"My goodness me, it has been quite a long time since someone brought me around the palace without a clear direction as to where they are going." Lilith shrugged, dabbing her handkerchief on her forehead to wipe off her perspiration as she sat on a bench beside a thoroughly exhausted Mikhail.
"Sorry... For dragging Your Majesty along with me... If I had memorised the layout properly I..." Mikhail sighed as he briefly glanced at Lilith who was watching him intently.
"I would assume you held my hand and hurried off because it was something of urgency?" Lilith asked as she studied the landscape of their surroundings whilst awaiting his response.
"... It is as you said. I know it was due to my ignorance of the palace layout that I have no idea where we are but... I need your help to take care of her." Mikhail pleaded as he clasped Lilith's hand yet again with a panicked expression.
"... I could easily help you but... please calm yourself and recount the story
Susie blinked her eyes slowly as she waited for them to adjust to the dim lighting of the room. Although she was barely in the room Xander had provided her here at the palace, she knew for a fact that this was not said room.She sat up and glanced around before her eyes met with murky green eyes that were barely visible in the dark of the room. The man had briefly taken his eyes off of the book he was reading and had glanced over in her direction to check the condition of the patient when he found Susie had awakened from her slumber.His lips parted as though he was about to say something but he stopped before he spewed any nonsensical words. Susie blinked a few times as she studied his profile, waiting for the moment her memory would click as his name was lost somewhere in the back of her mind.Louis. That's right."Where am I?" Susie asked as she pulled off the covers and dangled her feet of the bed, hovering slightly above the ground."My
William glances out the window of his room when he spotted Aria rushing over to his side of the palace. His expression contorted to one of bemusement as he sighed.It was not that he particularly detest her, but the idea of having a fiancée was much to tedious for him to deal with at the moment. She felt just like another extra weight on his shoulder. However, the benefit of no longer having the opportunistic nobles forcefully introduce their daughters to him was one thing he could do without. Hence, he made peace with the idea of a fiancée.He shuts the curtain and headed to his seat as he waited for the door to burst open. Unlike how reserved she had acted when they first met, he had found out how boisterous she was by accident and ever since that day, his peaceful days were long over."William!" Aria burst through the doors, completely meeting his expectations as she rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around him.William staggered fr
In the days that followed, Mikhail had finally been allowed to practice his swordsmanship under the tutelage of a new mentor as William had busied himself with preparation of the Winter Ball.However, Mikhail's new mentor was not exactly pleased with being put in charge of teaching a man of low birth. He may have been blessed with the silver hair bestowed to those of the royal lineage but one of low birth will always remain inferior in comparison to those who came were raised in nobility.The mentor does teach Mikhail some small percentage of his necessary skills. However, he would always point out minor flaws to find a reason to maltreat him.As this training is considered a personal matter, not many people would take note of Mikhail's lessons aside from him and Susie. William would usually oversee his progress as well, but due to the upcoming preparations of the ball, he had to shift his attention to it and prepare the list of invitations before submitting the
"You should know as to why I have summoned you." William's clear and authoritative voice echoed across the room as he lowered the quill in his hand."Not really." Susie averted her eyes from his piercing gaze as she hated the scrutinising look he gave her.It reminded Susie of a memory from the distant past where she and her family had been placed under similar scrutiny. Despite her irritation, she kept her mouth sealed unlike how she acted before Xander.William watched her for a little longer before he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He then leaned back in his seat, his expression softening as Susie studied his face.William had looked much more weary than the last time she had saw him. There was a prominent set of eye bags beneath his crimson eyes and he looked a little thinner.If it wasn't for the fact that Susie was wary of him, she wouldn't normally study the profile of a man this seriously. She unfolded her arms and reached
