His highness strolled through the corridor, while his butler, Max followed him. Eddie's head was slouched, while his body paced slowly, past several doors and pillars. Max couldn't make out his highness's feelings.
His highness was walking along, hiding his proud face from his butler. Eddie tried to decrease the proximity between him and his butler, taking large steps against the small.
Something had cut him deep. His countenance was flat and expressionless. Nemesis continued, till he reached his imperial space.
On approaching his room gate, he was about to twiddle the doorknob, when Max bowed low and said" I shall take your leave, dear Prince, have a peaceful night." uttering the last word, he stood muted, lending the trait of the last spoken word to his actions. " Be quick with your steps." Without turning his glance at Max, Eddie spoke in a hoarse heavy voice.
The roughness of his master shook Max. Without uttering any word he returned his steps along the corridor, to his room. " I have seen his pain-stricken eyes, his tear-slapped face, and sensed the chaos of gloominess, exasperation and desperation blended. Never in hundred years." Max's mind sensed something, his soul became full of passion. Eddie stood beside the door, staring at Max with longingness.
Eddie entered the room and began to cry leaning against the wall, beating his mind against the guilt, to which he was subject. He jumped on his bed, folded himself in the high-priced duvet, and pressed his masculine body against it.
Meanwhile, Sophia was thinking about Eddie with contempt. " Your master must be eccentric, sorry to say that. I want to see his brother's manners tomorrow." She opened both her palms and exaggerated in a slow tempo.
The next day, with the radiance of sunlight, kissing her face, Sophia stretched her sluggish body and parted her eyelids, her eyes gazing through a narrow slit. Then advancing them further, she rose from the bed slowly, untangling her messed-up hair with the comb.
Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. With her eyes half opened, she unlocked the latch," Who is..". and sealed her mouth, looking at the elegantly dressed gentleman, Eddie standing, facing her, with up-curved lips. Sophia's eyelids opened width, her eyebrows half raised, and lips pursed. She was about to mumble something when Eddie pressed her palms" Dear, ready yourself. Max has laid the breakfast on the table." his words were sweet-toned.
Sophia parted her lips and shifted her eyes to the left and right as if searching for something. Then landing her gaze on Eddie, she asked" Where is your brother, was he not coming today?" Her eyebrows creased.
Eddie chuckled at what Sophia asked him. " He will be hereafter straight 2 hours. Why so desperate to meet him? You know that you will have to stay inside this room. You can't meet him." saying so Eddie moved away from her gaze, while Sophia stood there, dumb.
" Eddie asked the right question. Even I don't know"Why am I so desperate to meet him"?" Then shrugging her shoulders, Sophia abstained from mulling over the thoughts further.
After adorning herself with beautiful jewellery, and a neat hairstyle with tendrils, protruding from her he'd hair to the sides of her cheeks, she looked no less than a princess. The scent of roses of a perfume filled in a glass jar, built in a walnut column-shaped design, filled Sophia's gown with fragrance.
She trod slowly to the great hall. As she opened the door to the great hall, several faces turned at her. These were the same four faces, that she had seen before.
As she seated herself beside Henry, he shifted his gaze at her " Your highness, you look quite beautiful. This colour suits you. Isn't it William?" William withdrew his swamped mind to look at Sophia, only to find his gazes paralysed. He was mesmerised by Sophia's beauty.
" Miss Sophia is looking like an angel, so lovely, so pure, so dainty. Isn't it true, Prince Eddie?" He blinked his eyes to look at his highness.
" Sophia is no doubt an epitome of goodness, virtues and beauty. She is a paragon in the hearts of several men." Eddie spoke in an interesting tone, chewing his food and speaking.
Sophia curved her eyelids, saying" Thank you, William and Henry, you sensed my beauty." Eddie looked up, feeling awful at not being mentioned. He lifted his right brow and folded his arms. Sophia gave him a quick look and turned her gaze away.
Suddenly, Henry felt the pocket of his blazer heat up. " Something is burning her, isn't it?" Sophia sniffed her nose harder. " He has arrived, quickly settle the tables, take away all the plates." Eddie stood up and alarmed his subordinates to quick motion. His body movements were quick. " I will take care of the rest, first take Sophia away from here," Eddie spoke with high intensity.
" What? I thought I will see his brother. Maybe from the keyhole, I guess." Sophia spoke to herself, while William took her to her room. When both of them entered the room, he locked the room from the inside. " Stay here and be calm. Eddie has given me the duty to look after you and stay here for a few hours. He has to meet his brother, dear." William spoke in a calm tone.
" Okay, no problem. I will draw something on the canvas, till then." Saying so, Sophia opened the drawer of the big almirah and brought out several paints, pencils, a ruler, a glass, pent brushes and other supportive material. " Will see you paint it." William seated himself on the wooden chair.
While Eddie was busy outside hugging and greeting his brother. Sophia focused on drawing a portrait on the canvas. She would scribble the face roughly, holding her thumb straight, to measure the face division and rub away the unnecessary details, while William grinned warmly, reading the book silently, on the glass table.
" Do tell me, when it's completed. I want to see it." He told Sophia softly.
After two hours, When the portrait was complete. Sophia walked slowly towards William, the canvas clasped at her back in her hand. " Guess whose portrait have I made?" Sophia closed her eyes and curved her lips up.
" mm, Prince Eddie," William answered in a flat tone while skimming the book.
" No, not him." Sophia folded her eyebrows.
"Then, you have made mine?" William closed the book and raised his half shut-eye.
" Will make your portrait next time, I promise." Sophia smiled," But it's not you, not Henry, not Max."
" Then who?" William twisted his raised palms.
Sophia brought to William's eyes, the concealed portrait " See, this is the lover I was talking about, the whole day." Sophia made sure William saw the portrait.
" What?" William raised his body to stand in shock." You are joking me, this can't be your lover." William's voice began to tremble. " Tell me how you know him, Eddie was right to lock you in this palace."
" What happened, William! Why are you so tensed? Why is your heart racing, and face turned so red? Do you know this person, Joe?" Sophia spoke with high intensity and a fast-paced voice.
" Joe? What Joe?" William agitated, his eyes closed and forehead wrinkled." He is Franklin Hamilton, Eddie's brother and not your Joe." A strange silence covered the room.
Sophia's heart slowed, and her mind was stopped for a while. Then filling a deep breath, Sophia answered in a flat tone," Maybe, you are mistaken. This is Joe, my lover. You aren't mistaking him for Eddie's brother, are you?" Sophia paced slowly towards William, pressing both her hands against his cheeks. "So my dear general won't defend me from this war of chaos? What's happening here?" Sophia's eyes swelled with tears.
" Dear, you have to stay here. You can't go out to meet Franklin. Our master would drop unconsciously on finding out that your lover is Franklin. He won't spare himself." William clutched his hair in anxiety.