda’s eyes widened whilst James immediately turned to my direction.This was the fastest solution that I could think of. James already exhausted all of his efforts for this debacle. I had to do something, even if he didn’t like it.Bethilda looked to James for a moment before she returned to me. “Whatever the reason is for this sudden request of aid, I am afraid that it will do you more harm than good,” she answered. She added, “My soldiers aren’t fully trained for combat. I only trained them to protect and to distract enemies. And besides, I don’t think that His Majesty is in favour of this decision of yours, Your Highness.”“James has already given his all for our cause. We don’t know who to turn to and we are running out of time,” I answered. James’ stare never left but I paid no mind. I had no time to argue with him.Bethilda asked, “Have you reached out to other kingdoms? I know that you are attempting to rescue a friend. If that is the case, shouldn’t it be advised to ask t
“I already sent some of the guards to gather more troops back home.“We don’t know how many men Benjamin has to protect him,” James replied. “As much as possible, I don’t want to spill too much blood, especially within their territory. I don’t want this debacle to cause a scandal. And I also don’t want to destroy our alliance with them. At the same time, we can’t waste the lives of more men, both on his side and ours.”For James to still honour our alliance with Eastern Sun, even after what Benjamin did, was frustrating.Benjamin betrayed me. Trust and loyalty were values that I held in high regard. But Benjamin disregarded that, all because he didn’t get what he wanted.For that action alone, the friendship between our kingdoms was also destroyed. How could we possibly trust a traitor? Even if that person was our ally, it already destroyed their credibility as someone we trusted deeply.However, I understood why James was still worried about the alliance. Eastern Sun wasn’t simply a
Marcus chuckled as he shrugged.He looked down to his feet and replied, “My loyalty to the duchess is more than just of a servant, Your Highness. And even though that was the case for me,” Marcus returned to me, “I never overstepped nor did I ever use my emotions to my advantage. I respected her as my mistress. The person who gave me a home and a new life. Nothing more, nothing less.”Marcus’ response rendered me speechless.Who would’ve thought that a servant would develop strong feelings towards their mistress?Perhaps because of Bethilda’s care towards Marcus, his gratitude slowly turned into something else. Unfortunately, in this world - or in any other world in that retrospect - a relationship between a servant and their master would never be acceptable.I could only feel the ache on Marcus’ behalf as I once felt the same for Laura. That feeling that we wished we were born within the same kind of beings, just so nothing would be able to stand in the way of what we felt for each o
“Thank you for accompanying me all the way here.“For now,” I turned to the two guards behind me, “I would like to have a moment alone.”After I woke up from my nap, I decided to take a quick stroll around the castle grounds. Luckily, the guards told me that Bethilda had a small garden. So, I asked them to show me its location.The two guards shared glances with each other, worried and unsure. One of them replied, “But Your Highness, His Majesty specifically said that should you ask for our company, we are not to leave you alone. Especially when you are outside the castle.”I chuckled. “There is nothing to be scared of, gentlemen. With the location of the duchess’ residence, it’s a bit impossible for enemies to attack from within these walls,” I explained. “At the same time, I don't think that these walls are penetrable from all fronts.”The guards looked at each other again, still uncertain of what to do.I sighed, which made them turn to me. “I assure you, I can manage on my own. I
“And how long have you been in service within the duchess’ household?” I asked the maid in front of me.An hour had already passed and I was still only halfway through the inspection. I had to be very careful when I asked certain questions. At the same time, I had to discern personalities behind prim and proper facades.I couldn’t rush the process even if I wanted to. I didn’t know who could possibly have dark motives against Bethilda so I had to proceed with caution. I didn’t want to be the cause of her death, all because I chose the wrong people to serve her.“I have been serving the duchess for seven years,” the maid replied.“Ah, that would mean that you are fairly new within the household,” I said as I wrote the information down. “In your few years of service, how familiar are you with everything?”Her response was interrupted when my doors suddenly opened. We turned our heads and watched as James entered my room. Immediately, we stood and gave our greetings.“Did I interrupt any