Chereads / Palace Life: The Rings of Secrets / Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Seeing the Prince from Afar

Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Seeing the Prince from Afar

As Elizabella walked down the hall, she heard her name being called out by her friend. She turned to look and found her friend Olivia Holland Calling out to her.

"Ginny! Hey, where are you heading?" asked Olivia as she stopped in front of an opened window on the third floor.

"Hey, Olivia. I just finished posting an announcement that I wanted a few dancers for my new skit. I was just about to reserve a stage for the auditions," smiled Elizabella as she walked to the window and leaned out to look outside.

"Auditions? Do you not think that it might be too late for anyone to notice the announcement? What about reserving a stage? We only have two weeks before break and only one week before the actual performance. Are you sure you will be able to do all of this so soon? We also have exams to think about," said Olivia pensively as she slightly leaned to the window with her back, placing her right hand on her chin with her left arm across her chest.

Elizabella sighed as she seemed to drop her head before resting her arms on the windowsill while placing her head down.

"I was wondering about that too. I am not worried about the exams, but if I cannot have the dancers, then I will have to do it myself. I may just make it to be a recording instead of live," said Elizabella as she looked up at the sky while Olivia raised her eyebrow at her.

"Hold on, you can dance? I have never seen you, yourself, perform since you only direct. Grant it that you normally come up with everything like design, choreography and even props... but you have others helping out," Olivia looked at Elizabella lost in thought. "I just assumed you were the creative visionary and maybe had two left feet while you could not carry a tune. I am honestly surprised that you can perform as well."

Elizabella gaped at Olivia as she froze to the windowsill.

"...I... There is much that I can do," said Elizabella as she turned her head to pout, making Olivia giggle.

"I believe you, Ginny. Someone who is able to come up with all those creative skits, has to know at least the bare minimum of what is to be preformed. I am just not sure how good you really are..." Olivia stopped her sentence while she stared wide-eyed outside without Elizabella noticing.

"Well, we will see if anyone is willing to come to the auditions. You are welcomed to come and watch if you like. I will have to show them the moves myself. Are you listening, Olivia?" said Elizabella as she turned to look at Olivia starring out the window with wide eyes and a tint of blush on her cheeks.

Elizabella looked at Olivia for a second longer before turning to see where she was looking. She looked down to see a male student, seemingly looking up at them. Elizabella gave an inquisitive look as she tilted her head and looked down at the student who was standing in the courtyard while she tried to remember who he was.

"Is he not the Crown Prince, Prince Maxen?" asked Elizabella as Olivia snapped back and hurriedly looked at Elizabella with a look of disbelief.

"No one in school calls him that! We all call him 'Prince Wolf'. He likes to be called that, so no one uses his real name," explained Olivia as she turned back to look at the prince with a more visible flush to her face.

"Why 'Wolf'?" asked Elizabella raising an eyebrow.

"Do you not know his full name? His Royal Highness Prince Maxen Wolfrom Slade from the Royal Slade family. The 'Wolf' comes from 'Wolfrom,' hence why we call him 'Wolf.' I wonder why he is looking at us..."

"I do not think that he is looking at us. I think he is looking above the school," said Elizabella as she noticed that his eyes were not focused on them, before mumbling to herself. "I think 'Wolf' is a dumb Princely name, especially since he is not in the Military Department nor have I heard that he is feral... is he a loner?"

At this time, Prince Maxen was watching as small flock of birds flew over the school and did not even notice two young female students looking at him. He was used to always having eyes on him so he did not even bother to look at them. He sighed as his flaming red hair was wisped in the wind, long after the flock of birds had passed over the school and remembered that the night before, his father had collapsed from exhaustion. His father had been frail since he was a child and knew that recently, he has not been getting better.

Prince Maxen was well versed with Royal Court matters and due to his father's frailty, he knew that talk for his marriage would soon be on their minds and tongues, sooner rather than later. The Royal Court would be more at ease if he had his wife now and impregnated her as soon as possible. Prince Maxen would be turning eighteen before the end of this year and will not be considered a legal adult until he was twenty-one.

Although it was possible to marry at age sixteen with consent of parents on both sides, Prince Maxen wanted to wait until he was older. Margarette Juniper Myles was the girl that Prince Maxen fancied. They were not officially dating and in the eyes of everyone who saw them thought of them as friends only; however, Prince Maxen wished to wait until their feelings matured for each other.

Plus, although Margarette came from a Count's family, she had no lust for title. Her dream was to someday be a famous dancer. Prince Maxen had decided to wait until she reached her dream and then he would try to win her heart. That way, he would not give her too much pressure.

They took a couple of classes together, but the rest of her classes would be taken in the Arts Department, while he was in the Government Department. Everyone in the Academy had to take certain government classes while still being in their respective departments. He wished that she had more classes with him but knew it was impossible.

"I hope that no one tells me that I have to marry soon. I would like to wait..." thought the Prince as he turned to leave.

"See? I do not think he was looking at us," said Elizabella nonchalantly, making Olivia look at the departing Prince with regret and sighed.

"I guess you are correct..." she quickly turned to do a double look at Elizabella. "How can you stand to be so indifferent about seeing the Crown Prince so close, yet so far?"

Elizabella looked at her school uniform and began to clean off any (imaginary) dust off her shoulders.

"He is just a prince... I grew up with two of them..." thought Elizabella as she too looked at where the Prince disappeared to. "I wonder what he was really looking at as he seemed, troubled..."

"Who knows? Us lowly people will never understand how the Royals' minds work," said Olivia with a sigh.