Adrian’s eyes suddenly widened, then he raised his head from the tree trunk, as if a bright idea had struck his mind.
“Ah…
got it!”
He turned quickly toward Arthur, the smile having returned to his face.
“Arthur!”
Arthur raised his head in astonishment, still not understanding what his brother had been doing moments before.
Adrian smiled with enthusiasm, then said
“What do you say we go out of the palace today…
just you and me?”
Arthur blinked several times, as if he hadn’t grasped what he heard.
“O…
outside the palace?”
Adrian nodded his head as he smiled.
“Yes.
We’ll wander around a bit, and spend some time together.”
Arthur kept looking at him in silence, then the astonishment on his face gradually began turning into a small smile he couldn’t hide.
The moment Adrian saw that small smile form on Arthur’s face, he felt genuine happiness.
He smiled in turn, and grasped his brother’s hand with enthusiasm.
“Then it’s settled!”
Then he gently pulled him along as he said:
“But before we head out…
I want to give you something.”
He led him to his room, and as soon as they entered he went straight to his wooden cabinet, and began searching through the drawers and small boxes.
“Where did I put it…?”
He kept searching for a moment, before his smile widened.
“Found it!”
He took out a small wooden box, opened it carefully, then took out a simple leather bracelet with a small metal piece at its center engraved with the Baldor family emblem.
Adrian kept looking at it for a few moments, then smiled with nostalgia.
“This…
I used to wear it when I was young.”
He approached Arthur, and gently tied the bracelet around his wrist.
“Mother gave it to me when I was around your age, and she used to say it would always remind me to stay brave.”
He stepped back to admire the bracelet on his brother’s hand, then smiled with satisfaction.
“I think…
it suits you more than it suits me now.”
Then he raised his head toward his brother, a genuine smile beginning to form on his face.
“Thank you…
big brother.”
After Adrian and Arthur finished getting ready, they left the room together and walked through the palace’s quiet corridors.
Arthur walked ahead of his brother with light steps, happiness clearly showing on his face, while Adrian walked behind him smiling, glad to see his brother with this enthusiasm for the first time in a while.
After a few minutes of walking, Elena Kim appeared at the end of the corridor.
The moment Arthur’s eyes fell on her, his face lit up with joy.
“Mother!”
He ran toward her quickly, and threw himself into her arms, and Elena embraced him tenderly as she laughed lightly.
As for Adrian, he approached with calm steps until he stopped before her, then placed his hand on his chest and bowed to her respectfully.
Elena returned the bow with a kind smile, and said gently:
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
Adrian raised his head and answered with a calm smile:
“Good morning, Lady Elena.”
Then Elena turned her gaze back to Arthur, and noticed the unusual joy in his features, so she smiled tenderly and patted his head.
“And what’s the secret behind this enthusiasm today, Arthur?”
Arthur smiled with enthusiasm, then raised his head toward his mother and said proudly:
“My brother and I are going outside the palace to wander around a bit and explore the surroundings!”
Elena paused for a moment, then turned her gaze to Adrian.
A hint of hesitation appeared on her face, before she asked him gently:
“But…
Adrian, aren’t you busy these days?”
Adrian smiled a calm smile, and rested his hand on the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist, then answered confidently:
“No, it’s fine.”
He glanced at Arthur from the corner of his eye, then continued:
“Spending some time with my brother…
is more important than any other business.”
A grateful smile formed on Elena’s face, and she bowed to him again with full respect.
“Then…
he’s under your protection.”
She raised her head, and said in a tone filled with reassurance:
“Please…
take care of him, Adrian.”
Adrian nodded his head calmly.
“Rest assured.”
And before he looked away, his eyes paused on Elena’s face for a few seconds. Find the original chapter at g.com.
He noticed the slight redness around her eyes, and the traces of tears she had tried to hide.
He realized she had been crying not long before.
But he didn’t ask, and didn’t show that he’d noticed anything.
He remained silent, out of respect for her privacy, then smiled a calm smile at her before turning toward Arthur.
“Come on…
let’s head out.”
After they’d moved a few steps away, Adrian remembered something, so he paused briefly and turned toward Elena.
“Ah…
Lady Elena.”
Elena raised her head to him.
“Yes?”
Adrian smiled a calm smile and said:
“Please, tell my father we’ve left the palace, so he won’t worry if he asks about me.”
Elena smiled kindly, then nodded her head.
“Of course.”
Arthur waved his small hand at her, then continued walking beside his brother, while Elena kept watching them with a calm smile until they disappeared at the end of the corridor.
The two continued walking through the palace’s wide corridors, and some of their princes and princesses siblings noticed them as they passed.
Some simply exchanged greetings, while others looked on with astonishment at seeing Adrian bringing Arthur along with him.
After a few minutes, they reached the palace’s main gate.
The moment the guards saw them, they straightened their posture, then bowed respectfully.
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
Adrian responded with a simple nod, before crossing the gate accompanied by his brother.
Outside the walls, the two noticed that security had become much tighter than it had been before.
Soldiers were spread along the road leading to the palace, others were stationed atop the walls and watchtowers, while patrols moved continuously around the area, a clear trace of what last night’s attack had left behind.
Adrian contemplated the scene for a moment, then continued walking in silence.
After they’d moved some distance from the palace, Arthur suddenly stopped.
His eyes widened in astonishment, and his gaze turned toward the distant horizon.
“…Wow.”
He stepped forward a few steps toward the edge of the stone road, and looked down.
The sea stretched far below the palace, covered by the shimmering morning rays, so its waves appeared like a sheet of liquid silver.
Baldor Palace had been built atop a towering rocky cliff overlooking the coast, surrounded by dense forests from behind, while before it opened that majestic sea view touching the horizon.
A cold sea breeze blew, stirring Arthur’s hair and Adrian’s cloak, and filling the place with the refreshing scent of salt.
Arthur kept staring at the view in silence, astonishment and admiration clearly showing in his eyes, as if he were seeing it for the first time.