"Every night, my son sneaks out of the palace. Do you know why? " Queen Rosalyn interrogated the captain in charge of her son's security. "Is it to see a woman?"
Captain Davon wished the prince snuck out of the palace to see a woman. Such scandal is easier to handle and clean up.
"No, my queen...its a man, " he answered with a heavy heart.
"My son prefers the company of men?" the queen panicked. She was racked with the knowledge. Her son, the future king of Sevigoria, preferred the company of men in bed.
The news was dangerous for a prince. It can aid his enemies to snatch the throne from him. The ton will never accept a king that can never give the kingdom an heir.
Her heart was burdened. "Does he have a male lover?"
The captain lowered his head. The truth wasn't as simple as the queen believed. The prince was far more complicated with a tendency to stir up trouble.
"He has no lover... yet, " the captain regrettably let out.
"What does that mean?"
"I'm afraid the prince spends his nights stalking and ambushing an innocent man to be his lover. He is quite adamant in his pursuit, " Captain Davon reported.
Queen Rosalyn felt her heart in her throat. When she took it upon herself to find out of her son's affairs. She didn't expect to hear all that the captain had to say.
"Who is the poor lad my son is tormenting?" she dared to ask.
"The lad is tormented, but he is far from poor!" Captain Davon exclaimed. That is what worried him about the prince's actions. The prince was shadowing the richest man in the kingdom. "It's Gael Vondrak," he added.
The queen nearly collapsed to the ground. The name Vondrak was powerful enough to keep the king restless. That alone was enough to get her blood running cold.
Angering the Vondrak family wasn't in the best interest of her son, not if he intends to ascend the throne after his father. Cold sweat trickled down queen Rosalyn's face.
Her heart thundered exotically in her chest, skittering with fear. She had no idea how to clean up the mess.
"How favoured is Gael to his father?"
She questioned how to access the situation. To find out how enraged Lord Vondrak will be were he to learn that the prince was shadowing his son to force a relationship on him.
"Lord Vondrak favours Gael most of all of his children. Gael possesses holdings and lands that far surpasses the elites of the kingdom a great deal, " Captain Davon informed the queen.
The queen paled, her face drained of colour, her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. She couldn't afford to have her son anger the most powerful family in the kingdom before his coronation.
She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. Light fading from her eyes, the prince's preferences were going to be the end of her.
"Has Gael responded to his advances in any way?"
Davon shook his head to refute the queen's train of thoughts. In all of their encounters, the prince did the talking and took the initiative to advertise to Sir Vondrak of the benefits he offers. Gael listens on occasions and runs away when the prince gets touchy and handsy with him.
"We are in dire circumstances, " the queen exclaimed. She pushed open the doors to the prince's chambers and walked in. Captain Davon locked the door behind her to give her and the prince some privacy.
Queen Rosalyn ambled into the room with a shattered heart. Chaos is living rent-free in her mind from all she learned from the Captain.
"Have you considered the proposal of marriage I presented to you? " she inquired of her son.
"I don't need a wife. I already have you and my sisters to make me miserable, " the prince responded.
"Angelus, you are to be king. You'll need a queen to stand with you, " Rosalyn pointed out to him.
"I'm not a puppet to be strung along for power, mother. I won't get married, " Prince Angelus argued. His stance was unwavering.
"She is young, beautiful, rich, and powerful enough to trump the other houses in line for the throne. No one will question your ascension, " Rosalyn brought to light, hoping to sway her son's mind. "At least meet her before you dismiss her. "
"Huh... Mother, please spare us both the trouble of this back and forth argument. Nothing you say will change my stance on this matter, " Prince Angelus uttered lazily.
"Why is that?"
"I have no intentions of pampering a spoiled brat. Even one as pretty as Saskia Anders, " Prince Angelus said, he set aside the book he was reading and stood from the table.
"Is it Gael Vondrak the one you wish to pamper?" Rosalyn questioned her son.
Prince Angelus's eyes shone with desire at the mention of Gael's name. He made no effort to hide his feelings. He straightened his shirt and approached his bed.
Queen Rosalyn massages her forehead to wade off a headache. Her son chooses the worst time to develop a queer preference.
"Saskia Anders would hardly make you miserable. She will make for a good wife and an amazing queen," the queen let out in a honey coated fashion.
Prince Angelus scoffed. "Will she be a wallflower like you?" he asked without mercy as he addressed his mother. "I don't need a wallflower for a companion. There's enough of those in this palace. "
"I will set a meeting tomorrow. You'll meet her for tea, " she decided, ignoring her son's objections. "You need to stop your bad habit of shadowing Lord Vondrak's son. I'll not allow it. "
"Mother, I know you to be cruel, but you can't forbid me from seeing Gael. He is the only thing that makes life bearable for me. "
"Then you'll do well not to provoke my anger. Have a good night, son. I love you dearly, " Queen Rosalyn turned on her heels to retire to her room.
"I won't get married, " Prince Angelus shouted.
The queen exited the room and banged the door on her way out. She refused to let her son undermine all the effort she's put in place to see him on the throne someday.
"Keep him in the castle by all means, " she ordered the captain. "I don't care if you have to tie him down to his bed or break his bones to get it done. Just...Keep him here. "
"Dovan, come here, " Prince Angelus called out to his head of security.
Captain Dovan answered the call by stepping into the room. He saw the prince in his sleeping gown getting ready to retire for the night.
"What orders did my cruel mother give you?"
"I am to keep you here by every means necessary, " Captain Dovan disclosed to him.
"Am I a prisoner?"
"As of now, yes, you are most certainly a prisoner, " Dovan happily let out.
"The deranged woman expects to convince me of marriage by locking me up in my room like a princess from the those terrible fairytales my sister reads," he angrily told. "I wonder what sin I committed in my past life to have her as my mother," Prince Angelus murmured on.
Captain Davon shook his head. It was he who committed a sin in his past life to have chanced a job to protect Prince Angelus. The boy is outlandish and wild in his endeavours.
Prince Angelus retrieved a letter from under the covers on his bed. He stretched forth his arm to hand the letter to Davon.
"What is this?" Captain Davon asked.
"A letter I've written for my beloved. Have Faber deliver it to him."
Davon released a sigh. The prince's obsession with Gael Vondrak was going to be his undoing. His stubbornness were the spices that fuel his impending misfortune.
"You are to marry soon. It'll serve you best to let go of your obsession, " Davon advised.
"You sound like my mother."
"The queen has a point. She means well for you and if you become the king... "
"When... When I become the king, " Prince Angelus corrected. "When I am king, I will ban women in the court, especially my mother, " he added.
He pouted like a child whose favourite candy was taken away. Prince Angelus got into bed and surrendered for the day. He gave in but didn't give up. He had every intention of sneaking out to find his muse and try to persuade his stance on the offer he made him.
"You are excused," he waved Captain Dovan off and curled up into the covers.
Captain Dovan took the letter and left. He stepped out and had one of the servants deliver the letter to Faber with instructions to have it sent to Gael Vondrak.
He took to his room to retire for the night after assigning the prince's security for the night.