Side Story: Was I Crazy to Think This Was So Bad After All?
HOW did it come to this?! That was all I could say. No, I have a list of complaints a mountain tall. But, overwhelmed by dissatisfaction with the situation, I have no idea where to even begin venting my frustration.
“Prince Severin, pick up the pace. If we don’t reach our next destination by sunset, we’re roughing it outside,” came the voice as brisk as her pace, the voice of one of the knights of the Order of the Birthstones unique to my kingdom of Pharrell: the Améthyste Knight, Agnes Bell.
Ever since we left the Royal Palace, she’d driven me nuts following me wherever I go. She was a gorgeous blonde whose bark was as bad as her bite, but the babe didn’t have a feminine bone in her body. Meanwhile…
“I wish you would hurry it up. I don’t want to start off camping outside. Don’t you agree, Darling?”
“Yeah. I thought we’d be able to reach a hamlet or town by now, even if we walked.”
The giggling lovebirds flirting next to me as we walked were a married couple. The husband was another member of the Order of the Birthstones, the Emeraude Knight, Clement. His young wife was the healer, Clara. Much like Agnes, these two were my personal attendants in name only!
“A prince shouldn’t drag his feet!” Agnes scolded.
“It’ll be dangerous if we don’t get out of this forest before dark. Severin, pick up your feet!” Clara urged.
“We could run into bandits!” Clement warned.
What was with this demeanor?! And how dare Clara call me “Severin”?! They weren’t showing me a lick of respect as their prince!
“Shut up! If you’re so eager to push forward, why didn’t you bring horses?! I’m not accustomed to walking!”
“As we said when we first left, this is part of your training. ‘Try your best to reach the destination relying solely on yourself.’ That was the order issued by His Majesty, your father,” Agnes explained.
“We’ve told you countless times, but your father, the King, ordered, ‘There is no need to view Severin as a prince during his training. I’d like you to interact with him and hone him as you would any young man,’” Clement added.
“Right! Although we also serve as your guards, it’s our responsibility to teach and guide you. Out of the four of us, you’re the biggest loser. I can’t believe you just boasted, ‘I’m not accustomed to walking’!” Clara said.
Daaamn it!
“We’ve been repeating the same thing over and over. Do you still not get the position you’re in?” Agnes asked with a sigh. Between the frustrated words and the sigh, blood rushed to my head, and I picked up my pace.
Why did things turn out like this? The reason why, well, was because of what I’d done...
Oh, my beloved Catherine... Raised in a privileged environment, there was nothing I couldn’t obtain. Except, of course, the woman whom I loved with all my heart. By the time I met Catherine, she was already a married woman. But that reality only fanned the flames of my love.
Alas!
Even now, I felt bad about plotting to take advantage of my childhood friend. But I, too, was hurt when my heart, gifted with the purest of love, had been toyed with. If I’d been reunited with Sonia before I met Catherine, perhaps I would have fallen in love with her instead.
“...Man, my timing sucked,” I whined, a sigh slipping out. And then it hit me.
That’s it! It’s not too late yet! With my youth and bright, long future, not to mention my status as prince, I was far more appealing than that old fart Chris, who had nothing going for him but his title as a knight! And then there was Sonia, now a married woman... The delicate and pure flower must now surely waft the sensual aroma unique to married women.
If memory served, we were going the right way! In fact, Clare Castle was one of the checkpoints on the way to our destination!
“Ew, I can tell by the look on your face you’ve got dirty thoughts on the brain!” Clara jeered, bringing me back to reality.
“D-Don’t stare at my face! It makes walking harder!”
“I bet you’re planning to seek help from your old friend, Duchess de Clare.”
Ugh! Damn you, Agnes!
“And while you’re at it, woo her under the covers?”
Eek! Clara?
“Keep dreaming...”
Clement? What was with that look of sympathy?!
Now I’m ticked! They were getting under my skin! But I was afraid they’d pay me back a hundred-fold if I let them have it, so I wouldn’t throw any punches. Yet, their disrespect toward their prince and, “Forget it. No woman would ever fall for you,” attitude was as painfully obvious as the stench of something rotten.
