Hopeless Illusion

Elaine Vernimiere slightly raised a brow when she heard the hearty chuckle of the Eslore Crown Prince. How he appeared so better now was what surprised the Captain even now. However, she realized what he just said and she frowned.

"You talked as if I did that while knowing your identity, Your Highness," she complaint with a displeased tone.

"Oh. Does that mean you won't do that if you know who I am?" Helias's face appeared quite serious but his tone differed.

"I'm not a fool, Your Highness." Elaine Vernimiere sighed. "Besides, I don't intend to die that early."

"As if your King would let me do that," Helias Casteveron scoffed, almost making Elaine blink.

"I already said it before," Helias calmly stated when he noticed the expression on the Captain's face. "I know that you're the childhood friend of the King and that he cares about you. Even if you do wrong, there's no way he would allow me to punish you."

At the mention of she and King Arias being childhood friends and how the latter cared about her, the Captain didn't say anything and only narrowed her eyes. Understanding the situation, Helias Casteveron leaned back once again.

"I won't drink anymore if you're that worried about how it would affect my hunt tomorrow," he stated calmly. "It's getting late, Captain. You should also get some rest."

Elaine Vernimiere nodded without much thinking and rose from her seat. Then she slightly bowed. "Good night, Your Highness." With that, she left right away.

Helias Casteveron quietly stared at the empty door before he propped up his left elbow on the armrest again and rested his forehead on his fingers. Then he recalled how Elaine had no memory before the adoption.

"What are you thinking, Helias Casteveron?" he asked himself in a low voice.

It took him long enough to accept Marian's death though it didn't mean that he forgot her.

That will never happen.

After all those tormenting efforts, why did he reopen the wound and indulge himself in a hopeless illusion?

He can't understand what's wrong with him.

* * *

Eslore

Princess Vivien Casteveron was having breakfast with her father. As Helias was out of the kingdom, it was always just the two of them these days.

It was a rule in the royal family to have breakfast all together. They can eat lunch and dinner alone in their chamber as they were rarely all present during lunchtime and dinnertime. However, it's always hard to even have breakfast at peace due to the wedge between the King and the Crown Prince that already started years ago.

As Helias wasn't present, the atmosphere at the huge dining hall was mostly quiet and peaceful but... awkward at the same time.

Vivien could never understand her father. It's funny to see the nature of their relationship despite being a father and daughter yet the relationship between her father and brother was far worse.

At least, she didn't hate her father as much as her older brother did. She was always curious about the reason why Helias looked at their father that way but she had no idea. They won't say anything even when she asked them and since she was old enough to understand everything, she never asked them again.

Even when she was just a child, she can see how her brother always became sensitive whenever she asked him about it.

Right now, the Princess was quietly eating while sitting on the closest chair in her father's left. She slowed down her pace little by little until she stopped completely. Then she shifted her gaze to her father and found out that she was right. He was indeed staring at her.

The reason why she stopped eating. After all, her father's gaze was always formidable and it never failed to make her uncomfortable.

"Do you have something you want to say, Father?" she asked.

What was this about?

King Ricard Casteveron broke his gaze and started eating again when he casually said, "I saw you asking the guards about Nicolin yesterday."

Vivien Casteveron briefly recalled when she did that and she nodded. "I don't see him around these days."

"Why do you care about that?" King Ricard asked, still maintaining a calm tone and demeanor.

"I'm sure that his wound is still not healed," Vivien simply replied. "I want to see if he treat as he promised."

"You don't have to worry about that, Vivien," King Ricard said. This time, the calmness in his voice became a bit thin and Vivien could sense that.

Nevertheless, she was never a coward. She always dared to speak her mind in any situation. Even this time, it was the same.

"Nicolin got injured because of me, Father. I think it's only right that I worry about him."

"He didn't listen to me that day, Vivien," Ricard Casteveron argued. His voice was a lot colder than before. "And Nicolin works for me. He was only doing what he should."

The Princess always hated when her father talked this way. Why did the lives and sufferings of others never matter to him?

"Why do you always take the sacrifice and service of others for granted, Father? How can you expect devotion and loyalty from your people if you always think that way?" she suddenly snapped, making her father raise a brow.

In the past, she never say anything about this because she knew that it will be useless. But this time... she lost control.

Even if her father was oblivious to the sacrifices of the ones who served him, shouldn't he care about Nicolin at the least?

That man only knew how to obey him!

When King Ricard put down his spoon and looked at his daughter, his rage was so obvious yet Vivien didn't react at all.

"Watch your mouth, Vivien," the King warned in a deadly low voice. "Who do you think you are to lecture me? I'm your father and your King!

Judging from how angry her father sounded, the Princess concluded that it's best for her to not say more. It's not like her father will listen to her.

Why waste her time?

Trying to calm down himself, the King hardly squeezed the table until he was sure that he would be able to hold back himself. Though he may be violent at times, his daughter was the last person he would want to hurt, physically. Then he abruptly rose from his seat.

"I send Nicolin somewhere and he won't be around for a while. Keep that in mind and don't ask around for him again. You are the Princess; you should behave like one."

With that, he left the dining hall without even giving Vivien a chance to talk.....