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
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