III. The Impact of Her

“Good morning, Grandpa Ben,” we greeted with our heads low, avoiding his stare.

“It seems like the two of you enjoyed your rendezvous last night. A bit too much, if I may add,” Grandpa Ben remarked.

Slowly, I looked up and Grandpa Ben wasn’t in a forgiving mood today.

He continued as he turned to Laura, “Young lady, you know very well that you are not allowed to go outside at night. Especially at midnight.”

“It was indeed wrong of me to do, Grandpa Ben. I am truly sorry,” Laura spoke softly as she tried to hide her shaking voice.

“If I may, Grandpa Ben,” I carefully intervened, “Laura has no fault in this. It was my idea to have a picnic last night and invited her to come along. She told me she was forbidden to do so but I insisted. I beg of you, please do not punish her for my wrongdoing.”

Now was not the right time to act all noble. But I had to say something because this debacle was the consequence of my impulse. I was the one responsible as to why Laura was in such a predicament. It was my mistake and I had to take responsibility for it.

Grandpa Ben stared at me for a long time before he sighed. He returned to Laura and said, “Go back inside and get to work.”

Laura nodded. Without looking back, she rushed into the bakery.

Grandpa Ben moved closer to me. “There is no need to worry, Robert,” he said as he put a hand on my shoulder, “I will not gravely punish her for what happened. However, I needed to be firm to the two of you.”

I nodded. Inside, I was relieved. I was comforted by the fact that Laura wouldn’t be punished for something that I did.

“You and Laura shouldn’t do that again. I understand that you are an Immortal and by all means, you are capable of protecting her,” Grandpa Ben continued as he lowered his voice, “But there are still some things in this world that you are not aware of. Anything can happen. And the very last thing that I want to see is both of you killed because of recklessness.”

I nodded again. “I have nothing against your thoughts, Grandpa Ben. You are simply looking after us. As a father, I know that you are very protective of Laura. I know how much she means to you,” I replied with an assuring smile. I added, “However, I still want to apologise for sneaking out at that time of the night. I didn’t mean to cause any arguments between the two of you.”

“I accept your apology, young one,” Grandpa Ben smiled faintly as he tapped my shoulder. “You must head home now. Your family may notice your absence. And I am certain that they will be harder to convince.”

“I will take my leave,” I replied. “Again, my deepest apologies.”

Grandpa Ben smirked as he looked at me teasingly. “Robert, I understand how it feels like to be in love. It is something that not everyone can fight against. But, that does not mean that we have to throw away our common sense in order to fulfil our longing towards someone,” he explained.

“Thank you very much, Grandpa Ben. I shall remember your wisdom. I hope your day goes well,” I replied before I walked away.

I walked further into the marketplace in search of a place to hide. As soon as I found a narrow alley, I quickly hid in it and joined the wind. As I danced through the air, I prayed that my family had not noticed my silent chambers or unmade bed.

I walked through the halls cautiously as soon as I arrived back home.

I also returned the basket in the kitchen without anyone questioning me. At the same time, I didn’t take so much time with it as I didn’t want any attention on me, especially from Nana Olsa.

To my delight - and my shock - everyone was still sound asleep. I would not need to think of an excuse, especially when it came to James or Gonzalo.

“Your Highness?” an all-too-familiar voice spoke from behind me.

‘I spoke too soon,’ I thought to myself.

Slowly, I turned around and was greeted by Gonzalo. He was already in his working uniform. The usual black coat, white gloves and everything.

My jaw clenched as I kept my emotions at bay. “Good morning, Gonzalo,” I smiled.

He walked up to me and bowed. “You are quite early today, Your Highness,” Gonzalo remarked as he slowly looked back at me. He added, “Too early, if I say so myself. That is… unusual for you.”

“Thank you for your morning greetings, Gonzalo,” I said sarcastically.

Lately, Gonzalo has not been acting his usual self. In most situations, he would greet me respectfully before he asked his questions. But for some unknown reason, he did not today.

I added, “I was at the hills. I had an early picnic with Lady.”

