Chapter Thirty Four

"Nicholas! Why are you running?!" I shouted while running trying to reach Nicholas.

But Nicholas was too far away from me, and the distance between us was just getting bigger.

'How is he so fast?' I thought, panting with one hand leaning against the wall.

After Nicholas left the library, I tried to run after him through the palace hallways but Nicholas was too fast, and I quickly lost him.

I sighed, exhausted. 'I can't understand… Why did Nicholas run away from me?'

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked myself out loud, confused and worried that I may have ended up hurting Nicholas in some way.

'...I should apologize to Nicholas next time I see him.'

"What are you doing there?"

The voice behind me made me freeze. While following Nicholas I totally forgot about being seen by anyone. But even in my worst dreams, I didn't think I would…

"Hey…Can't you hear me?" The person asked me holding my shoulder from behind and quickly turning me to look at them.

'Just as I thought, it is the King.' I thought looking at him.

"I-I-I am sorry Your Highness… I-I was just going to my room." I lied and quickly bowed, apologetic.

"Liar." The King suddenly said.

I looked at him surprised, and then I felt a strong scent of alcohol coming from him. The King had a serious look on his face while staring at me, but I could see that his face was red even though it was dark.

'Perhaps… is he drunk?' I thought, surprised.

"You were not going to your room… I saw you running after another boy just now. " The King said staring at me with a mad expression on his face.

"...I am sorry." I apologized, staring at my feet.

Looking at the King's eyes gives me chills, I couldn't force myself to not fear him.

'I passed so many years afraid of him, imagining that he would suddenly appear and sentence me to death back then in the northwest area that it is hard for me now to not be afraid of him.' I realized, tense.

"Hey, little liar." The King suddenly said.

'Little liar? Heh, is he talking about me?' I thought, embarrassed, looking at him.

"You know… If there is something you want you can't give up so easily, or else you will only regret it." The King said with a weird expression on his face.

"Do you understand?" The King asked staring at me with such intensity in his eyes that surprised me.

I nodded. "Y-Yes, Your Highness."

The King smiled and patted my head saying. "Good."

And just like that, the King left, walking away in the corridor. And all I did was stare at his back until I couldn't see him anymore.

***

"A-Alex?!"

Nicholas shouted, surprised to see me in his room.

It took me a while to understand the King's words. If something is important to me I shouldn't give up on it without trying my best.

'That is what he meant, I think.'

I thought it would be better to let to talk to Nicholas another day, but after the King's words, I realized that I shouldn't give up so easily.

To let Nicholas dwell on these feelings knowing it was me that hurt him, and do nothing to change it…

'Wouldn't be a nice thing to do.' I realized.

Even though it hasn't been that long since I met Nicholas, still he is the first person in this world to treat me as a friend. I don't know how long we still can be friends, Nicholas is a noble, so it's expected that the day our paths part will come.

"But I want us to be friends as long as we can." That is what I said when I decided to look for Nicholas again.

When I remembered that I went into Nicholas's room with him last time, I started to look for it. I knocked on his door, but no one answered me, so I entered. Since Nicholas wasn't in his room, I decided to wait for him.

'Soon or later he has to come to his room.' That was what I thought, and I was right.

"A-Alex what are you doing here?" Nicholas asked obviously confused.

I didn't answer him.

Slowly I walked in his direction when I got closer before he could do anything I quickly closed and locked the door.

"This time you will not run away." I said, staying in front of the door, blocking his only passage.

Nicholas seemed surprised by my attitude, but he said nothing.

I took a deep breath and then I said. "I am sorry, Nicholas."

"W-Why are you apologizing?!" Nicholas shouted, surprised.

"Because I offended you… That is why you acted like that in the royal library, isn't it?" I asked, confused by Nicholas's reaction.

"...No, you didn't offend me, Alex."

"Then, why did you run away from me?" I asked, confused.

'If it wasn't because I offended him, then why? Why did he act like that?'

I was waiting for an answer from Nicholas, but it seemed he wasn't going to give me any. Nicholas was just standing in front of me, avoiding my eyes, in silence.

"Nichol-" I was about to call Nicholas when he spoke over me.

"You like Noah, right?" Nicholas suddenly said.

"Y-Yeah, but-" I tried to say, but Nicholas interrupted me again.

"Noah is a prince, and you are his servant. You like Noah, and one day Noah will like you too, then you will be together… just like the book." Nicholas said, at the end of his sentence tears were falling from his eyes.

I was surprised, I wasn't expecting Nicholas…

"There is no way that it will ever happen! Prince Noah and I will never be anything more than friends!" I shouted.

Nicholas looked at me surprised. "Alex…"

"When I said that I liked Prince Noah I meant as a friend! There is no way I would ever like him this way!" I said, confident.

"...Why?" Nicholas said after being in silence for a moment, it seemed that he didn't believe me.

'Because he is my brother!' That is what I wanted to say, but of course, I didn't.

"Because… Because Prince Noah is not my type! Yeah, there is no way I can ever like him this way because Prince Noah is definitely not my type." I said, trying to convince him.

"What do you mean?" Nicholas asked, he seemed calmer, he wasn't crying anymore.

"Prince Noah is too young, I wouldn't fall for a boy younger than fifteen… Also, Prince Noah is arrogant and hot-headed, he is definitely not my type!" I explained, trying to convince him.

"...So you prefer older boys." Nicholas said so low that I almost didn't hear him.

"Y-Yeah." I said embarrassed, for a moment I forgot I was actually a ten years old boy and not a teenager anymore.

I thought Nicholas would be happy, but for some reason, he seemed even sadder.

"You know… Prince Noah would never like me this way too. You know how Prince Noah is, he would definitely prefer to date a noble like you than a commoner like me." I said, trying to cheer him up.

"...That is true." Nicholas said, seeming to be more relieved.

I patted Nicholas's head, trying to comfort him.

"See, there is no need to be worried." I said smiling.

"Yes… all I have to do now is wait." Nicholas suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing." Nicholas said with a smile on his face.

I didn't understand Nicholas, but I smiled for him too. I was happy that we were still friends and relieved that it was all just a big misunderstanding.

'I just wasn't expecting Nicholas to be in love with Prince Noah, though.'