╔═.✾. ═════════════╗
❝STRENGTH OF FRIENDSHIPS❞
╚═════════════.✾. ═╝
K06 ‖ A Royal Vengeance: Famous Destinations
𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕲𝖚𝖎𝖉𝖊:
Italic words — the thoughts of a character / a foreign language is spoken
Bold and italic words — a lie, only when Princess Caitlyn’s around
Bold, italic and underlined words — the timeline of memories, past, hallucinations etc.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Year 2039
Cowboy Capital of the World — Texas
[the game ended]
Texas: A State of Many Wonders.
The second-largest and second-most populous state in the USA, with a rich and diverse history and culture. Originating from the Caddo word taysha, meaning "friends" or "allies", Texas is known for its cattle ranching and cowboy culture, as well as its music and cuisine, making it a popular destination for tourists.
With a varied geography of the Prairies, woods, deserts and mountains, Texas is one of the many states in the entire country that houses private properties belonging to the esteemed House of Exley, a family of old money wealth which has control over the country’s politics, economy and society. Multiple high end hotels, ranches and billion-dollar estates around Texas serve as summer getaways for the members of the Exley family. As such, Texas became a second home to the Exley family.
Evergreens Ranch, named after the green scenery of the plains where the cowboy ranch was located, was one of the places owned by the Exleys.
On the evergreen plains with rolling hills at the back, young foals and stallions gallop mightily to their hearts’ content as they chase each other in their own form of the tag game. Some mares grazed on the dewy grass peacefully in contrast to their companions’ rowdiness. In the midst of it all, a young American boy sat quietly on an old wine barrel grooming a beautiful gray mare.
Pale blonde hair combed to the back and eyes of the summer sky blue set in his youthful face, Prince Charles of America, son of President Exley, hummed a soft tune to himself. His patient grooming kept the horse calm as it carried on grazing. The pleasant morning weather lifted Charles’s otherwise grumpy temper.
As Charles recalled, he was asleep in his bed at the dorms when a group of black clad men stormed in and dragged him out of the bed, tranquilizing him when he fought back.
A small part of him regretted that he never trained. He never took part in the lessons his younger brothers and twin sister took when they were young. Young Charles deemed those intense fencing, sword fighting and martial arts to be violent. While his siblings fought each other in practice matches under different weather, Charles partook in more leisurely activities such as swimming and horse riding in summer, treasure hunting in autumn and playing indoor games in winter and spring. Compared to his sister who is skilled in almost everything, Charles was very pampered and lacking in many areas, especially when it comes to physical strength.
It always pains him to admit that Caesar and Claudius are stronger than him, and there was a time when Caitlyn outranked him in physical strength.
A bitter smile graced his lips.
Caitlyn, his precious little sister. Of all the women present in his life, Charles only ever loved and cared about his mother and sisters. Cassandra is his shield and protector from his father’s wrath, Caitlyn, his other half, and Carmen, the one he will protect with all his might. It was the common goal he shared with his siblings: to shield the youngest from all worldly harms.
While Carmen is born a child needing protection from others, Caitlyn was not.
As a young child, Caitlyn showcased an impressive emotionless response to any alarming situation that could have made others scream, cry or laugh. In addition to that, she was alarmingly quick in picking up knowledge and learning new things. After being diagnosed with alexithymia, his twin did not stop at improving herself, absorbing all the knowledge and skills she needed.
Charles saw it as greed and obsession.
While he spent his days playing under the sun with his brothers, she finished hours of etiquette, music, art, martial arts, studies and horse riding lessons. While Charles enjoyed all his time, Caitlyn spent hers enhancing her skills.
Before their fifth birthday, Caitlyn was deemed perfect by their grandmother.
After all the days passed in childish delights for Charles, he had lost his claim to the Norwegian throne. Norway will once again celebrate another Crown Princess for the eldest prince showed not a single ounce of self-awareness and self-restraint.
An investiture ceremony was held to announce Caitlyn as the Queen’s official successor to the people and is considered one of the country’s most important affairs. Charles remembered his four-year-old self watching his sister being appointed as the Crown Princess of Norway, a position he once had a claim towards. Back then, he was delighted that his sister became Crown Princess for it meant that he could enjoy his days in leisure and childish joy while his sister slaved away for the throne.
However, those days ended very soon for him and his brothers.
Their old nannies were fired and new ones took over to care for their well being or in other words, push them to be proper princes befitting of their titles. Their schedules get more hectic as their classes increase. Playtime became shorter until they barely had any left. Their schedules were nothing compared to Caitlyn’s who took various language classes a day. Their meals were either taken alone or with their grandmother.
Then, the neglect started. Charles and the twins were slowly being neglected by their nannies who would blatantly ignore their needs of assistance in front of the Former Queen. But as the twins slowly progressed, their needs and wants were met again. Meanwhile, Charles continued to stay average and close to being a failure by the American standard of preschool level. He thought it was pointless wasting his childhood away.
Charles hated all the official public affairs that he had to attend as a prince, and soon, those lessened as his progress deteriorated. Harsh words of criticism from his grandmother increased day by day.
There were times Charles was envious of the luxury Caitlyn got to relish, but those thoughts were quickly dismissed for Caitlyn is rightfully more accomplished than he was. Being Prince of America was the closest accomplishment he had and that was also because his grandmother did not wish to dismiss his place as a successor after taking away his birthright as a Crown Prince of Norway that his grandfather wished for.
