"Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep burning, unquenchable."- Henry Ward Breecher
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I was getting anxious as we walked closer toward the door, but I couldn't tell dad or he would kind of make fun of me so I kept quiet.
When the guard opened the door, the sunlight blinded my eyes. My parents were already inside greeting them, while I was trying to see.
The reason for this much light in a single room is simple: gold and mirrors. They were everywhere, I was baffled to see so much of it, so much so that I didn't hear my father calling me.
"Hassan, come greet his majesties and the prince." I hurried and bowed. When I hear a loud laugh, I raise my head. I met a very small boy with flamboyant red hair and golden eyes, very intriguing but beautiful.
The emperor is the one laughing, he is a large and tall man, almost as tall as father. He shares the same red hair of his son but he has green eyes. He smiled warmly at me.
The empress is sitting alone on a couch, watching us from afar with cold eyes. She looks very angry for some reason. Her hair, very pale skin and golden eyes make her look threatening and mean-like.
I, by instinct, hide behind my dad.
"Oh oh, there is no need to be scared, young man. Why don't you and Alexander go play outside with the nanny while we talk?" The emperor proposed. At first I wanted to argue but my parents agreed before I could talk and I was sent away with the weird boy.
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"So, what do you want to do?" I asked him once we were outside. The nanny was sitting on the near bench, watching a tree. He didn't respond and looked at me with big eyes.
"Hey, your highness I'm talking to you!" I waved in front of his face, he blinked twice before walking away.
I call him but he doesn't stop. I try to tell the nanny but she doesn't care and tells me to mind my own business before going back to staring at the tree.
As I didn't know what to do, I followed the little boy. He was walking at a slow pace, confidently and never looking once at me.
"Where are we going?" I asked when I felt that we were going very far from the main garden. The trees were no longer cut by perfection, it was no longer a garden but a forest.
I was starting to panic a bit, I did not know where the prince was heading to but he did not want to respond to me.
"Your highness!! Hey, boy! Where are we going?!!" I grab him by the shoulder and shake to gain some response. He doesn't look at me but points with his finger in a direction.
"Young Baron, I believe your parents didn't teach you how to behave in society. It is the last time that you shall address and touch me that way, do not forget that I am the crown prince of this empire, if you dare do this again I won't let it slide and you will be punished. " He pushed me away from him and gave me a cold look, the one her mother had given me. He continued to walk as if nothing happened.
I was taken by surprise, I didn't budge for a few seconds before I ran after him.
This small boy of five had quite an attitude.
"Hey, your highness, I thought you were a quiet and shy kid, looks like you fooled everyone?" I grin, he gives me a side eye.
"My parents always tell me how shy and cute they are, this little sheltered prince that doesn't seem to understand the outside world." I say in a sarcastic tone, he suddenly stops.
"Your parents are a bunch of animals in heat that never cease to reproduce, and for my part, I come from a respectful background, from royal blood so don't address me as if I was your friend!" I stop smiling and he looks like he regrets what he just said.
" Young baro-"
"Ahahaha, I knew it, you aren't so creative. Animals in heat, that is such a common insult you could have said that my father is basically a prostitute who serves an incubator for my other father, that would have been a new one. But, like I said, you are very shallow, your highness. "I laugh and his face becomes red. He starts running and I follow him.