"Are you aware of the prince's background?"

"Can't say I'm fully aware, aside from him being an illegitimate son."

Brandon made sure the coast was clear, before scooting closer to Aderia. His voice was low as he began his explanation, "That's right. But the prince was born outside of this castle. In fact, he was born outside of this country. The current king only figured out his whereabouts when his mother died, so he was brought here immediately after."

"Huh, will you look at that. Is it Irene's country?"

"Her Highness. But no, it's not. It's somewhere even more isolated up north." Brandon let out a sigh. "He didn't get used to palace life that easily, and he was understandably confused by the sudden turn of events. He always skipped his classes and caused a massive ruckus around the castle, so his reputation wasn't… the best, to say the least."

Aderia could already tell where the story was heading, but she kept quiet.

"The king caught wind of this and ordered for him to be locked inside his room for 3 days. No food, no drink." Hurt gleamed inside his eyes as he remembered the past, when he was powerless to do anything as the prince banged on the door, begging to be let out. "He sneaked out the second night and stole some bread from the kitchen, but he was caught by his guards and brought to the king. You can probably guess what happens after."

"Nobody came into his defence, and he got punished?"

"Yes. The windows to his room were barricaded, and he wasn't allowed to talk to anyone. It was a mess. The punishment was only lifted after he apologized for what he'd done."

"Damn, that's harsh. So that's why he's fired up to become the prince and overthrow His Highness, huh."

Aderia closed her mouth after she realized her treasonous words, but Brandon wasn't paying much attention.

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He nodded once. "He's probably affected by how the princess treated the boy, despite them being in the same situation."

"I see..."

The prince was caught stealing and was punished severely. The boy did the same but not only was he let go, he also got what he wanted. The act must had sparked something inside of him.

"You did a good job, though. Getting lost was one thing, but you made them have a progress in their relationship."

Brandon grinned widely at her, even reaching out to pat her head as he continued the compliment, "You're much better with this than I am. If I was there, I wouldn't even let the princess come close."

"But... Troy doesn't look like he's enlightened, or anything. He's just... so quiet. It's borderline disturbing."

"I'm sure he'll come to his senses soon. If he thinks of the princess as the saviour he needed when he was a child, that feeling will stay until now. Give him some time for that to happen."

"Alright..."

The prince ended up shutting himself in for the rest of the day. Brandon wasn't particularly fussing about it like he usually would, so Aderia finally calmed down, too.

The next day, Troy slipped a note under the door, asking for his breakfast to be sent to him. Aderia went on to oblige the request, and Brandon was left behind. He took the chance to knock on the door to get the prince's attention.

"Your Highness. I'm sure you overheard our conversation from last night."

There was no response. But he pushed on with a certainty, "I want you to know that the incident will never happen again. The king is long gone, but if by chance you are met with the mistaken judgement of other people, Aderia and I will lay our lives for you."

"A bold statement." An amused voice drifted from Brandon's back, jolting him. "You truly deserve the title of his most loyal subject."

"Your Highness…!" Brandon swerved to face the princess, who was hiding a smile behind her hand. He bowed deeply with a flushed face. "M-my apologies, I've let you witness such a humiliating moment…"

"Humiliating? None at all. In fact, my admiration for you has surpassed my own expectations."

Aderia popped up from behind her, not even bothering to hide her snicker. A tray filled with food was balanced perfectly in her hand. "Yeah, not humiliating at all."

He would have lectured her on site, but Irene needed to be tend to first. "I beg your pardon, Your Highness, but why are you here and not having your breakfast…?"

"I heard from Aderia that the prince wishes to dine inside his office. I'd like to have breakfast together, so I had the chef prepare for two." Brandon realized that the amount of food was indeed, intended for more than a person. "I also heard from Aderia that the prince is sulking from yesterday's events?"

"Ahh, that's, well…" A sniping glare was thrown at Aderia, who stepped away from his line of sight. "… Yes, Your Highness. I terribly apologize for his behaviour…"

She waved him off. "You don't have to apologize on his behalf. Open the door, I wish to have a proper discussion with him."

"… Yes. As you wish, Your Highness."

Irene took the tray Aderia was holding and stepped inside as Brandon let her pass. The guard caught a glimpse of the prince lying down on the couch he and Aderia usually sat at.

The door shut close behind her, leaving them both together.

"…" Aderia began sprinting away, only to be pulled back by a furious Brandon.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, um, well, you know, to daily practice! Y-your face is scary, Brandon…!"

"You're already a prodigy, you don’t require any more practices. Come with me."

"Ah, wait, Brandon! I'm sorry, I wanted to stop her but she said it was-- Brandon!!"