Chapter Twenty

I woke up feeling my neck hurt.

"Hm… How long will I have to keep sleeping on the floor?" I asked myself, annoyed.

I looked through the window and saw the sky. "What time is it?"

I don't know how long I've been sleeping. After all that happened yesterday, it took me time before I finally could fall asleep.

I yawned. "I just hope that Prince Noah didn't care that I didn't have breakfast with him today."

I couldn't be more wrong.

Since I thought that Prince Noah already had his breakfast, so he wouldn't be in the dining room anymore, I just decided to go to the royal library as usual.

But as soon as I arrived at the main area I was surprised when I saw how chaotic things were.

There were several servants running through the palace. I had to be careful to not let anyone end up bumping into me since I was invisible.

'What is going on? Is the palace under attack or something like that?' I asked myself, scared.

Then I saw a familiar face in the hall. It was Mary, she was going down the stairs, she seemed nervous.

I went to a place where there was no one around. Being sure that no one was looking at me I stopped being invisible, but of course, I also changed my appearance, as always. Changing to a brunette boy with green eyes.

Quickly I tried to reach Mary. But, I noticed that for some reason everyone was looking at me.

'W-What is going on? Did I make any mistake with my disguise?' I asked myself, worried. But as long as I could see my hair was brown. 'Did I forget to change my eye color, then?'

Suddenly one servant guy pointed at me and shouted. "Is it him?"

"I-I think it is. It has to be him!" A maid closer to me said.

Then without saying anything, two male servants suddenly grabbed each one of my arms, making me lift off the ground.

"W-What are you doing?! Let me go!" I said, surprised, but they ignored me.

"Let's take him to the prince." One of the guys that were holding me said to the other.

I tried to free myself, but they were too strong, and my feet couldn't even touch the floor. I even tried to kick them, but they didn't even care, they still dragged me out of the hall.

But then someone appeared, making both guys stop. "Leave him to me. I will take him to the prince." It was Mary.

"Who is she?" One of the guys asked the other.

"She is one of Prince Noah's personal maids." Explained the other.

"I see. Then, take him." The guy said, letting me go.

I thought that I was saved by Mary and that now I was free, but then Mary grabbed my arm and without saying anything she started to drag me as well.

"W-What is going on, Mary?" I asked, anxious.

Mary then looked at me, for the first time I saw her mad. "Thanks for someone that didn't show up, Prince Noah is now mad and he is threatening all servants to find you, Alex."

"He did what?!"

"Prince Noah said he would punish everyone if we didn't find you. Then now all servants looking around the palace, taking any servant boy they found to Prince Noah." Mary said.

"P-Punish all servants? Can a prince even do that?" I asked.

"I'm not certain if he can, but I don't really want to be sure about that." Mary said looking at me, with an exhausted look.

'Prince Noah did all that just because I didn't appear this morning? What is wrong with him?!' I thought, mad.

"Where are we going, Mary?" I asked.

"To the dining room, where Prince Noah is."

'Noah is still there?' I asked myself, surprised.

We were in front of the dining room door when three servant boys left the room accompanied by a maid, the boys were all around my age.

"I said my name wasn't Alex!" Shouted one of them looking at the maid.

"I'm sorry, boys. I was just following orders." The maid said, apologetic.

'Mary wasn't lying, they were indeed taking any servant boy and bringing them to Prince Noah.' I realized, surprised.

I gulped when Mary opened the door and announced my presence. "Your Highness, Alex is finally here."

"G-Greetings, Your Highness." I said bowing respectfully, anxious.

Prince Noah was sitting in his usual chair. And he was staring at me, he was obviously mad. "Why are you so late?"

"I-I woke up a bit late today, Your Highness... I am sorry for keeping you waiting for so long." I said, apologetic.

For some reason, Prince Noah looked at me surprised. "So, you were just sleeping?" Then he sighed, relieved. "I thought that… Forget it."

'What did he mean?' I thought, confused.

Prince Noah then got up from his chair and came towards me. He pointed at me and said. "As your punishment for making me wait, I won't let you have breakfast today!"

'Well, it is not like I was thinking about having any today, anyway.' I thought.

Then, suddenly Prince Noah grabbed my sleeve and said. "Now, come with me."

Prince Noah holding my sleeve forced me to follow him. "W-Where are we going, Your Highness?" I asked.

Without looking at me he answered. "To my classes. Thanks to you I am late now."

"But why do I have to go with you to your classes, Your Highness?" I asked, confused.

Prince Noah looked at me and said. "You are my personal servant, did you forget it? You have to follow me wherever I go now."

"...I see." Just then I realized that he was serious about me being his personal servant now.

Just as Prince Noah said, I followed him all morning. But, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, actually it was just boring.

I thought that as Prince Noah's personal servant I would have a lot of works to do, but most of the time I just spent standing near him, waiting for his orders, but whenever he asked for something his maids were the ones to actually serve him.

At least, following him wasn't a waste of time, I actually enjoyed watching some of Prince Noah's classes. It was quite interesting to see his tutor teaching him things that I had already read in the books of the royal library. And I also learned a thing or two that I didn't know.