"Oi, open the door." William knocked on the wooden door with an irritated expression etched on his already weary face. His eyebrows were knitted closer together as his lips twitched with the extended length of time he was required to stand outside the room door.There had never been an issue where he would have to resort for waiting for someone due to his high standing as crown prince, hence, he was growing increasingly impatient as the minutes idly ticked by. Finally, after what seemed like forever, William overheard a faint rustling from the other end of the door which led to his ceasing of the constant knockings on said door. However, unlike what he had thought would happen, the waiting game ensued.William tapped his index finger impatiently on his arm as he counted the seconds that went by before deciding to just head in, unlike the proper manner a royal should assume."Why are you taking so long?!" the door was bur
As Mikhail was applying the balm, the door to his room suddenly burst open. He let out a shriek before placing a hand to his chest to calm his rapidly beating heart. His eyes met the offender's when he sighed in what felt like a mixture of relief and disappointment.He had expected William to have left in a fit of fury as he had somehow always been one of the few causes for the prominent creases on William's forehead. Seeing him before him with a somewhat exasperated expression had Mikhail questioning himself and on what it was that could have possibly made William head back to his room despite saying he could not bear to be in the same room as him."W-Wi... I mean... Zach... What brings you here?" Mikhail corrected his words as he tightened the cover of the balm and attempted to wrap a bandage around his wounds."... Give it here." William snatched the clean strip of bandage from Mikhail's hand as he gently tugged Mikhail's arm towards him, wrapping the bandage
The days to the long awaited Winter Ball were fast approaching. You could count them on the tips of your ice crusted fingers.The hustle and bustle of the castle reminded Mikhail of home as he roamed the palace halls. By now, he had grown quite accustomed to the layouts of the palace, but unlike the routes royalty would normally take, he follows the route servants and workers do during their daily chores.It was no longer a strange occurance to see one such head of silver in the midst of all the workers as he had been showing up much more frequently than most workers do. He had made himself comfortable to which it was a natural for him to be there."You're here again? Don't you have much better things to be doing?" one of the head chefs in the kitchen palace pointed his wooden spoon at Mikhail with a slightly frustrated sigh."Is it problematic for me to be here?" Mikhail scratched the back of his head awkwardly as the man let out a long sigh before a def
Mikhail's eyes were not focused as his body continued trembling. Never in his life had he been as nervous as he was today.Just looking at the sheer number of carriages entering through the royal gates had his heart beating like a drum. Despite the queasy feeling in the pits of his stomach, he swallowed hard and tried to maintain whatever form of decorum he could.William glances over at him, straightening his elegant ocean blue suit as he walked over towards him.Dressed for the occasion, William had slick his hair back, though his bangs easily dropped to the side, a trifle due to his silky locks. His figure was hugged in an elegant tailcoat the colour of the deepest part of the ocean while the cravat round his neck was held up by a brooch which resembled the amethyst of Mikhail's eyes."No one would have imagined you came from a commoners background. Hmph, the outfit does make a man." William sighed with a slight smile as he patted Mikhail's shoul
"Are you up?" Mikhail pries his eyes open groggily before he groans and rubs at them before turning towards the source of the voice."Whu--?" Mikhail blurts out a confused reply as he blinks his bleary eyes at William, waiting for them to focus but grew drowsy in the meantime."It's high time you get up. It's the second time in my life where I had to personally wake you up." William sighs as Mikhail's eyes slowly shut."Don't you dare fall asleep! We need to move out while it's still lights out. The terrain is more dangerous at night and we need to be able to pinpoint where to go from here." William frowns as he shakes Mikhail awake."F-five minutes more..." Mikhail tried to keep his eyes open but couldn't help it as the grogginess overwhelmed him.William released Mikhail's shoulders as he frowns, knitting his eyebrows in annoyance. Without thinking twice, he grabs the hides out of Mikhail's reach and tossed them to the other end of the tent, fold
"Hup! Easy!" William steadies his horse as he approached the deserted camp. The men behind him murmur in silence as he spares a glance at the messenger. He purses his lips and led them towards the stable before hopping off his horse. It's unlikely that the messenger is lying to me. But even if he is, I'd better keep a safe distance for myself from the group. "I'll look around. Remain vigilant!" William instructed as I kept a calm expression to ensure they don't think something was amiss. The messenger stated that there would be someone to greet me once I arrive. Yet, there is nary a soul nearby. Did something occur? William keeps a wary hand on the hilt of his blade as he surveyed the empty tents that were billowing with the frosty wind. Whatever footsteps that could have been used to track down where they could possibly have gone were covered in the cloak of white.
