I still couldn't believe that his own family sent him to the frontlines of the battlefields to get him killed. He also told me that instead of the 1st prince or the Crown Prince, they sent him, instead. What they didn't expect was for him to always come back alive, not dead, but full of battle scars. Scars that wouldn't fade especially the growing scars in his heart.
Going back to preparing dinner; I prepared a leafy green and fresh herb salad, seasoned with salt, oil and a small amount of vinegar. And, a bowl of fresh fruits that Prince Egon chopped. There's also roasted beef and chicken; then, I made a sauce out of red wine, shallots and beef stock. For dessert, I asked Egon to teach me and help me make an apple tart. I didn't expect the 2nd prince to know how to cook. Now, it's understandable because he's living alone.
It was early afternoon when we finished preparing dinner. I was about to call them outside when I heard Uncle slightly shouting from the living room, "Explain yourself."
Prince Egon was walking in front of me as we went to the living room. A man on his knees has Uncle's sword against his neck. The man was in his late twenties like Big Brother.
"What's going on here? Who is that man?" Prince Egon asked with a commanding voice.
Uncle answered right away, "I saw him lurking around outside. But, I recognized him as one of the juniors in the elite guards of His Imperial Majesty."
"Uncle, take your sword away," I politely ordered him as I walked closer to them and looked at the man. "What are you doing here? Did my father sent you?"
He respectfully nodded at me; then, knelt with his left knee, and did a neck bow with his right fist on his chest, "Your personal guard at your service, Your Imperial Highness. I'm ordered to protect you from the shadows, and report back to His Imperial Majesty."
Big Brother questioned him, "Why didn't you help us earlier?"
"I did, I followed those who ran away; and there's more of them coming to your way, double the size. So, I took care of them," he answered like what he did was not a big deal. I was dumbfounded by the formidability of Father's elite guards; and on top of that, he's just a junior!
Still in doubt, Big Brother questioned him again, "But, how did Uncle-- I mean Commander Jovian caught you?"
"Well, I was scoping the area when I thought all of you were inside. Then, I felt someone's presence; thinking it was an intruder, I hurriedly went to face him. It was too late to back out, because it was the commander and he recognized me. So, I just followed him inside," he answered while he scratched his head.
Uncle nodded as confirmation, but asked, "How did you find this place?"
"I followed the secret route you took. Don't worry, it's not easy to notice the route. I hid it better and removed your tracks."
"Big Brother 2, what's your name? Oh! And, you may rise," I spoke ahead of them because they have no signs of stopping this interrogation, any time soon.
He immediately answered, "Han-ryu, Your Imperial Highness."
"It's a good thing that Uncle saw you, or else, you won't be having proper meals during this trip. Speaking of meal, we're done preparing our dinner; there's lots of food for everyone. Head to the dining area after you've freshened up. I will not accept any objections," I ordered them as I head into my own chamber upstairs.
...
(Princes' POV)
In the guest wing.
The princes woke up not knowing that it was the day of Princess Laurana and 2nd Prince Egon's departure to Furstenberg. They'll never know except for Prince Theo and 4th Prince Henri.
A particular prince with blue eyes woke up in a great mood. He decided to request an audience from the Emperor. So, he ordered his male servant to relay the message to the head eunuch.
Not long after, his male servant returned, "Prince Theo, my apologies. The head eunuch is outside waiting for all of the princes; he has a message from His Imperial Majesty."
The princes one-by-one went outside their rooms, until only 2nd Prince Egon wasn't there. The head eunuch was about to say something, but Prince Henri talked more faster, "2nd Prince Egon haven't arrived, yet."
"2nd Prince Egon won't be joining you today, he has some matters to attend to. His Imperial Majesty is requesting for your presence in the training hall of the palace, all of you. If you may follow me, after you've changed," the head eunuch politely announced.
All of the princes wore a white long-sleeved cross collar as their inside clothes and a blue sleeveless cross collar one-piece garment that reaches their ankles with a blue-white sash on their waists. While Prince Theo was changing his clothes, he kept having this feeling of uneasiness. So, he decided to visit Princess Laurana after they're done in the training hall.
At the training hall of the palace.
The view that greeted the princes were thirty martial artists battling against each other. Some were either head-locked into the ground or being lifted off the ground. They were fiercely fighting, kicking or punching each other, hard.
This made 4th Prince Henri and Prince Romeo gulped; while Prince Wang Jung was getting excited and confidently walked forward to watch them a bit closer. Then, the head eunuch announced, "His Imperial Majesty has arrived!"
The martial artists immediately stopped and stood straight in formation despite of their bruises. They bowed to the Emperor as they proclaimed, "At your service, Your Imperial Majesty!"
"Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty!" Of course, the princes did a neck bow and greeted the Emperor, too.
"At ease!" Just by looking or hearing the Emperor, you could feel his dominating aura. "In the following days, you'll be practicing with the martial artists here; until, you could defeat atleast five of them. Those who passed the previous test won't be required to come everyday, but you should practice still. Today, the six of you will fight against twenty martial artists, together. Start warming up, Princes."