Chapter 11: Rare Flower

“You went to the Fiore Manor again?” William, the second prince, asked his brother as soon as the crown prince arrived in his palace.

He had been waiting for him to arrive because he had something to discuss with him but he ended up being curious as to why his brother spent a long time in there when he kept on babbling that he wanted to cut a bit of the Fiore House’s influence. Did he change his mind after a few encounters with the duke and his heir?

“What’s the problem if I spend time on places that I wanted?” Ric said as he dropped his body on the couch.

He went directly to the receiving room when his attendant informed him that William was waiting for him and it had been a few hours since he arrived. He didn’t want him to wait longer because he thought that he had something important to report but it turned out that he was just curious about his personal affairs.

“You don’t easily change your mind, your imperial highness.” William looked at him intently and leaned closer to him. “Won’t you tell me what caught your eye in there?”

“Are you really that curious?” Ric chuckled when he saw the determination in his brother’s eyes. “I saw a very rare flower and I thought that I should visit to see it again.”

“A very rare flower?” William’s brows furrowed. “Was it that rare that only the Fiore house have it?”

“Yes.” Ric smiled as he remembered Sera: her elegant gestures, her soft voice, and her facial expressions that never hid her annoyance towards him. “The flower was too rare that it only blooms once in a few generations.”

“I knew it.” William clicked his tongue. “You’re talking in riddles again since you don’t want me to know.”

William was disappointed as he felt that his brother didn’t trust him but still, he could understand his reason. How could the crown prince fully trust his brother who was almost as capable as him? If he lowered his guard, he could end up losing his position to any of his brothers.

“That’s why you shouldn’t pry further.” Ric couldn’t just inform everyone about Sera because it would ruin a part of the duke’s reputation. If she wanted to protect it, he would help her. He wouldn’t put her in danger so carelessly.

“Was it worth your time?” Since William didn’t know what it really was, he just wished that it wouldn’t be something that could harm the crown prince. Especially, not a maid who seduced him.

Just imagine how hard would it be for him if the crown prince was seduced by a maid. It wouldn’t be a big deal if he would just take her as his concubine, but what if he wanted her to be his empress? He just hoped that there wasn’t a maid beautiful enough to seduce his brother. The flower couldn’t mean a girl, right?

“It was so worth it.” Ric nodded and smiled. “I would visit again, next time.”

“Can I come with you?” William asked.

“No.” It was an immediate answer coming from him.

If William got to know the simple and mysterious Sera, Ric knew that it wouldn’t be impossible for him to be interested in her. With his brother’s looks and kind personality, Sera would definitely treat her differently and he didn’t seem to like the thought of Sera and William getting closer.

“That’s unfair,” William said in a disappointed tone. “Why didn’t you just pick it if you liked it? I don’t think the duke would stop you if you use your position to get what you want.”

“The duke didn’t allow me to pick it.” He smiled when he remembered Sera’s expression when he asked her to run away with him. “But he said that he will send it to me in a few years.”

“In a few years? Then why don’t you just wait for it to be sent to you?”

“I want to be familiar with it.” Ric laughed.

If he would wait for Sera to enter the palace, he would lose his chance to get closer to her while they were younger. He wouldn’t be able to use her if he couldn’t gain her trust so he needed to move as fast as he could.

“You’re so weird.” William shook his head. He couldn’t understand why would his brother waste his time on something that he would get in a few years? He never knew that Alaric could be impatient sometimes.

“Well, it’s okay to be weird sometimes.” Ric chuckled as he looked out the window. He sat properly and showed his brother a serious expression. “Now, why don’t we discuss the thing that you needed to discuss with me?”

“Oh!” William smiled when he remembered the reason for his visit. “I just wanted to inform you about a ball that will be held in the palace in two months. If you don’t want Father to tie you up with some strangers, you better do something and invite someone to be your partner for the ball.”

“A ball? What was the ball for?” Ric asked with furrowed brows. Why would the emperor arrange a ball so suddenly?

“Of course you haven’t heard since you weren’t here all day,” William said sarcastically. “The envoys from the Kingdom of Sri would be coming in two months. That ball is meant to welcome them and to show the harmony between two nations.”

Harmony? Nonsense.

Ric wanted to laugh at his father’s sudden decisions. How could he talk about harmony when he said that he would go to war with the kingdom of Sri if they keep on killing the Dreischans who took in the refugees from their country. He was sure that the envoys from Sri would push for a treaty because they couldn’t afford to enter a war with another country since they were already struggling from internal conflicts regarding their royalties.

He sighed when he realized that he would be occupied as soon as the discussions starts because he would be beside his father, dealing with the envoys. Just thinking about it made his head hurt so he massaged his temples and closed his eyes.

“Are you okay, brother?” William’s tone was worried when he noticed that his brother suddenly looked tired.

“I’m okay. I just realized that I still have loads of things to do so I need to rest now.”

William stood up and bowed his head. “I’ll be taking my leave, your imperial highness.”

Ric let out another sigh. He was planning to meet Sera again tomorrow but it seemed that it would be impossible with the workloads that were waiting for him in his office.