His silver hair flew with the wind of summer when he ran towards the palace of his brother again.
This time his steps were more urgent. He wanted to warn his brother about the trick his mother was going to play.
He was glad that this time there was no one to stop him.
"I am here to meet his highness, the crown prince." The knights exchanged glances as it was rare that Luci came to meet the crown prince even when their palace was beside each other yet they nodded since they knew the crown prince adored his younger brother too much.
They let him go in. holding his breath, he stared at each thing in the palace with a nostalgic look on his face.
One decade ago, when his brother died on his sixteenth birthday, Luci had seen how this place had withered away and was later used by that vicious woman as her palace.
He had asked his mother many times to throw that woman out of the palace since she was the empress but his mother had turned blind eye to her every action.
She even asked him to stay away from the matter, telling that the woman was more dangerous than he thought.
If she was so dangerous then she should have just killed her. Why was she so afraid of using her authority?
Later, as she had thought, that vicious woman had controlled his father completely and even taken the place of queen..
He loathed his mother for being so stubborn and passive towards the woman when she was so vicious towards him and his brother.
"Oh, you are here Luci! When I heard that you had come to meet me, I thought that you would come directly to my study. Who would have thought that you are here to take a stroll." his body turned rigid while his eyes turned teary, he did not realize that his brother could have this effect on him.
His legs trembled a bit as he mustered all his strength to turn back.
"Why are you behaving like that? Did something happen?" she could see his brows furrowed as his face filled with worry.
Though he was trying to behave calmly, Luci could feel the flickering of his eyes.
"Why are you not replying?" he asked in a louder voice this time but Luci still did not say a word.
He was afraid that he would cry like a baby if he would open his mouth. A lump was formed on his throat while his eyes turned watery.
His brother had already covered the distance and was now standing in front of him. His concerned eyes were scanning his body with worry as if he was trying to find the hidden injuries.
He took a deep breath, when he did not find any injury or even a scratch but Luci was still looking like he would cry any moment that confused him.
"Lucio!" he called in a stern voice and that was the breaking point.
The tears started to flow out of his eyes like a broken dam. He did not cry when Lennox had died. He had not cried when he died himself but now that he saw Lennox standing in front of him well, he felt like he could not bear it anymore.
Lennox panicked. Since his mother died, he was transferred to this lonesome palace and since then he had not met his father except for a formal gathering where they could talk freely.
And his new mother who had been kind to him in the start had distanced herself soon. When Lucio was born, he was so happy as he would get a sibling but the empress did not let them meet enough to grow a bond.
Even if they meet, she would keep a close eye that made the whole thing even awkward.
Adding to that, he was assigned so many classes to get himself prepared for ascending the crown and the pressure that he felt from the family of his mother's side. He had forgotten how to express himself or soothe others.
He fidgeted and looked around to ask for help but there were only knights who did not move even an inch.
In fact, they stared at him as if he had dubious intentions towards the crown prince.
"Luci, if you did not tell me the reason for your suffering. I will not be able to help you. Calm down and tell me who hurted you, I would make sure that the man would suffer twice." he held the shoulders of the kid and stared at him.
Though he was trying to behave calmly, his panicked face looked as if he would beat Luci if he did not tell him what the problem was!
"I am crying because I missed you brother!" wiping his face from the sleeves of his shirt, he even snorted at them, shocking all the knights standing around.
Even Lennox looked at him with wide eyes. He might be the crown prince but Luci was known as the perfect prince.
He never showed his emotions and behaved like a person who had no weakness but now he was crying like a baby just because he missed Lennox.
"That.. I am here. Aren't i? Why are you crying like a kid then?" he asked as he did not know how to console him when he rubbed his eyes and then blinked while starting at his brother,
"But, brother Len, I am a child, a 5 year old child. Did you forget that because you have not come to meet me for a whole month?"
"That.." Lennox fidgeted more as he was not expecting him to accept that he was a kid readily when princes can never show their weakness.
"Is it because my evil mother is giving you a hard time?"
"..."
[ i am a new writer who did not have any experience. please leave a few suggestions and comments for motivation. thank you.]