Bab 36: Chapter 36
~Talfen, the capital of Coldshore~
~Inner Court, The King's Palace~
"I don't want to be too forward but I have a bit of a present for you," Aethel said self-consciously as they slowly walked away from Reqiel's palace.
They were on a cobbled path that had small wild gardens on either side, clumps of baby's breaths littering the short, thin blades of grass, the delicate but resilient white flowers standing out beautifully in the sea of green.
Reqiel's dark blue eyes sparkled at this, he had never been given a present. He was treated extremely well by his father and brothers but they had never gotten him a present.
"Really? What… What is it?" He asked curiously, trying to not be too eager and failing.
Aethel brightened again when she noticed that Reqiel didn't misunderstand her intentions, pulling out something from the pockets of her dress. "I saw a bracelet that I thought would really suit you, and I… I wanted to get you something… something to commemorate our friendship…"
Reqiel barely listened to her broken words, his eyes fixed on the present that was hidden in Aethel's fist, like he could will her to show it to him if he stared at it hard enough.
The bracelet was made of gold, which was delicately crafted into thin entwining strings that had very detailed leaves attached to them.
"I understand if you don't want it," Aethel said hesitantly, when Reqiel just stared at the bracelet held out in her palm.
They had slowed to a stop on the cobbled path, the sun's light waning. There weren't a lot of people around Reqiel's assigned palace because the King of Coldshore had wanted to give him as much privacy as possible.
"I want it," Reqiel said in a rush, reaching forward without thinking, only to pull his hand back. "I really do, thank you for the present." He said quietly.
Reqiel had only reached out to Aethel for his own selfish means but for the first time, it settled in that this was the first friend he would be making. Sarell was his friend but the red-haired Angel had raised him and would always be his personal attendant before a friend.
"Could you help me put it on?" He requested, putting out a hand, slowly this time.
Aethel beamed at this, she thought about getting Reqiel something more manly like a jewel-encrusted dagger but she felt like that wouldn't suit him at all. She was really glad that he was this receptive to her gift.
A short distance away, behind some shrubbery, Cederic had the blackest scowl on his face as he watched his younger sister smile beguilingly and wear what looked to be a present around Prince Reqiel's wrist. Things were already progressing far too quickly, he couldn't let this continue…
His thoughts were interrupted by a quiet rustle and he immediately turned in the direction of the sound, striking an offensive position only to freeze when he saw who had also come to take refuge in his hedge.
"You," He accused darkly, recognizing the fiery-haired steward of Prince Reqiel.
Sarell equally froze, he hadn't been expecting to bump into anyone, much more the Crown Prince himself. He quickly gathered his wits about him and bowed although they were both crouching behind a hedge.
"Pardon my intrusion, Your Highness," He murmured politely, making no move to leave. He wasn't going to take his eyes off Reqiel even if it landed him in jail.
Cederic was at a loss of words, it was evident that the steward was keeping his eyes on his master which was an understandable situation. It would be far more difficult to explain his motive which was making sure that Prince Reqiel and his younger sister didn't form a romantic connection.
He scowled at the handsome steward for a few more seconds, quickly coming up with a devious idea. "You will forget that you saw me here," He ordered tightly.
Sarell nodded, his eyes fixed on Reqiel and Princess Aethel who were about to resume their walk.
"And," Cederic added, hesitating slightly. "You will help me stop Princess Aethel from falling in love with Prince Reqiel." He added, the assuredness never leaving his tone.
Sarell slowly turned from the view he had been looking at through the leaves of the hedges to stare at the human Prince, his face devoid of expression. He remembered Reqiel saying that Prince Cederic would be against his supposed marriage to Princess Aethel but he didn't expect the Crown Prince to go to this extent - just how much free time did he have on his hands?
Personally, Sarell couldn't care less if the Princess fell in love with Reqiel or not because it would be a waste of time on her part. But from the looks of things, that wasn't going to happen because even Sarell could see that the Princess just saw him as a good friend.
However, he could use this opportunity to keep an eye on Prince Reqiel, especially in situations just like this one. If he had the backing of the Crown Prince, he would get far better opportunities to be closer to Reqiel at all times.
He nodded again, "We had best move if we don't want to lose them." He said quietly, smoothly stepping out from the hedges to hide behind a marble fountain.
Prince Cederic had been caught off guard by his acceptance, he had been expecting resistance from Prince Reqiel's steward who no doubt wanted his master to marry a famed Princess like Aethel.
The Crown Prince caught up with him behind the fountain and now that they were both on their feet Sarell could see how much taller the Crown Prince was compared to him. He was dressed in regal dark blue robes, his dark brown hair cut short which showed off his hard angular jaw.
Sarell leaned back instinctively when Prince Cederic stood to his full height, "You'll help me?" He asked, narrowing his dark eyes in suspicion.
Sarell nodded again, "I also would like to avoid that so I'll help you as long as it doesn't cause harm to Prince Reqiel."
Cederic looked less mistrustful at this, relaxing his tense shoulders, "That I can do," He agreed.
Sarell felt like he would probably come to regret this agreement in the future but he didn't want to risk angering the Crown Prince over a nonexistent situation, not to mention, he could also spin this to his favor. Once again, he signaled Prince Cederic that the two people they were stalking were about to move out of sight and they moved once more.
Hadiah
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