Quote: 'suggest me a quote that made you happy.'
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Third person pov:
After defeating the assassins:
"Princess are you alright?" Charlos asked. Penelope nodded as she smiled a little.
"Wow, yall really be romantic right after an attack huh?" the kid answered, as he interrupted and pulled them back to reality.
"I thought you wished to end me? What happened kiddo, scared?" Charlos questioned with a smug smile.
"Well, uncle~ for starters, I am thirteen and my name's nick. And second, since i failed to kill you-"
"More like you didn't have the skills." Charlos commented as he interrupted nick.
"So, that old hag will not leave me alive, so I thought I might as well just dedicate my life to serving the princess." Nick continued with a smile, as he boldly ignored charlos.
"Pfft-haha, I am sorry. What? Me? Why? Hahaha...sorry I just need to, it's funny how you ignored him. Ahem! Anyway, I do not accept it. You have your own life to live kiddo-I mean nick." Penelope answered with a straight face, her inner self was laughing so bad.
"My image got ruined." Charlos muttered to himself as he chuckled to himself.
"So, the princess does not care about this poor one's life??? She would rather have me dead than let me accompany her?" Nick said as he made a pitiful face, tears formed in his hazel eyes.
"No i-"
"It's fine princess. He won't die. Afterall I have decided to take him under my custody. You don't have to worry about anything. And I am sure Young master Augstine would not like this kiddo accompanying you." Charlos said as he pulled Nick towards himself and leaned his hand on his shoulder.
"I don't agree-"
"Princess it is late. Let me escort you to your room." Charlos said with a small smile. "Go and check on the servants and knights." Charlos muttered to Nick before taking Penelope's hand and escorting her.
"Do you trust him easily?" Penelope questioned as she glanced at the man escorting her. "No, but if he dares attack anyone or leave this mansion then he shall die." Charlos said smirking-I meant smiling softly.
"You knew magic and still let the kid handle the attackers. By the way, who is the person targeting you?" Penelope questioned curiously. 'Oops, it slipped.' -penelope thought as she remembered some bad memories.
"You talk too much."
"Why are you so curious about stuff."
"Shut it, trash. You are annoying."
"Well he had to pay for attacking me and what if the princess guessed the person who tried to attack me? I will give you a few hints. Old, annoying, thinks higher than me...hmm? Princess?"
Charlos called as he noticed something off about Penelope.
Penelope's pov:
Did I talk too much? Agio me and my mouth!
"-Princess?-" Carlos's voice pulled me out of my mind.
"Hmm?" I replied in wonder.
"What might you be thinking?" Charlos questioned. And on instinct I blurted:
"Am I annoying?"
Third person pov:
"No. The princess isn't annoying. You know princess, it's alright to be curious. When I was a kid I used to bother granny all the time. She would never get annoyed." Charlos said as his red eyes met big emerald eyes.
"So...you asked a lot of questions so you could annoy the Queen dowager?" Penelope said she averted her eyes from Charlos and looked the other way. A tint of pink could be seen on her ears.
"Hahaha, yes, yes. Princess is spot on." Charlos said as he chuckled. "Though you never answered my last question. Princess, guess. Old, thinks higher than me and is annoying. This person is trying to kill me." Charlos asked his previous question again.
"The crown...No wait, the queen!" Penelope said with a knowing and excited smile.
"Spot on! And the princess hit the jackpot again!" Charlos said, chuckling at his own words. His hand unconsciously went to Penelope's head.
"Hahaha" Penelope laughed wholeheartedly. But she froze completely as she felt someone patting her head. And charlos hand froze as he realized what he was doing.
"Oh, pardon me. It came in as a habit. I usually do it every time with Diana...so..." Charlos said, pinching his ears. If someone who knew him for years saw this, they would have been able to tell that he was lying right away. And that he would have been dead by now if he ever patted Diana's head. Yes, he did pat her head and that time she (Diana) had threatened him to kill him as he was messing her hair up.
Charlos had a weird habit, everytime he lied he would pinch his ears. Not many knew of this. Well, afterall he was not even associated with anyone except the people in his mansion, the royal family and the Whitlock family. No one dared to approach him and he was more than happy with that.
"Uh, that's fine. Brothers and father do it every time." Penelope said as she changed the topic a bit and waved it off as nothing much. Yes, her family did do it. But this was different. Way different. She could feel her heart beat increase. She unconsciously took deep breaths to calm herself.
"Hmm..." Charlos answered as he looked another way and a tint of pink showed up on his neck.
The way to Penelope's room (guest room) seemed so long as they both walked in awkward yet comfortable silence.
After some time:
"Well...uh. I will not be able to see you off tomorrow. So keep this as a goodbye gift." Charlos said as he handed Penelope a small box.
"Why won't you be able to?" Penelope asked with a frown.
"I am leaving for the war site tonight." Charlos answered as he moved the box towards penelope.
"Was it an order?" Penelope questioned, she completely ignored the gift because she was curious, sad and mad.
"Why are we mad?" Inner asked. "I do not know." Penelope answered, a frown on her face.
