Almira watched him intensely. Dante felt uncomfortable under her scrutiny and shifted in his seat several times.
Kitanna noticed his movements and turned to Almira, who didn't even blink.
"Are you sure you're full, princess? You've barely eaten anything, though you were scolding me for being twenty minutes late", Kitanna attempted to steal her attention away from Dante.
"You talk too much", Almira replied without looking away from Dante. "Is my gaze making you uncomfortable?"
Dante choked at the question. Kitanna quickly poured him a glass of water. Dante finished it in one gulp and dropped the glass.
"So…. What exactly made you choke?" Almira smirked. He almost choked the second time. Deciding he couldn't handle further embarrassment, he opted to leave the table.
"T-Thank Y-You for the meal. M-May… I leave now?" He asked, bowing his head.
"No, you may not. Finish your breakfast, I'm leaving anyways". Almira stood and walked out of the kitchen after that.
Dante sat slowly, staring at the door with worry. He couldn't tell if she was upset. Her voice sounded normal. He turned to Kitanna, who was quietly enjoying her food.
"I think I angered her. Can you please apologize to her on my behalf?" He asked. Kitanna looked up with a smile.
"She's not upset, alright, stop being cute. I'm sure she's probably taking a walk or something. It's not that serious", She assured him. Dante nodded even though he didn't believe it. Why did she suddenly decide to leave then?
He kept his questions to himself and finished up his food. He cleared up the dishes quickly. When he picked up the spoon, the memory of her shoving it into his mouth flashed in his mind. A smile crossed his face. Who would believe in this life he could share a spoon with another human being, talk more of a princess?
"Why are you smiling at a spoon?" Kitanna suddenly came behind him, startling him.
'I might just die from all this embarrassment', he thought.
"Ummm… I was just putting it away.." he stuttered, pushing the spoon quickly into the cabinet. Kitanna shook her head with a smile.
"Thank you for the food. I haven't had something that delicious in a very long time." He bowed in appreciation.
"You made it, so it's only right you get a portion of it. Please stop bowing to me, I feel awkward".
"Oh," he mumbled.
Dante exited the kitchen shortly after. The plan was to sleep in a bit so his hurting body would get some time to heal. With Guirello around, he didn't see that happening, but he hoped nonetheless.
"Dante." He stopped hearing Xander's voice. "Are you expecting me to walk to you?"
On hearing that, Dante sighed and turned around. All his hopes of getting sleep died as he approached the arrogant man. He stopped a few meters away to avoid being shoved.
"Greetings, your highness," Dante bowed. Xander's expression twisted into a frown.
"Why do I sense sarcasm every time you address me like that?" Xander mused. Dante stared at him innocently. He had no reason to address Xander sarcastically. Even if he had one, he didn't have the guts. "Won't you say something?"
"I'm sorry you feel that way, your highness," Dante apologized.
"Now you're doing it again," Xander hissed.
"Is there something you would like to say, your highness? I mean… any errand you want me to do?" Dante asked politely. He wasn't ready to listen to the prince's rant when all he wanted to do was sleep.
"The King asked me to write up a business proposal for Malgolf. You know how influential those businessmen are. It is very difficult to get them to invest in anything..."
"You want me to write the proposal for you" Dante frankly interrupted. Xander glared at him, reminding Dante of his superiority. "I'm sorry. It's just that I already know who they are, so I thought I should spare you the explanation," Dante explained meekly.
Xander scoffed, "Don't interrupt me next time. Anyway, I need it ready in three days. Here are the necessary documents."
Dante took the file carefully.
"Remember, it must be ready in three days. I will not tolerate any mistakes" Xander stated. Dante nodded, flipping through the files.
"Can I work in your study? You know the soldiers like to mess with me, they might ruin the documents just to have a good laugh," Dante said.
"That is your business to deal with. I want them in three days and you better have it ready by then."
Dante watched Xander walk away, oozing off his stupid arrogance. Dante thought of where to go. He wasn't allowed anywhere near the living area. The kitchen was a risky choice and his barn was worse.
He would have easily gone to the library if the kind Bridget was still a librarian. He usually spent all his free time there, reading books to ease his mind. Unfortunately, the new librarian couldn't stand him. She didn't even want him anywhere around the block.
The only other place he could think of was the cliff and that meant sneaking out. He couldn't even remember the last time he visited the ocean. A feeling of dread came over him when he remembered the last time he tried sneaking out.
Was it worth it? To the best of his knowledge, Xander wouldn't bat an eyelash if he was caught.
Dante held the file tightly and returned to the barn. Then he heard it.
"No… no…no, please. This cannot be happening to me now…." He muttered, pleadingly, but the strange melody began to get louder. Dante didn't even realize when he dropped the file, all he wanted to do was shut the strange song out of his head.
He screamed as it grew louder and faster. He clasped his hands around his ear, desperate to shut it out. His heart pounded heavily against his chest until he could barely breathe.
He let out an animalistic growl and his mind blanked out, leaving him with no knowledge of everything that happened after that.