15 Chapter Fifteen

"W-Wait! Where are we going?" I asked confused

"To the main dining room, where the royal family have their meals." She said without looking at me.

"W-W-What?!"

'No, no, no. I don't want to meet them. Especially the King, I don't want to meet him.'

"B-But why? I am just a servant boy, why is Prince Noah calling me?" I asked the maid.

The maid looked at me for a moment, but then she looked again forward with a serious expression. "I don't know, and it doesn't matter. If any member of the royal family order you to do something you just have to obey them, or else you won't keep here for longer."

I gulped, nervous. "...I see."

Though she was acting a bit harsh, I knew she was just trying to warn me about the palace rules. For her I am just an unfortunate servant kid that doesn't know well how things work here.

'But, why is Prince Noah calling me?' I asked myself. 'I thought he would forget about me after he got quits with me…'

But then I remembered what happened last night. "... say to them that you are my friend." He said.

'Oh, no. He wouldn't.' I thought, desperate.

The thought about Prince Noah introducing me as his friend to the whole royal family made my stomach hurt and my hands go cold.

'I never should have left the northwest area… Never!'

My legs were trembling and my eyes were closed when the maid opened the door and announced my presence. "Excuse me, Your Highness. Here is the boy you were calling for."

I finally opened my eyes, still embarrassed and afraid. But then, I was surprised. The only person in this big and luxurious dining room was Prince Noah, sitting there all by himself.

"What took you so long?" Prince Noah asked with his usual grumpy attitude.

"...I am sorry Your Highness." I said.

I realized that it was no use trying to explain myself, like I didn't even know he was calling for me, but it was obvious that he didn't care.

"Tsk." Prince Noah clicked his tongue in disapproval, but then he stared at me for a moment and asked. "What are you still doing standing there? Come here. Sit." He ordered, pointing at the chair in front of him across the table.

"What?!" I shouted surprised.

Prince Noah stared at me with a fierce expression and said. "Sit. There."

"Y-Yes, Your Highness." I said and then I sat on the chair as he ordered me to.

After that, Prince Noah just stared at me, which made me feel even more uncomfortable. "Is anything wrong, Your Highness?" I asked.

Prince Noah decided to ignore my question, asking me something else instead. "Have you eaten today?"

"No, not yet Your Highness." I answered, confused.

Prince Noah stared at one of his maids, and then she said. "We will serve you, then. Excuse us." The maid bowed respectfully and then she left the room with the other maids, leaving me alone with Prince Noah.

'Why is he acting like that?' I thought, confused. Curious, I looked at him, trying to figure him out, but he just looked the other way crossing his arms.

But then, I noticed that in front of him there was just a cup of tea. "Hum… Your Highness, can I ask you something?"

Prince Noah looked at me, curious. "What?"

"Have you eaten already Your Highness?" I asked.

Prince Noah averted his gaze again and said. "No, I haven't."

"I am sorry if I am wrong, but... Were you waiting for me to have your breakfast as well, Your Highness?" I asked, curious.

Prince Noah looked at me surprised, his cheeks got red, he was obviously embarrassed. "W-What if I did?"

'So he was indeed waiting for me.' I realized, surprised. But, then I got curious. "I feel honored for your invitation, Your Highness, but, why did Your Highness decide to invite me?"

Prince Noah stared at me for a moment, but then he turned his face away. "I am a prince, I can do whatever I want to, hmph."

"I-I see…"

An awkward silence filled the room. Prince Noah just kept avoiding my gaze, and I didn't know what else to say. But then, the maids entered the room with our meal, saving us from this awkward moment.

The maids served us. I was still a bit unsure if I could really be here, eating in the royal main dining room with the prince.

I held the silverware and waited for Prince Noah to start to eat first, when he did I looked to the maids around us, and since they didn't say anything I just started to eat as well.

Like always, the food made by the royal cook is the best food I've ever eaten. On my plate, there were pancakes with honey, yogurt, strawberries e blueberries on top. It has been a long time since I ate something so sweet like this. It was so good that I even forgot that Prince Noah was in front of me.

When I noticed his gaze towards me I asked, flustered. "Is there anything wrong Your Highness?"

He was staring at me frowning his eyebrows when he asked me. "You are not going to cry today again, are you?"

My cheeks got hot when he asked me that. "O-Of course I won't!"

'Just because I cried last night does he thinks that I will cry again today?' I thought embarrassed.

Prince Noah turned his face away again. "Huh… I see."

'Is he… worried about me?' I stared at him, for a moment our eyes met, but then he quickly looked the other way. 'Well, if he is worried about me, he isn't good at showing that.'

"What?" Prince Noah asked me after noticing that I was still staring at him.

"...It is nothing, Your Highness." I said.

After that, we didn't talk again until we finished our meal.

