THE NEXT MORNING:
Lucas woke up earlier than usual, sitting on his bed, his hair in a mess.
He felt that his muscles were still a little sore from the previous day's training.
Suddenly, Maya entered her room with her breakfast, as usual. She immediately noticed that Lucas had woken up early again.
"You woke up even earlier than usual, Your Highness," she said, placing the tray of food she had brought with her on a table in the bedroom.
After putting down the tray of food, Maya went to the bedroom windows to open the curtains.
"I think it would be better for Your Highness to rest a little more, in view of the day that awaits her," she said in a soft voice, opening the curtains delicately.
So, Lucas got up from his bed and began to stretch.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Maya, but you don't have to worry. You haven't forgotten who I am, anyway," he said, looking at Maya with a warm smile while raising his thumb in the air.
"And I think I will also take this opportunity to take a little walk in the yard before training," he said as he walked towards the food tray that Maya had prepared.
Maya, having heard his words, was a little reassured and began to smile slightly.
"But Your Highness, shouldn't you first take a shower before you start eating? She said, shooting Lucas with her eyes with a slight smile, because she saw Lucas eating his meal standing up.
Following his words, Lucas instantly froze and turned slightly to Maya.
"Uh, I'm sorry," he said with a slight smile while looking surprised.
"By the way, yesterday, after training, I fell asleep without putting anything in my mouth," he said while looking at Maya with a slight smile and putting a hand on her neck.
Then Maya sighed and began to touch her nose with one hand while lowering her head.
"It's okay, Your Highness. But first of all, you must first take a shower. "
Then, Lucas lifted his shoulders slightly and said:
" Okay," he said while taking a cookie again.
When Maya saw Lucas take the cookie, she suddenly shot him with her eyes. Lucas, having seen Maya's gaze, let out an innocent smile. Then, Maya sighed after seeing his smile.
After that, Lucas went to the bathroom of his room to take a shower.
A FEW MINUTES LATER:
When Lucas had finished his shower, he came out of the bathroom, his hair slightly wet, with a towel around his neck, already wearing a simple but elegant training outfit that Maya had prepared in advance for him.
As Lucas came out of the shower while wiping his hair, he noticed that Maya was no longer in the room and that her room was already tidy.
"She always takes care of everything," he says, heading towards the food tray with a slight smile on his lips while wiping his slightly wet hair.
So, Lucas decided to eat his meal standing up while observing the courtyard of the palate. He saw two small silhouettes that were familiar to him.
"Wait, isn't it Aelrin and Lyra that I see? He said while staring at them with a surprised and curious look.
As he asked himself, he suddenly remembered the promise he had made with Dayvon to welcome them to the castle two weeks ago.
"Ahh, it's true! He said while hitting his forehead lightly.
"Dayvon must have welcomed them since I was in punishment," he said while placing a hand on his face.
Then, Lucas sighed.
"I think they now have a bad image of the person to whom they swore allegian. I didn't even think about visiting them once in two weeks," he whispered with an embarrassed look.
Then, Lucas began to stare at Aelrin and Lyra again, who seemed to have a lively discussion, accompanied by lively gestures, their faces illuminated by the morning sun that was already illuminating the entire courtyard of the palace.
"It looks like Lyra has become an assistant at the palace," he said, staring at Lyra, who was wearing a Royal Palace maid's outfit.
"It's a bit of a shame given the potential she has, but I can understand, since she's still young," he thought, staring at Lyra.
"Let's just wait for her to grow a little more, and she can finally start training to refine her potential," he whispered while eating a fruit.
Then, Lucas began to observe Aelrin and he began to smile slightly.
"It looks like Dayvon managed to find someone to teach him the art of the sword," he said with a satisfied smile while staring at Aelrin, who was wearing a training outfit with light armor and a sword at his waist.
"Well, I think it's time to get ready," he said with a slight smile while stopping looking through the window.
So, Lucas stopped observing them, walked away from the window and began to prepare to go to his training and, at the same time, take a little tour in the courtyard.
