Cursed Royalty

chapter four

The familiarity of his voice was all too overwhelming, each word he spoke sent chills down her spine. She knew the perfect opportunity to escape had slipped out of her hands and she was well aware of the fact that he was mocking her through his tedious words.

"It's great seeing you here, Your Highness!" Harold bowed, smiling widely. The King visited the townspeople whenever he could which was partially the reason they opened up to him so easily.

"Well, it was obvious that I would come. I tend to have a habit of finding things that I've lost." He smirked, glancing at the back of Elsa's head since she refused to turn around and acknowledge him. "King Jackson, you've come as well! This is honestly the best day of my life. First, I got to see an actual princess and now I get to see the greatest king Burgess has ever known!" Aurora chimed.

... Greatest King Burgess has known, those words shouldn't have impacted him as much as they did. The little girl didn't know any better and for that he would not chastise her but his chest tightened when memories came flooding back. Memories that he had locked away and prevented himself to think about.

Before he knew it, he found himself revisiting one of those memories.

"Ugh, Father, when will this be over? I don't understand why you brought me with you when you could have easily done this yourself. Do you find some sick joy in tormenting me?" Jack sulked.

"Nonsense! There's a reason I asked for you to come with me. Just be patient and you'll see why soon enough."

"I still don't understand. You know for a fact that Aster likes going on these trips with you more than I do. No offence, but I'd rather be at home."

His father shook his head, "You've made that clear multiple times before, Jackson. Aster already obtains the skill that I'm trying to get you to learn or even by god's miracle, achieve. You may love staying at home and creating more problems for me to handle but it's also dire that you carry out your duties as a prince."

"Another great pep talk, dad. I don't know how many times I've gotta tell you, I get it. You tell me this every single day."

"Mhm, if you got it then you wouldn't be so resilient on going against everything I'm telling you."

Jack was about to protest but his father lifted his hand, bringing an end to the conversation. He loved his father but at times the prince believed that his father preferred his older brother over him. Aster was professional, strict, uptight, proper. The polar opposite of Jack. His philosophy was that you should be able to live life without any restrictions.

His father curtly nodded, signalling him to walk towards where him and his royal advisor stood. He sighed, reluctantly reaching the two. They stood in front of a small shelter that looked like it would give out at any second. Even the village seemed foreign to him, nothing nearby helped him place a name to their surroundings.

A small family of four came out, a terrified look plastered on their faces. They bowed on wobbly knees, not having the strength to maintain their posture. Their clothes were ripped all over and surely would not protect them from the cold weather outside. "Hello, I'm sorry to intrude on you like this. Now that I think about it, I probably should've informed you beforehand, but, I got your letter that you wrote to our council, asking for assistance. Once I read about what type of poor conditions you live in, it was essential that I get you out of here. I am glad to say that the Frost Administration has reviewed your case and welcomes you to Burgess with open arms!" His father cheerfully said.

Jack knew that his father always welcomed those who were less unfortunate to come reside in Burgess. He would find anyone to help from those who lived in the depths of the forest in small huts to those who had a roof over their heads that definitely could not be considered liveable. He would give them the opportunity to start a brand new life in Burgess which was the reason he created the Frost Administration. However, this was the first time the young prince was seeing it all happen in person.