"Quick come in quick, the young master is in trouble..." Ren ushered his words with extreme panic towards the newly arrived guests.
A young lady dressed in white robes as if she was a holy priest. She had long beautiful golden blonde hair and a necklace with the shape of the sun handing on her front chest.
Behind her were the maids and higher standing servants that chose to direct her to the youngest prince's room. They weren't necessarily concerned about his situation but instead were looking for an opportunity to gain information about the whole situation.
These servants were mainly informants on the payroll of the Empress, Nobles and even the second prince. It was impossible for Leon to know which was which, so this was part of his strategery to uncover the hidden threats.
"Butler Ren can you please calm yourself and explain to me the situation." The delicate-looking lady spoke while she maintained her way to the bedside of Leon.
It didn't take her long as she already dived into treating the prince with utmost care. Placing her hands in an organised fashion to check his pulse and so forth.
Ren lightly coughed and began reciting what Leon had told him earlier to do, "I deserve to be punished... Earlier when the young master received his food, he had called for a bath to be drawn so it was ready for after he ate. And so I left the room to complete my assignment but who would have thought that when I returned only a couple moments later he would have fallen to the floor and began to show signs of having some sort of reaction."
Ren expertly acted his part as if he was a concerned father. It helped that he was also worried slightly deep down as this was a very reckless move from Leon and totally not of character. It seemed he had changed somewhat after his midday stroll.
Continuing his story, Ren got to the main event, "When I checked the room for clues it seemed that peach slices had found their way into the meal for the young master and he must have accidentally consumed them. But the youngest prince is well known for being allergic to peaches..." A tear appeared in the corner of Ren's right eye as he wiped it away before pleading with the doctor to save the young master.
The female doctor now understanding the situation, took a bottle from her pouch and poured it down the youngest princes' throat. Ren didn't know what that concoction was but he didn't interrupt. For a doctor to do anything against the wellbeing of the patient was a death sentence for them. If it was found that they harmed the patient on purpose they would be executed without question. This was the law of the Maxwell Dynasty.
Knowing this Ren was relived as treatment started.
"Butler Ren, I suggest that you make this matter known as the youngest prince cannot have this happen again. It was lucky this time that I had the correct concoction on hand otherwise the youngest prince could have very well lost his life to this." The young lady sternly warned.
"Make sure the prince gets plenty rest in order to recover fully. I would refrain from moving too much in the near future until all symptoms have passed."
Turning away from Leon she put this matter behind her. She was the doctor and if she involved herself too much she ran the risk of poking her nose into something she didn't want a part of. It was clear as day that this 'mistake' wasn't so simple.
"Butler Ren, I will be leaving now. Please do call me if anything changes and I will come running. With that said, watch over the young prince. Good day." Without speaking much more the young lady departed quickly. It was evident that she wanted out of there before this whole situation escalated.
Before long Butler Ren was left in the room with a few servants that were whispering amongst themselves. "Everyone if you would leave, it's best if we don't disturb the young master. Just as the doctor said, he needs rest to recover fully."
*****
A few minutes passed and the previous crowded room had returned to its normal peaceful environment.
"Young Master, you can relax now!" Ren spoke while exhaling deeply. Releasing the burden of acting perfectly from his shoulders.
Almost instantly Leon sat up straight on his bed showing Ren a bright smile, "You did well Ren, truly!"
Hearing Leon's praise, Ren couldn't help but also smile, "Thank you, young master, it's always a pleasure to serve you."
"Enough with the praises..." Leon waved him off.
"Tell me, Ren, how many years have you served me?" Leon asked out of the blue, surprising butler Ren slightly.
"From the moment you were born young master. So I believe it is closing in on 14 years." Ren spoke nonchalantly.
"Then tell me, Ren, why do you still proceed to call me young master?" Leon asked with a slight pout as if he was a young teenage girl being teased by her crush.
"Young master?" Ren was utterly confused, this was the first time he had seen such an expression on the youngest princes' face. Normally he was aloof and detached from the world after being neglected by mostly everyone, he found it hard to express his true feelings.
"What shall I call you by then, young master?" Ren asked out to clear his doubt.
"What else other than my name, call me Leon!" Leon spoke with a commanding tone to express his stance on the subject. This was something Ren couldn't deny him.
Ren stayed silent for a few moments, seemingly touched by Leon's actions. For a butler-like Ren, this is something that could be called a way of expressing gratitude. For their master to treat them so friendly.
"Thank you, young master... I mean thank you, Leon... Truly!" Ren misspoke before correcting himself. It seemed this would take some getting used to.
Leon frowned but then returned to smiling seeing Ren correct himself. "Hehe, it's much better this way. Since I trust Ren with my life, please continue to call me Leon unless we are in front of important people. Then continue with your duties like always."
"As you wish Leon!" Ren smiled as he welcomed the new change openly.
"Now, Ren back to business. How much gold do I have currently in my allowance?"
"Money? Hmm, let's see..." Ren pondered for a moment or two before replying, "As far as finances go, you really don't have much money. The Empress normally shuts off anyway for you to enjoy yourself as a way to make your life miserable."
Hearing the words of Ren, Leon frowned deeply. However, he allowed Ren to carry on talking as he stayed silent till he finished his speech.
[It always the bloody Empress making my life difficult.]
"But with your mother's savings and the money that your sister sends secretly. You have roughly 400 taels of gold."
The money in the Maxwell Dynasty was simple. Bronze taels were the lowest currency and every 100 bronze taels turned into 1 silver tael. Every 100 silver taels turned into 1 gold tael. Of course, there was the platinum tael but that wasn't really used around the capital as that was to handle big financial exchanges.
"It's more than I thought to be honest..." Hearing the number that Ren produced. Leon didn't know if he should be happy or even sadder right now. Since most of that was his sister Rosie's money and she was sending it to her brother, without thinking of her own needs.
Leon and his older sister were from the same mother, Victoria Maxwell. She was the previous Empress but when she was giving birth to Leon, she grew terribly weak and ultimately died after pushing Leon out with all her strength.
Threw a miracle Leon managed to survive but he was then forced to grow up without a mother, just like Rosie. She had met her mother as she is just under two years older than Leon. Currently, she is nearing her 16th birthday and her coming of age ceremony.
But at every opportunity, she tries to be a good big sister for Leon and fill the gap of being motherless.
As for the situation with Leon's father the king, Alexander maxwell. He too was deeply in love with Victoria. So much so that he was greatly pained when she died and he couldn't help but blame Leon out of anger at the world. From the moment of his birth, he didn't interfere with Leon's life at all and allowed the newly appointed jealous Empress to secretly bully him.
From that day onward, he closed himself off from the idea of love and instead focused on being the empire's king.
[It won't be long before I can give you everything you want in this world. Dresses, fancy food, even money to spend enjoying theatre plays and festivals. I will give you the life you deserve Rosie!]
"Ren arrange all of that money and bring it to my room by lunchtime tomorrow. It's about time that we stop living like trash."
"And what better way than to make a statement at the upcoming banquet!" A smile found its way on Leon's face as he seemed to ooze a mysterious aura that made the onlooking Ren slightly excited.