Chapter 23

Felicia put out the closed sign outside and locked the door. She gestured to the two stools in front of the counter. "Please, have a seat."

"It's alright. Unfortunately, we can't stay for long," Zain politely refused. "How have you been doing, Miss Felicia?"

"As Your Highness can see, I'm doing very well. I'm glad to see Your Highness is also doing better."

"Doing better…?"

"How should I say it? Your Highness looks…" Felicia thought for a moment and gave a warm smile. "Light-hearted."

Zain's eyes faintly widened, and he unconsciously glanced towards Shen Yuan, fiddling with a petal of a nearby flower.

Seeing his reflection through the window, at some point in time, the gloom that usually haunted his shoulders was nowhere to be seen. Even with his black hair and eyes, he never seemed brighter.

It had been a long time since he last looked at himself properly in the mirror. Right now, he didn't hate himself as much.

"To be honest, I didn't expect Your Highness to remember me. You were still very little during the time I worked at the palace," Felicia commented.

"Mother often asked you to change and rearrange the flowers in her room, didn't she? Everyone also relied on you to arrange the flowers every time the palace threw a party. It's difficult to forget a person with such a significant role."

"Significant…It's not something worth such a praise." Felicia waves her hand in embarrassment.

"So, you quit being a maid to open your own flower shop?"

"Well, to be accurate, I was proposed to and wanted to focus on taking care of my future children. After they'd grown, I opened this place since it's always been my dream to be a florist. Thanks to Harper recommending my place everywhere, business is flourishing."

"The fact your customers keep coming to your place only means they acknowledge your skill too."

"Your Highness is praising too much. It's not good for this old woman's heart." Felicia was flattered. "Is there something Your Highness needs today? Of course, I will put your order in my topmost priority."

"I'm only here as a company today." Zain gestured at Shen Yuan. "You can talk to Sean. He's here for an errand from Miss Harper."

Felicia raised her eyebrows and turned her attention to Shen Yuan with a curious glint. A prince accompanying a servant on an errand was unheard of.

"It's not like that, Miss Felicia. I mean, well, I can't deny that His Highness ended up having to accompany me, but I took on the errand so His Highness can unwind outside the palace today," Shen Yuan defended himself and threw a complaining look at Zain. "Your Highness, how can you say it like that? Miss Felicia will have a bad impression of me."

Zain only chuckled.

"Anyone who can make His Highness have fun like this doesn't need to worry about leaving a bad impression." Felicia covered her small laugh. "Now, what did Harper send you to fetch, young man?"

Shen Yuan gave the list to Felicia and told her that Harper wanted her to arrange them herself. During their discussion, Felicia couldn't help but notice the prince's hidden gaze transfixed on Shen Yuan while he seemingly took a look around at the flowers.

It was like he was painting the young man in his mind, his voice guiding the brush to land careful strokes into the canvas.

It was then she understood who had lifted the weight in the prince's heart.

By the end of the discussion, it was decided that she would prepare the flowers today and come to the palace tomorrow. With her magic, they wouldn't need to worry about the flowers wilting even if they arranged them days prior to the event.

The two people thanked her and headed out the door when Felicia stopped Zain with a silent look and only spoke after Shen Yuan stepped outside. Unknown to her, a piece of cheap wooden door blocked nothing out of Shen Yuan's ears.

"Your Highness, you must be careful."

"By that, you mean?"

"I know that day Your Highness didn't push Prince Vesper down the stairway and everything you were accused of prior to that was also false," Felicia said with unwavering certainty. "Both I and Harper agreed. We've known Your Highness since Your Highness was in Her Majesty's womb. We know Your Highness never even raised your voice to your brother, much less do such a thing. If Harper is acting in a hurtful manner towards Your Highness, I hope Your Highness can understand that she has no other choice."

"…It doesn't matter. I don't blame anyone except for…him." Just thinking about his brother darkened Zain's expression.