AT THE SAME TIME IN THE COURTYARD:
"Are you sure he still needs us? Said Lyra with a worried look while walking next to Aelrin.
Then, Aelrin sighed slightly and said:
"Don't worry, you didn't hear His Highness Dayvon say that Sir Lucas was busy with royal duties," he said as he walked, his hands in his pockets, with a peaceful air.
"But imagine that he no longer needs us, and that's why he hasn't visited us once in the last two weeks," Lyra said worriedly.
"If this is the case, then we will be forced to...", before Lyra finished her sentence, Aelrin put her hand on her mouth and said:
"You don't need to think about that, Lyra. The prince we saw is a trusted person, so we don't have to worry," he said in a soft and reassuring voice while squatting in front of Lyra.
"On tom that, they took care of us and your illness. So we too must do everything we can to show ourselves worthy of the prince," he said in a reassuring voice while holding Lyra's hand.
"So, today too, do your best, Lyra," he said with a reassuring smile.
Then, Lyra, moved by her brother's words, replied:
"Yes, big brother, today too, I will do my best," she said with a smile and a relieved look.
"Goodbye, my brother, I have to start soon," said Lyra, letting go of Aelrin's hand and rushing to the back entrance of the castle.
" Have a good day!! " said Aelrin in a loud voice while making a hand gesture to Lyra who was moving away.
"Thank you, my brother. You too, have a good day," says Lyra while looking slightly behind her, accompanied by a wonderful smile, and still rushing towards the back entrance.
After Lyra entered the palace, Aelrin, who was still outside, directed his gaze towards the sun while placing a hand in front of him to prevent the sunlight from reaching him completely.
"He always needs us, doesn't he? He said with a worried look while staring at the sun through the spaces between his fingers.
As Aelrin stared at the sun, he began to feel a feeling of anxiety almost comparable to the one he had had when his parents died.
Then, he lowered his head and began to bite his lips while clenched his fists.
Aelrin felt a lump forming in his throat, a familiar sensation that he had learned to contain for years. But today, she seemed heavier, more oppressive. The memories of the death of his parents, whom he had buried deep inside him, resurfaced, mixed with this new concern: that of becoming useless to Lucas, the one who had offered them a new life.
He clenched his fists so hard that his nails sank into his palms, but the physical pain was insignificant compared to the storm that rumbled in him. He closed his eyes, trying to chase the images of the past, but they were tenacious, as if they wanted to remind him how vulnerable he was.
FLASHBACK:
Night had fallen on the remote village.
In the night, Aelrin, carrying Lyra, began to run towards the woods in the pouring rain.
Arriving in the woods, Aelrin took Lyra against him, and they hid in the woods, listening to the noises of the bandits that resounded in the distance. Lyra cried silently, sheeping her brother as if her life depended on it.
While Aelrin and Lyra remained hidden in the woods for what seemed to be hours, they listened in the distance to the sounds of the bandits who plundered the village while setting fire to the houses.
The rain continued to fall, soaking their clothes and making the air colder.
Aelrin then held Lyra against him, trying to warm her up as much as possible, while keeping a watchful eye on the environment.
"Everything is fine, Lyra," he whispered, squeezing Lyra against him, although he is not confident in his own words.
"We'll get out of it. I promise you," he whispered in a soft voice.
Aelrin and Lyra spent the night in the forest, and, in the morning, when she woke up, Aelrin decided to return to the village to see if her parents had survived.
So, in the early morning, Aelrin, holding Lyra's hand, returned to the village. The rain had stopped, but the sky remained gray.
Upon arriving at the entrance of their village, Aelrin's eyes froze with fear as he observed the atrocious scene he had in front of him.
The houses were reduced to ashes, the walls blackened by the flames, corpses lay here and there, accompanied by a heavy silence that reigned throughout the village.
BACK TO THE PRESENT:
Before Aelrin could remember more memories, he shook his head, chasing away the painful memories that resurfaced.
Aelrin reopened her eyes, tears threatening to flow, and looked at the sun again while taking a deep breath.
