He stared at the ceiling while lying down on his bed, exhausted. "Why do I also have to come to the After Coronation?" he said and sighed.
Just thinking about it makes him panic, he really can not socialize, talking to one stranger gets him trembling like crazy, what more if it was a huge crowd? He would die just by stepping inside the gathering room out of nervousness.
"I seriously thought we would go there now. Gosh, that made me nervous." he muttered, placing a hand over his chest. 'Turns out we have two days to prepare.' he thought, remembering what had happened earlier.
~~~~~~~~~~
"The Royal Family? Is it not too sudden to meet them? I mean, I don't even–
"Brother, are you nervous?" Carmilla's eyes squinted. Chance did not answer and thought that she was suspicious but then she giggled and hit William on the arm lightly. "Look what you did to him."
William, surprised, bowed his head and raised his hands, "Forgive me, Your Highness." he said. "You do not have to go there immediately, the King is just staying there in advance. The After Coronation gathering will be held two days from now. You still have time to prepare, Your Highness." he stated.
'Oh, good! I have time to know about Canopus.' he thought and sighed with relief.
Carmilla fixed her skirt and sat back down in her spot in the balcony with the help of her butler. William poured another tea in her cup, "I think I know the reason why you do not want to go in there." said the princess.
Chance, who became curious about what she had said, turned to her, "You know?" he asked, he didn't make it obvious but he was anxious inside. 'What does she mean by that? Is Charles also like me? He doesn't like gatherings too?' he asked in his mind. He looked down, immersed in his thoughts, 'Maybe she knows that I am not acting like her brother. Did she notice?'
He felt a hand over his shoulder and turned to see that it was his knight. He went close to his ear, "Do not drown yourself in anxious thoughts." he whispered, saying to not think much and relax. The knight stepped away from him and went back into his position, standing up straight. Chance looked away and did not move, there was something he could not explain whenever Alec does something or maybe he's just not used to having someone so close like that to him.
He awkwardly took another step away from Alec, he glanced over at his sister wondering why she has not answered yet. He found Carmilla sipping her tea while her eyes were on us. She put the cup down and he could see that she was holding back her smile. "W-why are you smiling like that?" he asked, 'Why the hell did I just stutter?'
The princess smiled teasingly, "Hmm, nothing really. Nothing at all." she answered, still holding back her smile.
Chance realized immediately, 'Crap. Is Milla a fujoshi in this time?!' he thought. "Never mind that, what were you about to say? The one about the reason I do not want to attend?"
"Oh," her teasing smile disappeared, forgetting that she has actually something to say. "I know about it, Brother. You think I would not know about your quarrel?" she said.
Since Chance does not have Charles's memories, he did not know what she was talking about, "What quarrel?"
"Your quarrel with a Stein royal." she answered.
'Charles had a quarrel with a royalty in Canopus? Why?' he asked in his mind. 'Ugh, it's hard to not have the memories he had before I came.'
He can not ask who it was since that will make them suspicious, why would someone who had a quarrel, does not know who he quarrelled with?
'I need to know more.' He took a deep breath, "My princess, I have to go. I will bond with you again some time." he said.
The princess stood up and her smile faded, she walked towards him and hugged him, "Brother, you will leave me again? But you just came back after about five days." she said sadly.
"It is not like I am going anywhere, I will be just somewhere in the palace." Chance said with a chuckle.
"But still, you will leave after two days. You will still leave me." she insisted and pouted.
"Do not act like that. You are not a little princess anymore."
"Hmph."
The two of them laughed, after that Chance smiled at the princess, 'I don't seem to be uncomfortable anymore. She really is the sun.'
He patted his sister's head gently, "You do not have to worry, You will be fine without me. You have William to accompany you." he said while smiling teasingly, just like how she did to him and Alec.
Chance looked at William, whose eyes suddenly widened, knowing what he was trying to do. 'Your Highness, are you teasing me?' he said internally. Chance smirked and winked, raising his hands and doing a thumbs-up.
The butler looked away, wearing a deadpan face, but Chance could see his face reddening. He couldn't help but to giggle at the sight. 'Oh, William. I know it all. Besides history books, I also read romance.' he said and laughed inside.
He nodded to the butler as goodbye and turned to Alec, "Let's go."
~~~~~~~~~~
"But still, what was the quarrel about?" Chance asked himself. He stood up from lying on the bed, "Why can't I have Charles's past memories? Everything would have been easier that way!"
"Can't I really tell someone about my situation?" Alec popped in his mind, since he came into this world, Alec was the first he had met. "Nevermind, He will never believe me." he thought. Alec Valorian was the Crown Prince's personal knight, if he had ever known that it was not actually his master inside the body, he would be doomed.
Getting a holy priest will be easy if it was for the sake of a crown prince. If Charles comes back to his body and Chance will return to his time, he would not be able to collect information. He'll be fired from his job. "I better do my best to stay here until I die."
Until I die.
There was a weird feeling in his chest when he said those three words. He knows that it is not his life anyway so why would he be sad? 'It may not be my life but it is a life I am living right now. It is still me.' he thought. The thought of death makes him shiver, even though he will return to his other life.
While sitting on the bed, deep in thoughts, he felt something rubbing his "Meow." He turned to Wish, "All right, all right. I won't think too much." He told the cat and pet its head which it likes so much. "Right, you are also not the Wish I know. I want to hear him talk again." he laughed, remembering the scene from that night.
Then he remembered the voice he heard when he was going home, 'Is there anything you wish for?' said the voice from behind him.
He stood up abruptly from the bed, "That was Wish?!" he exclaimed out of disbelief. He felt stupid as to why he did not realize that before when he heard Wish speak in his room.
Alec, who was always alert, heard his master's yell. He immediately opened the door and found him standing, "Is there something wrong? Why did you yell?" the knight asked.
He cannot possibly tell that he shouted because of a cat, "Why did you come in without my permission?" he said with authority, changing the topic. He felt disgusted by his words. 'This tone doesn't suit me at all. A shy guy, being bossy?' he laughed inside.
"Forgive me, I thought something had happened." he answered, bowing his head. When he looked up, his eyes travelled around the room, 'Why would he yell?' he said in his mind, seeing that there was nothing wrong or weird inside the room. 'His Highness is still acting strange.'
"Alec, do you have a notebook and a pen?"
"I will go get your fountain pen. There is a new type of pen that is about to be exported here in Antares, a ball point I think." he stated. Chance forgot that it was 1889 in Antares, but at least he knows how to use a fountain pen. "But what is a notebook? Is that some type of a book?" the knight asked.
"Never mind that, a paper is what I need." Chance answered.
"I will go get it, Your Highness." he said and was about to go out, "Wait for me, I will go with you." Chance said before he could leave.
"Why do you need to go with me?" the knight asked. "Accompany me to the library," he responded and remembered what Carmilla said about the quarrel, not only that, but also Canopus which he lacked knowledge about.
"There is something I must know."