Magnolias and Carnations

Early in the morning, Gabriel, and Gianni packs for a three-day trip. The prince orders them to do so, saying it is a special occasion for the royal family. Gianni does not have any bags so he asks Gabriel if he can borrow one from him. But Gabriel has only one bag, so, he proposes to share the bag between the two of them.

During packing, Gabriel is a minimalist. He only puts what he needs inside the bag. Gianni, meanwhile, puts voluminous stuff inside which already makes the bag full even without his clothes. Gabriel is taken aback by what Gianni places inside. There are fruits and even pickles. When he tells Gianni to pack only what he needs, Gianni laughs at the thought. He used to have so much luggage back when he was young because he has people carry it for him.

Of course, Gianni belonged to the prestigious Saint-Amour family, he was born with a silver spoon, Gabriel thinks. However, Gabriel insists that he put only his clothes and things for hygiene. Gabriel knows that it is that time of year again when the royals would spend three days in their vacation chateau at the far edge of the kingdom to celebrate the harvest with the people. Gianni agrees and puts only what Gabriel tells him to pack.

With everything set and ready, the two head downstairs with Gabriel carrying the bag. They place it in the carriage of Julien. They then head to the prince's room to help the prince with what he is going to bring. Upon entering the room, the prince is already ready. With his suit and robe already worn, his hair fixed, and his shoes on his feet. He is departure ready. Gianni searches for Julien's luggage but all he can find is one single bag.

"Should we get going, Your Highness?" Gianni's face writes with surprise when Gabriel asks the prince.

"Sure, Gianni, carry my bag." Gianni is even more surprised as the prince confirms that he is only bringing the small bag he found. They go back to the palace grounds where the company caravan for the trip is all ready to go, except for the carriage of the king and queen, which are waiting for Princess Camille. They all wait and let the time pass as the first princess is still not there. All the people present grow tired of waiting until finally, the first princess appears with her maids and attendants carrying a lot of bags.

Taken aback by the first princess; luggage, the king orders a coachman to set up another carriage only for her excess and voluminous luggage. With everybody present and everything all set, the company finally starts moving. The captain of the knights and his men are on the lead. The carriage of the king and queen follows them. Then, the first prince, second prince, then the second princess' luggage and knights on the rear. The caravan maintains a moderate pace as they head to their destination.

Meanwhile, inside the first prince's carriage, where Gabriel and Gianni are, Julien falls asleep as if motion sick. The two dares do not disturb the prince. Instead, they engage in small talk, discussing their pasts and histories.

"Where are we heading?" Gianni asks out of the blue.

"To the vacation chateau of the royal family in Magnolia on the southern edge of the kingdom," Gabriel replies.

"I see," Gianni replies, "how long will this trip last?"

"Last year, the family stayed there for four days," Gabriel replies. "The trip from Tracy to Magnolia should take about four hours also. Magnolia is not far from the capital. We should arrive there by noon if everything goes well."

Gianni and Gabriel talk for the whole duration of the trip. Prince Julien just sleeps. The whole trip goes smoothly. Hours later, they arrive at Magnolia, the city at the southern tip of Gallia. Upon arrival, loud cheers, and great applauses of the Magnolians greet them. They throw flower petals on the streets cheering for the royal family. Julien awakes from the loud sound of cheering. He immediately knows that they already arrived.

Without further ado, they head to the eastern part of the city, where large gates welcome them. A sign, Carnation Chateau displays on the gate.

"Carnation?" Gianni wonders.

"Carnation is the symbol of the royal family and the kingdom," Julien replies. "That is why Gallia is often called the Kingdom of Flowers or sometimes the Kingdom Ruled by Flowers." Arriving at their destination, Gianni and Gabriel quickly get there and the prince's bags from the carriage, following Julien to his accommodation.

Exhausted from the trip, Julien directly lies on his bed. Gianni and Gabriel, meanwhile, unpack all his things and arrange them in his room, which is smaller than the one in the palace. The architecture and the designs on the walls are also different. Roses are the primary motifs in the palace, but in Magnolia, as the name suggests, magnolias pervade the designs, Magnolia grandiflora.

The two later uses a separate room beside the prince, as their own, also unpacking their things. Gabriel opts to rest for the day, while Gianni thinks that noon is a great opportunity to go sightseeing. As Gianni is about to leave their accommodation, someone suddenly knocks at the double door before he gets the chance to open them. He opens to see who it is and sees Prince Louis. The second prince wants to invite Prince Julien to go and visit the town. Gianni, however, tells him that Julien is resting, exhausted from the trip.

