A young man dressed in a fine royal robe with a baby-like face, stood smiling widely at them, specifically at Hazel.
Noticing this, Dorian's expression clouded and he loudly cleared his throat to divert his focus away from his sister.
The young man hastily averted his stare and turned to face Dorian, only to have his eyes flicker when he saw the displeased expression on his face.
Not failing to understand why he wasn't looking too happy, he promptly proceeded to flatter him and brighten his mood. "It's wonderful to see you both here, Your Highness. Please follow me, my father is waiting." He smiled broadly. as he gestured towards the entrance, but Dorian scoffed at him and signaled for his men to get Akai out of the carriage.
He then turned to confront the young man, staring him down with a terrible expression on his face. "Rohan, keep away from my sister or else!" He threatened with cold eyes and Rohan gulped hard with a glint of fear in his eyes.
The royal guards hauled Akai out of the carriage, and Rohan's brows immediately furrowed upon seeing him. 'Who is he? And why is he in such bad shape?.' He questioned himself and turned to face Dorian, who ignored him and grabbed his sister by the wrist before walking into the palace building.
When they reached the entrance, the royal guards on either side bowed deeply and pushed open the massive door.
They walked in and were greeted by lovely maids dressed in pink maid outfits with their hair tied up and adorned with a few hairpins.
"Your highness." They greeted and Dorian nodded at them before following behind them, his hand still clutching his sister's wrist.
They continued walking for a few minutes before coming to a halt in front of a chamber with a red-colored door. "Your highness, this room is yours." One of the maids with blonde hair and very fair skin turned to Dorian and stated.
"Mhm…" Dorian nodded and they pushed the door open for him.
He walked in and ordered the royal guards to place Akai's bleeding body on the chair in the center of the room. "Please send me a physician as soon as possible. He needs immediate treatment " He said to one of the maids with black short hair, who nodded immediately and walked away.
"Your Highness, please excuse us while we show the princess her chamber." They bowed deeply and turned to leave, with Hazel trailing behind.
The guards shut the door and Dorian strolled towards a nice-looking chair and sat down on it. He glanced beside a table and picked one of the books he saw on it. "Hmm...Unknown lies..." The title of the book slid off his tongue, and as he isn't much of a reader, he tossed it aside and rose to investigate Akai.
His fingertips traced his wound and he couldn't help but shake his head in shock. How was this possible? How strong was this youngster to remain breathing despite such a wound? Given how much time they had been delayed before entering the city gate, he was meant to have given up if his calculation was true. Not to mention the fact that he was bleeding!
His eyes narrowed into a thin line and he continued to investigate more, but a quick knock on the door caused him to pause and turn to look at the door with a less than pleased expression on his face.
"Your highness, your presence in the throne hall is required by His Majesty." A deep masculine voice prompted him to move towards the door and open it, only to be greeted by a blonde-haired middle-aged man dressed in an armor suit. "Your highness." He quickly bowed and Dorian nodded at him before turning to look at Akai once more.
He stepped out of the room and the royal guards closed the door behind him, then together with the middle-aged man, they strolled towards the throne hall.
________
Within the room, Akai blinked his eyes open and groaned heavily in pain. He clutched his injured chest and attempted to stand, but discovered he couldn't. His body appeared to be immobilized at the time.
He took a few long breaths and tried again, but he couldn't. He finally managed to sit up for the fifth time, despite being fatigued, and sighed profoundly in pain.
The memories of the tragedy flashed before his eyes as he looked at the wound on his chest and his hands clenched in sudden anger. His jaw became tighter, and he touched his face with his palm as he sensed something wrapped around it.
When he realized it was clothing, he couldn't help but think it was a girl who had done it. He understood how girls turn into clowns when they see his face, therefore it had to be a girl. He slightly shook his head and proceeded to untie the clothing, but he came to a halt when the door pushed open, and in, strolled Hazel and an elderly man with white hair dressed in a pristine white robe.
They came to a complete stop when they spotted Akai sitting up and locked eyes with him. They remained silent, staring at each other without saying anything.
_______
Dorian entered the throne room and bowed to King Sierra, who was seated on his high throne with a smile on his face. He was dressed in a black robe, and his short hair rested on his shoulder.
"Prince Dorian, welcome." He chuckled softly and Dorian allowed a half-smile to appear on his face.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I heard you are calling for me. What could the problem be?" He inquired, and the king shook his head slightly. "Oh, it's nothing; I just want to make sure you're having a good ti-" He was yet to finish his words when a scream from Hazel resounded and Dorian swiftly turned around, his face darkening as he dashed off.