"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
William heads back into the ballroom, yet no one looks his way nor comes up to greet him. The melodius symphony played by the orchestra filled the ballroom as couples danced to its beat.On a normal day, he would have been relieved of such behaviour but there was a growing feeling of envy surging within him. The words exchanged from the lips of the nobility present were either of business or gossip.William narrows his eyes and brushes past the deafening whispers of the nobility present. His sharp hearing picking up mentions of Mikhail and the striking difference of their silver hair. It was something he tried hard to ignore yet couldn't.Not to mention, the scene of Aria and Mikhail dancing together seemed to set his heart ablaze as he felt a different feeling compared to the usual nonchalant feeling he usually had around her. The minute whispers of the nobility who stated that the two of them looked good together sparked a bitter flame deep i
In the months that follow, talk of Mikhail's presence started to grow until even the public demanded to know of the hidden prince. It usually would not be much of a big deal, however, due to an oversight on William's part, a daughter of a noblewoman who had taken a fancy to Mikhail had spread news of a young man with an alluring aesthetic in comparison to the dull men in the ballroom.Said daughter had been vying for Mikhail's attention at the ball, awaiting for a request to dance which never came. Seeing as he had not danced with anyone other than William's fiancée gave her great displeasure that she started small talks within her social circles to gain insight of the elusive man.William sighed and grab hold of his bangs in frustration, glaring at the report in his other hand which demanded a beautillion for Mikhail. He drops the report and leans back in his seat, his fingers pinching his forehead as he ponders a solution.It's not that he can't have on
William makes his way down the corridor, back to his room in a hurry. He stops at nothing to find himself back in the comfort of his own room.Despite the greetings some of the palace maids offered to him, William does not opt to reply them unlike his usual mannerisms whereby he would reciprocate such notions. His mind had begun to fill with thoughts and regrets of his actions as well as the words he accidentally spoke out of frustration.Upon the familiar sight of his chamber, William entered straight inside with little to no reservations. The thought of losing sight of himself due to his emotions made him sick to his stomach.However, it had not been a foreign feeling. He had long resolved to toss aside his needless emotions, yet he gets hurt regardless when he opens up even a little. The signs had all been there, but he refused to acknowledge it. It is as people say, ignorance is bliss.As the doo
A few days went by uneventfully, and finally, the anticipated day for the journey to Trevault arrived. Mikhail waited giddily in the stables, his stomach churning from excitement.Originally, he had planned to visit the city capital before making his way down to the Kingdom of Lestria for sightseeing. Then, he would cross the borders over to the Agrestian Empire.Although that particular nation was hostile and constantly at war, there were multiple scenic areas that did not fail to entice visitors from neighbouring nations. For example, there was the vast savanna where some people live alongside the wildlife there.There was also the largest waterfall located somewhere within the nation. Due to the harsh weather, it's not often visible nor highly sought after. People who claimed to find it easily got accused of experiencing a desert mirage or something of the like until most recently, an acclaimed reporter had sketched an image of it and published his repo
"How did you even manage to make it to Enoch if you easily got motion sickness?" William sighed as he glanced over at Mikhail who was sitting beside him on a nearby log.The quartet had to make a quick stop as Mikhail had been nauseous throughout the journey so far. They were currently situated roughly four towns away from the capital. Any further and he would most likely have fallen off his horse."I... ugh... j-just a second..." Mikhail swiftly got up and rushed towards a tree a little further from where he had been sitting, the contents of his quick breakfast before departing Enoch spewing out like a waterfall.William looked disgusted at Mikhail, turning away before staring at the sandwich in his hand. His stomach began to feel queasy after the image of Mikhail throwing up flashed through his mind.He hesitated to take a bite before settling to keep it for later. The other men however, had been chattering away and munching on their packed meals that W
"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