"Your royal highness, you can't go!" the voice of his attendant echoed in the empty hallway. He looked back and glared. The attendant was taken a back but he kept a firm pose so as to not lose his face in front of him.
"Are you telling me not to go?" the crown prince asked.
"Y-Yes, because it cannot be undone. The king gave a sure order that you must attend it." Again, the prince's forehead furrowed.
"I refuse to." He turned his back and walked towards the huge brown door. He opened it and found his father signing and reading some papers on his table.
"Father." He called the king, then bended on one knee and bowed.
"No." the king coldly declined even though the prince hasn't said anything yet. He believes it is about that one order he gave to the prince.
"I refuse to accept your order, your majesty." He said. There was a moment of silence before the prince heard the king sighed.
"Luke." The king rarely calls the prince by his name. It made him think that the king is really serious.
"Yes, your majesty?" he said.
"You have never set foot on any gathering of the nobles since you were young. This is a good opportunity, my son." The prince gulped. He didn't want to go outside. He just wants to be buried over his work and not interacting with other people.
"I understand but, must I really come?" he raised his head and looked at the king directly. He might lose his head from doing so but he strongly finds attending the social gatherings unimportant. The queen might be the only person in the whole Anastifa who is allowed to look the king in the eye.
"You must." With a firm voice, the prince cannot do anything about it now. The king really wants him to attend. He may not say it but the prince knows the other reason why he must attend.
He's already at that age. It's already time. The king thought while he watched his son go out of his study room as the prince's hands turned into fists.
---
Luke's POV
Boring.
"My, my, how rare for the crown prince to attend." A man with flashy rings appeared in front of me. He bowed a little and raised his head after. I look at Philip, my attendant, and he immediately went towards me. He bent down and I whispered on his ear.
"Who is he?" I asked him. Philip looked at the man, still smiling, and whispered on my ear.
"He runs a jewel business, your royal highness. Monda Business, to be exact." Philip whispered.
"Ah, that business." I said while taking a sip of my wine on my hand. I sighed, and then smiled. I shouldn't bring shame on the royal family.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you." Immediately, I turned my back on him and wandered.
"You won't talk to him, my lord?" I chuckled at what Philip said.
"I am quite sure; he just wants to be in my good side. Don't you agree?"
"But… your majesty told you to build your connections." I stopped on my tracks, thinking about what is the primary reason why I attended this gathering.
"Alright."
I spent my time, walking and greeting the guests. All the time, Philip did the talking while I am smiling at them.
Boring.
They are boring. They smiled and bowed to me since I have the title. But, who knows if I am a commoner. They would not even pay me attention. When you have been around people this long, you'll understand and predict their next moves.
"Your royal highness." Philip called me when I started to walk away again. Isn't it already alright? I've already spent time with them. I sighed and looked at him.
"Go; leave me alone, for a while, Philip." I didn't wait for his response and walked away again.
The hall is huge. Good thing there are candle lights on either side to keep it bright. I am walked quite far from the room where the nobles gathered, yet I can still hear their voices and laughter. These people must have something better to do. Instead of doing it, they gather here and play pretend in front of each other.
"Nobles." I whispered. When I turned right in a corner, I encountered a group of noble women heading my way. They didn't notice me at first so I continued walking without giving them a glance, but when I passed through them, one maiden noticed my presence.
"Prince Luke." I stopped on my tracks as I heard her. Here we go again. I shouldn't have shooed Philip away. He's better at handling these things.
"Greetings, my ladies." Most of them blushed; some even used their glamorous fans to cover half of their faces. I tried to at least keep my smile intact even though it is hard to do so.
"What are you doing here, your royal highness?" a woman in a lavender dress stepped forward. She lifted her skirt slightly on the sides, put one leg behind the other and bowed to me.
"You…"
"I am Duchess Blaire Agosti of Bendetta. Have you already forgotten about me, your royal highness?" I tilted my head on the right slightly. I cannot even remember her. Who is she?
"Come, I have tea in my room. It's a better drink than to have this wine at this time of the day." She said, as if she was familiar with me.
The ladies behind her looked at me with disappointment. Was it the disappointment that I will leave or was it the disappointment that I was 'captivated' by her offer? I didn't care; I just want to walk away from them. And the only way is to accept this woman's offer, but…
"We appreciate your offer but it is not appropriate for a man and a woman to be in a same room, my lady." Someone behind me said. Philip, I thought. The duchess turned her head to the direction of Philip and glared at him. My knight kept a straight face, but he bowed when he saw us. The ladies at the back zipped their mouths.
"A knight dares to interrupt the conversation between the crown prince and me?" she said, sharply, to my knight.
