Chapter Six: Do Not Ever Think Of Loss

"Have I interrupted something?" The voice cut through the silence like a pebble breaking the surface of still water.

Jeremy's heart nearly stopped. Beside him, Kelvin straightened so abruptly that it would have been amusing under different circumstances. Then the figure stepped forward. Moonlight spilled across her features.

Beatrice Holloway. The castle scribe. A stack of books rested comfortably in her arms.

For several seconds, nobody uttered a word.

Beatrice glanced from Jeremy to Kelvin. Then back again. One eyebrow rose. "Oh."

Jeremy felt heat flood his face.

"Oh?" Kelvin repeated.

The scribe looked entirely unapologetic. "I wasn't aware the eastern balcony had become so popular recently."

"It hasn't," Jeremy said quickly.

"Of course." The amusement in her voice only made things worse. She shifted the books slightly. "I merely came to retrieve a manuscript from the observatory." Her gaze flickered between them again. "I shall leave you both to… whatever this is."

"There is no 'whatever this is,'" Kelvin said. The words emerged slightly too fast.

Beatrice's smile only widened. Then, mercifully, she dipped her head and continued past them. "Good evening, Your Highness."

"Good evening."

"And Jeremy."

"Good evening."

She disappeared through the doorway.

Silence immediately returned. An entirely different silence. A far more awkward one.

Jeremy stared determinedly at the city below. Kelvin seemed equally fascinated by the horizon. Neither appeared eager to acknowledge what had just happened. Eventually, Jeremy burst out laughing. The sound escaped before he could stop it. A moment later, Kelvin laughed too, and the tension dissolved. Not fully, but enough.

"That was awful."

"It truly was."

Jeremy shook his head. "I'll never survive breakfast if she tells Lara."

Their laughter echoed softly across the balcony. In spite of the humour, something else remained. Neither spoke of it. Neither dared. Soon after, the hour grew late. The kingdom slept beneath a sea of stars while lanterns flickered across distant streets.

Reluctantly, they parted ways. But as Jeremy made his way back towards the servants' quarters, one thought followed him through the sleeping castle. The evening should have felt embarrassing. Instead, it had become one of his favourite memories.

*

Fortunately, Beatrice proved considerably more merciful than Jeremy expected.

At breakfast, Lara remained blissfully unaware. For that alone, Jeremy considered the scribe a saint.

The following morning unfolded much as any other. Servants hurried through corridors. Kitchen staff prepared meals. Footmen delivered messages. The enormous machinery of Evercrest Castle continued turning. Though, regardless of the routine, tension lingered.

Jeremy noticed it everywhere. More physicians arrived. More council meetings were scheduled. More guards appeared outside the royal wing.

Nobody spoke openly about it. Nobody needed to. The king was getting worse. And everyone knew.

*

Later that afternoon, Jeremy found himself helping Oliver repair a damaged fence near the royal stables.

The stable boy was talking. As usual. "…and then the horse kicked Lord Harrington directly into the pond."

Jeremy laughed. "You're making that up."

Oliver looked offended. "I swear I'm not. I would never fabricate a story involving Lord Harrington. Especially one as hilarious as this."

"That sounds exactly like something a person fabricating a story would say."

The argument continued for several minutes. Neither noticed the approaching figure until a familiar voice interrupted.

"I feel obligated to point out that Jeremy is winning."

Both young men looked up and found Prince Kelvin standing nearby.

Oliver immediately froze.

Jeremy wasn't entirely certain breathing remained an option.

The stable boy managed something that vaguely resembled a bow. "Your Highness." Unlike Jeremy, he had never grown accustomed to unexpectedly encountering royalty.

Kelvin smiled. "At ease."

Oliver visibly failed to obey that instruction. Standing beside, Jeremy almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

After exchanging a few words, Oliver suddenly remembered several urgent responsibilities elsewhere. Jeremy suspected cowardice. Within moments, the stable boy had vanished, leaving Jeremy alone with the prince.

