"What?"
The two men, including Chance, stared at the young boy. Their ears seemed to have been blocked, deafened by his sudden claim. "You want who as a servant?" Caliber asked.
The kid pushed Chance on his back, making him closer to the other two men. "This fellow right here, I want him." he answered, referring to Chance who was about to go crazy any moment.
'I want him too.' Caliber thought.
He sighed and ruffled the boy's hair. "Why do you want him as your servant?" curious, he asked.
The boy frowned, guessing what they were thinking, "Do not worry, I will not order him around, I have many servants to do that to." he said and waved his hand. "As my personal servant, I just want you to stay with me at all times." he said and looked up at Chance, who looked uncomfortable and does not know what to do.
'Crap, wait, wait. Why am I suddenly a servant?' he thought.
After staring at Chance to see his expression, Caliber's hand made its way to his hair which made him flinch, "What do you think?" he asked.
Dumbfounded and confused, he turned, "What?" He couldn't focus anymore at all, his mind was floated away from the moment the boy changed attitude. Just earlier, he was grumpy and every word he mutters was accompanied by a tone of disgust.
'Now, he suddenly chose me to be by his side.' he thought again. 'I guess royals can just find anyone and point at whoever they want as a servant.' he said in his mind.
"What do you think about what Louis has said?" he repeated without averting his gaze at Chance. 'So his name was Louis.' Chance said in his mind, remembering the name from the book about the Royal family in Canopus.
A frown formed upon the lips of the young prince that was looking at the both of them. "Why do you need to ask? It is already a privilege that I personally asked him to work for me!" he yelled, annoyed by the delay of a simple answer that he wants to hear.
He groaned in pain when Caliber pinched his ear. "Ow! Brother! What did you do that fo—" Caliber smacked his younger brother's head, "You should also think about what Charles feels when you suddenly labelled him as a servant."
"Why do I need to do that? Consider himself as lucky that I even chose him! Less work he will have!" the young prince continued to complain. Remembering another thing, he furrowed his brow, "His name is Chance, not Charles."
Caliber laughed, "His name is Charles."
Chance, who was at the side listening to them, gulped. 'I'm doomed. Stupid me.'
Another expression showed up on his face as he turned to Chance, "You lied to me? How dare you!"
The Canopus prince's aide was wearing an awkward face as he watched silently at the side. "Yet another ruckus by the young prince."
Nervous, Chance immediately grabbed Louis, "That's not it. I didn't lie to you." he said, 'But right now, I am.' he continued in his mind. "I was thinking about fate and chances so I blurted it out when you asked my name." he reasoned, followed by an awkward laugh.
The little Highness squinted, staring directly into Chance's eyes. "My name is Charles, not Chance." he added.
Louis stopped narrowing his eyes, "Then what is your answer? Do you accept the offer to be my personal servant?" he asked.
Chance remained silent, thinking of an answer. "You know, you are lucky that I am even asking you. My words are immediately followed so normally, I would get you as my servant despite your opinion." the prince added, maybe to make Chance consider it more.
Chance doesn't really have any problem being his servant, but a question he always asked himself, went inside his head again.
"Did this happen to the real Charles?"
Anxious, yet again, he has never really gotten the dreams that Fate told him. The significant memories will appear in the dream that he has to do. Though, even if this was not part of the scenarios he had to repeat, what if his decisions will ruin what was destined?
'Did this ever happen to Charles?' he thought again. A small mistake will be the end of it all. He cannot just say that it was alright for it was not his life, since if his present now changed, his real present will also change.
He might not even exist anymore if ever that happened.
"You are taking too long. What is wrong with you?" Louis complained with a bored face and tone. 'I don't know anymore, whatever!' he thought while shaking his head side to side. "Okay!" he answered.
Louis's bad mood vanished and was replaced by a big smile, "Great choice!" he exclaimed and clung to Chance's arm. In spite of the young prince's delight, Caliber was not.
He did not expect him to accept the offer, knowing how Charles was like, he would just say no and reveal that he is a prince, walking away from the secret place of his brother. From the night they met again, he felt that Charles had changed. Still the same, but the way he talks and the aura around him was not like before anymore. Each time Caliber was with him, he could not help but to observe every bit of his moves and reactions.
'Which one is your real self?' he thought as he looked at Chance smiling at his younger brother.
"Wait here, I will go get something from the palace." Louis stated and Chance nodded with a wave of goodbye. "You there! Come with me." he yelled a command, pointing at Caliber's aide.
'Ah, me again.' the aide thought. Left with no choice, he bowed to Caliber and followed after the grumpy kid.
The two of them were left alone in silence. The chirping of the birds while the leaves were rustling along the whispers of the wind made Chance awkward to be left with Caliber again, especially what had happened before.
Long has passed and none of them are still talking, while waiting for Louis to come back. 'Is there something wrong with him?' Chance thought, trying to take a glimpse of Caliber in secret.
He was expecting Caliber to bother him as usual, now that there are just the two of them in the place. Caliber just stood there leaning on the other side of the tree. 'Seriously, what's with him?' he thought again, not knowing why he feels anxious about it.
There will be no talk at all if he just let it go. Caliber looked like he had no plan on talking to him first so he just approached him, "Why does your mood seem bad? Did something happen?"
"Why did you agree on becoming his servant?" he asked at the instance Chance talked, as if he was just waiting for him to say something.
"I do not see why not. What seems to be the problem if I did?" Chance responded back with a question.
"You are a Crown prince, you could have just told him. What would others think to see a prince working for another prince? Does your name not matter to you?"
Chance took a deep breath and sighed, "It matters, of course, but I do not want to tell him that I am a prince." he answered.
Caliber furrowed his brow as he looked at Chance, "That was it?" he muttered. "What do you mean by that?" the Antares prince asked, a bit offended by what he just muttered.
"If your identity is the only problem, there could have been other ways to refuse." Caliber said as he removed his back on the tree to approach Chance.
Chance looked at him in confusion, curious as to what he was going to say. "And what is the way that you have then?"
Caliber put his arm on the tree, just above Chance's head and he leaned forward with a serious look, "You could have asked for my help."
Chance got into a daze as he stared at Caliber, after a while he averted his gaze as he cannot stand to look at him for too long. Chance let out a chuckle, "So that was why you were upset? Because I did not ask you to help me?"
Caliber's forehead creased and his face went closer to his, "I am serious, you know." he said, almost a whisper and Chance could feel his warm breath on his neck. 'Crap. My face must be red as hell.' he thought, he could not see his own face but he could tell that he was blushing.
The close view of Caliber's face made him even more attractive, he pinched the bridge of his nose in the middle of his eyes, "This is not good for me."
"What is not good for you?"
His eyes widened slightly when he realized that he said it out loud. He ignored him and did not answer, but instead, he asked, "What help would I be able to get from you? Is there even anything that would make your brother not want me?"
"There is."
"What is it?"
Caliber smirked and he looked at him playfully, "You could have just told him that you are someone important to me."
Chance let out a sigh, "Like what? Your mother?" he said with a hint of sarcasm.
"My lover."
Speechless, Chance did not see that coming. 'Lover, my ass!' he yelled inside his head, but he was embarrassed and could not look at the Canopus prince.
He tried to look up and saw Caliber staring at him intensely. As they met their gazes, there was something that was making them pull closer to each other.
After the stares that made them feel weird, Caliber's lips found itself on his way to Chance's lips. Strange, despite Chance knowing that he will be kissed again, he did not complain and slowly closed his eyes.
A noise coming from the door was heard and they turned to the one who came in.
"What the hell are you two doing?"