บท 24: Lucas 2
Lily had asked for permission to leave the castle one too many times, however it was rejected just as much as she requested. Vianka and the second queen already had her in their bad books hence, it could be either of them or simply the king making things hard for her which was almost impossible because he was a proud man who wouldn't stoop so low to achieve whatever he wish to.
Vianka no longer visited but she sent gifts along with bags of fragrant tea every now and then. Lily had also caught Franz frolicking around her palace's garden a few times and of course, she had ignored his quest for attention. Though, he took it up a notch most times by coming for tea without an invitation.
This way, three more months went by and it was almost time for Lily's tenth birthday.
"Your highness." A low voice pulled her out of her reverie.
"Huh? Yes?"
"Lady Capulet." He muttered, knowing fully well that she understood what he meant.
Lily who was lost in the middle of her lessons jerked up and looked at her governess who was staring at her sternly.
For the past three months, Lilian Capulet had made a name for herself as the first princess's governess and Lily's appearance in various tea parties only contributed in hoisting up her popularity among the nobles.
"I'm sorry."
"Please do not lose concentration again."
"Hmm." She nodded and glanced at the boy who was sitting beside her. His black hair fell lightly on his forehead and his red eyes held utmost focus as he stared straight at Lady Capulet. The complexion of his skin had gotten much better ever since the past three months and most of his scars had faded away, however, the constant cold look on his face could not be wiped away, not like it bothered Lily, instead she was quite fine with it.
"Ha!" Lilian sighed loudly, "Your highness."
"Hmm?" Lily moved her eyes back to her governess and with a small, she suggested, "You know what, Lady Lilian? Why don't we just call it a day?"
Lilian let out another sigh, "Alright, Your highness." And bowed before leaving.
"You." Lily then turned her eyes back to Lucas, "How old are you?" Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked. His growth spurt was on a whole new level, possibly because he was from a tribe of barbarians. She could remember how short he was when he first came here, even smaller than she was, but now, he was towering over her, almost the same height with Perez who would be 17 soon.
Lucas closed the book he was holding and raised his hands up, counting his fingers.
Lily squinted. The child was quite smart, hence, she had let him take lessons alongside her under the guise of needing a study partner, but counting with fingers was something that five year olds do.
"Fourteen, Your highness."
"Already fourteen or about to be fourteen?"
"I clocked fourteen a few months ago." He answered after a short pause.
* ~ *
She was staring, and a little too intensely at that. Was she lost in her thoughts again? He couldn't count the number of times he had shaken her up just for today. However, this time, she was not staring blankly at the governess or at her book, but she was staring directly at him as her eyes digged into every feature of his face.
"Ha!" The governess sighed loudly, "Your highness." She called, earning the princess's attention.
Lucas let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Her eyes were not scary but they seem to hold a compelling gaze.
"You know what, Lady Lilian? Why don't we just call it a day?" The princess said, her usual smile lingering on her lips as she stared at the governess.
Her attention soon returned back to him. Lucas could no longer hear a word neither did he know when the governess left the room. He gripped the book in his hand as he felt repulsed by whatever it is he felt.
"You. How old are you?"
She only showed such interest every once in a while and most times, Lucas was left to wonder if she really was just a nine years old child like the servants said.
He gently placed the book on the table and counted from with his fingers. From the year he was taken away from his home to the day he was caught by the first prince of Florania: Everything plus his age before he was captured was summed up to fourteen years.
"Fourteen, Your highness." He said and held his breath in anticipation. Would she comment on how old her study partner was? Maybe he was a little too old.
"Already fourteen or about to be fourteen?" Contrary to his expectation, she asked an unusual question.
He took a slight pause, contemplating on smiling at her unbothered question or frowning at how unbothered she was.
"I clocked fourteen a few months ago." He said, managing to voice out a reply without saying too much.
* ~ *
Lily stared at the boy who still wouldn't look directly at her. He was fourteen, just fourteen. Who would sell a young child into slavery? Especially one as smart as him, though, his red eyes could be considered ominous in some places, however, it was still one of the rarest most beautiful colours in the world, truly worthy of admiration. Yet, Lily said none of her thoughts out loud.
She knew Franz would burst in any moment from now, hence, she ordered for tea and cookies to be prepared. The second queen had been oddly quiet, because in her last life, she was the first to make a move, taking Franz to various balls and noble gatherings, even making him debut earlier than others.
However, this was the least of her worries right now. She had to find a way to travel to Langsher after her tenth birthday which was in less than two weeks. The third queen had prepared everything for the small scale banquet, but the probability of well-known and important guests turning up was quite unknown, considering the fact that the second queen had most of them in her hands.
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