"It does matter. Does Your Highness not think it's strange? All those accusations were one thing, but for everyone to blindly believe them without any evidence was another thing."

"He always has a way to convince people."

"I don't think it's that simple." Felicia shook her head with a grim frown. "Perhaps because of the nature of my magic, I'm particularly sensitive to the air around me. I said earlier that I left because of my husband, but if I may be honest, after Prince Vesper was born, the air in the palace became…" she paused, trying to find the appropriate word, "…unpleasant. I was only waiting for the right timing to quit without raising suspicion."

The room was enveloped in a thick silence. Zain knew what Felicia was implying, but at the same time, he couldn't begin to imagine how such a thing could be possible. Both of them knew it was absurd and wasn't something that could be said out loud carelessly.

"I wish I have a way to help Your Highness confirm it, but I'm afraid I'm not very knowledgeable on this topic." Felicia lowered her head. "Please, stay safe, Your Highness."

"I will. Thank you for telling me, Miss Felicia." Zain was about to bid his farewell when he thought of something and added, "Can you keep my visit a secret? Including from Miss Harper."

"Of course, Your Highness. You are never here."

Zain nodded in gratitude and finally left the store. After he closed the door, Shen Yuan deliberately asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, don't worry." Zain reclaimed Shen Yuan's hand. "Do you still have more errands? Where are we going next?"

"No, it's all done. Should we go check the event at the clock tower?"

"Mn. Let's go."

The atmosphere around the clock tower was particularly bustling, a different kind of vigor than the crowd in the street market. Just being near the area, one could already hear the cheerful music coming from there and see colorful fireworks burst in the sky with sprinkles of magic, rivaling the brightness of the day.

Shen Yuan never experienced such overflowing happiness in one limited space. Children ran around with balloons in their hands while their parents struggled to keep them within sight so they wouldn't get lost, couples shared the new chocolate and candy samples the staff giving out around the venue and exchanged their favorites, and friends challenged each other by the game stalls, trying their luck to win the prizes.

Their smile and laughter were pure, unadulterated joy unlike those in networking parties and meetings he was used to seeing. He would believe it if someone said the candy bars were drugged.

Of course, he knew that wasn't the case. Such happiness could only come from the sense of safety and peace while spending time with their loved ones.

Something that could only be achieved through sacrifices in reality. Sacrifices that would never be enough.

Including his parents'.

Zain was about to ask what they should try first when he noticed the gloom in Shen Yuan's face, like a lone gray cloud drifting through the clear sunny sky.

A tug drew Shen Yuan out of his thoughts. He thought Zain wanted to join the crowd only to be pulled back towards the way they came from instead. He soon caught up to Zain's pace and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Young Master?"

"It's too crowded for my comfort. I also just remembered there are books I want to buy." Zain stopped once the music couldn't reach them and turned to face Shen Yuan. "Can you take me to the shopping alley? If my memory serves me right, it should be nearby."

"Lemia said the shopping alley is targeted towards tourists, so their products are mostly overpriced. How about we take a look around at smaller bookshops? Maybe we'll still find what Young Master is looking for. I mean, if Young Master doesn't mind the extra effort."

"I don't mind." Zain shook his head. "More importantly, what time do you have to be back?"

"As long as I'm back before lunch, it should be fine."

"Then, since we're already here, let's buy some snacks to eat together as well."

"Taking home snacks is a must."

As they continued their stroll, Zain lowered his gaze to Shen Yuan's resting smile. Only now he finally noticed the warmth didn't reach his eyes, blocked by the faint darkness hiding within. An old saying flitted into his mind.

The stronger the light, the deeper the darkness.

"…" He silently intertwined their fingers and tightened his hold. Shen Yuan looked up at him from the action and curled a wider smile, allowing some of the warmth to graze his eyes.

Instead of its usual comfort, it sent a stake into his chest, impaling him with a dull pain.

How could he be so blind?