[Music Recommendation: 6.6 Gigue ~ Peter Gregson, Richard Harwood,]
"Welcome home, Your Highness," the palace servants bowed on seeing Adric.
Adric acknowledged their greeting with a slight nod, but he didn’t say anything else; he walked straight inside the palace.
"Hello, brother," it was the first princess of Avon who had the same hair color as Adric. She waved her maids away, now going to walk beside her brother. "Seeing you back makes me anticipate what you have in store for us this time."
Adric paused in his step, "Is that why you moved your husband and children here? To paint your mundane life with palace gossips?" His words definitely affected his sister, but she smiled it off as she was already used to it.
"I am the first Princess, of course I should stay closer to my Kingdom. Do you not know that?" The princess said, with her shoulder raised a little bit in pride. When she saw that Adric wasn’t saying anything, she continued, "Does mother know you’re back?"
"Not yet, but I guess she does now." Adric reached the end of the hall and made a cut, which was the passage to his room, "Let your maids also inform her that I haven’t come back with a bride so she should not worry her fragile heart."
The princess stopped walking; she scoffed. "You saw that?" She crossed her hand on her chest watching as Adric entered his room. Then she turned to his personal guard who had been walking three steps behind the royal bloods.
"Rowan, Rowan..." She drawled, a small smile playing on her lip.
The guard bowed, "Prince-" he wasn’t able to complete his words when the princess gripped him tightly by the collar.
"You’re going to tell me everything Adric was up to while outside the palace, won’t you?"
Rowan cleared his throat, "It’s not something I can tell you correctly as I wasn’t with him most of the time."
"Are you lying, Rowan?" She raised her finger tracing on the guard’s face as she brought her face closer.
"Jasmine really?," Adric appeared at the hallway, he had already removed his jacket and was now wearing a shirt. "Was it that bad? Have you longed so much for a man’s touch that you weren’t able to control yourself?"
The Princess glared at her brother, "You know that’s not true, I was only trying to..." Her voice trailed.
"To? Well, don’t say it; I’ll take it upon myself to talk to my brother-in-law so he can step up his bedroom game. I don’t want you to go around pouncing on innocent men," Adric let out a sad sigh. "Quick, Rowan, come over, we don’t know what else she would do if she should lose control."
The guard bowed, "Excuse me, Princess Jasmine." He walked around now going to stand beside Adric.
Princess Jasmine fumed with boiling anger; she clenched her fist tightly after moving her eyes from Adric to his guard she walked away from there.
Adric shook his head slightly, "I think it was a bad idea coming back home."
"You have only just met one of your sisters, there is still her husband and children, younger princess, the Queen and..." Rowan stopped talking when he saw Adric glare at him.
"Saying it simply an odd or slightly complicated family would be better, you know that right?"
Rowan bowed, "I wouldn’t put it that way, odd is not actually the word perfect for it. "Complicated? Ha! That’s like saying a royal wedding is just a small gathering. I mean it wouldn’t come as a surprise to me if the palace has dedicated a wing where servants can practice deep breaths..." he stopped talking again.
Adric sighed, "My mistake was saving you from Jasmine, I should have left you with her. It’s never too late; let me call her back."
"Your highness, you should get ready for dinner," Rowan opened the door, stepping aside for Adric to enter inside.
Adric stared at him for a moment, "I always say I would change my guard then I forget," he exhaled deeply before entering inside his room.
Time for dinner arrived, Adric walked inside the dining room behind him was Rowan who stopped at the door, letting the Crown Prince walk inside alone. As it was only the maids that served the meals were allowed inside the dining room when the royal family gathered to eat.
On entering inside Adric was welcome with a hug from two small boys.
"Uncle!" They hugged him, their tiny hands wrapped round his leg.
"Hello, Walter, and Kai," Adric rubbed their hair gently. Then he dipped his two hands inside his pocket, "You have to choose just one and anything written on the paper is yours," the two young boys smiled excitedly ready to find out what gift was in store for them.
