"The prince would be going to Eutherdore?"

Vanessa unfroze after she felt the horse in front of her take all the apple in her hand into its mouth immediately. She could still sense the surprise in the tone of her head of court but she pretended to not be excited about it even though her heart had skipped so many beats the moment the court lady had relayed the news. She felt the exact same way. Who would have thought she would have lived to see the day a news like that came? Aiden had never been interested in doing anything his peers did, even when he had spare time. At first, she felt his responsibilities were his excuse but then, she realized that it was more than that. He just never wanted to. He also hated the documentary so hearing that he was on his way to get prepared for the royal academy's trip and not only that, gave her his consent to have the media tag along for him and Paris excited her a lot.

"Your highness." Felicia turned to her immediately with a huge smile on her face while she reached for another apple from the basket one of the court ladies stretched out to her and fed it to the horse again. She watched it chew on it in a hurry. "This is great news your highness. The prince is finally beginning to realize his feelings for the prime minister's daughter just as you prayed. Luck is finally on your side your highness." She sounded even more excited than Aiden's secretary when she called.

Vanessa held a deep breath and slowly reached for her gloves. She started to take them off one after the other and when she was done, she handed them to the court lady and turned around to where Felicia and the other court lady stood. She drew yet another deep breath and let her smile remain.

"Yes Felicia." She said looking up to the skies. "It looks like everything has finally started to fall in place. Now I can die peacefully knowing that the future of Breton is in competent hands with Aiden's position as prince." She let out an exhale and turned to the older lady. "I know princes don't have a say in the royal selection affairs but I at least wanted to chose someone the prince would be happy to be with. I wanted him to be happy with the choice I made for him."

"You made a generous choice your highness. It looks like the prince's feelings for lady Vutron is starting to return. He must be so proud of you considering how hard you pushed this. Lady Vutron is indeed a great choice for Queen and I am sure she is going to reign exceedingly well in your stead. She is just as wise and beautiful as you are. She has a good regard for the royal family and the kingdom too. Plus she's from a prestigious family."

She knew that. Vanessa didn't have to be reminded. She knew exactly the qualities of Paris she was attracted to especially since those qualities became even more defined since after the accident.

"Reach out to the media houses and the royal publishers and inform them of the recent developments. Ensure that they get there first and wait for the prince. They have to capture every moment of the trip. They can't miss a thing. We don't know when we would ever get this opportunity after now."

"Affirmative your highness, I would get to it right away."

Felicia turned to the lady beside her immediately.

"You heard what the Queen said."

She bowed. She understood exactly what Felicia was asking her to do. She turned to Vanessa and bowed too, took two steps backwards before she turned and hurried away. Vanessa inhaled and returned her gaze to the clouds. It was brighter than usual, hope. She was hopeful now. She let out an exhale and smiled even wider.

Thank Goodness. She was happy, really happy.

*************************************************

"Good day your highness,"

"Welcome your highness."

Aiden left the faint smile on his face as he walked past all the workers in the mall who had formed a straight line at both his sides with their heads bowed as he walked down the human aisle they made for him with the manager walking briskly right behind his secretary and about three bodyguards tagging along behind her. Aiden knew he had to make the stop as brief as possible. He was excited and he couldn't wait to be in Eutherdore already.

"What has come over you Aiden?"

He wished he knew. He had never felt anything like it. The need to be around anyone, to be around her. Since the engagement, everything had changed. He had become so sure of the feelings he was so confused of and all he could think about all the time in Berlin was being back home with her. He had so much to tell her, to show her. Admittedly, he was never nice to her even after she had jumped into that bullet to save him. He was never grateful to her either. How could he have been so mean to her all along? The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to make up for it. He just needed one thing, he couldn't exactly tell what it was but he needed one thing to get her besides the flowers he already picked up on their way. Ever since he remembered he had always been the one receiving gifts from Paris and no matter how much he made it clear to her about his lack of interest in whatever it was she and her family were trying to get from him, she never stopped. Every birthday, every visit, she never forgot to get him something. Now it was his turn to return the favor. Thinking about it made his cheeks redden a great deal. Thinking about her.

He made a quick stop when he got to one of the show glasses with several jewelry designs in it. One of them had shone so brightly that it had caught his attention. He drew a sharp breath and turned fully to the show glass, narrowing his gaze on one of the diamond bracelets in it. The manager hurried to him immediately with one of the sales attendants tagging along behind her respectively.

"What do you think about this one?" Aiden turned to Imelda immediately. "Do you think she would like it?"

