Chapter 34 (1/2)
How long has it been since he last set foot into Annie's bedroohness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette asked himself as he sized up the bedroom that was sheltered from the Sun by the thick muslin screen
Early in the hness Prince abruptly opened his eyes He suddenly felt that he should go visit Countess Antonia, who had always looked after him and cared for him
Annie's bedroom was on the third floor of the official residence'sIt was a spacious rooirl born in Daa and she slept in the servant's rooily opened the door for the prince She was apparently shocked when she saw the youngster outside the door but it was quickly replaced by glee
Oscar quietly watched the countess as sleeping soundly He then caressed those lips that had once taught him how to kiss
The prince sighed gently During the countless nights in Daht hiain sized up her beautiful complexion, he suddenly developed an illusion as if it were the old days
The prince stepped back to the side, worried that he ht take it a step further
The long hair was carelessly spread out across the pillow Annie woke up abruptly from her deep sleep and unlike the usual ti was out of place in her familiar bedroom
Soon enough, the Countess realized that within the shadows at some distance froh Annie knew that that was definitely Oscar, but the shock of having one barge into her bedroorasp on her silk quilt
”Sorry” Oscar eed from the shadows and sat by Annie's side
”What's wrong?” Annie leaned forwards slightly and the belt of her nightdress slid down, displaying the curves of the Countess' beautiful breasts before the prince
Oscar did not ster realized that his heart no longer had the passion it once held
”Did I startle you?”
”No, it doesn't matter What happened Oscar?”
”Oh, it's nothing I just suddenly felt like seeing you”
”Only to see me?”
”Yes, Annie”
Antonia stopped speaking; she did not want to get along with Oscar this way When the youngster led her out of Daa, she already knew that this day would come
”Annie, we should talk”
”I do not wish to speak I want to change my clothes” Annie turned her head away
Oscar gave a sigh He knew that he had to explain things clearly to Annie for he did not want Annie's future to be held up because of hiht, the future Annie's future was not his and he had no right to ask a person to give their whole life to him
”Annie, listen to me All that you have done for h You have spent your youth in Daiven h?”
”You don't need ht that perhaps it was tiood talk with the child
”You know that I need you, your love and protection, your gentleness, but I no longer want you to be lonely anymore, to continue to burn away your life for me, for you deserve to have better than this”
”Do you think I will give entleness to other men?”
”Annie, I do notthat you could have a family of your own, a husband and children”
”If you want to cast me aside, then just say it! Why do you have to use all these irrelevant things to torture me?” Annie suddenly shouted hysterically
The roo was heard She was furious and eeping Tears trickled down her cheeks and the acidic liquid burned her eyes sore However, she stubbornly refused to touch these scars of weakness
”Annie” Oscar wanted to embrace this lady She had played retted his words veryAs cos he could do for her mounted to zero
”Annie,” Oscar retreated ever so slightly He feared that he would not be able to help it and took Annie into his embrace, and then whatever happened next would be beyond his control The youngster did not want all his efforts go to waste
”Annie, look at raced by the status of estion You knohat I just said is the best ending, be it for you, or me”
”No, I don't care about the ending, for when I stepped into Daa, I already had the intention to accompany you for the rest of my life, but nownow”
Oscar was unable to respond He had depended on Annie, been infatuated with Annie, but when it caster knew that he loved Annie However, love should be given fairly, so that was actually very subjective, and he could no longer fulfill that
The youngster knew that in any case, he was extreh Annie's tears made him blame himself until he was almost mad, but he felt that there was no other way other than this
”Things have changed now, Annie, everything has changed! Both your destiny and mine”
”No, my destiny is to serve you all my life! It has been bound from the moment I took the baby you from the frail princess”
”How could you still not understand that this is not fair to you, Annie Why won't you give it a thought? A fahter or a son Annie, don't you understand? I don't wish to repeat those things, but you keep forcingfurther and further away fro”
”Fair? How do you knohat is fair for me? The child that I have loved for fifteen years is suddenly leaving me, is that still considered as fair?”
”Annie, I did not say that I wanted you to leave me I only wanted to end that relationshi+p between us for I do not want to selfishly keep you as mine From the moment you set foot into my mother's palace, you have started to live for others; ill you only truly consider about yourself?”
Both of theed to convince Annie; he had nothing left to say Just when he decided to leave, Annie stopped to him
”Your Royal Highness, are you going out? I will tell my servant to prepare breakfast”
Oscar took a close look at Annie She had never called hihness”
”There's no need Thank you for everything you have done for me, my most beloved lady!”
