The Invisible Prince

Chapter 50 - Unexpected (Part 3)

Arden's POV-

'I'm dizzy...'

By then, Arden had been let down by Alec, his feet carefully placed on the uneven ground.

He stumbled backwards into Alec's embrace. His older brother carefully supported him as they both watched Arien and their father's interaction.

Alec leaned down, positioning his face right beside Arden's ear.

"Arden, are you feeling ill?"

Arden nodded, then lost his balance and fell. Alec quickly reached out, stabilizing the boy and holding him gently in his arms.

"Arden! Goodness, what happened?"

Arden blinked slowly. Strangely enough, the sun, which shone as brightly as any other day, seemed unbearable. The voice of his brother, quiet and gentle, seemed loud and perpetuated his headache.

"My head...it feels weird..."

"Your head..?"

Alec caressed his head, causing Arden to flinch and gasp in pain.

"It hurts...", he slurred, his voice quiet and incoherent. Of course, this pain was nothing compared to what he had to endure while in the care of his mother. However, after being so well cared for by his brother and the servants, he had become weak to pain, his pain tolerance becoming lower as he was no longer required to endure bowls of poisoned soup.

"Ah! Arjen!"

Arden turned his head slowly, careful to not hurt his already aching head. His blurry vision did little to ease his confusion, but he could vaguely see Arjen collapsing and landing in the arms of Eiji.

The event of two royals collapsing at once was never seen before, and their brothers and father were visibly panicking. Lloyd yelled out orders to the knights, demanding that they summon the doctors, and the emperor held Arjen with a dazed expression.

Alec stood up carefully, holding Arden gently in his arms. Then, he slowly walked toward his father, bringing Arden and Arjen close together.

With the last of his strength, Arden opened his eyes to meet Arjen's pained-filled eyes.

"Arjen..."

Then, he fully lost consciousness.

[304 words]