The hallways were quiet, not a single soul in sight.
A cold breeze filled the room, moonlight seeping in from the open window. Artemesia's chambers were as silent as the halls. The only sound was the ticking of a grandfather clock somewhere outside her room.
Artemesia was lost in thought, her exposed shoulders and nose a slight tint of red because of the cold.
She lay in her bed, replaying the encounter with the First Prince in her mind again and again...
. . .
Leander jerked awake at the sound of the church bell ringing.
He lifted his upper body groggily to the sight of sunlight spilling in through the windows, the chirping of birds filling the air.
"Birds? Why the hell are there birds outside my- Nevermind. Screw this."
He grabbed the nearest pillow, and pressed it over his ears. Somehow, those squeaky little things could still be heard through whatever the pillows were filled with. He sighed.
Wait. If there were birds chirping, means it's still early.
But why did nobody come to bother him early in the morning like they usually did?
Did they just give up?
He threw the pillow away and remained still for a moment, listening to what was going on outside.
Seems like it.
From inside his room, the halls sounded like how they would any other morning. Bustling with people. But usually he would have been forced to listen directly to the sounds of life outside by his nanny dearest. She would throw open the doors and windows and say "Rise and shine, young man. Sleeping is a drug that eventually kills."
He sighed. It should be time for breakfast, right? Maybe he should go join his family.
Wait, why do I want to go join my family? Don't tell me it's also because of that girl.
Come to think of it, hadn't he been dreaming too much about her lately?
It's been so long since that banquet, why is his mind still stuck on her?
As he flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, his thoughts drifted back to her.
"Fate has its own cruel ways of playing with us."
"You were staring at me quite intently earlier."
"I can sense that the inside of your head is beyond the age of 12"
How did a girl at her age and status read him so quickly in just one encounter?
Get a grip, Leander. Crush or not, you should see her as a role model.
A few moments of contemplation later, he sighed and rolled off his sheets.
"May as well grab a bite."
But then he froze.
Crush?
CRUSH?!
He slapped himself. Once. Twice. Thrice, even harder.
Breathing heavily, he scrambled out of bed and went for the floor to ceiling mirror near his dresser.
His cheeks were red. The left one, from how hard he slapped himself, and the right, how hard he was falling for some girl he met and talked to once in his entire 12 years of living.
"Leander Halycra," he panted at his reflection, "you are the biggest, most helpless idiot in the entire Halycran Empire."
Despite saying that, he clutched his heart as his back met the mirror and he sank down, hand covering his flustered face.
. . .
The Imperial Palace's dining hall wasn't that grand of a space. It had an intimate atmosphere, perfect for sharing meals with family. In the center of the hall stood a mighty wooden table, polished to perfection, and a glass chandelier hanging over it. Though in the daytime, it would rarely be used as the sunlight spilling through the massive windows would be enough to light up the hall.
The Head of the table was reserved for the Shining Sun of the Empire, the Emperor himself. The spot would be occupied by the Empress in his absence, but usually, the Empress sat at his right. The left however, was a space reserved for the firstborn, or the heirs. That was also why that seat remained empty at most mealtimes.
But that particular day, the seat was occupied by the First Prince, Leander.
Beside him sat the First Princess, Thalia Halycra, three years younger than Lee.
Opposite to her was Damian, the Second Prince and Third sibling. Lee was five years older than him.
Next to Damian was the Third prince and Final sibling, Adrian Halycra. Adrian had turned four a few days ago, exactly one week after Damian's, but due to his frail constitution, he disliked overly lavish and crowded banquets.
Which was good for Lee. He hated banquets too.
Hey, he loved his siblings. But sometimes, he couldn't help but think a little enviously of his younger brother and how lucky he was to be able to skip public gatherings.
Leander calmly ate his scrambled eggs and hashbrowns, but everyone at the table, even the servants, were giving him weird looks.
After a few moments of awkward silence, the doors to the hall opened and the Emperor strode in.
He was just about to take his seat, when he noticed the chair at his left wasn't empty as it usually was.
Suddenly, the hall was filled with the sound of booming laughter.
"Well, well, look who has decided to grace us with his presence this fine morning."
"Good morning to you too, Your Majesty."
"Good morning, dear." The Emperor smiled and nodded at his wife.
"Good morning, Daddyyy!" Adrian waved at his father from across the table.
"Good morning, papa." Damian piped.
"Morning, dad." Thalia chimed in.
The Emperor chuckled as he dragged out his seat and sat down, returning the greetings and waving back and his youngest.
"Lee, calling me Father won't kill you, you know."
"Noted, Your Majesty." Leander sipped at his juice.
Gregor sighed. "Very well, do as you wish."
"I must admit," Celestia began, "Lee calling us by title makes me feel a little old."
"I know, right?" Gregor picked up his fork and dug in his pancakes.
Silence settled over the table once again, silverware clinking against ceramic as everyone quietly ate.
Adrian was the one to break the silence. "Um... Lee?"
Leander looked over at his brother. "Yes?"
"Are you gonna... you know, become the crown prince?"
Adrian finally asked the question that was thick in the air.
The whole Hall fell silent as if listening to what he was going to say.
Lee carefully sliced the last of his bacon and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. He'd been expecting this question when he sat at the table. "Why? Do you want to become crown prince?"
Adrian thought for a moment. "Um, sure."
"Oh? Then you can become the crown prince." Leander put his fork down and stared at Adrian.
"N-no- I didn't mean it like that. I thought you meant- like... I thought you wanted encouragement!"
"I am sure my question was not posed that way, Adrian. Do you want to be crown prince or no?"
"Um, no. Sorry."
His eyes glossed over to Damian. "Damian, do you want to become Crown Prince?"
Damian's cheeks turned pink. "M-me? No! I-.. I don't want to become crown prince..."
Lee turned over to Thalia. She was smart enough to know what he was going to ask. "You can't just push over your responsibility over to others, Lee."
"I'm not pushing anything. I'm just making a hypothetical statement. If you had the chance, would you become crown princess?"
"Respectfully, no." She snapped, turning back to her meal.
Leander sighed and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"So...?" The Emperor piped up expectantly.
"So... what?" Lee raised a brow.
"Are you going to-..? you know," He shrugged.
Lee took a moment, and sighed.
"I'll think about it."
The Emperor's face lit up. Not only him, The Empress' too.
"Really?"
To them, his neutral response was the equivalent of a yes.
"I said I'll think about it." he snapped. "I'll be in the training grounds. Deliver only the urgent news and orders," he started to rise from his seat.
"Wait, Lee!" The Empress called.
Lee groaned. "What now?"
"There's a tea party at the Montclair Estate, they've extended a separate invitation for the First Prince. Would you...?"
"The Montclair Estate?" Lee hesitated.
"Tell them I'm attending."
He got up from his seat and rushed off, leaving his parents to stare at each other, speechless.