"My name? What do you mean, my name?" Chance asked but as he looked, Fate's spirit was already gone. 'Why did Fate disappear in a sudden?' he thought.
His eyes immediately caught a shadow in his peripheral vision, he turned the direction of a certain book rack that was near his table spot and heard a flipping sound of the pages. 'Who is there?' he thought as he stood up to check.
After walking through the halls between the racks, he saw a beautiful man with caramel blonde hair, emerald eyes set on the book. Chance stared at him as the man was focused on reading the words on his mind, with his long lashes fluttering in every blink he makes. His pretty face makes him look like a woman that everybody would fall for.
Chance was startled as the pretty man met his gaze and noticed him staring. While Chance was waiting for him to talk, he was surprised as the man returned his gaze to the book. 'I-I was ignored?' he thought.
'I never thought that a person could ignore a royalty. Not like the others who would immediately bow and cower.' That was what he thought as he kept her gaze to the man. 'Is he a librarian like Edmund?'
He walked to the spot near the pretty guy and pretended to choose books, while secretly taking a glimpse. 'Why is he not asking what I need?' Normally, a librarian would ask even if that person is not the Crown prince.
Chance remained in that spot and was still checking out books when the pretty man spoke, "Are you gonna stand there forever? Seriously." the man said and closed the book he was holding out of irritation.
Chance held back his gasp, 'I-informal? Not only that, with no honorifics?' He did not answer the question but he was so curious to know why the man is treating a prince that way. 'Just who is this person?' he thought.
He heard an audible snort coming from the man, "Right, I forgot that I do not have the rights to talk to you, 'Your Highness'." he said, emphasizing the honorific with an obvious hint of sarcasm.
His tone triggered a nerve in Chance and turned to him, "Gosh, are you really this rude? Hey, you, pretty man, what are you doing here hiding instead of reading at the table?"
The man looks taken aback, his expression does not exaggerate shock, but even with a blank face, you could tell that he was surprised as his eyes slightly widened. He stared at him with no answer.
" Look here, I ordered my knight and the librarian to get out. While you were just here, not giving a damn?" Chance said. Oh, we all know what will happen once he realizes the stuff that he was saying.
"Since you caught my attention with your beautiful womanly traits, I will let you off just this once. Tell me your name." he said.
The man, confused, looked at him as if he was seeing a patient who escaped from the mental asylum, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Tell me, Crown Prince. Did the stress from the responsibilities and duties of your role make you insane?" he said, looking at him with furrowed brows.
'He knows that I am a Crown Prince but he is treating me like that. I wonder if this also happened to the real Charles.' he thought.
"I am asking you to tell your name, not to assume that I am a mental escapee." Chance stated which made the man heave a loud sigh.
"Did you hit your head and lose your memories? I do not even understand why you are talking to me after disregarding me for years." The man stated with an annoyed tone and glared at Chance with a 'talking to you is displeasing' kind of look.
"Just say who you are and we will finish this conversation." Chance repeated. He cannot just continue to guess the people in Charles's life. He needs to ask to make it easier, then just give them an excuse if ever they get suspicious.
"I know what you are trying to do." the man smirked and rolled his eyes. "You just want me to say it so I will be reminded to know my place inside the palace." there was something to his tone whenever he spoke to Charles. 'Maybe he and Charles fought a lot.'
"Fine, I will tell you. I am not ashamed of it and will never be." he stated.
Before he even spoke, a memory passed through Chance's head. It was the time where he went around Charles's room. The gigantic family picture with a golden frame beside his bed. 'Is that why he feels so familiar?' he said in his mind.
The family picture where the King is sitting on the throne with the Crown Prince Charles standing behind him. Standing on both sides of the king were two women with their children in front of them. At the front of the right side was Princess Carmila with the Consort behind her. While at the left side seemed to be the concubine with a man in front of him. 'That man is...' Chance gasped and stared at the pretty man.
"I am the insignificant son of King Cadell and the Royal Concubine, Melanie. The prince who people deem as 'unimportant'. The one who follows in the shadows of my siblings." he stated with bitterness and emphasis on every word.
"I am your brother," he looked at Chance sharply as if he was piercing through his eyeballs. "Clayton Howard."
Chance's hands that were on the racks, dropped and he froze, not averting his gaze away from Clayton. The person he was talking to was his brother all along. Clayton Howard, who holds the major keys in his future death.
Clayton's eyes narrowed as he looked at him full of contempt, "Does it satisfy you when I remind myself that I am not needed?" he said.
Not knowing what to say, he turned to him and his lips suddenly moved by itself, "Why do you hate me so much?" Chance asked subconsciously. It is probably what the real Charles would have asked to.
"Hate you?" he repeated with a snort, "I would never dare to hate you, Crown Prince, For I have no rights to do so." he answered sarcastically.
Clayton was never really the type to snap. Even if he was called bad names, insults, he just remained quiet and did not fight back. He was always calm and sarcastic, but never once fought with anyone as he knows his place.
It is just that the emotions he held back were buried deep inside him, seeing Charles approach him and talk to him just to make him state what he was made the lock of his resentment open. It triggered him to get mad for asking him to say it even though Charles already knows. But technically now, he does not. Since it was Chance inside Charles's body.
He put the book back into the shelf and was about to leave, but Chance unknowingly grabbed Clayton's arm to pull him into a hug. A natural reaction for Chance whenever someone is upset.
Clayton's eyes widened and his heartbeat quickened because of surprise for the sudden hug. Chance embraced him not tight, but enough to comfort him. He caressed Clayton's back gently, soothing him. 'Warm...' Clayton thought.
"I am sorry if you ever feel that way." Chance muttered as he continued to hug Clayton. "S-seriously! What is wrong with you! Did you really hit your head?" he exclaimed, flustered by the sudden change of his brother.
But Chance did not answer and remained embracing him, "You are not unimportant at all." he muttered, making Clayton unable to speak.
For a long while, Clayton gave in. He felt weak and collapsed in his embrace. His eyes were still open and could not understand why Charles was treating him that way. He felt his cheeks wet and realized that he was tearing up. 'Why the hell am I crying. Damn it.'
Maybe because it was the first time someone had hugged him. First time.
He was taken care of a lot when he was a baby, but when he was at the age where he was able to think, it came to him that no one actually cared for him, for real. At the age of one, he can understand what people say. And all he ever heard was the four words.
Son of a concubine.
When Queen Charlotte, Charles's mother, died, they ended the King-Queen reign. Now he took in a consort as a partner then had a concubine. There was nothing really wrong with being the son of a concubine, but the fact that the Concubine had borne a child first before the Consort, made Lady Caroline look like a joke and they started insulting Lady Melanie for being shameless.
And the fact that Melanie was a prostitute has spread out.
He was never praised for his achievements, for it was only the Star and the Sun that received the most attention.
His siblings.
He was the moon who followed after the sun, and the light that made the stars brighter.
He roughly pulled away from Chance's arms and pushed him, "Stop pretending to care." he said and glared at him. "You do not need to do that, Your Royal Highness." he stated slowly, pushing every word.
He stormed out of the library, startling Edmund and Alec. "Is that His Highness, Prince Clayton?" Edmund muttered, he knew that Clayton was there but he thought he already left before Prince Charles came. Alec and Edmund looked at each other and headed inside.
Clayton Howard walked back to his chamber in a fast pace, clenching his fist.'' 'That is right, you do not need to care. After all, I am just a son of the Royal Concubine."
Someone who is not important.