II. The Impact of Her

~ Seventeen ~

When I turned to my corridor, Gonzalo was already waiting at the door.

"Your dinner is already inside, Your Highness," Gonzalo bowed as I reached him.

"Thank you, Gonzalo," I nodded as I opened my door.

"Is there anything else that I can help you with, young prince," he asked as I stepped inside.

"There is nothing else for me, Gonzalo. But, I would like for you to bring a glass of water for my sister. Her handmaidens are nowhere to be seen and she needs it right away," I replied.

"As you wish, Your Highness," he bowed.

I continued, "Also, talk to the handmaidens about this matter. It's a rule in this castle that at least two servants are to accompany a monarch at night. Just because you are allowed to do other tasks at night, that doesn't mean that they get to the same."

"Yes, Your Highness. I will speak to them first thing in the morning," Gonzalo replied, bowing once again.

Slowly, I closed my door and headed to my writing desk. My food was already there but something else caught my eye. In the middle of my room was a bouquet, beautifully arranged inside an unfamiliar violet vase, which was settled on my tall table.

I didn't request for a flower arrangement to be put inside my chambers. This was unexpected. This must be some sort of misunderstanding. It could even be for Mother.

The flowers, however, weren't any kind of flowers. They were roses. Red ones, to be specific.

But where could this bouquet come from? I walked around it and there was a note on the other side of the table. I quickly opened it and it read:

"Hello, Robert!

"How are you?

"My deepest apologies if I wasn't able to send you letters yet. But I received news that you have a certain interest in red roses. So, I decided to send you a bouquet as my apology.

"Also, I wasn't sure of how many you wanted. I simply chose the most beautiful roses from my mother's garden.

"I hope these flowers will be able to add a bit of colour into your life.

"Your dearest friend, Lorain."

A smile slowly formed on my face as I closed the letter.

Returning to the bouquet, it was very thoughtful of her to send me flowers. And the best thing was that she made an effort to send me flowers that I loved the most. I couldn't recall mentioning that roses were my favourite. But perhaps, Mother did.

Holding onto the letter, I went to my writing desk, sat down and ate my dinner.

~*~*~*~

Settling my utensils on my soiled plate, I let out a loud burp.

That was certainly a scrumptious meal. Three enormous slices of meat, accompanied by some soup, wine and my favourite dessert: sweetened fruits.

Everything was peaceful when someone shouted from outside my room. Confused, I stood from my chair and took a few steps forward.

'Who could be screaming during this time of the night?' I thought to myself.

Before I knew it, the door swung open and Mallory barged in. Her face was dampened from all the tears. But she wasn't sad. Her face carried so much fury, but she was also confused and heartbroken.

"I want to have a word with you," she gritted through her teeth. Her hands balled into fists by her sides.

Gonzalo rushed into my room, catching his breath. "My apologies, Your HIghness. I tried to stop her.