43 Chapter Forty Three

For a moment I thought I would have to keep standing, waiting until someone left, but then a dark-haired servant boy around my age raised his hand and said looking at me.

"Hey, there is a place here!" He said, pointing to a seat beside him.

"Thank you!" I said, glad, going in his direction.

I was so relieved that I didn't notice the weird smile on the face of the other children around him.

Before I could even reach the seat, one of the kids purposely put their leg in front of me.

"Ouch!" I shouted falling, dropping my food all over the floor and on me.

All the kids at the table started laughing, and they weren't the only ones, other servants around us were laughing too.

The boy that invited me that seemed so kind a moment ago, was standing in front of me with a grin on his face.

"Why did you do this?" I asked confused and then tried to get up off the floor, but the boy quickly pushed me making me fall again.

"Ouch!" I shouted. "W-What are you doing?"

"This suit you better." The boy said with his arms crossed, looking at me with disdain.

I was confused, I didn't understand why he was doing this to me, for a moment I felt like fighting back, but the cold look and malicious smile on the face of the other servants around us, made me freeze, I was scared.

"I've heard about you. You are Prince Noah's new servant, aren't you?" He asked me, though it was obvious that he already knew the answer.

I didn't answer, I just kept staring at him in silence.

"Hey, answer me!" The servant boy said, mad.

But I didn't, which made him get even angrier.

He clicked his tongue, frustrated. Then he grabbed my collar raising me closer to his face.

"Just because you have nice clothes and sleep in a big nice room, do you think you are one of them? You think you are better than us, don't you?" He asked, mad.

Just then I realized why he was so mad at me, and why all the other servants seemed to enjoy seeing me in this situation.

In an aristocratic society where everyone has their place defined since their birth, where peasants will always be peasants, and nobles will always be nobles, seeing a servant boy like me having so many privileges that servants like them couldn't even dream of, must make them jealous and angry, thinking that it's unfair.

'Since they can't even think of complaining to Prince Noah for giving me so many privileges, the easier way to release their anger is going against me.' I realized.

"Tsk. Someone should put you in your place." The servant boy said, said clenching his fist.

The boy raised his fist, and I quickly blocked my face with my arms and closed my eyes waiting for the hit.

But when I heard the sound of the impact, I was surprised to realize that the hit wasn't on me.

Confused I opened my eyes and saw the servant boy tossed on the floor and in front of me there was Theo, the red-haired page boy.

"Theo?" I asked surprised.

He looked at me, and then, the furious look he had on his face quickly turned into a worried one.

"Are you alright, Alex?" He asked, worried, kneeling before me.

I nodded. "Y-Yes, I am."

Then, he offered me his hand and helped me to get up.

"Thank you." I said.

Suddenly, the servant boy was back on his feet, he had bruises on the left side of his face, then looking at Theo he shouted mad.

"How dare you punch me?!"

Theo looked at him, furious. "How dare you try to hurt Alex?"

"Why are you defending him?" The servant boy shouted, confused like he was the victim.

Theo didn't answer him.

Worried about all the attention around us I held Theo's arm and said. "Let's go, Theo, there is no reason to keep fighting."

But before we could leave the servant boy grabbed my wrist.

"Where are you going? Are you going to run away like a coward?" He shouted, squeezing my wrist even harder, hurting me.

In a blink of an eye, Theo knocked down the servant boy again with a punch on his face, though the boy was already laying on the ground, Theo kept punching him.

It wasn't merely a fistfight between boys, it was a trained page obliterating a simple servant boy.

Horrified, I saw blood on Theo's fists, the servant boy's blood.

"Stop it!" I shouted.

But Theo didn't seem to hear me. He was still on top of the boy punching him with no stop.

Quickly, I hold Theo from behind, hugging him, trying to pull him away from the servant boy but in vain. Theo was way stronger than me, he didn't move at all.

"Stop it, Theo!" I shouted, trying to pull him away from the boy.

Theo stopped, finally moving away from the servant boy. I looked at the boy on the floor, shocked. He was all bloody and unconscious.

All servants around us were shocked too, staring at us. But, before anyone could do something, an authoritative voice sounded through the room shouting. "What is going on here!?"

It was the Head Maid, someone must have called her.

I looked at Theo and then at the Head Maid. Before she could get any closer to us, I held Theo's hand, saying. "Come with me!"

Together we run to the back door of the Servant's Hall, far away from the Head Maid, hoping that no one would follow us.

'Though I know that the other servants will tell the Head Maid everything, I still don't want Theo to be punished because of me.' I thought, leaving the Servant's Hall.

***

I was panting, exhausted.

We just stopped running when we were already far away from the Servant's Hall, where no one was around.

"Are you alright, my lord?" Theo asked, looking at me worried.

It seems I was the only one tired from running, Theo seemed to be pretty fine.

'As a page, he must train every day, of course, he is not tired.' I thought, annoyed.

"Don't… call me "lord", Theo. Have you forgotten about what I told you?" I asked, correcting him.

Theo quickly bowed and said, embarrassed. "I'm sorry my lor-... I mean, Alex."

I sighed. "You shouldn't be bowing too, you know?"

"R-Right." Theo said, raising, troubled.

I was relieved to see that Theo was back to his normal self. But looking at the blood on his fist I couldn't stop thinking.

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

Theo looked at me confused. "I beg your pardon?"

"Why did you hurt that boy like that?" I asked, confused.

"Because he offended and hurt you, Alex." Theo said like it was obvious.

"But you went too far! You may get punished, don't you know that?" I said, nervous.

"I don't care about being punished. I would feel way worse if I didn't have done anything against the one that hurt you, Alex." Theo said, looking into my eyes, serious, surprising me with his honesty.

"…Still, you shouldn't have done that. But thank you, for helping me, Theo." I said, thankful.