“You went on a morning picnic?” Gonzalo asked, baffled.

“Yes,” I nodded as I put my hands behind my back.

His brows remained knitted together. “All on your own? At this time in the morning?” Gonzalo asked.

I looked around me and answered, “Do you see anyone around me, Gonzalo?”

Gonzalo’s brow arched and replied, “You may have gone with someone. Someone that is not from our castle.” He stepped closer and added, “Someone that is not of our realm.”

I chuckled and stepped even closer to me. Our faces were inches from each other, I felt his warm breath on my face. “Gonzalo. I. Went. On. My. Own,” I repeated as I paused with each word. I stepped back and continued, “Now, if you will excuse me, I wish to have some rest before I proceed with my day.” I walked past him. But, not far along, I stopped and turned my head back to him, “As you said, being awake this early is highly unnatural for me. I shall see you later.”

I then proceeded to my room. And I could only hope that no one would disturb me this time.

“He is not to be disturbed!”

“This is urgent and does not concern the both of us!”

I was awakened by a faint argument on the other side of my door. And though my senses were already awake, I kept my eyes closed in an attempt to ignore them.

“Nana Olsa, I understand that he needs his rest. But Prince Benjamin is making a scene outside the castle doors,” Gonzalo protested. He continued, “If we do not handle this now before the royal family returns, it will be chaotic. It must be taken care of before everything explodes.”

“You saw what happened to Robert yesterday. He has been through enough already. He is exhausted in all aspects,” Nana Olsa argued. “He wants to stay within his room and recuperate. These sorts of things do not matter to him at the moment.”

I sighed as I sat up and stretched for a bit. If Benjamin has made such a ruckus outside our home, then Gonzalo and Nana should not be bothered by it. From the moment that I heard what Benjamin did, I knew instantly why he was here, unannounced.

I headed to the door and as soon as I appeared, both of them knelt.

“We are deeply sorry for disturbing the peace, Your Highness,” Gonzalo said as they kept their heads low. He explained, “However, Prince Benjamin is being scandalous at our front door. It has affected the overall mood and productivity of the household.”

“I am aware of everything, Gonzalo,” I replied as I helped Nana stand. Gonzalo stood as well. “I already heard your little discussion with Nana.” I then smiled at Nana as I gave her a quick hug.

“I did my best in stopping Gonzalo from disturbing you. But, as you can see,” she briefly pointed at Gonzalo, “He is not able to handle Benjamin alone.”

“There is no need to apologise, Nana. I understand why Gonzalo is in a lot of worry,” I assured her. I turned to Gonzalo and instructed, “Kindly bring Benjamin here. And make sure that he would be in his best behaviour once he stepped foot inside the castle.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” Gonzalo bowed and quickly went on his way.

I then turned Nana and gently held her in my arms. “Nana, you may return downstairs. Thank you for taking my side. But you should not stress yourself about these things.”

Nana cupped my face with one hand and smiled. She replied, “You are like a son to me, Robert. And I will always look after you, even in my old age. Now, I shall prepare your food and have it delivered here.” She lightly tapped my face and went on her way.

I returned to my room and headed to my writing table. I moved the curtains to the side and allowed the sunlight to enter the room. I then took a seat and waited patiently.

I already had the feeling that this visit wouldn’t be like the usual.

Our conversation would probably be focused on Laura and why she chose me. I could only wish that this wouldn’t create a gap between me and Benjamin. He was the brother that I never had. I never wanted for our relationship to turn sour, all because we loved the same girl.

But was it truly my fault that Laura chose me?

I did my part as a friend for Benjamin. I helped him as he attempted to win Laura’s heart. I even told Laura to choose Benjamin instead of me. I was willing to lose her just so I could make Benjamin happy. However, Laura has her own mind and heart.

She made that decision, not me.

I looked out the window as I buried myself in deep thoughts. The silence accompanied me, only to be interrupted when my doors swung open.

Benjamin stomped into my chambers, who was immediately followed by Gonzalo and a few guards. He instantly cut to the matter and screamed, “How dare you do this to me?! I trusted you!”