Of course, they were clearly mistaken. I was constantly surrounded by ladies back at the Palace. Some would cry tears of joy if I spoke a single word to them, claiming they would treasure that moment for the rest of their lives. Sparks flew over who would get to dance with me first.
Sonia, on the other hand, had spent most of her life in the Royal Abbey. Ignorant of the world, particularly men, she must have seen Chris as the ultimate figure of a man, the way he risked his life to protect her.
...True, risking his life to protect her from a demon was...amazing. I was willing to admit that much. But! Even making such allowances, my status, youth, and beauty all surpassed his!
I’ll do it! I’ll start over! This time I will court Sonia with a heart full of the purest of intentions!
“Let’s reach Clare Castle today!” I declared.
“We can’t get there in a day. It’d take two in a carriage,” Agnes said.
“Seeing as we’re walking, it’s going to take at least four days,” Clement added.
My motivation withered under their sharp words.
“But if we keep this pace, we’ll reach the transient town relay point. Keep it up, Severin!” Clara said and slapped me on the back.
“Ow...! That hurt! Jeez, exercise some feminine reserve around me! I’ll have you know, the ladies in service at the Royal Court were far more graceful, refined, and prettier than you!” I yelled.
“I’m also a Royal Official. And do you seriously believe all the ladies of the court are graceful, modest, and pretty? You were looking skin deep, huh? Ha ha ha!” Clara said and burst out in a dry laughter. Next to her, Agnes snorted.
Th-The looks on their faces!
“I wish there was a mirror for you two to see the looks on your faces now. Jealousy for the young, beautiful ladies has twisted you into monsters! Jealous old hags truly are hideous! A true terror to behold!”
I was dying to silence them once and for all. They had been lashing out at me for some time now, completely heedless of the fact I was their prince. I was going to make them remember that as court officials, they must obey me.
Unfortunately...
“Who are you calling ‘old hags’?” Agnes retorted with an exasperated sigh. “If you think we’re old hags, Lady de Chalier is ancient history.”
“...Huh?”
“Severin, don’t you know how old Catherine is?” Clara asked.
“No... It’s rude to ask a lady her age, b-but can’t you guess a rough estimate just by looking?” I responded.
Agnes rested one hand on her hip and pointed at herself with the other. “I’m 26, Clara is 23, and Lady de Chalier is 35.”
“......” No words would roll off my tongue for a while. I couldn’t get the gears in my head to turn. Once the ages Agnes had proclaimed finally sunk in, I realized what exactly that meant. “WHAAAAT?!”
That supple, smooth skin. That tiny waist. Not a wrinkle or blemish marred that face. Perky breasts that didn’t droop. Lustrous black hair without a single white strand to be found.
“You’re lying! Agnes, how dare you! Don’t lie just because you’re upset I called you an old hag!”
“It’s no lie. I haven’t said anything but the God-honest truth,” Agnes smoothly shot back.
Standing next to her, Clement dropped another shocking truth. “For the record, I’m 23. I’m the same age as Clara.”
“Now you’re definitely lying! You’re obviously over 30-years—Sorry!” I blurted out an apology after Clara used her staff in hand to whack my rump with a fierce look on her face.
“This goes to show you can’t judge a woman by appearances alone. Isn’t that how you were tricked?” Agnes stated in a calm, monotone voice, dissipating any desire to contest the point further.
“...Let’s hurry... I’m eager to get to an actual bed.”
“You’re the main one holding us up, Severin!” Clara snapped harshly, perhaps still angry over how I’d demeaned her husband, but her words fell on deaf ears.
I thought Catherine was younger... She had cried, telling me that despite how young she was, her freedom had been taken away by an elderly husband with striking white hair...
But thinking back, there may have been signs indicating as much. She might not have wanted to meet in the bright afternoon because I would see the wrinkles and blemishes in the light of the sun that makeup couldn’t quite hide.
Forget it. I’ll place my hopes on Sonia... I know her, so she can’t lie about her age. I’ll have her heal the sadness in my heart.