It was.. an awkward situation to be in.
There were only 4 perpendicular chairs in the Agalia household, and sitting on one side was the Prince and opposite him was Alune.
Bello was serving coffee as they did not have any tea for guests. Also, he had a black tape on his mouth to prevent him from speaking.
"I'm sorry your majesty, but this is all we have.."
"Oh. It's alright, I'm used to the coffee that you always give me."
"What?"
Alune was dumbfounded by the Prince's statement. He did not serve the Prince coffee at all! In fact, Alune knew that this was the first time that the Prince came to his abode!
"Mind if I ask.. But, what is your majesty's purpose in coming here?"
The Prince tilted his head in confusion as if asking '"What is this guy talking about?".
"Uhh.. The same as always..?"
The Prince's statement had not made sense at all! Alune was really confused about his statement, he had been acting as if he had already been here many times!
However, Alune had to maintain his composure and tried to go with the flow.
"Ahh.. Haha- Yes, of course."
Alune then laughed awkwardly and wore a pleasant smile on his face. But deep inside he was screaming in confusion.
'What is this guy talking about?!'
Alas, he had to stay calm and maintain his image so as to not disrespect the Prince.
The white-haired Prince took a sip of his coffee and breathed out a sense of pleasantry. He seemed satisfied by the taste of the coffee, though Alune had not expected someone part of royalty to enjoy the meager taste of coffee.
He thought that they were all fancy and drank tea and stuff!
'I guess that's a new thing that I've learned..'
"I-is the coffee to your liking, your majesty?"
When suddenly, the Prince set down his mug and stared directly at Alune. Startled by this, Alune's body shook in fear when he realized that he may have offended the Prince. So, he immediately apologized.
"I am so sor-"
The Prince then cut off Alune's sudden apology.
"Brother Alune can you stop with the "your majesty" act please?"
"Huh?"
Alune was perplexed by the sudden statement of the Prince.
'Does he not want to be called your majesty?' Alune thought.
Bello, who was watching from the sidelines, carefully observed the Prince's mannerisms. Bello has always been observant about things, and he has a wide perception when it comes to handling many tasks.
As he gazed upon the Prince, he noticed the similarities that he possesses with that black-haired fiend.
As time passed by, Bello seemed to notice more and more of the similarities that they had. From the way the Prince sits down at the chair, to the way he drinks his coffee, and even the way he speaks!
The way that he handled himself seemed like he was very comfortable and familiar with their place!
So, upon this blazing realization, Bello was tempted to speak.
Then, Bello ripped the black tape from his mouth. He was not sure if he was right or wrong, but he had to do it anyway.
Cutting off Alune and the Prince's awkward conversation, Bello let out his loud voice.
"Are you somehow related to that scumbag Veritas or something?!"
Alune immediately froze in shock due to his brother's words, he saw the Prince's gaze darken and he felt that it was over for the two of them.
'He's done it now! We'll be imprisoned for life, thrown into the dungeon, and tortured for eons! You foolish little brother!'
Bello saw the Prince's face darken and sweat dropped down from his temples. Maybe it was not a good idea after all!
With the Prince's mood sullen, he sat right up and held Bello in his shoulders. Bello could do nothing but cower at the Prince's wrath!
"Who are you calling scumbag you- you bastard!"
"I'm sorry your majest- huh?"
"What?!"
"Are you really related to that scu- Veritas?"
The Prince looked dumbfounded by Bello's statement and he sighed deeply at his stupidity.
"You really are as dumb as you look!"
Bello stared at the Prince as if he had been offended by the sudden insult.
'Does he want to pick a fight? If he had not been royalty, I would've punched him by now..'
The Prince then sighed even more deeply and looked Bello dead in the eyes.
"I'm Veritas you dumb bastard!"
The two brothers froze and their faces were as pale as the clouds up in the sky.
*
Sitting with crossed arms and a cold face was Veritas, who was opposite the two brothers who looked at him with doubt.
They whispered amongst themselves, questioning if he really was the real deal.
"Is he really the Prince?"
"I know right brother, he doesn't seem 'princely' to me"
"You're right, you're right."
"Shall we call the knights then?"
"Maybe we should."
Veritas cleared his throat upon hearing the two's silent exchange. He stared at them coldly, as if he couldn't believe what the two brothers were doing.
"You two really don't know?"
The two brothers gazed upon each other once more before contemplating whether to reply to Veritas or not.
"Bello.. I thought I told you when we first met that I was the Prince."
Bello thought for a couple while before finally responding.
"Oh yeah, I remember that. But I thought you were joking! Uh- your majesty."
"Stop that your majesty thing and no! I was not joking at all. I thought you knew."
"Your demeanor didn't seem to be of royalty back then.."
'This guy!' Veritas had thought, he was really tempted to hit him in the head but he rejected that thought.
"So all this time I was here, you both didn't know?"
"We didn't"
"Nope"
Veritas shook his head at the misunderstanding that transpired between the three of them. He for sure thought that they both knew of him being a Prince!
"Is it because of the hair?"
"Yeah."
"Kinda.."
As his Father was using the Faceless Mask, Veritas had no choice but to come to the Agalia household without changing his appearance. He thought that nothing bad could happen as he was quite capable of defending himself after all.
Still, Veritas did not realize the misunderstanding that was brought upon by not using the mask. He sighed due to the confusing situation that he was put on.
"You two are really.. Hah.. Shall I reintroduce myself like I introduced myself to you back then Bello?"
Veritas stood up from the chair, and elegantly bowed at the two brothers.
"I am Veritas Alpas Elrod, the Prince of Elrod, I am pleased to meet you both.."
Alune panicked at the scene in front of him. The Prince was bowing towards them! The Prince of Elrod, one of the most prosperous kingdoms in the world!
"Ah- Veritas no need to bow. It's fine really.."
With those words, Veritas straightened his body and stared at the two once more. They were looking at him as if they were pressured or scared. Veritas had seen this scenario countless times before.
When he met Bello and saw his reaction to him revealing that he was Prince, Veritas felt happy because he had not been treated like he was royalty but rather as a person.
Usually, when people was faced towards Veritas, he could see the privileged treatment that they gave him. He did not like that at all!
Every friend he made in the past was two-faced. They were merely becoming his friend in order to gain an advantage in terms of politics. Veritas wanted friends that would not use him as a political tool. Veritas wanted friends that could treat him as it is.
So, the unusual treatment that the brother's gave him was a refreshing new look at life.
But now, the scene repeated itself once more. Veritas had thought that he has finally made genuine friends, but it was really disappointing after all.
'I guess I'll leave after this.'
Veritas' face had now turned indifferent and cold, gazing upon the brothers with emptiness in his eyes.
When suddenly, Bello sighed and uttered words that echoed inside Veritas' mind.
"I guess you're still that same scumb- guy after all- Why are you staring at me like that? Do you plan on gambling once more, I have no money left!"
Veritas' empty eyes lit up once more, he had been wrong after all..
Seeing the same treatment that he had received for the past couple months made him feel reassured. These are different people that lived different lives, of course they were not the same as the noble people that were the same age as him.
Veritas then grinned and stared at Bello, with scheming in his eyes.
"Don't worry friend. I've brought more funds with me."
Bello looked as if he was going to throw up on the spot, learning to never doubt a Prince once again.