"Who would ever reject a gift from you your highness? Getting a gift from you is an honor and a gift on its own. I'm sure any lady would be glad." The lady in a white suit with chubby chicks replied with her head bowed in respect.

"That wasn't my question though." Aiden turned to her. "I asked if my fiancée would like this."

The lady raised her head quickly with her cheeks going red in embarrassment. She was trying so hard to gain favor in the sight of Aiden that she had forgotten what the answer to his question was even though Paris was a regular at the royal mall.

"I am sure lady Vutron is going to be excited about your gift your highness." Imelda cut in immediately, raising her head a bit so she could smile at Aiden. "It's a thoughtful one." She turned to the glass. "Really beautiful too."

"Ah," the lady said again. "Would you like to have a closer look at it your highness?" She offered. "The diamond of  icanthrope is unique in its own way. It is not only rare but has every stud and stone carved into perfection."

Aiden shook his head. He had spent enough time at the mall as it was already. He was sure he had made a decent choice.

"That's fine." He said. "Just wrap it to go."

The lady bowed just as Imelda turned and hurried to escort her to the counter. Aiden drew a deep breath. What was it in the air? It definitely felt different, better than it ever did. That was his excitement kicking in even better. He already started to imagine many ways he was going to give it to her, he could already imagine the smile on her face when he did, when she saw him. 

"You've lost it Aiden, you really have."

He scoffed as the smile on his face grew wider. Finally, everything was starting to feel right again, to fall into place. He turned at the sounds of footsteps approaching him. It was a body guard and he was walking as briskly as possible to Aiden while the rest of the guards made a way for him to walk through.

He froze the moment he got to Aiden and bowed his head slightly.

"Your highness." He said the moment he raised his head again.

"What is it?"

"It is the head of security." He said. "He seeks an audience."

Aiden frowned for a while.

"Elijah?"

The guard nodded slightly just as Aiden's face brightened immediately. What was he reporting that for?

"Let him through immediately."

The guard bowed and whispered a few words to himself after raising one of his hands to his left ear and walked out of the way to stand with the rest. Aiden narrowed his gaze in front of him so he could see clearly. He was excited just thinking about Elijah walking towards him until he started to. Aiden scoffed. He still looked the same, he hadn't even changed in weeks. Just like Aiden remembered, he still found it very hard to smile and had a straight look on as he found his way towards him.

Just like many other workers at the palace, Elijah witnessed all of Aiden's firsts. His first crawl, walk, words, arrow shoot, official visit, day in court, coronation and even his first day in the royal academy. For someone whose father and grandfather had worked serving the princes in the royal family, Elijah walked in their stead and remained loyal to Aiden and to the royal throne all his life. He did anything he was asked to do, as long as Aiden gave the order and without questions too, even if his life depended on it. He only said what he was allowed to and made sure to not let his mouth say more than it should. He lived for Aiden, with his life on the line, with Aiden's life first before his just like the oath to serve instructed every royal guard to, and even more.  That was exactly why Aiden was so drawn to him. His loyalty.

To Aiden, Elijah was more than his head of security. He was a friend, a brother, an older brother even though he was grumpy and barely said a word most of the time, and the fact that he had left his life at the palace under Aiden's instruction, and had spent the last weeks God knows where, doing what Aiden had asked him to, without spilling as much as a word to anyone, including the King and Queen, proved everything. If there was one person in the entire world Aiden could trust, he knew without doubt that Elijah was that person. His loyal right hand.

Elijah bowed in front of him.

"Wow," Aiden started with a rather happy smirk on his face even though Elijah wasn't so good at returning gestures. "Who would have thought you could make good use of your short vacation? Days away from my side turned out well for you. Your skin is brighter, you even added some flesh and muscles too. In the right places of course." Aiden gave him a gentle slap on his arm that wasn't so gentle and made Elijah jump slightly. "Were you really that excited to leave my side? Not even a phone call or a text."

"I was only doing what your royal highness asked me to do." Elijah said. "I wouldn't dare call you without facts and evidence your highness."

Too uptight, that was Elijah. He couldn't even get the joke. Aiden clicked his tongue and chuckled.

"You never change Elijah." He said to him, giving him yet another pat. "Loosen up would you? Especially today, it's a good day."

Elijah raised his gaze to him.

"Your highness."

Aiden drew a deep breath and took a quick scan around the huge hall. Everyone stood far from where he was with their heads bowed. They wouldn't dare eavesdrop on the Prince's conversation and even if they did, they knew the punishment for gossiping.

"Your highness-" Elijah started again. Aiden turned to him.

