"Quickly, girls! The grand prince is returning from the hunt soon!" A woman, called out in a rushed voice, her arms full of towels.
The other maids instantly scrambled into action, rushing around the grand bathing room, preparing the bath.
Suddenly, another maid rushed into the room, her eyes wide. "Miss Rosalie! The grand prince has returned to the palace and is asking for you!"
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Rosalie Edith quickly put down the towel she was holding and turned to the girls. "Be as fast as you can!" she ordered.
The maids nodded and increased their pace, preparing the bath with even more haste.
She then turned to the maid who had brought her the message. "I'm coming, tell the grand prince I'll be there right away."
She quickly made her way out of the grand bathing room and hurried down the long corridor.
As she turned a corner, she could see the grand prince's imposing figure leaning against a pillar, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
He was dressed casually in a white shirt and breeches, but his demeanor was as regal as ever.
Edith walked towards the grand prince and as she reached him, she stopped and looked at him. "Your Highness."
The grand prince pushed off the pillar he was leaning against and turned to face her. "Is my bath ready, Miss Edith?"
Rosalie nodded, "Yes, Your Highness. The bath is ready and the water is still warm." She could tell that the grand prince was not in a particularly good mood, his expression stern and his gaze almost... intense.
"Good," the grand prince replied, his eyes locking onto hers for a moment before he turned away.
"You may go now." he said dismissively, not bothering to look at her as he made his way towards the bathing room.
"As you wish, Your Highness." Edith said quietly, bowing her head slightly before turning and walking away.
Walking down the dimly lit hallway, Edith suddenly heard the voices of a group of royal guards coming from a nearby room.
As she got closer, she could hear their hushed whispers.
"Did you hear? The king is bringing in new young women to be sold today in the evening." One guard whispered to the others.
"Yeah, I heard. He's bringing a whole lot of them this time." Another guard replied, his voice low and excited.
Edith, her lips pursed in disapproval, approached the group of guards.
"What do you think you're doing!? Standing around and gossiping instead of doing your duty?" she scolded, hands on her hips.
The guards sheepishly avoided her gaze and one muttered, "Sorry, Miss Edith."
"You better be, now get back to work, or I'll complain to the emperor himself!"
The guards muttered apologies and quickly scurried away, leaving Edith standing there.
✮ ✮ ✮
The grand royal family sat at the breakfast table. The king suddenly looked up from his plate and addressed the youngest prince.
"Asael, where are your brothers this morning? Didn't they come down for breakfast?" he asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.
In this, a tall, young man with thick, jet black hair walked into the room, his footsteps making a barely perceptible sound against the polished floor.
"I'm here, father." he said, a small smile on his handsome face as he walked towards the breakfast table and took his seat next to the king.
The king looked up as the crown prince approached and his expression softened slightly. "There you are, Christopher. We were just wondering where you and Vincent were."
The queen, a regal woman with sharp eyes, looked up as well and spoke, "Yes, we haven't seen either of you since yesterday morning."
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(Kinda the woman I've imagined)
The crown prince gave his parents a small smile. He poured himself a glass of juice as he spoke, "Actually... I had some matters to attend to, so I spent the day handling the affairs of the kingdom."
"Ah, I see. And where is Vincent, then?" The empress asked.
Christopher shrugged, taking a bite of his food. "Probably training, as usual."
As Asael was about to say something, the doors to the dining room swung open and another man entered.
He was taller than Christopher, with a similar regal air about him. His hair was dark brown and his eyes were an ice-like blue, sharp and cold- Vincent Damir.
The emperor and empress looked up as he entered and the king spoke, "Finally decided to show your face."
Vincent gave a small nod in greeting but said nothing as he took his seat at the table. He poured himself a glass of water and took a sip before speaking.
"Wasn't aware I was required to show my face every single morning, father."
The king scowled, clearly displeased with his reply, but the queen intervened. "Now, now, Vince... your father just meant that we haven't seen you in a few days. We were wondering where you've been."
Vincent just shrugged and reached for a piece of bread, buttering it. "I've been at the training grounds."
"You're always at the training grounds." the king grumbled, his eyes flicking towards the crown prince. Christopher just chuckled silently, used to his brother's aloofness.
Asael, interjected and spoke up. "Brother attacked a deer in seconds!"
The queen and king looked up in surprise, the king's eyebrows raising slightly. "He did?"
Asael nodded, practically bouncing in his seat. "Yes, with a lance! The deer was hiding in the bush but then he threw the lance and hit it in one shot! It was amazing."
The queen, a look of pride on her face, smiled and gently patted Vincent's head. "My son is truly one in a million."