After reorganizing his thoughts, he straightened up, discreetly wiping the few tears he had let escape.
"I will become stronger," he whispered to himself, clenched his fists with determination.
After that, he turned around and headed towards the training ground with a determined look.
A FEW MINUTES LATER INSIDE THE PALACE:
Lyra, dressed in her maid's outfit, rushed into the corridors of the palace to receive her list of tasks of the day.
As Lyra rushed into the corridors, she suddenly bumped into someone and fell to the ground.
"Auch, ouch, ouch! She said, touching her forehead with her hand.
After bumping into this person, Lyra got up quickly, her cheeks red with embarrassment.
She immediately lowered her head and apologized in a trembling voice:
"I'm really sorry! I didn't pay attention to where I was going..."
As Lyra apologized, she began to hear a warm laugh.
"It's okay, you can raise your head," Lucas said in a soft and warm voice.
Lyra, still slightly stunned by the collision, slowly raised her head after hearing a familiar voice.
Raising her head, she met Lucas' warm gaze.
She instantly blushed with shame, embarrassed to have hit Maya, who stood next to the prince, going down the stairs dressed in a white, simple and elegant training outfit.
"I... I'm really sorry, Your Highness, Maya. I wasn't paying attention," she stammered, looking down again and grabbing her hands to her maid's dress.
So, Maya held out her hand to Lyra with a smile and said:
"Always in a hurry, from what I see. You should be a little more careful where you go, especially in the corridors of the palace," she said in a soft but slightly reprehensing voice.
After his words, Lyra nodded shyly but determined to improve.
After Lyra nodded, Lucas advanced towards her and put his hand on her shoulder, saying in a soft and warm voice:
"Don't worry, Lyra, you didn't cause any accidents," he said while looking at Lyra with a smile.
Lyra blushed even more and lowered her eyes again.
"You are right, Your Highness," she said in a shy voice.
Lucas began to have a small smile on the corner of his lips as he looked at Lyra's reaction.
"I heard that you were doing well as a servant. So, I decided that from today, you will start assisting Maya in her tasks and you will officially become my personal servant," he said with a warm smile while looking at Lyra.
Lyra began to have a surprised look following the news and began to stare at Lucas.
"True... Really, Your Highness? She said with an amazed look, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard.
"Of course. During the last two weeks, you have managed to prove that you amply deserve it," Lucas told him with a warm smile on his lips.
Lyra, her eyes shining with emotion and gratitude, joined her hands in front of her and leaned deeply in front of Lucas.
"I... I don't know how to thank you, Your Highness," she said in an emotional voice.
"It's okay, just do your best, and it will help me a lot," Lucas said with a warm smile while looking at Lyra warmly.
"Yes!!! I will not disappoint you, Your Highness," said Lyra with a motivated look while straightening up.
So, Lucas put his hands in his pockets and, moving away, he said:
"Well, I'll leave you with Maya. I have to go. "
"And don't worry about Sir Gerard, I'll talk to him about all this. "
As he walked away, Lucas suddenly stopped and turned around slightly, saying:
"Sorry to have kept you waiting for two weeks. Thank you for waiting for me," he said with a warm smile while having his hands in his pockets.
Then, Lyra began to blush, and, almost having tears in her eyes, she said:
"It is we who must thank you for what you do for us, Your Highness. "
After hearing this sentence, Lucas smiled slightly and turned again to head to the palace courtyard.
As Lyra watched the prince walk away, Maya approached her and placed herself behind her, saying:
"Don't worry, I'm here to guide you," she said with a warm smile.
Then, Lyra, a little surprised, says:
"Yes, I am now under your tutelage," she told him with an expression determined to do even more.
"It's a good attitude," Maya told him with a warm smile while lightly stroking his head.
"Go ahead, follow me, we have a lot of tasks," says Maya as she goes up the stairs.
Then, Lyra, excited to be able to reach the second floor of the palace for the first time, began to follow Maya while being determined to do everything possible to be useful.
TO BE CONTINUED........