[WMMaP] Elias de Alger Obelia

Elias 5.6

Claude blankly stared at the prince and really, Elias could not do anything else but smile at the Emperor.

"You look beautifully delicious today as well, dad!"

Claude let out a huff as poked Elias's forehead. It was painfully obvious that Claude was not happy about something and at the same time he seemed to be in pain. His throat suddenly felt dry as nostalgia of stomach aching pain filled his senses.

When was it the last time Elias had seen Claude make that face?

"Dad?"

Elias stretched out his arms and placed his small hands on Claude's cheeks to take a better look. He rubbed his thumbs against the corner of Claude's eyes as if to wipe imaginary tears away.

"What's wrong, dad?"

Elias asked as Claude moved deeper into his office and sat Elias on the desk and he, himself, sat down in front of the young prince. Elias kept his hands stuck against the emperor's cheek so Claude would have no chance of turning his face away. Uneasiness was at the point of erupting in his stomach. His blood felt like it was going cold.

"Dad. Dad. Talk to me, please."

Claude placed his hands on the tiny one against his cheeks to rub against them and peppered kisses on them. Unconsciously, Elias moved closer to Claude and peppered kisses against the emperor's eyelids and down to his cheek. A warm sigh reached Elias's ear and the prince leaned back to see Claude. The emperor looked like he was feeling better but Elias wrapped his arms around Claude's neck and rubbed his head against the emperor's neck.

"Dad... please?"

Claude pressed his lips on top of Elias's head and wrapped his long and strong arms to bring the prince closer.

"Do you ever think about your father?"

Elias paused to process the emperor's words. It was a wonder why Claude was suddenly bringing the previous emperor which caused Elias to tilt his head but now that he thought about it, it had been a while since he last visited the Grand Tree.

"No?"

It was not because he disliked the man or anything related to that. If he had to be honest, Claude felt like Dad but also like Father. Elias was sure that this was not the case at the beginning.

Claude was Claude. The aura around him and the scent of ink and cinnamon that the emperor had told Elias that he was Claude. It was like his personal identity. It was at some point that Claude started to smell like apple pears.

No, Elias had just realized that Claude smelled like apple pears although he had been always conscious about it, it was the first time it was brought to his attention. It was a very nostalgic scent now that Elias thought about it. Something about the scent told Elias that it was his father but the one in front of Elias was Claude.

"You don't think about Chrys?"

His mind was brought back to the situation at hand and Elias noticed Claude frown. He couldn't tell if the emperor was displeased or angry but he felt like he had to explain himself better.

"Well, I just feel like he is always around so I never felt like I miss him."

The emperor remained quiet and Elias continued to speak whatever was in his mind.

"I mean, if I had to be honest, whenever I am with you I feel like I am also with him, dad. It is like you are him."

"But I am not him."

Elias nodded.

"Yeah but it is like you have him in you."

Claude stayed quiet before relaxing his handsome features and leaned back against his seat.

"It seems like we think alike. There was a time that I missed and yearned for Chrys but I cannot seem to remember when I stopped thinking about him until recently."

Long fingers moved to gently twirl a lock of the prince's hair but Elias could care less about that as he took in how Claude had closed his eyes.

"I would visit him every day, then it was every other day. Then I stopped visiting all together."

"Is it because you felt like he was with you?"

Claude nodded in response and Elias answered back with his own nod before asking the next thing he was curious about.

"Why did you suddenly think about father?"

Elias saw the exasperated look in Claude's eyes. The prince really did not know why the emperor was giving him those eyes so he tilted his head but it seemed like Claude would not give him an answer with how he turned his gaze away.

The prince filled air into his cheeks. He was dying of curiosity!

As if to change the subject, Claude brought up a topic they once had before but this time Claude had a specific person.

"I see you like spending your free time with that magician."

Elias frowned and blinked at the sudden change of subject but responded regardless. His curiosity was long forgotten.

"Yes, I like spending time with him."

The frown on Claude's features deepened.

"I. See."

The emperor's response was stiff and cold. What was he so displeased about?

"I like spending time with him. He is the first friend who is not a noble or royalty. You don't seem happy that I am having pickup line battles with Nour or Lykos so I thought having a normal friend would make you happy."

"You don't kiss friends on the cheek."

Claude fired back.

"Toché."

Elias agreed.

"So he is not a friend."

Claude stated. It was not a question and Elias smiled shyly.

"He is but I am working on making him my lover."

"Rejected."

The emperor vetoed it the moment Elias mentioned it. Elias whined a little as Claude turned his cold icy glare away from Elias. The crown prince tried to get Claude's attention and assuage his anger but the emperor was having none of it.

Elias held back a giggle. It felt like it had been a while that he had spent quality time with Claude.

Why did he stop having quality time with the emperor again?

Elias was not sure but it was not something to be concerned over. All he had to do was spend time with Claude as he did before and maybe in between visit Lucas as well. He would have Nikolas fix a schedule the moment he saw him.