I immediately looked at my page and said, “Let her in.” I folded the scroll as my page left my room. I fixed myself as I walked away from my chair. As soon as Nana entered the room, I smiled as I greeted, “Hello, Nana.” “My dear boy,” Nana walked up to me with open arms. We shared a quick embrace as the door closed behind her. “I hope I didn’t disturb anything, Nana,” I said as we pulled away. “Of course not, dear one. I will always have time for you,” Nana smiled as she caressed my face. “Now, what is it that you need?” she asked. “I need to speak to Mallory. Do you know where she is?” I asked. I explained, “Most of the maids said they haven’t seen her today.” Nana took a moment to think before she replied, “Perhaps, she was sent to the town market to buy some ingredients.” “What time will she return?” I asked another. “That is something that I am not sure of. Is there something that you need from her?” Nana asked. With a sigh, I carefully led her to the chair by my desk. The
The world around me came to a screeching halt. Stunned, my ears rang as it barred itself from hearing anything else. My page continued on but his voice was muffled. My mind raced with questions as my heartbeat picked up its pace after it stopped for a second. Massacred?? My men, massacred?! How could this have happened?! Why would someone kill innocent people?! And if they were killed, what happened to everyone in the bakery?! What happened to Grandpa Ben?! “Your Highness,” my page raised his voice, which finally brought me back to reality. His hold on me tightened further as he asked, “What must we do?!” I grabbed hold of his arms and asked, “Where are the guards??” “Those who survived brought the fallen back home. I sent them to the guards’ keep to avoid commotion from the other servants,” my page replied. I bolted to the door and rushed to the keep. I was followed closely by Gonzalo, my page, and the two guards who stood by my door. ~*~*~*~ As I barged into the guards’ ke
Grandpa Ben was slumped onto the floor. Blood trickled down his face. HIs brown shirt was soaked in blood. He looked exhausted. He was left there to die. “Grandpa Ben?” I knelt beside him as I turned him around. Grandpa Ben whimpered as I laid his back on the counter. He struggled to open his eyes. But when he saw me, he was able to utter, “Robert?” “Young man,” the old lady called from the door, clearly worried, “Is everything all right in there?” I peeped up from the counter and replied, “Yes, madam. It is Grandpa Ben. And he is gravely hurt.” I returned to Grandpa Ben and gasped as I saw his bleeding arm. “Don’t you worry, Grandpa Ben,” I said as I grabbed my knife. I tore a long piece from my shirt, gently wrapped it around his arm and continued, “I am here. I will take care of everything.” “Robert…” Grandpa Ben then reached his hand out towards me. I held his hand and slowly put it down. “Rest yourself, Grandpa Ben. You must not move too much.” I shouted towards the old lad
My jaw clenched as those words played in my mind, over and over again. Unwanted yet terrifying situations haunted my brain. It made me sick to the stomach. “Robert?” I turned around as James called me, “What does it say?” As I tried to control my emotions, I handed the note to James. My hand shook as my mind scattered to keep myself calm. James read the note and returned to me with a tense look. For once, we had a mutual understanding. This matter wasn’t just about saving Laura anymore. It suddenly became a matter of importance as innocent people were brought into the problem. “Gonzalo came out of the guest room. “Your Majesty,” he bowed as he approached us, “The visitor is now in a better state. I will have some of the maids work on rotation to ensure his swift recovery.” “Well done, Gonzalo,” James said as he turned to Gonzalo. He then instructed, “Take some of my guards with you to the bakery. Hold an investigation on what happened. And I want the results within the day.” “As
Horrified, James’ eyes widened. Carefully, James placed his fingers on the table. In a low voice, he replied, “Please, do not tell me that this Benjamin that you mentioned–” “Is the prince of Eastern Sun?” I finished James’ question. “Unfortunately, you are correct.” James slammed his fists on the table. The loud thud echoed throughout the entire room. “Be very wise about your assumptions, Robert,” James gritted through his teeth. His brows furrowed and his eyes squinted. He continued, “For a maid to be suspect is already unbelievable in itself. But, to accuse the son of our greatest ally is a monstrosity!” “My accusations are valid, James,” I replied. “And what are those, may I ask?” I took a deep breath and explained, “Mallory hates Laura because I chose Laura. Benjamin hates me because Laura chose me. It only makes sense that they will try and make things harder for me.” “Have you asked Mallory about this?” James asked. “Nana Olsa is still looking for her. I am still hoping
Grandpa Ben had a cloth on his forehead. Two maids diligently wiped his arms and legs. The other two helped the Medicine King with his tools. I dragged my feet as I slowly approached the busy physician. My gaze never left Grandpa Ben, who breathed heavily. His clothes were removed and only a blanket covered him. “Your Highness,” the Medicine King bowed along with the maids. “What is going on, sir?” my voice shook as I asked. The Medicine King sighed whilst he mashed a few herbs together. “He had a bad reaction to the medicine. The dosage was too much for his body,” he explained. He bowed once again and added, “Forgive me for my incompetence, Your Highness.” “Please get up, Medicine King. There is no time for such things,” I replied. “What happened to Grandpa Ben?” I asked as he stood up. “The medicine caused his wounds to swell. His soiled clothes caused infection. He now has a high fever because of that horrible combination?” the Medicine King explained. I closed my eyes as I
‘My brain has muffled my tutor’s voice. It felt like I was stuck in my study for a few hours. ‘This scene was familiar. ‘I was in my younger days. A little boy, so carefree. Expectations were not made known yet. I could only wonder which memory this was. ‘Our lesson was disturbed by a knock on the door. ‘My tutor turned to the door and answered, “Enter.” ‘The door opened and the king’s guards entered, along with His Majesty’s page. ‘The page bowed. “I bring a message from His Majesty, King James,” he announced. ‘My tutor and I quickly knelt as the page opened a scroll. ‘The page then read, “I, His Royal Majesty, King James of Western Wind have written this message as a birthday greeting for my son, Prince Robert.” ‘Ah, now I finally realised which memory this was. ‘As with every other birthday that I had, James never showed up. His greetings were always delivered in the form of a formal message. And as the page continued with the message, my young heart could only break in si
I was stunned. Overwhelmed with what I just heard, I slowly rested my arms on my knees and stared at the floor. “This was not something that I am in favour of. However, the princess has decided fiercely on this matter. I couldn’t do anything to persuade her,” Queen Marta explained. “Did the princess provide any explanation as to why she did that?” Mother asked. “According to my daughter, she said she isn’t ready for married life just yet. After some time spent away from court, she said she needs more time to discover herself,” Queen Marta replied. She then remarked, “This is why I never wanted her to go on this retreat. I had a feeling that this would happen.” My stare never left the carpeted floor. So many emotions rushed within me. From absolute confusion to unfathomable happiness, my calm exterior got harder to contain. The wedding was postponed. That was a good sign! Princess Lorain was still uncertain about our upcoming union. I was given a higher possibility to be with Lau