Chapter 35: Chapter 34 – Homeland II

The road to the prince's dwelling, which — like the cathedral itself — rests well within the enormous castle walls, winds through decorative gardens. Acres of well-tended grass, peppered with neatly trimmed thujas and hornbeams arranged in criss-crossing geometric formations, all culminating in a grand entrance.

Hero and Elena's carriage passes under a great arch made out of vines, with statues of two of the past monarchs on each side until it stops at a small flight of stairs leading to a wide pavement made of white tiles, which in turn leads to equally imposing black mahogany doors in a massive front of the palace.

Walking up, they see the intricate decorations carved in the pristine marble, long rows of cuts in towering pilasters: leaf and dragon motifs undulating on the entire length of the eave of the first floor.

The butler awaiting them opens the door as soon as they step close and guides the two through the wide entranceway. They pass passageways leading to guest rooms on each side until they reach a wide, circular hall.

「His Highness will be with you in a minute,」 he announces once he reaches a tall, wide staircase with a red carpet, leading in a leisurely ascent towards the second floor, where it joins a balcony encircling the space. 「In the meantime, would Sir Hero and Milady care for a cup of-」

「There you are! Hero!」 a voice worthy of an opera tenor booms at them from up above.

Hero and Elena turn their gazes up and see Prince Rowan, looking down at them, one hand on his hip, another swinging freely at his side.

A tall, brown-haired, and green-eyed man with a sharp jawline and characteristically tall upper lip, his built more like that of an athlete than a well-fed noble.

He's wearing a slim-cut navy blue tailcoat with golden inseams, a light, silk shirt underneath, a blue-dyed leather belt with a golden buckle, and long, bright blue pantaloons accentuating his calves, terminating in soft-looking gilded slippers.

「Many thanks for arriving soon,」 he says, descending the staircase confidently, like an actor strolling across a stage of his hometown's theater.

With a gaze that would be called lascivious in situations where the beholder isn't a noble, he scans Elena's body from crown to toes and back again.

「I must thank you as well, Sword Saint. You've proven yourself time and again to be a reliable help. I just wish you would take off that unsuitable bulky armor and let out more of your feminine... charm,」 he adds.

As he continues downwards, the shafts of light coming from the glass dome of the tall roof hit him directly, causing the fibers in all his clothing to glow, and all the gold to glimmer, giving him an even more lofty aura.

「If you are to seduce me, you must at least—」

「Your Highness, did you need me?」 Hero interrupts him while standing with an impatient look.

Elena has taken the knee while the butler steps aside with a steep bow.

The confident expression on the prince's face turns into a grimace of a youngster who bit into a very sour apple.

「Oh, I beg your pardon, Hero, I forgot to tell you. Prince Valerick is here as well, and so is Prince Targin's messenger. They're waiting for us in the audience room, so I will now have to ask you to join us. Let us hurry,」 he nods at the butler who, even though still bowing, keeps his eyes on them.

Upon his gesture, the servant leads them through a passage to the side and underneath the stairs, to an equally ornate, tall corridor, at the end of which lies yet another hall-like, rectangular room with a giant mahogany table in the middle.

At its far end, standing in wait is another tall figure, slightly older with short blonde hair and green eyes, at his side is a shorter man with a big forehead and a slightly crooked nose, on the bridge of which rides a pair of pince-nez glasses with a silver frame, and a silver chain tucking into a pocket of his jacket. Neither of them look as ornamented as Prince Rowan, and the expression on the tall man's face makes him look more like one of the statues Hero and Elena had passed on their way here.

「Ah, Prince Valerick, brother,」 Prince Rowan almost-sings at the tall man, striding confidently across the room to greet him, 「I have our guests as promised.」

「About time,」 Prince Valerick concludes and shakes Prince Rowan's hand.

「And mister Seelklee, thank you for coming!」 Prince Rowan shakes the dignitary's hand with equal enthusiasm.

「My honor, Your Highness,」 the bespectacled man replies with perfect diction.

Hero and Elena stride through the room, passing numerous marble stands with crystal vases filled with freshly-cut hyacinths and white tulips and lined up alongside the white-plastered walls. Large mirrors which make the room seem even bigger hang tucked into niches behind the stands.

