The sun was just beginning to rise as William, heir to the kingdom, practiced his swordsmanship in the spacious field. His muscles flexed as he moved with fluid grace, sweat glistening on his forehead. Suddenly, a voice interrupted his concentration.
"Your Highness."
William turned to see an old servant approaching him, his eyes full of deference.
"Her Majesty calls you to come to her room," said the old man, conveying the message that was entrusted to him.
Without hesitation, William sheathed his sword and nodded in response. "Okay. I'll be right there."
The old man paid his respects and immediately excused himself from there.
"We'll continue the practice later," William said to the man who was his sparring partner today and then immediately walked away from the practice field.
The man's face was covered in sweat from doing the early morning training in the sunlit field, but that did not hide his handsome aura which made several female maids turn their heads secretly when they passed by the man.
William stood outside his room, taking a deep breath before entering. He needed to shower and change before meeting his mother, the Queen. He didn't know why she had called him, but he had to make a good impression.
As he walked down the corridor, he could feel the weight of his responsibilities weighing down on him. He was the Crown Prince, and his people were at war with the vampires. He had to appear strong and confident in front of his mother, even though he felt anything but.
The guard standing outside the Queen's room announced William's arrival before opening the door for him.
As he entered the room, he was surprised to see his father, the King, already there.
Once inside, William was a little surprised to see the figure of the King who was also there and his parents were having tea. He had forgotten that at this hour, his mother always drank tea
"Your Majesty," William greeted with a slight bow.
"You're here. Come sit down and join us," said the Queen then signaled him to sit in one of the empty chairs available at the table and join them.
William then sat down and looked at his parents with a confused expression. He knew that his parents had a good relationship and loved each other, but seeing the King having tea with the Queen like this made the man a little confused.
They are at war with Vampires. Why did the King look relaxed about that?
"I called the King to come here with us too," said the Queen when she saw her son's confused look.
She seemed to be able to think what her son was thinking.
William nodded, trying to appear composed. "What is it that you wanted to discuss, Your Majesty?"
The Queen didn't answer right away, she gracefully took another sip of her tea before looking at her son again.
"I heard you're looking for a woman," said the Queen casually. "How is that going?"
William's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected the Queen to ask about his search. "
My people are still looking," he replied calmly, trying not to show his nerves.
"So it's true?" asked the Queen, looking excited. "So who is this woman? Where did you meet her? Why are you even looking for her like that? Do you like her?" asked the Queen without stopping.
William just froze in place when he heard the many questions from his mother. He wasn't at all surprised that his mother's attitude was so different from what people thought.
Graceful and elegant.
Sometimes, his mother likes to act like this too, but she's a good mother.
What made William speechless was the last question from his mother.
'Do you like her?'
To be honest, William couldn't answer that question. He even had trouble answering the previous question about why he was looking for her like this.
Was it because the face of the woman whose hair was as black as night kept flashing in his mind and he wanted to see her again?
William immediately shook his head vigorously, dispelling the foolish thought. Did he just admit that he's attracted to her? At first glance?
No! It is not like that! That sounds so stupid!
He was looking for her because… because…
Ah! Right! He wanted to ask why she was in his room, and who sent her. She could have wanted to kill him, right?
"So you don't like her?" The Queen's tone sounded very disappointed as she said that.
"I have a reason why I'm looking for her," William said calmly. "Did Her Majesty the Queen summon me for a particular reason?" asked William, trying to change the subject.
The Queen only smiled faintly when she heard her son divert the conversation, a sign that he didn't want to discuss that topic anymore.
"That and there is more," replied the Queen, raised her glass and took a sip. "If you don't like the woman you're looking for, how about the daughter of the Duke Ross family?" The Queen asked with a smile, 'Wouldn't she make a suitable match for you, William?'
William's expression shifted again, this time with surprise. He hadn't even thought about marriage, let alone being set up with someone by his mother. His mother's next words confirmed his fear.
"You have to start thinking about your future, William," the Queen continued, her tone gentle. "Producing an heir for the Kingdom of Maeteron is your duty as the Crown Prince."
"Isn't that right, Your Majesty?" The Queen turned to her husband.
The man nodded when he heard it. "You are of the right age to marry."
William felt a sense of pressure building within him. He had always known that his future would involve marriage and producing an heir for the Kingdom of Maeteron, but the suddenness of the conversation was overwhelming.
The Queen smiled hearing that.
"Right now, you are indeed the Crown Prince, but you must remember that there is still Prince Louis," she warned, her voice low and serious. "I heard that right now Lucy is trying to approach the York family to set up their daughter with Prince Louis. You have to hurry."
William sighed when he heard that. Lucy is his father's mistress, and Louis is his half brother.
If the York family managed to unite with them, his brother could have power even though he was an illegitimate child.
"I don't plan to get married anytime soon, Your Majesty," William replied, his voice tinged with frustration.
"Right now we're still at war with the vampires. This is not the right time to get married. After all, I will still be King even if Louis marries the daughter of the York family. Isn't that right, King Edward?" asked William looking at the King.
The king, who was drinking his tea, put down his glass again when he heard that they were engaging him in their conversation.
Before the King could answer, suddenly a voice called from outside asking permission to enter because they had something important to say.
An old man wearing a butler's outfit immediately entered and bowed, and looked at William.
"Your Highness…."
***
As usual, in front of the royal entrance there are two guards on guard even though the sun is currently shining so bright.
The two of them were still standing firmly in front of the door, ignoring the hot sun on this sunny day.
The faces of the two of them, which previously looked serious, began to change to a wary one when from a distance they could see someone approaching while wearing a coat with a hood to hide.
They finally took out their swords when they saw the suspicious person getting closer until they were only a few meters away from them.
"Stop!" one of the guards commanded, pointing his sword. "Show me your identity and the reason you came here or I'll think you are a threat," he continued.
The person wearing the coat with a hood finally stopped when they heard that, and started to lift their hood to reveal their face.
A woman with a white face and long black hair was immediately visible.
"I am the person the Crown Prince is looking for!" said the person who was none other than Christine.