Again.

Kelvin watched Oliver disappear. "Was it something I said?"

"His survival instincts activated."

"Understandable."

Jeremy laughed.

They began walking through the stable grounds together.

The afternoon sun bathed everything in gold. Nearby horses shifted lazily within their stalls while distant birds circled above the castle towers. For a while, neither spoke. The silence felt comfortable. Familiar. Jeremy was beginning to realize how dangerous that comfort had become.

"Do you ever miss him?"

The question surprised Jeremy.

Kelvin's expression softened. "Your father."

He looked ahead. The answer arrived immediately. "Every day." Admission felt strangely easy. Perhaps because it was Kelvin asking. Perhaps because pretending otherwise seemed pointless. He exhaled slowly. "Sometimes I still expect to see him." His gaze drifted towards the distant hills beyond the castle. "I'll hear a laugh or a voice that sounds similar." A faint smile touched his lips. "And for a second, I forget."

The prince listened quietly. Never interrupting. Never rushing him. Jeremy appreciated that.

"He was a good man."

"He must have been." The sincerity in Kelvin's voice warmed him unexpectedly.

Jeremy nodded. "He always believed I was capable of more than I believed myself." The memory tightened something inside his chest. "He used to say the world was larger than the place we happened to be born."

For several moments, they enjoyed the silence between them.

Then Kelvin smiled. "He sounds wise."

"He was." Jeremy glanced sideways. "What about you?"

The prince looked curious. "What about me?"

"What kind of king do you want to be?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard. His gaze shifted towards the towering silhouette of Evercrest Castle. When he finally answered, his voice had grown thoughtful. "The truth?"

Jeremy nodded.

"I don't know."

The admission surprised him.

Kelvin laughed softly. "Everyone assumes I have all the answers."

"They don't?"

"Unfortunately not." The prince folded his hands behind his back. "Most days I simply try not to disappoint everyone."

Something about that statement felt painfully honest. Jeremy found himself looking at Kelvin differently. Not as royalty. Just a young man carrying expectations heavy enough to crush most people.

"What I do know," Kelvin continued, "is that I want people to feel seen."

Jeremy blinked.

The prince smiled faintly. "My father always knew the names of servants."

The statement literally stunned him. "Really?"

"He remembered birthdays. Families. Children's names." Affection entered Kelvin's expression. "The kingdom loved him because he genuinely loved it." For a moment, sadness flickered across his face. Then disappeared. "If I become half the king he was, I'll consider myself fortunate."

Jeremy found himself smiling. "You'll do better than that." The words escaped naturally.

Kelvin looked at him. And then something unreadable passed through them. Warm. Quiet. Dangerously sincere.

Jeremy felt his heartbeat quicken.

Again.

Lately that seemed to happen far too often.

*

That evening, Lady Elaine Rosamund Valcourt found Kelvin alone in one of the palace gardens. Twilight painted the sky in shades of violet and gold. Lanterns glowed softly among flowering hedges. The prince sat inside a marble pavilion reviewing council documents. Or pretending to.

Elaine suspected he hadn't read a single page. Without asking permission, she sat beside him.

Kelvin glanced up. "You've come to rescue me."

"Naturally." She handed him a cup of tea.

The prince accepted it gratefully.

For several minutes, they sat together in companionable silence. The sort that came only from years of friendship.

Elaine spoke eventually. "You're worried."

Kelvin laughed quietly. "That's hardly an observation."

"No." She studied him carefully. "This is different."

The prince's smile faded.

Elaine reached out and lightly touched his arm. A simple gesture, yet sincere. Whatever ambitions she possessed, her concern in that moment was genuine. "You're allowed to be afraid, Kelvin." The words settled softly between them.

The prince looked away. Towards the palace. Towards the royal wing. Towards the father he might soon lose. For once, he didn't deny it.