Thoughts of the Future

Shocked at what Louis declared, Camille insists that he lied, and he did bump their table. Julien slams the wall with his fist, ordering his sister to look at the tables.

Louis explains what Julien demonstrates. The direction of the spill from their table is similar to the spill from the third table, which has its force originating from under the table. While the setup, which has been purposely bumped shows a different spillage direction. Even after hearing Louis' explanation, Camille still insists that it is Gianni's fault. She brands him a liar and clumsy.

Annoyed and angered by her irrational sister, Julien slaps Camille definitively shutting her up. The slap comes as a great surprise to the young princess that she instantly feels humiliated. Her Lord Brother only argues with her, not once harmed her. But this time, she knows she went too far. Aghast storms the emotions of everyone present in the auberge. Camille storms off grabbing Ethan's hand.

Gianni cannot fathom what he feels. He feels happy and relieved because of what Julien did, but afraid of what the princess may and can do in the future. But the thinks of Julien's protection.

'Will he be there when the princess attacks me again? Will the prince be my shield when she assaults me with hurtful daggers?'

"Gianni," Julien sits in front of him and reaches for his hands, "I will always protect you from people who will do you harm."

Insecurity pervades Gianni's emotions as he looks at everyone in the auberge. But nobody seems to notice them. Everybody is minding their own business. Gianni blushes and feels warmth inside his heart. Confusion cordially conflicts with his feelings towards the prince. He just cannot acknowledge the spark that burns inside him towards Julien and Gabriel. Until they exit the establishment, he continues asking himself what he is feeling.

The next day comes in a blink of an eye. All the members of the royal family are to gather in the manse at the center of Carnation Chateau in the early morning. Everything and everyone is present, except for Princess Camille. Queen Sophia smiles as she orders her maidservants to drag Princess Camille to the manse as their guests could arrive at any second. It is all too late, however, as their guests from Inglatera enter and present themselves.

"Her Royal Highness," a spokesperson enters the manse first announcing the arrival of their royal guest, "Crown Princess Ariana Tyrell of Inglatera."

Fanfares and trumpets blare loudly inside the halls of the building. Everyone except for the king and queen arises from their seats. Princess Ariana walks in a composed and sophisticated manner fit for the title, 'Princess of Poetry.'

Prince Julien walks greets her halfway to the throne and escorts her. She presents herself before the rulers of Gallia. They make their way in front of the king and queen where they give their courtesies. Queen Sophia opens her arms and stands, personally welcoming her to this year's Harvest Festival. As the formalities move on, a loud yammering approaches the halls of the manse. It is none other than Princess Camille, who is not ready to present herself yet. But being dragged by the queen's maidservants, she has no way of defending herself.

All eyes lay upon Camille the moment she enters the hall. The king and queen glare at her, signaling her to return to her room. Silence descends on the room, as awkwardness fills it. The king finally breaks the ice and announces a new declaration to his subjects who are present. Queen Sophia sits back on the throne, letting her husband take over with the formalities.

"My loyal subjects," King Charlemagne starts to announce, "a week ago, I had talks with King Gregor Tyrell of Inglatera. He wishes that our two kingdoms form an unbreakable alliance. An alliance so strong that no nation or kingdom outside our two borders would dare attack. This is the reason why we agreed that the wedding between my son, your crown prince, Julien S. Montmirail, and the princess of Inglatera, Ariana Tyrell shall be a month from today's date."

The announces brings shock to everyone in the whole manse. The nobles, the attendants, the knights are taken aback at the announcement. All they could do is give out cheers and applause for the excellent diplomatic ties between the two kingdoms. Still, the announcement is truly noteworthy. Gallia and Inglatera already have strong relations, as Queen Sophia is King Gregor's cousin.

The king concludes his announcement, adjourning the assembly. With the wedding date already marked, the queen calls Princesses Ariana and Camille to join her as she plans for the wedding day. The king, meanwhile, calls Julien and Louis. They head to the archery range near the chateau. Gabriel and Gianni accompany their prince.

Inside the manse's large and luxurious saloon, the queen invites two scribes who are to write everything that they are going to discuss. The plans for the wedding shall be comprehensive and detailed. She begins narrating the names of the nobles and important people who would be invited to the wedding. Where the wedding is going to be held is written in the record. The flowers and the number of pieces of each flower are in full description. Princess Ariana suggests some ideas for the wedding and the queen accepts them all.

Meanwhile, in the archery range, the two princes inquire about the king's out-of-the-blue announcement.

"It is one of your responsibilities as crown prince to ensure that we have a great diplomatic rapport with our neighboring kingdoms," King Charlemagne says. "There is no greater rapport than having a union of the two ruling houses of both countries."

