Conversation at the Carriage

What Prince Leron did not know is that young Vladstin was actually thinking that time: 'Wow, he looks like a black-haired bunny!'

"What shall we do, Your Majesty?" The coachman went over to their side, wiping his sweat.

Leron waited for his answer, sweat trickling at his forehead but from the heat and nervousness.

"Let us go back to the palace." King Lazar took Leron's small hands. "Can you stand up? Would like for me to carry you?"

The young Leron was secretly relieved by the king's kindness and exhaled deeply. He knew that he was only scary appearance-wise, he was taught about this by his kingdom's strategists, but he cannot help but be intimidated at first.

The was one down, two to go.

"Yes, please..." Prince Leron wrapped his small arms around the king's neck and he was hoisted up by the waist. He eyed Prince Vladstin to gouge his reaction to this stranger being carried by his father.

Vladstin doesn't seem to mind. He approached closer to his father and the young Leron in his arms. "Don't be afraid, we'll take care of you."

That's two, now the only one left is....

"Lazar...." Queen Vanesda called out.

Prince Leron of the present remembered how nervous he was that time, thinking that the Queen would protest and leave them there.

"You shouldn't carry the child like that, he might get hurt in that position. Let me have him." Queen Vanesda reached out to take him by her arms.

He definitely did not expect this from the queen's stern tone!

"Isn't that child too heavy for your beautiful darling hands? Let me have him." King Lazar was smiling wide as he tried to take Prince Leron again.

"I can carry him behind my back too!" Prince Vladstin raised his hand and spoke up, flexing his small biceps. "I'm very strong!"

The young Prince Leron was baffled at how the family of his ENEMY territory was fighting over to carry him.

The whole Crescentian royal family fell in love with this adorable exiled prince at first sight.

"Ai, ai, ai! You boys stop that now, I will carry the child!" Queen Vanesda raised her hand, resolving the matter. "We cannot remain standing here and let him starve. Off to the carriage, now!"

They all went back to the carriage and turned around back to the direction of Crescentia's gates.

The seating arrangement changed. Queen Vanesda, who was at the farthest left earlier, was now in the middle. Prince Vladstin was to her right and King Lazar was to her left, eyes glued at the young prince with a babyish face and pretty blue eyes.

"Oh, I have had some tarts in my pocket!" Prince Vladstin remembered and handed them out to the poor prince. "Go have some!"

"I have some apple juice too!" King Lazar said, holding out a flask. "Quench your dry throat, a good-looking boy like you shouldn't be parched too long!"

Queen Vanesda massaged her temples. "Vladstin, you stole food again and put them in your pockets, I see. How many times do I have to warn you about the crumbs? And you drunkard, stop bringing rum around!"

"But if I hadn't brought food with me, what will the pretty prince eat?" Vladstin protested.

"That wasn't even rum, it's apple juice!" King Lazar added.

"Ah, did you predict through the stars last night that you would meet a hungry exiled prince that's why you stole the tarts?" Queen Vanesda sneered scarily, her eyebrows sharp-edged. "And you, you wouldn't be giving out apple juice if I hadn't replaced your rum bottle with it."

Father and son went quiet, learning to listen to their queen with their heads hung low. Prince Leron ate the tarts and drink a gulp of apple cider. "Thank you, all of you. This former prince is very grateful to you, kind people."

He gave them a small bow with his hand over where his heart would be, like a true regal prince. The royal family of Crescentia got shot with a load of cuteness!

"May I ask who you are? You mentioned a palace, where are we off to?" Prince Leron awkwardly copied the nobles' formal way of speaking to sound more appealing. He did sound appealing, but in a different way. His high-pitched yet calm and composed voice just added to his adorableness.

"We are the king and queen of Crescentia, my boy. I am King Lazar and this is my gorgeous wife, Queen Vanesda." King Lazar answered. "And this is our only child, Prince Vladstin."

The young Prince Leron actually already knew that, they were his targets and he was trained to know every single detail about them. Their ages, their appearance, their personalities.... he knows them all.

Yet he had to feign ignorance, like a frail, small exiled prince who was unaware of these people.

"Crescentia.... I've heard it through my history books. It says it's a beautiful place, filled with lots of good food. Is that where we're headed?"

"Yep, that's our home." Prince Vladstin reached to touch his hair. "I like your hair, it looks really soft." He said honestly.

"Thank you, Your Highness." He replied politely.

A moment passed, and Vladstin's hand was still hovering above Leron's hair. He looked at him like he was waiting for something, and the young Leron gave him a questioning look.

"Well, can I touch it?" Vladstin said. "Your hair, I mean. To see if it really is soft."

Prince Leron wasn't used to such straightforward request, especially for a person he just met. Most people keep their distance and try not to fall out of favor from him by being overly cautious. Even with other royals and nobles, he has never met someone like Vladstin.

But he needs to get on their good side immediately so he slowly nodded. Vladstin looked really happy while touching his hair, like a puppy wagging his tail when given a treat.

Queen Vanesda sighed. "Please do not be shocked by our behavior, we Crescentians are just naturally amicable like this. We get close to people easily, and we are known for our hospitality." She explained.

"It's alright." Prince Leron said.

"You haven't told us your name yet." Vladstin asked, still looking very satisfied while running his fingers on his scalp. It tingles a bit, but Leron just let him do as he likes.

"I am Prince Leron the 8th, the only legitimate child of King Casserome and Queen Regalia." He introduced himself formally like he always had, the way he was taught to.

"Why don't you have any siblings?" Vladstin asked, braiding what he could with from Leron's short hair.

"My mother perished from childbirth. It is a rule of our Draconian religion that people are forbidden to remarry or have a new relationship after their first spouse, whether they are dead or alive." Prince Leron recalled the text he memorized from the books, having a slight lisp as he speaks.

"That's kinda sad...." Prince Vladstin frowned, letting his hair go. "I thought your mom had a sickness too that won't allow her to give birth anymore, like my mom."

"Vladstin, you are too talkative. Are you going to tell your whole life story to Leron now?" His mother chided.

"I could do that if he wants me to." Vladstin grinned ear to ear at Leron, flashing his pearly white teeth. "I want to be his friend."

Queen Vanesda scoffed. "You don't even know if he wants to be friends with you."

Prince Vladstin made puppy eyes to Leron. "But I really, really, really want to! Can't we be friends?"

They have just met, but the young prince played along anyway, sticking with his role as a spy.

"Alright." Prince Leron nodded.

"Yayyyy!!!" The young Vladstin raised his small fist to the air. "Bunny is my friend!"

Before, Prince Leron has no idea what that means, he thought maybe that was a cultural thing. Now he knows it was just a Vladstin thing.

"Why did your father exile you, little Leron?" King Lazar asked, frowning. "So young, shouldn't he forgive you at this age?"

"My father does not love me." Prince Leron answered with an honest sentence first. "He got angry at me because I broke his favorite vase."

"All of this for a vase?" Queen Vanesda was enraged. "How could a vase weigh more than his own child?"

Prince Leron prepared the excuse his father gave him if someone asked.

"That vase.... was my mother's urn."

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