Disheartened, Prince Louis is about to leave, when an excellent idea goes into his head. He invites Gianni to go visit the city with him and with a few other people. Gianni agrees, delightedness and excitement fill his heart. Gianni follows the prince to his carriage, where Princess Camille waits for them.

"Hurry up, Lord Brother," Prince Camille shouts.

"We're here," Louis shouts in reply. "You need not shout. Lord Brother is tired and will not be joining us."

"So, you invited this street cat instead?" Princess Camille says as Gianni enters the carriage.

"Camille, hold your tongue," Louis sternly shuts the princess. "Gianni was a member of House Saint-Amour. He was raised in nobility and refinement."

"But he was disowned."

"Yet, that doesn't' give you the right to slander him."

With Gianni, Louis, and his attendant, Camille, and her maid ready, the coachman whips the reins. They head to the town proper of Magnolia. They first make their stop at a mansion at the center of town, where they present themselves to the ruling noble of the Grandiflora domain and his children. One of the noble's children, Ethan M. Grandiflora, is betrothed to Princess Camille. Camille instantly blushes, asking Louis to see the city with Ethan.

Louis preliminarily disagrees, but after a lot of convincing, the stubborn princess finally gets what she wishes. They depart from the mansion, visiting an armory, where Prince Louis looks at the weapons being sold. He is great with a sword, but this time, a bow fascinates him. The wood that the crafter used is lignum vitae, one of the most durable wood in the world. The string is very flexible. Not to mention, the lightness and the intricate designs engraved on the bow's surface. Surely, it would entice the wealthiest of buyers.

The second prince expresses his interest to purchase the bow, but the shopkeeper tells him that is already sold. Respecting his decision, the prince orders a custom-made bow from the same materials and designs, but the insignia of the royal family, a carnation.

After the armory, they enter the next shop which is an auberge for the elite. The noble owns the pub and sells a great variety of only the highest quality of drinks. To their surprise, they see Princess Camille and young master Ethan at the pub talking. Louis ignores the two, entering the enterprise.

Seeing Gianni walk past their table, Princess Camille moves the table as if it is Gianni's fault. Her act causes their drinks to spill. As she plans, she scolds him for his clumsiness and carelessness. Gianni is caught off guard, and he never gets the chance to speak and defend himself. He only apologizes as if it is his fault. Angered, Ethan confronts Gianni and punches him. Shaming him more, Camille throws the rest of their drinks at him, humiliating him in front of all the guests.

Prince Louis demands an explanation from Camille and Ethan. The princess explains everything, accusing Gianni of being guilty even though he is not. Louis then hears what Gianni has to say. Gianni tells him that he neither bumped nor even in the slightest way touched their table. His response angers Ethan, who pushes him. Camille harangues him, calling him a liar and dishonorable.

Everyone inside the auberge gives freezing cold glares at Gianni. He feels small and totally humiliated. Silently, his tears stream from his face. He knows he did nothing wrong, yet nobody hears what he has to say. Their blindness to the truth comes from their bandwagon approach to the situation. Not one dares to question the established truth set by the princess. She automatically brands him a liar.

Gianni sits on the hard wooden floor of the pub, tears streaming down his face. As Ethan is about to kick him, someone suddenly enters the pub and receives the kick from Ethan. The stranger pats Gianni's head. Looking up, Gianni sees Julien who comes to rescue him.

Everyone in the pub bows down. Ethan instantly feels shame. Without a moment of silence, Camille continues accusing Gianni of spilling their drinks. Annoyed at her voice, Julien orders the princess to shut up. He helps Gianni up, letting him sit on a chair close to them. He removes his robe and places it around Gianni. He grabs for his handkerchief, wiping the tears from Gianni's face.

"Don't worry," Julien says with a reassuring face, "I will prove your innocence."

Julien inspects the direction of the spill. He notices that the spills are truly strange. Camille's drink spills toward her, and Ethan's toward him. He orders the same drinks from the shopkeeper and replicates the position of the drinks at an adjacent table.

He purposely bumps at the table and sees that the drinks spill in the opposite direction from where he bumps them. He calls Louis to compare the two situations. Louis sees what Julien is trying to tell him. The direction of the spill from the bumped table is different from the spill on the table of the princess and Ethan.

Using another table, Julien orders another set of drinks. He places them similarly to the two previous setups. He sits on one side of the table and kicks the table under the surface, making the drinks spill towards him and the other on the opposite. Louis compares the tables again. This time, enlightenment reaches his mind.

"Gianni is innocent," he declares. Prince Julien's demonstration makes him look up to his older brother even more.