Return For The Time Being!

"So you are sure that i am fallen behind." he mocked and turned to his seat again.

Leonora shifted in her seat. She did not want to be here either. But she could not let go of such a good offer.

"What did my mother offer you in exchange?" he asked in a nonchalant voice but Leonora bit her lips. His majesty chose the aides after the coming of age ceremony. She was not chosen by him. She was only returning to her quarters when she was called again and informed of this adjustment.

Thalric looked at her with a smile that only made his eyes colder.

"Do you think I do not know who was chosen as my adjutant? Leonora Midnight star, you are not the one." The tone of rejection made her sigh. "You are meant to bring things. After all, you are the star of our empire. First in the knight training, breaking all previous records. First in the strategy formation. There is nothing you can not do! 

Even as the crown prince, I did not deserve such a strong militant and administration officer with me. If not for your commoner blood, you would have earned the highest position in the royal palace already." the words which should have been a compliment, sounded like sarcastic comments when it came from his mouth. 

Thalric waited for her reaction, but Leonora kept staring at the ground as if it was a rare piece of heart with no reaction on her face. Tharlic's eyes narrowed. This cold woman! Perhaps she did not even remember him. He would be a fool to keep her by his side when she had trampled over him again and again! 

Ha! His eyes glowed with unhidden hatred and he abruptly leaned on his table and found his letter pad. 

"You know that if I reject you, your appointment would be cancelled. Right? If they have forced you to be with me, I can free you." Leonora finally shifted her gaze to him and without waiting for him to write the rejection, she reached to him, held the letter pad and hid it behind her.

Her speed was exceptional, she was standing near the door yet she had reached the table beside him earlier than him. Thalric stood there stiffened for a second, before anger rose to his chest.

His eyes gleamed and the pad caught fire instantly. Leonora let it go and the luxurious paper burnt just like that.

"Your highness, I can ensure that you will be the crown prince forever. The position was yours to begin with." But Thalric just laughed coldly.

"There is no way that I will accept a person like you in my team, Dame Midnight Star, you can leave." Lenora stared at him baffled. But her unyielding gaze only felt challenging in his eyes.

He could not bear it anymore and slammed the table with force. Leonora sighed. Thalric felt a strange tightness in his chest looking at her face. Was she finally accepting defeat for the first time?

"Since it can not be helped.." Thalric's heart raced and reached his throat. He subtly looked away to hide the heat rising on his face. "I will let you rest for today, and return tomorrow with your schedule for this week, your highness. Since you are tired, rest early." She bowed in perfect courtesy and left with a deep smile on her face.

"Wait! Who is tired? Are you calling me sick?" he screamed loudly but the door was already shut with her presence gone.

Thalric stared at the door and then started laughing.

"Leonora! Leonora Midnight Star, you have not changed at all." Thalric stared at the ceiling. 

He was eleven when he met her for the first time. It was his first day of wielding a sword. He was supposed to be a prodigy. Everyone was applauding after his performance and he was revelling in their awestruck look.

But then a girl came out of the crowd wearing an old tattered set of men's clothes. She had been asking for a chance.

She did not know but he had signalled the guard to let her participate. But then, she had performed exceptionally. Even he stood there like a fool staring at her.

When her performance ended, everyone forgot about him and circled her. She was selected immediately and became the trainee in his batch.

Since then, he had never been in their attention. She had stolen all the attention from him for two years as if he did not exist and then she had disappeared just like that.

He had often heard about her from his father, from the members of the knight team. They have even met. He was standing in the hallways talking to a friend when she had passed him to get her reward.

She had walked past him as if she didn't know him. Her eyes did not even flinch or a smile appeared on her lips.

For her, he was always this insignificant. In those two years when they have trained together and after that, for her, he never existed. And now, she claimed that she would help him.

"Hahaha!" he laughed again but his face looked miserable. His hands tightened into a fist. No, he would not sit and sulk here like a pathetic person. He would go and face his father and so-called brother.

With that thought, he stood up and walked out. He was surprised to see it was already dawn. He went to his chambers, took a bath and changed into casual clothes and went to the central palace where his father lives, the palace was still decorated to welcome his new owner.

He was only walking inside when he saw the maids holding his large portrait. Though it was covered with a thick cloth, he knew it was his and so as the maids, they stopped in their tracks looking embarrassed. 

"Your.. your highness." they bowed immediately. Thalric's lips curled with a cold smile.

"You can return this to me for the time being. Soon, it will be needed here again!"