Without a word, the butler guides Hero to his seat near the end of the table, opposite to Prince Rowan and Seelklee, and to the left of Prince Valerick, and then leaves the room promptly after, barely making a sound.

Elena goes down on one knee behind Hero while keeping her head dipped.

Sitting down, Hero makes a note that Prince Valerick is wearing his riding uniform, a stark white that contrasts the ruddy complexion of his cheeks.

「Right then,」 Prince Rowan begins with a smile as he puts his hands together, lying them sideways on the table, with palms apart but fingers touching. 「As you might have figured out, we are here to discuss a pressing matter regarding the future and stability of the Kingdom.」

「It's about little Rosa,」 Prince Valerick speaks and turns to Hero and Elena. His voice is way lower and raspy than Prince Rowan's. 「And the deal you had with the King.」

「Yes, the throne succession agreement, Your Highness,」 says Hero, weighing his words for a moment. 「Is there a problem?」 he asks, one eyebrow raised.

Prince Rowan leans forward with clenched fists, 「What do you mea-!」 but a raised hand from Prince Valerick interrupts him.

「Calm yourself, Rowan! You may be the youngest, but that does not mean you can act like a child,」 he says with a slightly raised voice before pausing and turning back to Hero.

「Hero, I wouldn't have come here if there wasn't a problem,」 he states with authority.

Prince Rowan shifts his eyes at him without changing his facial expression or pose.

Prince Valerick continues, 「I'll let Targin explain since he came up with the meeting,」 he nods at Seelklee.

The diplomat clears his throat and fixes the glasses on his nose, then straightens out his back a bit too expressly and, keeping his hands relaxed on the rim of the table, announces 「The Crown is of the opinion that in the absence of the realization of the marriage between Hero and Princess Rosaria, and the unlikely nature of such union transpiring, the agreement between Hero and the Crown can no longer be considered valid and thus must be voided.」

Every one of his words is delivered with an unshaken, well-rehearsed precision.

「What is the meaning of this?」 Hero frowns and his right-hand trembles, but he shields it with his left.

Seeing his stare, the diplomat becomes unusually sweaty and lowers his eyesight.

Prince Rowan leers down at him with a haughty grin, 「Was the phrasing too hard, Hero? My apologies, it says that because you can't marry the Princess, your deal with father shan't apply anymore.」

「With all due respect, the Princess wasn't able to marry me because I could not reach her...!」 Hero blurts out, his hands clenched into fists.

Prince Rowan nods with an expression of understanding before his smile widens. With a slightly quieter tone, he asks, 「Or maybe it's because she didn't want you to reach her?」 he leans in and almost whispers, 「Face it, that stupid sister of mine has abandoned you and her duty to the country.」

They stare at each other in silence, with droplets of sweat forming on Hero's forehead, his face looking strained as if holding back from growling.

「It was just a disagreement,」 Hero lets out through gritted teeth.

The room would be completely silent were it not for Hero's legs trembling in anger, causing his shoes to scrape against the floor.

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「Your Highnesses, Hero sir, if you'll excuse me,」 at that moment, Elena stands up while keeping her body in a bow.

「Please, allow me to excuse myself for a moment,」 she requests and adds, 「it is urgent and pertinent.」

Prince Rowan nods reluctantly, and they all watch her leave with brisk steps, armor clanking all the way until the closing of the doors muffles the sound.

「A disagreement?」 Prince Valerick continues the conversation in a stern voice, 「Hmmm... 」 he looks at the other two, but is only met with a smile from Prince Rowan and a polite, helpless look from the diplomat.

「Then what about that... Xalveri? Was it? Wasn't he already dealt with?」 he asks.

A smirk forms on Hero's face.

「Your Highness,」 Hero addresses Valerick, 「She was not in the right state of mind. Everything points to Xalvari having coerced and kidnapped her.」

「Oh? Truly, we must have been misled then,」 Prince Rowan says, looking at the other two, squinting for a moment. 「Regarding the Princess's disappearance. But, first, let me ask you this, Hero: have you and Xalvari not once been considered close friends?」

「Wh- pardon?」 Hero says, the smirk on his face faltering.