Gabriel immediately understands the wedding's purpose, but Gianni believes that there is another way to resolve things. He does not understand his feelings upon hearing the sudden announcement. It is as if he is forcibly happy, as sorrow and sadness accompany the feeling of joy. Moments later, Julien approaches them.

"Go to town for me and buy these," he gives the two of them a list of things he wants. "You can both take your leave." Two go on their way.

Arriving at the busiest part of the town market of the southern trade center, Gabriel and Gianni overhear people gossiping about the king's announcement.

"It was just announced moments ago," Gabriel tells Gianni. "Now everybody in the city knows the wedding."

"It spread too fast," Gianni replies.

"Yeah," Gabriel concurs, "do you know how to wield a sword?"

"A sword? No, we are a family of healers, we do not wield the blade of death."

"I suggest you should learn to," Gabriel taps his shoulder. "It won't be long until neighboring kingdoms would know of the wedding. Prince Julien could be in danger."

The thought of the peril that could befall Julien silences Gianni. He follows Gabriel, carrying the things the prince tells them to buy. They arrive at a winery, where the prince highlights where they should buy wine. The shop owner instantly recognizes the crest of the royal family embroidered in their uniforms and thinks that they have been sent to buy wine. The shop owner grabs the largest barrel of wine with his enormous strength, giving it to the two as a wedding gift.

Knowing that they are unable to carry the barrel, Gabriel requests the wine be delivered to the chateau. The shop owner gladly agrees and promises to deliver the wine when they return. After going around the trade center, they finish the entire list of products in the prince's list. They finally return to the chateau, where two are alone.

"You've been quiet ever since," Gabriel begins noticing Gianni's silence. "Is there something on your mind?"

"There is something," Gianni replies. "But I cannot tell you."

"Why not?"

"Just because."

They deliver what the prince asks for. They talk to him to report on their satisfactory progress. Julien commends them, giving them the entire day off. The two have the same thing on their mind—returning to their room. Gianni sits on the bed consumed by tumultuous thoughts. His glum expression greatly bothers Gabriel. He tries cheering him up, by forcibly kissing him. Gianni is taken aback. He pushes Gianni away, telling him to stop.

"What are you doing?" Gianni stands up in defensive mode. "That was non-consensual."

"I'm sorry. I thought it would cheer you up."

"Now I'm more upset." Gianni bolts out of the room. He heads directly to the chateau grounds feeling the fresh air blowing above the trees and through the green fields. While walking around, he stumbles upon Prince Louis who converses with Princess Ariana. When the two see Gianni, Louis bids the princess goodbye as he walks towards Gianni.

"Hello," Louis greets him, "you're looking blue today."

"Good afternoon, Your Highness."

"What happened? You look truly frustrated?"

"It's not worth knowing, Your Highness."

"Not worth knowing? Gianni, I'm your friend, your ally. You saved my life, at least let me do the bare minimum and let me listen to your worries."

Gianni looks at his feet staying silent. Louis firmly holds his back guiding him to where he goes. Before Gianni could react, he finds himself inside Louis' carriage riding to town.

"Where are we headed, Your Highness?"

"Somewhere," he smirks.

They make their way to the beach which faces west. Louis bids the coachman to leave them, and to return only after the sun completely sets. The two sit on a bench facing the beautifully picturesque sunset. The sea and sky glow of orange hue. The scene is harmonious, harmonious enough to calm those with frustrations.

"Listen," Louis pats his shoulder, "I would never be here if you had not taken action that day. I just want to let you know that I am grateful for everything."

"I was just doing my duty, Your Highness. The ring that you gave me is here," Gianni reaches for the ring in his left pocket. "I always bring it to work every day, but I never wear it."

"I figured he would forbid you to wear it," Louis laughs.

The two continue talking until Gianni's stomach growls. The prince laughs at the thought. A café is close by, so they enter the establishment, hoping to find something to eat. To their disappointment, the only meal left is one salad serving. Gianni lets Louis take the salad. He waits outside for the prince. Resuming their positions on the bench, Louis holds Gianni's chin open and stuffs a spoonful of salad on his mouth.

Gianni's eyes widen as he can hardly contain the volume of salad in his mouth. He chews them thoroughly and tries to prevent the prince from stuffing more. He sees Louis eat the salad with a spoon that went inside his mouth. He tries to stop him, but it is all a trick, once Louis finished eating his share, he stuffs more of the food in Gianni's mouth.

"Please stop it, Your Highness."

"Stop? But you seem to like it."

"N-n-no, I don't."

While Gianni keeps on yammering, the prince takes a spoonful of salad and eats it. The two ends up in laughter, ordering drinks to complement the salad. Under the orange sunset sky, their bonds grow stronger than ever. The sun eventually hides behind the far distant horizon.