Crowned Prince | hendery

25: Fleeting Happiness

"Maha'ali royal family has been slain."

It rang in his head like the bell was struck right beside his ear. Hendery continues to hear ringing in his ear as he takes a step back and leans against the closest furniture he can lean against.

"Your highness, I apologize for interrupting what should have been a joyous time, however, several letters have been sent about the soldiers ready to head to the front lines." It was clear that Justin was just as distraught as Hendery was.

A royal family being slain meant balance was being broken. There were people courageous enough to challenge the existing rules of the continent and this meant that they were capable of much more than this. Slaying a royal family, seeking to run the continent filled with different cultures and eventually creating an empire.

"Then I shall..." The prince was taken back. He looks at Taeha as if the princess has the words he was searching for but all he saw was her eyebrows knit together in anger and frustration.

"Taeha..." Like he was truly encapsulated by her, he walked up to her in absolute gentleness and grabs her hand, snapping her out of her own thoughts.

"Hendery?"

Her eyebrows were no longer knit together and was shocked to see Hendery standing in front of her.

"You shall not have a minute to worry about the war."

Then it was back, the look of confusion and frustration on her face. "If that is what you think I am frustrated about, you are wrong." She was beginning to shake her head.

Hendery's face suddenly drowns out of color.

"I do not wish to be pushed aside while I watch the nation I have now swore myself upon to give itself up to its ally." Taeha looks up at him, her back straight and strong with conviction. "I do not wish to watch the continental peace we have long established fall down into ruin and regret upon the decision of not being able to do anything."

Hendery eyes darted around her face searching for something-- anything that would grant him clarity. "Yet, I do not wish that your life be put at risk, Taeha."

"Neither would I want for you."

Once again he freezes up.

"I would like to extend my apologies to your highness, however if we do not act upon the call the soldiers have threatened to move towards the front lines on their own." Julian's exhausted face and hoarse voice was the reflection of what was truly going on in the mere twenty four hours that they were not present among the people.

"I shall take my leave." In Hendery confused and lost state all he could do was simply smile at her before heading out of the door of the room they shared their most intimate with each other.

Taeha watched as the door closed. She was left alone in the silence of the room.

As soon as she was left alone in the deafening silence of the room, she sat down, her hands shaking and her mind going blank. She puts her head into her hands taking deep breaths in between the gaps of her hand.

Before her head could even wrap around the thoughts of everything that was going on nor even react to what had just happened, she heard another knock from the door.

"Princess!" It was Emily calling her attention from the other side of the door.

Her hands were no longer shaking as much as it did before but her expression has yet to recover from the shock as was Emily's reaction upon catching a glimpse of the princess.

"Your highness." Her eyes dart around the princess's face as she tries to take a stem closer to the princess. "You must have found out about the recent happenings. We must get you to change your highness."

Taeha simply follows as she was told to. Yet everyone else in the castle was acting as if nothing was going on. There was no rush, no panic or fear, as if this whole war that the nation of Farox had waged upon them would not harm them and their families. People who will be thrown to the front lines will be treated as mere objects in the larger plan for peace, lives will be treated as disposable.

How is it that no one was panicking, scared or running for their lives?

"Princess?" The voice came from another person whose voice was just as hoarse as Julian's.

Taeha turns around to face Renjun, who shares a near identical expression as Julian's. His usually cleanly put up hair was a mess and most notably, what he was wearing the day of the wedding was the exact same thing he was still wearing today.

As if he was the only one among everyone she's passed by who is in panic over the situation.

"I apologize for the way I look." He bows his head. "But I must get going, as from the looks of it the crowned prince is set to move ahead with the military and hopefully seize Maha'ali."

"What?" Taeha runs up to the prince. "What do you mean the crowned prince will set to Maha'ali?"

"He might have not informed you yet, but the crowned prince, my brother will set to Maha'ali once the night falls."

"Today?"

Renjun nods his head.

"Where is your brother?"

"He must be in multiple places," he shakes his head, "I have no clue."

That was enough for her to draw conclusions. She bows her head and begins running to her room in order to get changed. The moment her attendant Emily puts on a dress for her to wear she stops her by standing up in her undergarment.

"I shall not be putting that on." The princess opens the other cabinets in her room, ones filled with various clothes she brought along from Sui.

"Your highness?" The attendant could only watch as she rummaged through her own clothes and pulled out clothes that resembled more of what men typically wore. "By the Hwei court orders, the crowned princess must not wear such attire."

"I shall be heading to Hendery's office," she lifts the clothing she has not worn in a while, "fetch me a hoarse."

"A hoarse?"

Taeha takes a deep breath in. "Simply follow my lead, I shall make sure you do not encounter troubles with my request."

She was not exactly sure of what had shifted in her at that moment. The princess did not want to dive into politics, wars or even simple misunderstandings. Yet, Hendery's words 'just as they did not have a choice that we lead over them, we do not have a choice but to do our duty to these people who will be victims of our negligence,' continue to echo in her ears as she dresses into her pants.

By the time she had finished putting her hair out of her face, Emily returned, catching her breath and holding onto the front of her dress.

"The hoarse has been prepared," she tells her in between her own breaths, "but we must leave using the back door."

"Of course."

One last look at the room she has only been in use for a month before she turns her back from it and begins running out of the halls into the back field where Hendery had toured her the first time before.

It was just as Emily had said, there was a young boy holding a boy dressed to be rode on. He was young and would probably be blamed for her decisions, thus she must make sure that she gets back before any of the royal family takes notice.

"How fast can the horse ride?"

"It is a horse of the royal family, your highness," Emily appears behind her, "they are bred to be the best in the land."

"Then I shall take your word for it." That was all the princess told the two of them before mounting the horse in such a smooth fashion that it threw the two of them off guard.