Belle de Soir | H.S.

V.

CHAPTER FIVE FINDING SOLACE
May 16th, 2017

His nerves was getting the best of him again. New Mountain Orphanage housed fifty children who often plead for the young prince to find them the perfect home. Despite the task being completely unreasonable, a part of him still considered adopting all of the lonely children himself, and figuring out the details at a later date.

He wiped his damp palms on the surface of his trousers, and peered out of the car window. His eyes followed the cluster of city buildings until only acacia trees remained. A sigh of distress left his mouth. He knew they were getting closer to their destination. Martha turned to look at him in worry.

"Is there something wrong, Your Highness?" She asked, closing her planner to focus on their conversation. "If there is something that is unpleasant—"

"No, no. There's nothing wrong," Theodore admitted. His gaze dropped to his lap, before returning to the window. "Are you sure we can't find a proper home for all of them?"

Martha knew the prince was faced with severe discomfort after every visit, but there was nothing much she could do about his overwhelming amount of anxiety. Most times, she sent him a ray of moral support from the sidelines.

"Unfortunately, we cannot. I'm sorry, Your Highness," Martha confessed. She could feel her heart breaking bit by bit. "We can only visit to encourage more adoptions among the public."

"I see." Theodore wasn't satisfied with that answer, but he would have to settle.

A silence fell over the vehicle.

"If it will help ease your pain, there has been an increase of adoptions since we began this reoccurrence. Ms. Mills gave me a report." Martha dug into her tote bag to pull out a folder. She handed it to the prince, hoping for a sign of a relief on his face. "More families are coming, and children are going to good homes."

There was a small burst of light that pierced through his heart. He was pleased with their efforts, and was motivated enough to carry on with the routine tours. Theodore's mind wandered to the children's faces, and those who colored his memory with their unfortunate beginnings and even brighter outlooks on life. Some similar to his own. Maybe there was a way to lift their spirits that time around.

He brainstormed a bit before reaching a suggestion. "Would it be too much to bring some gifts for them? I understand that it is not the holidays, but I want to reach them. Just a little more," Theodore implored as he pulled out his phone to conduct some minor research.

"Well, there is a local store near the orphanage—"

"Perfect. Let us stop by on the way, yes?" Theodore's smile spread across his face. There was finally something he could do, instead bluffing for better tomorrows and leaving the premises to retire to his larger-than-life home. He felt good.

As Martha signaled for the driver's attention, the prince found himself reading further into the report from the orphanage. He daydreamed about how the children's reactions to his act of splendor and dedication would be like.

Graham's Toy Emporium was filled with packaged knick knacks and childhood oddities of the heart. Theodore noticed the chips and cracks in the painted furniture, but somehow, he thought of them as charming details. His finger slid over the antiquated wood as he admired the craftsmanship of each toy on the shelf. He was enamored.

"Welcome Your Highness," An elder gentleman greeted from behind the counter. Theodore assumed he was Graham or something of the sort. "Your visit is rather unexpected. What brings you here?"