Prince Noah raised from his chair and then he said. "I have to go now. If you want something just ask her." He said pointing at the brunette maid that brought me here.

I quickly raised from the chair and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Your Highness."

He was about to leave the room when he stopped and looked back at me. "See you later."

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

"At 3 pm, meet me in the garden where we met before. Don't be late" Prince Noah explained with a serious face.

"Alright…" I agreed though I was still unsure why he was telling me that.

Prince Noah left just after hearing my answer, followed by his maids, leaving me alone in the dining room with the brunette maid.

"Is there anything you want, Alex?" The maid asked me with a small smile on her face when I looked at her.

'Suddenly she is treating me with kindness now, huh.' I realized.

"Well, actually there is." I said.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Hm… First, what is your name?" I asked, curious.

She looked a bit surprised when I asked her that. "I'm Mary, Mary Evans."

"So, Miss Evans, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course. But, please don't call me Miss, you can call me Mary if you want to." She said with a gentle smile on her face.

"Then, Mary, can you tell me why Prince Noah is acting like that to me?" I asked, confused.

Mary became quiet for a moment before saying. "… I don't really know as well, Alex. Maybe it is that Prince Noah wants to be friends with you."

"Friends with me?! Why would he wants to be friends with me?" I asked surprised.

'Well he said that I could tell people that he was my friend, but it was just his way to get quits with me, wasn't it?' I thought, confused.

"Well, Prince Noah is kinda lonely... He actually has a hard time making friends." Mary explained.

"Lonely?! But how can Prince Noah be lonely if he is a prince!?" I asked shocked.

But, then I remembered that Prince Noah was sitting alone in this room before I came. 'Was that the reason he called me because he feels lonely?'

Mary sighed. "Sometimes I think that is exactly why Prince Noah is a prince that he is lonely. His Highness is such a good child, but no one cares about him just because of his magic…"

"What is the problem about his magic?" I asked.

Mary looked at me surprised. "Oh, so you don't know... Prince Noah is the first and only royal member that wasn't born with light or lightning magic."

"What?!"

I was surprised, as long as I knew no member of the royal family was ever born with any other magic besides light or lightning magic. It seems that Prince Noah was the first one.

"...What is Prince Noah's magic then?" I asked.

"It is fire magic." Mary said. "But, still, Prince Noah is pretty strong, even though he is young he is very disciplined, his tutor says that Prince Noah is one of the strongest students that he ever trained. But, yet, it is not enough, because he is still a fire mage in the end..." Mary seemed cheerful and proud at the start, but then she became sad after she said that.

'It seems that Prince Noah's life isn't as good as I thought initially, just because he is a fire mage, then…'

"Is that why Prince Noah was alone? I don't understand… Prince Noah's family leaves him alone just because he is a fire mage? That is ridiculous!" I shouted, mad.

The thoughts about the royal family abandoning and giving the cold shoulder to Prince Noah just because he was born as a fire mage made me mad.

'Even though I don't approve, I can still understand the King's reasons to have abandoned me, because I am a bastard. But, the King abandoning Prince Noah just because he didn't meet his expectations is just cruel.' I thought, furious.

I was deep in my thoughts and anger when Mary called my attention. "Alex! Don't say such a thing loud like that! If someone hears you even Prince Noah can't help you!"

Mary looked at me in silence for a moment, and then her anger vanished, giving space to a small smile on her face.

"I know that you care about Prince Noah, and I am happy seeing that His Highness made such a good friend like you. But…" Mary sighed. "Don't say things like that because, in the end, you will just bring problems to Prince Noah. And, actually, the royal family didn't leave Prince Noah alone because he is a fire mage."

"How come?" I asked, confused.

"It is probably my fault that it sounded like that, but the royal family cares about Prince Noah, they are his family after all." Mary explained.

"So, why was he alone? Is that always like this?" I asked.

Mary hesitated for a moment before telling me. "Basically, yes, Prince Noah most of the time he eats all by himself here, his family is always busy now. But before the Queen's death, the royal family were closer, they were alway together, but in the last few years so many things have happened... Now they all barely see each other."

'The late Queen… It has been already four years since her death.' I realized.

"But, what about Princess Isabel, why wasn't she with Prince Noah today?" I asked, curious.

'I thought that Princess Isabel and Prince Noah were close, they are twins after all.'

Mary seemed a bit surprised by my question. "Perhaps, are you new here, Alex?"

"W-Why?" I asked, nervous that I said something that I shouldn't have said.

Mary frowned at me and said surprised. "Because it has been two years since Princess Isabel isn't living in the palace anymore."

'Two years?! But I saw her last time… two years ago.' I realized.

"Why Princess Isabel isn't living here anymore?" I asked, confused.

"Because Princess Isabel is training in the temple, she is a light mage after all." Mary explained.

"...What?"