"About what I asked you to do," he went on. "You don't have to do it anymore. I'm sorry I acted as a child and came up with such a ridiculous request. I'm sorry I asked so much of you without considering how lonely and difficult it must have been for you to find an evidence that does not exist. You don't have to go with that order anymore. Remain by my side from now on."

"Your highness-"

"I was wrong about everything. I know the prime minister can not be trusted and I can never forget how much his actions has caused the royal family, but we would find another way to bring him down without punishing his entire family, without her being involved. She didn't do anything wrong. Her only offense was being his daughter." Aiden scoffed.
"I can't believe I'm saying this."
Elijah squinted his eyes as he watched him.

"But you probably have heard the news. You must have watched the engagement too." Aiden's cheeks went red again as he remembered and started talking about the engagement all over again, the kiss being the first thing to come to his mind.

Elijah exhaled.

"Anyway, my feelings have changed." He turned back to Elijah. "I know I should be ashamed of what I'm about to say, but instead of being obsessed with ruining the entire Vutron family, I've decided to focus more on severing their influence on the royal family and finding out Oliver's mischiefs and evils. And I know this might sound selfish but I don't want to see her get hurt. She has changed Elijah, a lot more from what she was."

Elijah exhaled.

"Your highness-"

"She's more thoughtful," Aiden's smile started to fade a bit.
"Less selfish, she's not the Paris we used to know. This new version of her cares about Breton, about the people, I can feel it, you saw it. She's different from the old Paris, different from the rest of them. I know what I said before, that we were never going to be together and I was never going to take her as Queen but recently, I've found myself changing too."
Aiden didn't know if he really needed to explain any of it to Elijah but somehow, he found himself wanting to.

"I'm developing feelings that I never thought I could, thinking about her a lot more than I ever imagined. I'm picking gifts, buying flowers, now I'm even trying to attend the school trip. I'm surprised at how much I'm changing just as much as you are but I'm also anxious to find out how far I can go, how far we can go. I'm need to find out what exactly my feelings are-"

"You were right your highness." Elijah cut him off before he said anything else.
He was beginning to say a lot of things he was probably going to regret in a minute. He couldn't let him give himself another reason to be embarrassed after all was said and done. What was left of the smile on Aiden's face started to fade away completely.
"You were right about the Vutrons all along, about the prime minister and about the Paris Vutron."

Aiden narrowed his brows.

"I was?"

Elijah held his breath.

"It was almost impossible hiding their tracks, covering it all up, they did it perfectly well. At a point  it started to feel like I was going in circles and I couldn't call because I knew the consequences of bringing this to you or the court without evidence. I knew what would happen if you told the King mere speculations without evidence."

Aiden scoffed.

"What are you trying to say?" He was anxious, really anxious.

"With your permission your highness, there is someone better at explaining the situation than I am.  She would be honored to speak with you."

Aiden held his breath. He was scared, he couldn't deny that fact. Really scared at the look on Elijah's face. He knew that look. Even though most of his looks were the same, Aiden could tell whatever Elijah was trying to say was serious. What was it? Did he really have something on the Vutrons? Something that could end the royal wedding and server their ties with the royal family? Something that could make Oliver lose the favor of the King?

"I'd allow it." Aiden said. "Bring her to me immediately." If there was a chance, a slight chance that there was a way to save the royal family from being pawns to the Vutrons, he was going to take it. He wanted to know first. He watched Elijah take one step away from him, bringing the chubby girl behind him with her head bowed and her fingers scratching each other nervously to lime light. Aiden had no idea that Elijah had even walked in with someone behind him. How did he not notice?

"Y-your highness." With the way she stammered and her voice trembled, anyone could tell she was very nervous to be in his presence.

Aiden slowly turned to Elijah, waiting for some kind of explanation.

"You would tell his highness exactly what you told me." Elijah told her as she turned her eyes slowly in his direction.
"You won't leave anything out or you'd be punished greatly."

She slowly pulled her eyes back to Aiden's shoes, watching it glitter amazingly with the lights.

"Who are you?" Aiden asked her, keeping the straightest face he could. "And what do you know?"

She slowly found courage in his words, finally bringing herself to raise her head to him. Her mouth trembling with her fingers the moment she had eye contact with him. She swallowed hard. She knew she couldn't afford to waste his time or make a fool out of herself. She drew a deep breath to relax herself and stood straight. She broadened her shoulders, fixing her eyes on Aiden. They were the same age after all. Why did she have to be so scared?

"My name is Keisha your highness. Keisha Adams, and I have history with Anne-Marie."