"WILL HE BE alright?" Alice asked, her voice in a whisper as she cast a concerned glance in Hartley's direction. She could see the queen's cold expression, frosty and frigid as she stared their way.
"Let's put it this way," Spade began to say, "Hartley became the crown prince not only because he is the firstborn son but also because he has the queen's backing. She is his birth mother and no matter how cruel, a tiger still wouldn't consume its own children." He spun Alice around before catching her by the waist, holding her close. "My brother will be fine. A little nagging won't kill him."
"Did you just compare the queen to a tiger?" Alice chuckled a little, the corners of her lips tilting to form a lopsided grin.
"An utter beast," answered Spade.
Their laughter rang through the ballroom. In the eyes of all, everyone agreed with what the queen told Hartley. In their opinion, it seemed like there was no couple more radiant than Spade and Alice. The second prince of Gladiolum had always been like a harsh winter, his smiles either rare or insincere, often accompanied by frost. However, with Alice in his arms, he resembled the warmth of summer, vibrant and filled with life.
On the other side of the room, Hartley soaked it all in with indignation. Resentment bubbled and brewed in his chest as he frowned at the happy pair of friends. In his eyes, they seemed like lovers that were blessed by moonlight, favored by the gods.
"Why are they considered a 'lovely pair', Mother?" Hartley voiced out his thoughts, frowning. "Spade is a prince as well. If Alice is considered as a commoner that is low in status despite being related to the Ragans, then why is he allowed to stand by her side?"
His words infuriated the queen but she showed none of that on her face. Instead, she simply sneered as she eyed the black-haired prince, scowling as an image of a common woman flooded her mind.
"That's because you're the crown prince and he isn't," she swiftly answered. "One day, you will become the king of this country. Thus, your duty is to marry a woman that can be the future queen of Gladiolum. That is someone with noble blood. Thick in her veins and not a random relative that has unknown origins."
The queen's reply eventually stumped Hartley speechless. In a battle of words, there was no way he could win her and that was something both of them knew for certain. Childish fury erupted from within Hartley as he glared down at Rose Whitaker, who was still patiently waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. He didn't even bother to keep up the polite facade any longer.
Without another word, Hartley stormed down the steps. As he approached the duke's daughter, she tried to get close to him, to edge in a word that might either ease his anger or tempt him to dance with her. However, Hartley merely coldly shrugged off her actions. If it weren't for how she dodged him at the last second, he might've even knocked her over to the ground by slamming her shoulders with his.
"That does not look good," Alice commented, watching as Rose still held her hand in the air as if tempted to reach out to Hartley's quickly retreating figure. "I better go check on him."
Before Spade could weasel out a statement of rebuttal, Alice had already wormed out of his hands and away from the dance floor. He could only watch helplessly as she darted off after his brother, her peach pink dress quickly disappearing past the throngs of human bodies.
☆ ☆ ☆
Alice eventually found Hartley again in the rose garden, standing alone on the bridge that led to the red rose pavilion. He rested his elbows against the handrail, his eyes lazily glancing at the still water beneath the bridge. Occasionally, whenever the wind blew, ripples would form on the water surface, distorting his reflection. Nonetheless, Hartley didn't even flinch.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Alice asked, walking towards him.
The sound of her voice shattered the dream-like state he was in and he dazedly looked up. His head turned towards her and his eyes drifted down her figure from head to toe before meeting her eyes once more.
"Alice," he murmured her name. "What are you doing here?"
"I could say the same for yourself," Alice retorted. "What's got you so bothered? Did Her Majesty say something that upset you?"
"So what if she did?" Hartley scoffed, rolling his eyes as he returned to staring at the water. Wordlessly, Alice walked to his side, copying his actions by leaning against the handrail as well. "Whatever she says is the law. Other than my father, who dares go against the queen?"
"And you're unhappy that her decision is separate from your desires?" questioned Alice softly.
Hartley didn't reply. She had been absolutely spot on, after all. There was no need to confirm nor deny anything.
Taking his silence as his answer, Alice continued, "Do you consider yourself brave?"
"On occasion," Hartley replied truthfully. "Why do you ask?"
"I just received a piece of good advice," replied Alice. "It's to respect yourself before anyone else. Your choices should shape your life. You shouldn't have to follow the whims and words of other people. Why let them dictate what you can or cannot do?"
"That's really bad advice to give," Hartley pointed out, "especially if you're giving it to a serial killer."
Unable to control herself, Alice burst out chortling. She held onto her stomach, her eyes squinting shut as she laughed freely. Her voice echoed through the night and soon enough, Hartley found himself smiling along with her.
"Well, I hope you're not a serial killer then!" she exclaimed. "If not, I would be in a shit ton of trouble for telling you to follow your heart, wouldn't I?"
"Yes," Hartley murmured.
Temptation glazed over his eyes. Before he could control himself, he reached out. With one hand, he held the back of Alice's head gently, pressing her close to his chest. Stunned by the sudden movement, Alice didn't struggle against him. She merely followed along, shuffling forward to close the gap between the both of them.
Veiled by the dark of the night, Hartley rested one hand on the railing while the other was used to hold Alice close. He allowed himself just a second ― brief stolen moments that he wished would stretch on forever ― to be with the person that he had allowed furthest into his heart.
He was done for. Hartley understood at that moment that at some point, he had begun to care for this strange girl.
'Was it love?' he wondered.
The rational part of his brain doubted it. However, he also knew that it was more dangerous than a passing fancy or brief flash of interest. She was a parasite that had wormed its way in and he had no desire to get her out.
"What are you doing?" Alice muttered against his chest. Her eyes were wide, blinking dazedly as her body froze. She didn't know what to do.
"Following my heart," Hartley smoothly replied.
Unbeknownst to the two, a shadow was watching a distance away. Shielded by the trees, they observed the interaction between the crown prince and the girl that had erupted from nowhere before ultimately retreating from wherever they came.