A nudge from his gray mare jolted him awake from his long train of thoughts.
Charles had apparently stopped grooming the horse and it was urging him to continue. Charles chuckled softly. Thoughts of the past were put aside as he focused on getting the dirt off his steed’s glossy gray coat. He hummed a random tune that came to mind as his steed swished its tail side to side, neighing in delight.
A rustling of the grass was heard, too quiet to be that of a horse's. His ears picked up the faint sound of someone approaching him. Charles kept calm and stayed in the same position of grooming the horse, acting oblivious.
The person spoke. “You look comfortable here,” Charles detected a faint Italian accent in the boyish voice that spoke to him.
“Ah?”
Charles looked over his shoulder to see a tall gray-haired boy of his age dressed in a dark blue bomber jacket over a black shirt. With a dark expression on and a closed up posture, the boy stood behind Charles with his hands in his pockets like he was hiding something.
Charles smiled widely.
“Cowboys are America’s unique heritage,” he said, playing the fool he led others of his age to believe. “It’s the symbol of America’s independence, freedom and courage. Those Americans who live in cities will also have a little bit of cowboy energy in them.” Not many had the access to the Evergreens Ranch that is a private ranch belonging to his family. To be able enter the property and walk past the security meant that someone with immense influence is at this boy’s support.
Charles’s visitor must have an interesting background.
His visitor laughed, tensed posture relaxing. “Oh, I see,” he said in the same foreign accent of a non-native speaker. “You’re really just as people say.” He spoke with his eyes closed, allowing Charles to momentarily drop his smile. “You have a unique personality.”
Despising to beat around the bush, Charles said softly, “May I know why you’re here?”
The gray-haired boy took a deep bow, confirming his position of a non-royal with a royal master. “Allow me to introduce myself,” he said. “I am Livio Jones, the personal aide of Prince Gion. I’ve come with a message.” Livio paused momentarily before continuing, “Prince Gion had ended the game with Prince Ciel. So you’re free now.”
“Oh, okay,” Charles’s face lit up with a wide smile, celebrating the good news. He dropped the grooming brush in his hands and leaped forward to shake Livio’s hand enthusiastically. “Thanks for telling me,” he said.
Memories of the kidnapping are still fresh in his mind and so is his rage for Prince Gion and his own father for agreeing to imprison him in his own country and his second home of all tourist destinations. Yet, Prince Charles kept his emotions in control, making sure to not put strength into his grip on Livio’s hand. He did not wish to appear hostile because violence is never the answer for anything. He is not his siblings, after all.
The prince watched as his visitor’s expression grew visibly uneasy. Charles was glad that his mask worked well. Livio had completely loosened up in front of him, allowing his emotions and thoughts to be easily deciphered.
“Prince Ciel,” Livio started, “didn’t come to save you. Don’t you feel aggrieved or angry at all?” Livio attempted to rile up the prince and Charles saw through that feeble attempt of provocation.
“You just said that the game ended, didn’t you? Why should I be angry?” Charles asked, continuing his act of being oblivious, tilting his head to the side as a sign of confusion and added a laugh.
That effectively riled up Livio to the extent where he started shouting at Charles who is rightfully a royal. “But what if… they had no intention of saving you in the first place?” Livio yelled. “Have you not thought of that before?” Prince Gion’s words entered his mind.
Friendship only exists when there are mutual benefits. Friends are just people who can be used. When it's useless, the friendship will be lost.
Charles gave him a wide eyed stare.
Have I thought of that possibility before? Charles thought. Of course he has, especially when he had no contact from his father or any of his family as well as his friends. His father made no effort to explain anything about the game to him and made every effort to cut Charles off from the world. He hated how his own father had every excuse to be mad at him for the smallest of reasons.
Furthermore, Charles is human too. He spent the first day in rage and disbelief, hurting everyone who came close to him, spiraling into madness and insanity. The rage transformed into fear. Fear of being left by his friends as how he left his own siblings behind for the first chance of freedom he sees. Then, everything dulled into numbness. Charles would be constantly lost in his thoughts while spending his days on Evergreens Ranch.
“I have thought of that before,” Charles admitted, making Livio stare at him. “But I believe that if that happens…it would mean that they have no other choice. Therefore, I won’t blame them. I am positive that Ciel will try his hardest and is willing to sacrifice himself to save us all. I couldn’t possibly be angry at a friend like that.” Charles recited the other half with his eyes closed, like speaking a well recited speech.
Although he did not have the opportunity to attend public meetings with other royal children like his sister does, Charles was very fortunate he got to secretly meet princes of different countries who came to meet his sister for a playdate. Charles had preferred these casual meetings over the official ones that Caitlyn had to attend.
He managed to have his own group of friends who were mostly not the eldest of the family. Some were the only child while others were either second born or youngest. He had his own social group of his people, his allies.
Like Prince Albert and Prince Felix, Charles has no proper place in the family as his grandmother perceived his abilities to be lacking. As those two, the American boy soon stopped being sad over the things he does not have but found solace in the shadows where he was free to do as he pleases as long as he keeps an average achievement.
That way, his grandmother would waste less time on him and his sister’s glory gets to cover his true abilities.
Just as his sister who is an enigma with her unreadable emotions, Charles is a mystery wrapped in another mystery of his sunny disposition and charmingly likable personality.
Livio continued looking worried and sad. “How could you be so sure?”
“Because we’ve been friends for a very long time,” Charles grinned, once again with his eyes closed.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
2209 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