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
The sun shone brightly, yet the dense foliage provided a natural canopy to filter most of the light that met the forest bed. Mikhail groans as he slowly pushes himself up.He glances around, touching the fine tree. It's slender bark made him puzzled by such a strange tree that he did not notice someone closing in behind him."Who are you?""Hieek!" Mikhail gasped, stumbling and falling onto his back as the light temporarily blinded him of the person's face.The person lowered themselves, the light whiff of flower catching his attention. Mikhail sits up instantaneously, his hand catching the person's wrist as he took a deep breath before raising his gaze.Amethyst eyes and light brown hair. He quickly loosens his grip as tears slips down his cheeks. His hands begun to shake as he hesitantly reaches to touch her face."M-mother...""... Mikhail." Diane sighed as her hand touched his cheek.Diane looked rather different from
"Mm... sorry about your cheek. Do you have any herbs I could pick through to use as an ointment?" Mikhail peeks at the wound he caused on Arthur's cheek as he fiddled through his pockets, searching for his clean handkerchief."Hmm? It's fine. I can just--" before Arthur could finish his sentence, the door flap of the tent was brutally pushed aside a burly man entered through.Upon seeing the two, he freezes and slowly excused himself. Mikhail blinks blankly, slowly processing what happened before shifting his focus back to Arthur."Ah, found it... I'll dampen the cloth a little first. Just stay put." Mikhail patted Arthur's shoulder as he smiled in reply."Okay, it will hurt a little. Luckily I found the ointment William gave me. I thought I forgot to pack it." Mikhail laughed as he dabs lightly on the wound.Arthur shuts his eyes, his expression void of pain until Mikhail presse