"He is right, my lady." I cut off the tension between them.
"Oh, is that so? Forgive me, I forgot, your royal highness." She, then, smiled at me again and bowed. It's like she didn't gave death glares towards my knight earlier, huh. Along with the other ladies, they walked passed us and Philip bowed to them. I waited until all of them are out of my sight.
"Prince, what are you doing, wandering around here?" Philip's voice is almost crying in front of me. He may had a hard time a while ago because he cannot find me,
"Why do people know me, even though I don't attend these kind of…parties?" Philip sighed and pouted. Why is he pouting?
"You can't blame them, my prince. The king made sure they know your face as he declared to the whole country that you will now attend gatherings to represent the royal family." He explained.
I put my hand on my forehead and massaged my temple. "Father really knows how to give me trouble."
I gave my wine to Philip; I've had enough for today. "I told you to leave me alone for awhile." I said.
"I afraid I cannot do that, your royal highness."
"You dare to refuse my command?" I looked in his eyes, but it was closed. Huh, smart move.
"If it is about your safety, then I dare to do so." He replied to me.
"Fine, but do not bother me." I noticed something a while ago. At the end of the hallway, I saw a light. But I was interrupted before I could even walk towards it. Thankfully, the distractions are now gone. Except for the one on my side.
"Come to think of it, who invited these people? Even my father was invited." I asked Philip. We began to walk towards the direction from where I saw the light a while ago.
"It was the Irenty Family, your royal highness."
"Irenty?" the name seems familiar to me. "Why did they organize such a huge gathering?"
"Apparently, their daughter has come of age." He explained. So that explains why there were a lot of people and food inside.
"The debutante doesn't even show herself before us. Don't you think it's a little rude to their visitors?" I asked.
"According to the rumours outside the castle, it seems that Duchess Irenty forbid her daughter to step out of their manor for personal reasons." I didn't replied back to what Philip had told me, since we were now in front of the door where I saw the light earlier.
I opened it and the sunlight greeted me. Garden? So, we are outside?
I scanned my surroundings, only too see flowers, carefully arranged in an elegant manner. Someone must have all the time in the world in which they took care of this. It requires a lot of attention to do this.
"Who is there?!" Philip suddenly asked. I heard something dropped; I looked at the direction of it. I saw a lady in a blue dress with a white coat on. She had white gloves on both of her hands; her right hand was covering her mouth. Probably, she was shocked to see a person inside here.
But, what caught me off guard was her scarlet eyes and silver hair. There is only one family in the whole Anastifa who has scarlet eyes; and that is one unusual colour of hair to own. My eyes were glued on that part of her until she clutched her chest.
"L-Luke…" I heard her whisper. She said my name? She appears to be in pain that's why I tried to come near here.
"Do not, my lord. She must be some kind of mo—"I cut off Philip by slapping his left cheek.
"It is a disgrace of a royal knight to call a lady like that, Philip." I told him, coldly.
"I—Forgive me, your royal highness." He bended on one knee and bowed his head. I ignored her and focused on the woman in front of us. She looked fine now, unlike earlier.
She lifted up the side of her skirt, slightly, and bowed to me. "It is my honour to greet the royal highness."
"Lift your face." She did so. "You called me by my name earlier. How dare you call the prince without the honorific?" her eyes widen for a moment, as if realizing her mistake but she smiled at me. It is obvious that she is nervous. I saw how her hands grabbed the side of her skirt and she gulped before talking.
"I didn't, my lord. Maybe you heard it wrong." I arched my eyebrow at her answer. I didn't hear it wrong; you clearly called me 'Luke'.
I let go of the topic and turned to Philip, who still had his head bowed to me.
"Stand up, Philip, and apologize to the lady." He stood up but before he could speak, the lady raised her hands.
"It's alright; it's understandable he had a shock. After all, being a royal knight of the crown prince is a huge responsibility and it was probably the first time he saw me." she said before intertwining her hands together. I glanced at her hands and I saw that she was slightly shaking.
From what? Fear?
"May I know your identity?" I asked.
"Oh, I think it's the other way around, your royal highness." She put her right hand in front of her mouth and chuckled, lightly. I blinked a few times and got what she meant. Right, how stupid of me. It is not right for a lady to introduce herself first before a man.
"I am Prince Luke Norman Orion, the crown prince of Anastifa." I put my right hand on my left chest, put my leg behind the other and bowed slightly. It is the proper way to introduce yourself, in front of a lady. She smiled and bowed again.
"I am Duchess Chiyo Enola Irenty of Eternina; it is a pleasure to finally meet his royal highness."