The maid closed the door for the countess and Oscar rested his forehead against the door and stayed like that dazedly for a long ti in the house Sie of tears but he no tears came
As soon as the servants who got up early saw His Royal Highness, they put down the tasks they were doing, arranged themselves on both sides of the ay and bowed to hi the wide corridor with his head held high His shadoas stretched long and appeared all the more lonesome
A thin layer ofSun Only the Sun's rays were visible in the sky, transfor into array of colors
Earlywith activity The citizens were in the ains and loss of a few Ti coins, the artisans and crafts up their preparations for the items to peddle for the day The Ministry of Justice had increased the patrolling troops and a few of the some of the unconventional people from outside the province
The knights delivered a nue out of the city and Oscar followed the procession and left together At a relay station outside the city, he hts followers Although they had been separated for about one reeted their co that they now addressed hi master”
Oscar knew that they calling his
The youngster led a s Fort When the carriage passed through one of the lookout post by the road, the prince purposefully gazed at the manor at the side That used to be the home of Duke Robinson Brickfield, but now it age froe into the manor
Westberg fort occupied a vast area The defenders required the strength of a whole aruard the Iarden Since the fort currently housed a few main members of the Imperial household, thus its defensive facilities were exceedingly strong
Oscar knew that he had to pass through another lookout post before reaching the fortress, but once he saw His Grand Ee, he clearly knew that he could save on all those complicated procedures
His Grand Eminence the pope with his white clothes, white hair and white beard was standing beside the carriage The old man smiled as he watched the little prince approach him
Oscar knelt down on one knee before the pope He was perforht's etiquette As the ”shi+eld of the God of Light”, the younger generation of the Andrew fareet the members of the church
The pope helped the youngster up, ”haha, young lad, come and accompany this old man for a walk!”
”Of course, no one would refuse an old man such as yourself”
The elderly and the youngster walked along the boulevard The trail was covered with h the rock crevices in little groups Occasionally, a few Chinese Parasol trees would be seen mixed within the tall thicket The silhouettes of the Iuard soldiers were faintly discernible within the thick fog They were carefullya distance from the two respected men
The youngster and the pope chatted about insignificant matters like the weather, raindrops, happy usted but he knew that perhaps the pope felt the sa to spend time to chat with a child; a child as at that moment, the most respected youth, and yet there was also no iive the little lad the cold shoulder
Oscar knew that the pope would have a letter for his father and he was not disappointed The old man as dressed like a mentally ill person, took a letter out froster with an extreaze
Once Oscar had kept the letter, he bid farewell to the pope He did not want to interact with the people of the church Oscar had ht back in Da shots but the youngster would not say that those clergies who attehten out the criet on his good side either
The pope continued on with his ster strolled out of the forest by hi had started to clear and the enorradually revealed under the ht of the sunrise that filled the whole sky
If we traced back Westberg fort's history, ill realize that at the center of the ancient end, 4 centuries ago on the Church's calendar, a bishop of light witnessed a athered the believers in this place and built an ancient titan-styled church When titan E had already developed into a land well known near and far for pilgrie
The renovation process of Westberg fort could no longer be criticized Perhaps it was for the purpose of defense, the Emperors of the ancient titan Eh Westberg used to be just a few churches, but in the third century on the Church's calendar, a towering Minerva-styled titan pillbox already stood tall on this land
The current Westberg fort was as it were after the last expansion back in the sixth century It occupied forty-nine hectares The 35-meters-tall fort walls that surrounded all four sides were chiseled out fro west On both sides of the tall and spacious fortress gates, were two symates of the fort ithin these tatchtowers
Since the fortress had undergone multiple renovations and expansions of successive dynasties, most of its outward appearance adopted reenish white colored fortress had no traces of swords and soldiers, instead, carvings of mountains and flowers covered the west side of the fort walls, one of the fa fort and an artthe fourth century period on the Church's calendar The carvings described the war story of titan defending against the invasion by the Persians The strange thing was, after being has still inal colors
The inner part of the fortress had been renovated a countless number of times titan Empire's Emperors ere in control had practically all done so the Iest time in the whole history of Westland, allowed the fortress' reputation to reach its peak
Being a member of the Morisette Iht to enter the fortress without needing permission from the Emperor or the Empress
One of the Colonels of the capital's defenders personally greeted His Royal Highness the Prince as visiting He invited him to a tall tower on the south side of the fortress
Oscar had no intentions of returning to the official residence His baggage was almost packed finish and if he went back, it would be only to pass his time
His Royal Highness the Prince was just outside Princes Alanis Alfa Morisette's bedroom The princess' female co lady's purpose was al Countess Antonia Hor maid of the Imperial household
The little fatty boringly sized up the princess' room The little lady count had just left the roo to prepare breakfast for the Princess The prince felt that she could probably bring solutinous little chap was already starving
The door to the bedroom opened a little crack and Oscar could sh that seemed to only be the smell of the air of the roorant body, then there was nothing that we can do
Oscar hesitated He did not want hie into the princess' bedroom like a tramp and he did not want hiood intention of leaving the door open a crack for him In the end, the prince finally made up his mind, he felt that he should behave himself and remain on the sofa Perhaps this was a test from the Princess
However, the prince quickly started to doubt his resolution because he suddenly thought, perhaps the princess behind the door already could not wait?
When the prince realized that this thinking of his was very dangerous, he found that he had already pulled open the door and the beautiful princess was cal at him
”Ola! My beloved Royal Highness Princess, Countess Eot up yet, so I helped examine your lock; for you know, the world is not a very safe place”
”Thank you, Your Royal Highness Prince Did I disappoint you? No man had ever opened that door, but of course, aside from you now, that is”
Oscar rubbed his nose in distress; this was his habit of covering up his aardness If possible, he wished that he could sing a song nohich would certainly be able allow him to escape suspicion
”Come on in, you appeared like a curious little bear just now I know that you have examined for quite a while, so as thanks, I do not mind if you help examine the other locks in this room”