Oliver and William headed for the cafeteria. The moment they entered, Oliver felt overwhelmed! The smell was so good that he would be happy with only this much. However, he didn't have to stop there: he could actually taste the food. Everything from appetizer and main course to dessert. With a great appetite he went to get some food, but then he heard his name:
"Mister Oliver, could you come here for a moment, please?" he heard one of his examiners say. "I am very sorry for my mistake, but I forgot to collect the exam fee from you. It was totally my fault. Could you bring the money after you have lunch?" he asked politely.
"Yeah, sure thing!" he replied without even thinking and then went to get all the food he could.
"Ok" said the examiner as Oliver left.
This was pure bliss for Oliver. He got two plates of main course dishes (he didn't even know what they were, but they looked and smelled fantastic), and one plate of sweets.
"William, why are you eating so little? The food here is great, even though I don't even know what I'm eating." said Oliver with sparkling eyes.
"A... sure... Oliver, I've been meaning to ask: how come I've never met you at any party before?" inquired William.
"I don't live here..." he answered with his mouth full.
"I see... that makes sense. I thought that it was weird that I've never seen you before and that you find this food so good. So, what Kingdom are you from?" asked William intrigued.
"What? I'm from the Kingdom of Sapphire, obviously..." said Oliver very matter-of-factly.
"...but... you said that you are not from here..." said William confused.
"I meant from the capital. I'm from a village two hours away" he said truthfully.
"A village? Oh... I'm sorry for my mistake! So what do your parents do?" asked William, also trying to correct his mistakes.
"I don't have parents. I grew up at an orphanage." responded Oliver as he continued feasting.
"I'm so sorry!!! I didn't mean to offend you!!! I am so, so sorry!!!" tried William to correct his mistakes. He just wanted to make a little small talk with Oliver in this break they had. Never had he imagined that the discussion would turn out like this. He was so ashamed that he dared not say anything else. He just stood there quietly.
After finishing his plate, Oliver looked up and realized how impolite he has been. From the moment he saw food he completely ignored what went on around him. Looking at William he saw a very sad and anxious look on his face and he thought that it was because he hadn't been interested in the conversation, but rather absorbed by his lunch. This wasn't looking very good...
"So... how about you William: are you from the capital? What do your parents do?" he tried to reopen the conversation.
"Well... yes, I'm from the capital and my parents work in the administration sector, you could say..." William responded trying to be as humble as he could. Now all he wanted was for Oliver not to hate him, not even thinking that he could forgive and befriend him...
"That's so cool! So what family are you a part of? I've heard that you have family names here." Oliver asked curiously.
"Well... it doesn't really matter... I mean, it's just a name..." William tried to avoid the question.
"Come on, you can tell me. There's no shame, whichever one it is! You have to be proud of your family!" exclaimed Oliver encouragingly.
"Do you really want to know?" tried William one last time.
"Yes!" responded Oliver wandering what could it be that William was so afraid of saying.
"Sapphire..." finally said William with his head bowed. He thought that from here on, Oliver will either try to use him, or hate him. Either way, he didn't want either. When he learned that Oliver was a commoner and didn't know who he was, he thought that he could actually have a real friend. That's why he even hesitated to tell him. He actually even thought about lying, but Oliver would have found out anyway at the school opening ceremony next week, so it would have been useless...
"Sapphire? Isn't that the King's and Duke's (the King's brother) family name?" asked Oliver innocently and then realized: "Wait! Are you the Duke's son?!?"
"Yes..." answered William with a defeated look. It was officially over...
"That's so cool! And also, that explains why you have such good luck! Man, are you lucky... I'm a little jealous, honestly, but good for you!" responded Oliver energetically. He actually felt lucky for once: he got to meet a really important person, take a test together and have lunch together. This has already surpassed his plans for the next 5 years.
He was just about to continue the conversation, but the bell rang and so did his memory: he had to go and get the money! Without even thinking, he went outside and left William behind, forgetting about his existence. As he was walking outside, he realised that he didn't know where he was going. Wait... he had to go and take the money... the money... that he didn't take from home... how could he be this unlucky?!? Just before leaving he thought to himself that he has to take the money, but because of his excitement, he just left. Actually, this wasn't even bad luck: it was his fault for not being careful! Oh... what could he do? The only idea that came to mind was to get prepared for the next part of the examination and when he meets the examiners to just tell them what happened and tell them that he will bring the money the next day. Everything should be alright like this, right?