"Yes..It got issued this morning. I still have to inform Diana." Charlos answered.
'How the hell will I break this to her?' -Charlos thought as he sweatdropped.
"When will you be back?" Penelope asked, not caring if Charlos felt uncomfortable under her glare.
'I feel like I am being interrogated.' -Charlos.
"Who knows?" Charlos kept his answer short. He knew that going to war, he can die anytime and before he never cared but right now, he cares. He doesn't want to leave his sister alone. Who knows what that old man would do?
"*sigh* Alright. Then Promise me you would come back safe and sound. And write to me as often as you can." Penelope said as she held her pinky up.
"...What?" Charlos asked hesitantly. What? This is new to him. No one ever cared for him, except granny. Let alone make him promise something like this.
"And you will also call me by my name, or whatever. Just not a lady or princess." Penelope added, as she gestured charlos to hurry up with her eyes.
"Right, then...Nelly. I promise." Charlos said as he hesitantly moved his hand and tangled it with Penny's hand.
"Nelly?" Penelope asked as she tilted her hand.
"Can I call you that?" asked Charlos.
"Yes...." Penelope answered back after hesitating for a while. She had definitely heard someone call her this before.
"Here. Then goodbye, Nelly." Charlos said as he handed Penelope the box and smiled a little and watched Penelope as she confusingly entered her room.
Then he made his way to the knight's palace, to check on them. (where his knights rest)
With penelope: 'in her room'
Third person pov:
'What just happened?' -penelope thought. Why does 'nelly' sound so familiar and the thought of Charlos going to war makes her mad at the emperor even more. And why does her heart beat so fast when he patted her head? Why does the thought of seeing charlos hurt makes her sad and why does the thought of seeing him dealing with those assassins everyday makes her furious at the queen?
All these questions consumed Penelope's mind as she stared at the box that was handed to her.
Slowly moving her hand towards the ribbon tied on the box. She opened the box. For some unknown reasons she was looking forward to the gift. This has never happened before. She expected things from charlos. She has never expected things from people as she was so used to them always ignoring her or mistreating her.
"What....HOLY!-" Penelope almost screamed as she saw the gift. It's a hair pin.
But not just a hair pin. It was beautiful and had her name carved in it.
(pic not mine) (got it from google)
"How expensive is this?" Penelope whispered in shock, as she noticed a note underneath.
'Princess, uhh...not sure what to write here. But Kris suggested it. Anyway, hope you like the necklace that I gave you. Please do not think of returning it back. I am sure you would think it is expensive. It really isn't. I made the design myself. And I would like it if you liked it too. Stay healthy.
Till we meet again.
-Charlos'
'Till we meet again'
Penelope remembered the words her patient, the masked man, said on the festival day. 'What a coincidence.' She unconsciously brought the note to her nose as it now covered the lower half of her face, hiding her flustered cheeks.
'He made it specially for me.' -Penelope.
'Lavender.' -Penelope thought as she smelled the note. (of course she bought the note in front of her nose so she unconsciously smelled it.)
"Damn it." Penelope muttered as she laid on her bed and rolled on it.
Today, she probably won't be able to sleep.
And she doesn't know the reason.
With charlos:
Third person pov:
"How are they?" He questioned as he saw the kid coming out of the knight's chamber or wherever the knight resided.
"All fine, just passed out. The black magic was too much." Nick answered calmly.
"Nick, you will protect Diana after I leave." Charlos said in monotone.
"You trust me that much? Even let me protect your sister?" Nick questioned the man before him was strange....very strange.
"I am going to the war site. This time might not come back alive. And it's not like you can run away. And you will be dead if you even interact with the queen. So you are obligated to stay here. You have nowhere to go. And I have kept my eye on you since your parents passed. Do you think it is the person who sends you the money every month? Plus I am just fulfilling your mother's wishes." Charlos questioned with a smile.
Nick was five when his parents were murdered before his eyes. His father was a baron. He opposed the queen and the second prince and for that he was slaughtered.
He had hated the queen and his mother was close to the late empress. In fact, she had grown up with the late empress, this was a part of the reason the queen had them murdered.
A year after their death someone sent him money and it continued every month. With the money he saved over the years, he bought books on magic and weapons.
"So it was you? Why?" Nick questioned, as he stopped walking.
"I met aunt, your mother, twice, she was nice to me and like a mother to me. I would write to her every time I felt lonely. She wrote to me before the attack, unfortunately the letter was kept hidden by some maids, when I was away for war, who were spies and I found it a year later." Charlos answered.
"How long have you gone to war and back?" Nick asked.
"I have spent most of my life at the war site. Killing those monsters takes my anger out." Charlos answered.
"Tsk. Fine. When will you break the news to Princess Diana?" Nick asked. "How did you know that I still haven't?" Charlos questioned curiously but was ignored.
'should i just not inform diana? Nope, not gonna do. She will skin me alive.' - Charlos.
The end~
To be continued~
A/N: Long chp. 2000 words.
there might be some errors, cause i haven't proof read it before publishing.