Prince Valerick notices Hero's hands trembling and speaks with a calm voice, 「I have received a word from some knights who were there with you on that occasion. According to them, you agreed to leave Princess Rosaria for a day.」

Prince Rowan leans back in his chair dramatically with a satisfied shit-eating grin on his face.

「T-that was-!」 hero protests, voice short on breath, but then falls silent.

The room enters another period of silence until a rhythmic tap sounds from the table. Prince Rowan is hitting the manicured nail of his index finger on the lacquer with an impatient look. He opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, a brisk knocking echoes from the doors.

「Come in!」 Rowan commands.

With all attention turned towards the entrance, the doors open gently, and a slender but tall woman enters the room with graceful steps.

She has a long, youthful face with a delicate nose and lips, and long eyelashes. Her light blonde hair is tied into a long pigtail put along her side and reaching down to her thighs.

Her outfit is an all-white musketeer's suit, with a tightly-fitting corset-like one-piece buttoned on both sides. A shiny, gold breastplate, covered by a ruffled scarf elegantly hangs off her collar and shoulders.

Instead of a skirt, only a hand's length of a light frilly fabric separates the torso piece from skin-tight leggings covering her graceful, enviably long legs.

On her feet, stretching up to her knees are two white leather boots with blocky heels and two gold tassels attached at the dip. Her shoulders sport epaulettes with golden aglets. Underneath them is a short cape attached at her shoulders in the front and stretching barely to elbow length in the back.

Another, longer cape starts at her waist. It's made out of very light silk, appears to be attached with ribbons, and splits in two at the buttocks.

Her forearms are covered by long, slim gloves and with her left hand, she holds at her side a gold-embossed practice helmet with a black screen.

「Your Highness Prince Valerick, Your Highness Prince Rowan, hero, Mister Seelklee」 she greets everyone with a small bow.

「Please excuse my intrusion, but I come with an urgent message for the hero,」 she exchanges glances with Hero.

「Margrave Gauden seeks your audience, he says it's an emergency,」 she announces with an elegant smile.

「What?! You dare suggest that there is anything more important than our discussion?」 Prince Rowan jumps up from his seat in agitation.

「Unfortunately, it is so, Your Highness. Margrave Gauden says it is a matter of the disappearance of Princess Rosaria. I am not at liberty to say any more. The hero must come with me immediately.」

Prince Rowan grits his teeth and switches between looking at Hero and the woman repeatedly.

「But we were almost...」 he mutters angrily under his breath.

A raised hand from Prince Valerick gesturing for his brother to fall back steals the attention. He looks at her with a calm but thoughtful expression.

「Well, if Gauden is bold enough to send his daughter, then there's nothing we can do, especially if it is about the state of our dear sister. Fine, we shall comply,」 he concludes.

「But brother!」

「Stand back, Rowan! One must know when to hold back, for the sake of a greater goal,」 Prince Valerick chastises him before facing Hero.

「Hero, we will arrange to continue this conversation at another time,」 he says.

Hero breathes out in relief, as inconspicuously as he can.

「You must excuse me then, Your Highnesses, and mister Seelklee,」 the three watch Hero rise from his seat and start walking out of the room gallantly, his gold armor shining and red cape fluttering theatrically before settling on his back.

「Seelklee, you go report back the minutes of the meeting to Targin. Tell him to keep a close eye on Gauden,」 Valerick commands the diplomat in a voice low enough for no one else to hear.

「Yes, Your Highness!」

Seelklee adjusts his glasses before rising, taking a bow, and leaving the room with haste.

「What are we going to do now, brother? What if Margrave Gauden has found Rosaria?」 Prince Rowan asks before pausing with an ominous look on his face, 「It would mean that bastard commoner gets to ascend the throne!」

「There is nothing to worry about. He is but still a kid. More importantly, we were finally able to reveal who Gauden has decided to side with. I would consider that a win.」

Prince Valerick stands up with his hands on the table.

「We will start preparing,」 he says.

「For what?」 Prince Rowan asks quizzically.

His brother looks at him with furrowed brows and a questioning look.

「In case he really was able to find the whereabouts of Rosaria.」

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