I was actually surprised and impressed when I saw how disciplined Prince Noah was in his classes. Since Prince Noah is always acting like an arrogant brat, I thought he wouldn't care about his studies at all, but I was wrong, it was kinda shocking to see Prince Noah being so focused on hearing and noting whatever his tutor said, and also answering correctly all questions his tutor made to him.

"Now it is Prince Noah's lunch time." Mary whispered to me, while we were following Prince Noah through the corridors.

I nodded to her, thankful.

Today Mary was acting as my senior, teaching me how to work and act as Prince Noah's personal servant.

We entered the dining room, following Prince Noah. He sat on his usual chair and the maids started to serve him.

"Why are you still standing there?" Prince Noah suddenly said without even looking at any of us.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" One of the maids asked.

Prince Noah then looked back at us and said pointing at me. "You. Sit there."

As the other maids, I was standing behind Prince Noah, waiting for his orders. I thought that as his personal servant he wouldn't invite me to eat with him anymore, but it seems I was wrong.

"Yes, Your Highness." I said sitting on the chair as he ordered me to. I felt a bit embarrassed because I could feel the maids' looks on my back.

After I sat I was served as well.

Today Prince Noah was calmer than usual, which made me confused since he made so much trouble to find me this morning, but besides the "punishment" he gave me, he didn't say anything after that, it seemed like he wasn't mad at all with me.

"Hm… Your Highness, can I ask you something?" I asked Prince Noah.

He looked at me and nodded. "What?"

"Aren't you mad with me, Your Highness?"

Prince Noah looked at me, surprised. "Me mad with you? Why?"

I was astonished by his reaction. "Y-Your Highness ordered all servents to find me this morning! I thought you were mad with me, you even got late for your classes today."

"Oh, that? Don't worry, I'm not mad with you." Prince Noah said like all he did, threatening all servants to find me, was nothing big.

"Then why did you order all servants to find me?! You made me feel like I was a criminal!" I shouted, mad. For the first time, I was not acting polite towards Prince Noah, which made him obviously surprised.

I noticed some maids looking at me like they were scolding me with their eyes. But I didn't care.

I was suppressing my feeling until now, I was really scared when I thought that somehow they discovered my real identity, but in the end, it was just one of Prince Noah's whims. Seeing him acting like it was not a big deal made me angrier than I thought I would be.

Prince Noah looked at me, silent. I thought he would be mad and shout at me, but he just averted his eyes ashamed.

"I thought… I thought you were having a 'bad day'." Prince Noah said lowly. I almost didn't hear him.

'A bad day?' I asked myself, confused.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" I asked.

Prince Noah looked at me with apologetic eyes, for the first time I saw him acting this way. "I thought people were harassing you, and that was why you were late."

I was astonished by his answer. Just then I realized that when he said that he thought I was having a 'bad day' he was referring to that day when he found me crying walking through the palace, just after I had escaped from the northwest area.

Back then, I answered him that I was crying because I had a bad day.

'So when I said that he thought people were harassing me?' I asked myself surprised. 'He ordered all servants to find me… because he was worried about me?'

"I am sorry for shouting at you, Your Highness." I said, apologetic, after quickly standing up from my sit and bowing respectfully at Prince Noah.

Prince Noah sighed. "Just sit."

"A-Alright." I said embarrassed and sat again.

An awkward silence filled the room. I was too ashamed to even look at Prince Noah's eyes, and I think Prince Noah was ashamed as well since he also wasn't looking at me.

Trying to change the mood, I decided to ask. "...Does Your Highness knows what the northwest area is used for?"

I remembered what the mysterious nobleman that was talking to Lena last night said.

'Had you forgotten for what reason the northwest area was always been used for? There is no way that there would be any secret room or any secret passages.' He said back then.

I know for what the west side was used in the past for. It was where all female royal members that couldn't marry were forced to live, not being able to leave there without the King's approval.

But the northwest area specifically, I don't know what was used for.

"Why are you asking this?" Prince Noah asked me with narrowed eyes.

"B-Because… Once I saw guards there." I lied.

Prince Noah looked at me, serious, then he said. "You are really new here, huh. You know nothing."

"I'm sorry…" I said, defeated, thinking he wouldn't answer me.

"You are sorry for what? For being ignorant?" Prince Noah asked me, acting again as his usual arrogant self.

Of course, I didn't answer him. I averted my eyes, mad. Being silent was the best choice I could do, or else I would just end up shouting at him again.

Prince Noah sighed, and then he said. "The northwest area is used as the royal prison. Usually, if any royal member commits a crime, they are imprisoned there."

'Royal prison?' I thought confused at first, but then some dark thoughts started to appear in my mind. 'Was that why I was there? So, was I really a prisoner in the end? Just because I am a bastard…?'

"Is there anyone imprisoned there, Your Highness?" I asked lowly, trying not to look at Prince Noah. I was too furious to hide my expression.

"Yes, there is… My great-grandmother is imprisoned there." Prince Noah answered me, ashamed.

'Great-grandmother?'