"You don't have to thank me, Alex. I just did as I should." He said, looking into my eyes, serious.

Embarrassed by his behavior, I looked away. Theo is the only one that sees and treats me as a royal.

'And it is embarrassing.' I thought.

"Here." I said, giving him a handkerchief.

Theo looked at me confused, then I said. "Use it to clean your hands."

His hands were all covered in blood.

"I'm thankful, but I think you should use it for yourself, my lord- I mean, Alex." He said looking at me.

Since I was holding his hand, my hand was also covered in blood, and there was also all the food that spilled all over me back in the Servant's Hall.

I was obviously way dirtier than him.

"J-Just take it. I have another one here with me." I said frustrated.

"I see, thank you, Alex." Theo said taking the handkerchief.

I took my other handkerchief and tried to clean myself too. Even though the handkerchief helped a little, still my clothes got all stained.

'I hope I can clean this later somehow.' I thought, worried, remembering that it used to belong to Prince Noah.

"I promise you that after I clean it I will give your handkerchief back, Alex." Theo said putting the handkerchief, now all stained with blood, in his pocket.

"It's fine you can keep it." I said, not wanting to give him an unnecessary burden.

"Are you sure? It seems pretty… expensive." Theo said, unsure.

"It's fine I have plenty of those, you can keep this one." I explained.

Among all the things Prince Noah gave me, there were many well-made handkerchiefs, some even had the royal family emblem on them.

'Giving one to Theo shouldn't be a problem.' I thought.

"I see, then, thank you, Alex." Theo said, thankful.

I smiled at him, but then some thoughts crossed my mind.

"May I ask you, Theo, why were you in the Servant's Hall? Don't the knights have their own hall?" I asked, curious.

"Yes, they do. But it's not as big as the Servant's Hall, so the other pages and I usually have most of our meals in the Servant's Hall to give space to our superiors in the Knight's Hall." Theo explained.

"I see." I said, realizing why the Servant's Hall was so crowned before.

But then I realized. "Then, you haven't eaten, had you?"

Theo shook his head and said. "No."

I felt guilty, knowing that because of me he wouldn't be able to eat tonight.

"B-But it's fine, Alex. Don't worry." Theo said, noticing my mood.

Determined I hold his hand and said. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" Theo asked confused, as I pulled him, making him follow me.

"To the royal kitchen." I said.

***

"What are we doing here?" Theo asked me, confused.

We were in a corridor near the royal kitchen door.

"Just stay here, Theo. I will be right back." I said.

But before I could leave Theo held my wrist. "What are you gonna do?" Theo asked me, worried.

"Don't worry, I will just go there and take something for us to eat that is all." I explained.

"B-But we shouldn't take things from the royal kitchen without permission, Alex." Theo said, looking at me, worried.

"Well… I'm a royal, so it won't be a problem for me." I lied, trying to reassure him.

Theo then released my wrist and said. "Alright, but if you need, just call me, ok?"

I nodded.

"Just wait here, I will be right back." I said and then I walked away.

Looking around to make sure there was no one seeing me, I became invisible.

'It has been some time since I had to do this.' I realized, opening the royal kitchen door cautiously.

Since I started having meals with Prince Noah, I stopped taking leftovers from the royal kitchen.

'Though I never came here while there were servants still working.' I thought, looking at all the servants working in the royal kitchen.

They were still cooking and seemed busy, probably still serving the royal family and their guests.

Cautious to not let anybody bump into me I walked through the room, looking for something I could take.

Surprised, I noticed an unsupervised table with plenty of food on it. I didn't even think before making my choice.

Quickly I left the royal kitchen, hopefully without being noticed, and then I went back to Theo, becoming visible again.

Holding a tray with a small chocolate cake on it, with a joyful smile I asked, surprising Theo.

"What do you think of having dessert for dinner tonight?"

***

After taking the cake from the royal kitchen, I made Theo follow me to my room, so we could eat without anyone seeing us.

"It has been a long time since I've eaten a cake." Theo said with a childish smile on his face after we ate the whole cake together.

I was surprised by Theo's words.

'Though he is a noble, here in the palace he is just a page after all.' I realized.

"I hope you liked it." I said smiling.

He nodded. "Yes, thank you, Alex."

But then he looked at the clock in my room and seemed worried.

"I'm sorry, but I think I must go now, Alex. I have to go back to my dorm." He said, raising from the chair.

"Yes, of course." I said, following him to my door.

Before he left I said again. "Thank you for helping me, Theo."

"As I said, there is no need to thank me-" Theo said, but then I interrupted him.

"But even so, thank you, Theo. I'm really grateful for your help." I said, really meaning it.

If it wasn't for Theo, the one with a dark eye right now would be me.

Theo nodded, then he said, smiling. "Goodbye, Alex. I hope I can see you again soon."

I nodded and said. "Goodbye."

Theo then walked away, but after a moment I remembered.

"Wait, Theo!" I shouted, calling him, running after him.

Theo looked back and asked, surprised. "Is there anything wrong, Alex?"

"Here, take this." I said, giving him a lamp.

"There is no need." Theo said, politely.

"No, have it. It's dark already." I insisted.

Besides the main area of the palace, most corridors and halls have no light lit during the night.

'He will probably have a hard time going back to the knight's area in this darkness.' I thought.

Theo nodded and took the lamp.

"Thank you." He said.

But then suddenly, at the end of the corridor, Prince Noah appeared followed by his maids. Just then I realized that we were near Prince Noah's bedroom.

"The prince." Theo said, surprised. Then he quickly bowed, respectfully.

"Alex?" Prince Noah said, surprised to see me.

But then Prince Noah looked at me closer, and then at Theo. With his arms crossed and with a mad expression on his face, he asked.

"What is going on here?"