Chapter 34: Fourth Episode: Chapter 7 (1/2)
Chapter 34: Fourth Episode: Chapter 7
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
How long has it been since he last set foot into Annie’s bedroom? His Royal Highness 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 morning at six, His Royal Highness 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’s main building. It was a spacious room and the Countess was sleeping inside. Her maid was a girl born in Damorga and she slept in the servant’s room that was connected to the living room. The girl groggily 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 who was sleeping soundly. He then caressed those lips that had once taught him how to kiss.
The prince sighed gently. During the countless nights in Damorga, it was the lady on this bed who brought him endless joy. However, when he once again 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 might 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 times, Annie felt as if something was out of place in her familiar bedroom.
Soon enough, the Countess realized that within the shadows at some distance from the bed, was the silhouette of a chubby man. Although Annie knew that that was definitely Oscar, but the shock of having one barge into her bedroom made her tighten her grasp on her silk quilt.
”Sorry.” Oscar emerged 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 miss this arousing scene. However, the youngster 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 Damorga, 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 him. Yes, that’s right, 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 my family, my mother and I are enough. You have spent your youth in Damorga and you have given me care and love. Do you still think that these are not enough?”
”You don’t need me anymore, do you?” Annie calmed down and thought that perhaps it was time to have a good 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 my love, protection and gentleness to other men?”
”Annie, I do not mean it that way. I’m saying that 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 room fell into silence and only Annie’s heavy breathing was heard. She was furious and was weeping. 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 multiple roles for Oscar and although Oscar regretted his words very much, but he knew that he had not done anything wrong. As compared to the things Annie gave him, the things 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 me. I cannot marry you, and I will not let you be disgraced by the status of mistress so I hope that you could come to terms with my suggestion. You know, what 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 Damorga, I already had the intention to accompany you for the rest of my life, but now...now...”
Oscar was unable to respond. He had depended on Annie, been infatuated with Annie, but when it came to love, the youngster knew that he loved Annie. However, love should be given fairly, something that was actually very subjective, and he could no longer fulfill that.
The youngster knew that in any case, he was extremely fickle with love. Although 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 family, a daughter or a son Annie, don’t you understand? I don’t wish to repeat those things, but you keep forcing me to do so Annie! My destiny is already drifting further and further away from you and it is impossible for me to give you anything.”
”Fair? How do you know what 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 relationship 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; when will you only truly consider about yourself?”
Both of them fell silent. Oscar did not know whether he had managed 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 him ”Royal Highness”.
”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 time. There was the sound of weeping in the house. Similarly, the youngster felt on the verge 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 walkway and bowed to him respectfully. The prince walked along the wide corridor with his head held high. His shadow was stretched long and appeared all the more lonesome.
A thin layer of morning mist covered Dulin, obscuring the prying Sun. Only the Sun’s rays were visible in the sky, transforming into array of colors.
Early morning Dulin was already bustling with activity. The citizens were in the marketplace bickering about the gains and loss of a few Ti coins, the artisans and craftsmen were finishing up their preparations for the items to peddle for the day. The Ministry of Justice had increased the patrolling troops and a few of them were continuously pestering some of the unconventional people from outside the province.
The knights delivered a number of luggage out of the city and Oscar followed the procession and left together. At a relay station outside the city, he met with his main group of Narcissus Knights followers. Although they had been separated for about one month, but the knights still greeted their commander-in-chief warmly, the only difference being that they now addressed him as ”Your Royal highness Prince” instead of ”Little Young master”.
Oscar knew that they calling him ”Your Royal Highness Prince” had changed a lot of things.
The youngster led a small group of knights and hurried to Westberg 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 may well have a new owner for he saw some porters moving baggage from a carriage into the manor.
Westberg fort occupied a vast area. The defenders required the strength of a whole army to be able to fully guard the Imperial household’s landscape garden. 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 Eminence the pope’s carriage, 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 performing the Knight’s etiquette. As the ”Shield of the God of Light”, the younger generation of the Andrew family all used the Knight’s etiquette to greet 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 moss and unknown wild flowers squeezed through the rock crevices in little groups. Occasionally, a few Chinese Parasol trees would be seen mixed within the tall thicket. The silhouettes of the Imperial guard soldiers were faintly discernible within the thick fog. They were carefully maintaining a distance from the two respected men.
The youngster and the pope chatted about insignificant matters like the weather, raindrops, happy moments and such, which made the prince feel somewhat disgusted but he knew that perhaps the pope felt the same way as well. No important person would be willing to spend time to chat with a child; a child who was at that moment, the most respected youth, and yet there was also no important person who would dare give 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 who was dressed like a mentally ill person, took a letter out from his pocket and looked at the youngster with an extremely sickening gaze.
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 met quite a lot of people from the Church of Light back in Damorga and perhaps it was the influence from those big shots but the youngster would not say that those clergies who attempted to straighten out the criminals were hateful but even more so, they did not get on his good side either.
The pope continued on with his morning exercise while the youngster strolled out of the forest by himself. At that moment, the fog had started to clear and the enormous silhouette of Westberg fort was gradually revealed under the multicolored light of the sunrise that filled the whole sky.
If we traced back Westberg fort’s history, we will realize that at the center of the ancient map labeled ”Westberg”, was a small town. According to legend, 4 centuries ago on the Church’s calendar, a bishop of light witnessed a miracle here and so he gathered the believers in this place and built an ancient Titan-styled church. When Titan Empire was finally established, Westberg had already developed into a land well known near and far for pilgrimage.
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 Empire continuously tried to perfect the west gates. Although 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 from hard white rock. The whole fortress was facing west. On both sides of the tall and spacious fortress gates, were two symmetrical watchtowers. The mechanism that controlled the iron gates of the fort was within these two watchtowers.
Since the fortress had undergone multiple renovations and expansions of successive dynasties, most of its outward appearance adopted many known characteristics of various buildings. The greenish 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 famous attractions of Westberg fort and an art masterpiece during the 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 hampered by the wind and rain for many years, the carvings still managed to maintain its original colors.
The inner part of the fortress had been renovated a countless number of times. Titan Empire’s Emperors who were in control had practically all done some modifications, but the Morisette family, being the Imperial family in power for the longest time in the whole history of Westland, allowed the fortress’ reputation to reach its peak.
Being a member of the Morisette Imperial household, O’Neil Andrew Morisette had the right 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 who was 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 companion was someone who had a nobility title. This young lady’s purpose was almost the same as young Countess Antonia Horman. To put it bluntly, she was only a high-ranking maid of the Imperial household.
The little fatty boringly sized up the princess’ room. The little lady count had just left the room and seemed like she was going to prepare breakfast for the Princess. The prince felt that she could probably bring something for him too. The glutinous little chap was already starving.
The door to the bedroom opened a little crack and Oscar could smell the Princess’ fragrance from the crack. Although that seemed to only be the smell of the air of the room, but if he wanted to think that it was the fragrant body, then there was nothing that we can do.
Oscar hesitated. He did not want himself to barge into the princess’ bedroom like a tramp and he did not want himself to be a fool who let down the princes with her good 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 calmly staring at him.
”Ola! My beloved Royal Highness Princess, Countess Emory said that you haven’t got 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 awkwardness. If possible, he wished that he could sing a song now, which would certainly be able allow him to escape suspicion.