Venturing further up to the north was where the enemy camp was located. Arthur holds onto the contract, glancing at its content as he purses his lips and knits his brows.He looked over his shoulder, thinking about his sister and everyone back at the camp before frowning. However, as he turned to look forward, he shakes his head and sighs.Men clad in jet black armor with red lining greeted him with a few warning arrows before he climbed off his horse. Arthur slips a note he had written prior to leaving the camp between the stallion's caparison before sending it off by startling it into running away.He watched the men try to shoot it down or run after it but failed as the horse ran past them. A sigh of relief escapes his lips that he had brought along his beloved horse before a burly man approached him and covered his head with a bag."You do know who I am, right?" Arthur frowns as the man shoved hi
"I can't." Arthur pushes Soleil off his arm as he grabs the contract and leaves the tent.Soleil glances at the flap swaying back and forth from where Arthur had left as she flicks her tongue in silence. She then slithers over to Mikhail, her faintly golden scales reflecting the light of the oil lamp on the desk.Mikhail holds his head and grimaces before blinking his eyes, slowly making out Soleil's presence as he sits up straight. He stares at her for a moment before glancing at his hands that were tightly restrained by some thick ropes."Shall I get you out?" Soleil slithers up his arm as Mikhail shakes his head, unlike what she expected him to do."No. I need to show my sincerity and that I truly wish to help him.""Is that so? But would that require you to be restrained like so?" Soleil wraps herself around his neck, dangling loosely like a jewellery as Mikhail sighed to himself."Tigris showed me a memory of young Arthur. He woul
Back at Trevault or somewhere fairly close to Trevault, Mikhail kneels stiffly as Arthur paces around him. Even if he wanted to make an excuse, the way he was caught clearly puts him at a disadvantageous spot regardless.Mikhail shifts uncomfortably before straightening his back upon noticing Arthur's narrowed gaze. His legs had been growing number by the second and he could only feel pins and needles in his lower half."How did you escape?""I escaped? No... I..." Mikhail peeked at Arthur's face before the flap of the tent was raised and Juniper walked in eyeing Mikhail as she gave him a belittling gaze."Brother... so this is where he was..." Juniper sighed as she walked over towards Mikhail and kicks him onto his side.Mikhail gave her an astonished gasp before knitting his brows. It was totally uncalled for, for her to act in such a manner when she was the one who requested such an act to be carried out. He was simply carrying out her ord
After their discussion, Xander walks down the corridor with Lilith by his side. Not too far down from the room they just exited, he halts in his steps.Lilith paused as she turned to face him, curious eyes met muddled ones as she opens her mouth to say something but decides against it. She purses her lips, deducing the words she knew he was going to say before swallowing the lump in her throat."The nobles must be feeling rather impatient after this long. They must not be used to waiting, being the top of the social hierarchy... we should head over." Lilith eloquently puts her words into a chain to shackle Xander down, hoping that his Kingly duties would keep him from going back to Diane."... .... You're right. We should make haste..." Xander meets Lilith's gaze as he takes a step forward.Lilith releases the breath she had been holding as she heads over to his side. It wasn't like her to act in such a behaviour. However, upon seeing Diane up close, it w
The hands of the clock on the wall seemed to tick all too loudly as the only sound that accompanied it was the clinking of the teacup as it rested back onto its saucer. The uncomfortable silence and tension in the room made the air overly sufferable for the knights stationed to guard Xander.Lilith takes a sip from her teacup, her expression calm. It made it seem like she was unfazed by such a situation and had been in one countless times before. She glances over at the two people across from her before peeking at Xander from the corner of her eyes.If she had known better, it was obvious he was irritated and his bad mood was much worse than when he had to deal with the pesky nobles. Lilith shut her eyes and takes a deep breath before placing her teacup back onto its saucer as she decided to break the silence."To what do we owe this unfounded invasion?" Lilith directed her question at Diane but before Diane could say anything, the man beside her cut her off.
"Your Highness! I have an urgent report that beseeches your attention!" a messenger rushes before Lilith, lowering his head as he holds forward a scroll to prove of his task."Let me hear it." Lilith swivels around to face the man, turning away from the window as she sits herself down by her desk."There is a foreign enemy consisting of a large troop by our Eastern borders. Reports have claimed that their attire are not known to resemble any of the Agrestians, Trevaulties or Lestrian garments."Lilith straightens herself as she taps her fingers impatiently. She opens the lone jewellery box that rests atop her desk, the only object that didn't match her otherwise packed desk of paperwork.She stares at the innocent stone sitting in the box, void of any colour before shutting the box almost as quickly as she had opened it. She ponders something before shifting her gaze to the messenger who had been furtively glancing at her."I've received the
"... The... Gods?" Arthur glanced at Mikhail with a look of disbelief as Mikhail felt the hesitant smile on his face start to falter.Arthur then burst into laughter as he holds onto his stomach for dear life. Mikhail frowns in response, lowering his disappointed expression to his hands which he suddenly realised were cuffed."What?! You... you chained me up? Why?" Mikhail gasped and shifted his anxious eyes at Arthur who was busy wiping the tears from the corner of his eyes that were a by-product of Mikhail's words."Because of what you said. It could be anyone's guess that you were grasping at straws, begging us to save William. But for you to make a wild guess that we had hidden messengers... it would be implying we don't trust our own men." Arthur tugs on the chain, jerking Mikhail's attention towards him before donning a serious expression."I wasn't grasping at straws. I saw it myself.""That's impossible. We didn't find any communicati