"Kai, you go first as the elder," Adric encouraged, and the boy hummed for a moment before pointing Adric’s left hand, leaving the other hand for the younger one.
"Kai gets a journal and Walter gets an hourglass," he raised the paper up.
"Yes!" Walter exclaimed giving his uncle another hug. Kai also did the same though he also wished he had gotten an hourglass, finally, the two boys went to sit back on their chair, talking about their new gifts.
"Welcome home, Adric," King Fidelis smiled at his son, the man had a calm look on his face showing that he was not much of a talker.
"Thank you, Father," Adric bowed going to sit on the chair by the right hand side of his father.
Gwen who was on left hand side chair, cleared her throat, "It’ll do us all good if you would inform us first before coming home," the woman twitched her lips, with her eyes on her plate.
"Is that so? I haven’t heard of it before where the thief tells the owner of the house to announce his presence,"
Gwen hit her fist on the table, with simmering anger, "Did you just call me a thief? Fidelis are you hearing this, and you’ll tell me that he has accepted me as his mother!" The woman spoke with anger.
"Relax, Mother," Adric started, his voice calm and his eyes looking excited.
"Don’t you dare call me that!" Gwen warned.
Adric chuckled, "And who is the one who doesn’t accept the other?"
Gwen rolled her eyes, "Spare me that! You think I don’t notice the mockery behind your eyes when you call me that?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"Relax, both of you, we have children here." Fidelis tried to get both of them to calm down. "Adric, you don’t talk to your mother like that,"
Adric nodded, "You’re right, Father, I don’t talk to my mother like that," but Gwen wasn’t having it, she raised her voice again, this time she stood up from her chair.
"You think I’m not fit to be Queen, and you’re looking down on me? Because I was once a consort, I may not be the first Queen but I am the better Queen!" Gwen exclaimed.
Adric exhaled, "Sweet Mother, nobody is looking down on you, except you. At this point, you’re your own enemy. I mean most people don’t even know this information, but we all do now thanks to you." Adric raised his shoulder with a disappointed look on his face.
"Gwen calm down," King Fidelis touched his wife’s hand, patting her gently.
Queen Gwen glared at Adric for some time before sitting down. She didn’t say anything else, but it was obvious that her anger was yet to subside.
Jasmine who was also at the table said nothing; she didn’t want to get entangled with Adric because it only ended one way. Adric using his words to drive one crazy, it was better to stay away from him.
"Adric, have you been able to find a wife?" Fidelis asked his son, after the dining became quiet.
The Crown Prince shook his head, "Not yet but I’ll be going to Morado, the Princess is ready to take a husband and from what I’ve heard I am going to be quite a strong contender," he said to his father, who nodded in agreement.
"An alliance with Morado would be of great benefit to us, I support that," King Fidelis replied.
The door to the dining room opened, and a young man of Adric’s age walked inside. His face covered with sweat,
"Father!" The two boys shouted on seeing him, going to hug him.
"Caspar, you’re late!" Jasmine scolded her husband.
The young man bowed, "Your Majesty, I’m sorry I had to make sure the royal storage was in order, as we just had new goods stocked." He bowed and on noticing the Crown Prince he bowed deeply, "Your Highness welcome back home,"
"Thank you brother-in-law, it’s not easy to work for the royal family and still be a husband. I understand where the lapses come from," Adric nodded with a smile which received a glare from Jasmine.
The next person to enter inside the room was the youngest princess. She was blessed with brown eyes just like Adric, but her full midnight black locs bounced down her waist. Behind her were two maids who carried a harp.
"Adelaide! I was wondering when you would come to greet your lovely brother," Adric smiled brightly on seeing his younger sister.
The princess smiled, "I was rehearsing a piece to render since it’s been long we all gathered like this,"
Adric clapped his hands together, "Isn’t that beautiful? Let’s hear it please, to get rid of the hostility flying around,"
Princess Adelaide settled onto the velvet stool before the majestic harp. "I will be playing ’The Broken Sea,’" With a gentle touch, she began to play.
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