Chapter 6

Henri remained locked up in his chambers for the rest of the afternoon. He undressed and washed up to get rid of the grime and dirt that riding had caused, throwing on a robe and getting under his covers afterward.

Henri wasn't the kind to take afternoon naps, he felt like he could better spend the time doing something more productive but now that he needed a break from his thoughts, it was the only option he could turn to.

He slept through the afternoon and through the dusk, and when his maids came to get him for dinner with his parents, he grumpily sent them off, instructing them not to return again.

Queen Marina was startled by this when she received the report, it was very unlike Henri to not want to come down for dinner, it was the highlight of his day because they were all apart from each other for the rest of the day.

She immediately got to her feet as soon as the servants told her that her son sleepily refused to attend dinner. "I have to go check on him, dear, he could be coming down with something."

Eli caught his wife's wrist. "I'm sure he's fine, love, it's best to give him some privacy. You can check up on him tomorrow if he still doesn't come down for breakfast." He suggested.

Marina let herself be pulled back to the dinner table, concern etched into her beautiful features. She had soft brown hair which was elegantly styled and kept in place with her silver crown, her gentle eyes an even softer brown.

"If you say so then I will." Marina accepted, looking longingly in the direction of the hallway.

Henri went right back to sleep, it wasn't a restful sleep but he didn't want to be awake so whenever he woke up, he forced himself to sleep some more.

He finally rolled out of bed close to midnight, feeling like he had been run over by a herd of horses. Hair wild and eyes bleary, he stumbled to his bathroom to splash some water on his face.

His reflection in the mirror was unrecognizable, it made him chuckle wryly. What was wrong with him? He always knew he was different, why was he acting like it had been kept from him his entire life?

Perhaps, Lord Johann's presence had some usefulness because it gave him an idea of how he would be treated in college, now he could better prepare to handle it. It had just been an unexpected experience so it put him in a fine state for most of the day, but now he was much calmer and rather hungry.

Without bothering to run a brush through his sleep-tousled hair, he left his chambers for the kitchens to grab something quick to eat. His personal maids were long gone which was a relief and the guards at the door were different from the ones he had given the order to in the afternoon but it was clear that his orders had been passed down to them as well.

"You don't need to come with me, I'm just going to the kitchens." Henri stopped his guards with a hand, shucking his robes closer.

Maybe he should have changed out of his robes at least because without his formal clothing, he tended to lose some sense of his self.

"As your Highness wishes." They saluted, resuming their positions immediately.

Henri just walked off, most of the castle's servants were retired for the night except for the night shift guards who were on duty. It was a little odd to not see servants scurrying about and for the castle to be this quiet, especially the kitchens.

He went into the private kitchen that was built for his mother as she loved to cook because there was always something to eat. His mother especially had a sweet tooth so he was curious to see what she had recently baked.

He didn't expect to see his mother though, she was wearing a nightdress with a thicker robe thrown over it, her long hair was left down, and she was also munching on a slice of cake.

Marina started when the door to her kitchen was opened, fearing that her husband had found her out.

She always got cravings in the middle of the night and at first Eli humored her, dragging the cooks out of bed to prepare her something but she tended to overeat which made her wake up with a tummy ache.

After that, Eli would always try to stop her whenever he caught her sneaking for the kitchens, he was the last person she hoped to see.

"Mother? What a pleasant surprise." Henri strode in, a faint smile on his face at his mother's bulging cheeks. "Don't eat too much, I don't want you to have a tummy ache." He cautioned.

Marina beamed, her eyes shrinking. "Henri! I'm so happy to see you." She pinched his cheeks. "I was worried that you had fallen ill."

Henri sighed, feeling peaceful, his mother's presence always calmed him down no matter what. "I was just a little out of it, it is nothing serious…"

"Are you just waking up? You must be hungry, let me make something for you to eat." She immediately bustled around, heading straight for the cake she had been eating.

"Mother?" Henri called out in a warning tone.

"I know, I know, I only ate a slice, I wanted to cut a slice for you as well, you've always liked chocolate." She waved off his cautions, getting out a clean plate to cut a slice of cake for him.

"Here, come sit at the dinner table, have this while I prepare something." She urged him, pulling out a chair for him.

Henri obeyed, it was rare for him to have moments like this with his mother because just like him, she was often busy with her duties. He always liked it when she cooked for him but it was only recently she took up cooking and even then, she didn't get to do it often.

He took a bite of the chocolate cake, the rich, dark flavors of the cake melting into his mouth.

"How is it?" Marina asked, her mouth full. "I tried a new recipe."

Henri glanced at her to find her stuffing down another slice. "Mother!"