En immersed himself in his thoughts, switching off from his surroundings. The identity of the girl he saw in his friends' neighborhood bothered him. Although he had never seen that girl before, there was something familiar about her.
He remembered gazing at her from the sky, from that view he thought he had seen Arisa. He wasn't sure if his feelings were dominating his mind and tricking him to see her where she wasn't. Even so, that girl reminded him of her as her scent was identical to Arisa's.
But then, that girl wasn't Arisa. It was another curious citizen walking by that street. He rubbed his forehead, not understanding what was going on with him.
What if it was actually her, he told himself. What would I have done then?
His knees trembled as he realized that he was still too weak when it came to her. When he first saw the girl, his heart wouldn't stop skipping. Even when he realized he had mistaken her, his heart wouldn't stop beating.
He took a deep breath, setting in his mind that he should be prepared when he finally meets her. He couldn't fail his kingdom again.
The sounds of birds flying by pulled him away from his thoughts. En looked up; over the orange painted sky, he saw a flock of birds floating around it. Noticing that the sky was darkening, En walked through the vast garden on his way to meet his father.
Throughout his little trip back to the castle's main building, all he saw were different kinds of plants decorating the green garden. A few dark and tall buildings filled the environment as he kept walking.
As colorful plants and flowers met his gaze, En suddenly stopped at the sight of a particular one.
Although the flower had its black petals organized beautifully, their wild shape decreased its beauty. En bent over to examine the plant. As he touched its delicate petals, he remembered the many times his grandmother would tell him a funny story about it.
"Oh, look what I've found here, Ennie!" a cheerful voice called him.
The eight-year-old En dropped his focus from his art book and gazed at his left side. Not far from his spot, a woman in a bright flowing dress was waving at him. En waved back at her with a smile.
"Come here, my grandson," she said.
En looked at his grandmother and then at his art book. "But grandmother, I'm drawing."
En showed her his book and pencil. His grandmother tilted her head, her short brownish-red hair moving along in response.
"I won't take a lot of your time, my dear," she said.
En gazed at her for several seconds. He sighed and closed his book, rushing towards his grandmother.
"What is it?" He gazed up at her and saw the small, stone-like purple features circling on her wrinkled forehead.
His grandmother's green eyes—which had shades of yellow on their contours—focused on him.
"Look." She pointed at the plants by her side.
En gazed at the colorful flowers, wondering what was so special about them. He stared back at her, waiting for an explanation.
His grandmother smiled at him. "Can you tell me which flower you found unattractive."
"Hm," said En, examining the plants in front of him. "This one."
He pointed at a black flower. His grandmother chuckled.
"I see, so you found it ugly too," said his grandmother, picking the flower. "Your mother thought the same, but your father wouldn't stop gifting her these flowers either to apologize or impress her."
En's brows arched. "Why didn't Father stop?"
"Because your mother never told him." His grandmother chuckled. "She didn't want to hurt his feelings. But she always wondered what he could see in those flowers."
En received the flower from his grandmother and examined it curiously.
"The Kings before your father never showed any kind of affection towards the women who gave them their heirs," said his grandmother, sighing. "Your father was raised that way and when he fell in love for the first time in his life, he had no idea what gift could make your mother happy. His unattractive and weird presents were understandable."
En gazed at his grandmother as she caressed his dark hair.
"In the end, those flowers became your mother's favorites," she continued. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind receiving this present from you too if she were alive."
That memory faded as he stood up. He wondered how his family's life would have been if his mother was still alive.
He resumed his walk on his way to meet his father. He slowly left the green gardens and met the main building of the white castle. Approaching the edifice, he noticed that the lights were already switched on, confirming that the night had embraced the land.
He increased his pace to reach his destination. He'd have to prepare himself to meet his father during dinner.
--♐♑♓--
Walking through the hallway of the castle, all his gaze met were statues and several paintings beautifying the gray walls. Throughout the trip to his room, he crossed paths with several servants. Lately, they had been staring at him with doubt and disgust. But whenever he looked back at them, they would quickly freeze and look away.
The way the employees looked at him bothered him. That rumor of him protecting a Celestian might have ruined the little respect they had on him and there was only one way to win it back.
"Prince En," called a distant voice.
Upon hearing his name, En stopped. Recognizing that familiar voice, he clenched his fists to maintain his calm. He didn't feel, no. He never felt like seeing Belinsk. That man always attempted to mess with his feelings whenever they crossed paths.
He exhaled and turned around, his face expressionless.
"What do you want, Belinsk?" he asked, his voice emotionless.
Belinsk let escape an amused laugh. "Manners, little En. You're talking to your uncle."
En didn't drop his expressionless gaze at the man with dark brown hair, which had strands of gray. Belinsk's coffee eyes that had shades of yellow on their contours, stared back at him with amusement.
"You're not my uncle." En broke the few seconds of silence.
Belinsk smiled maliciously and patted En's shoulder. En slapped his hand away from him. Despite this man being his father's younger brother, En never liked him. Part of the reason was that Belinsk always enjoyed messing with his feelings, ever since he was a child.
"You should be careful with your words, Prince En," said Belinsk, "as one day you might regret that—no. You will surely regret those words and beg to be part of my family."
Although a confused expression almost slipped on his pale face, En was able to keep his expressionless gaze. "I would rather die than shame myself like that."
An arrogant smile spread across Belinsk's wrinkled face. "Never forget this conversation, Prince En."
En displayed no emotion, despite not understanding what that man meant with those words.
"You should prepare yourself, My Prince," Belinsk continued, "unexpected changes will soon knock your door."
As silence fell, Belinsk smiled at him. He then walked away, disappearing in the hallway that was brightened with orange light.
En stood there, confused.
"Unexpected changes," he whispered.
Losing himself in his thoughts, trying to understand that man's words, a sudden realization hit En.
Is something going to happen to Father?
At that realization, En rushed through the hallway, in search of his father. His heart pounded as he explored several sides of the castle. Worry flowed through his veins as he couldn't find his father anywhere. He didn't give up and checked every corner of the large castle until he bumped into someone.
"Ah." En rubbed his forehead.
"Your Highness," said a cheerful voice, "how many times do I have to tell you, no running in the hallways."
En's lips formed a small smile as his gaze met the silver-haired Kraden. He remembered the countless times he would say that when he was little.
"Hi, uncle Kraden," he said. "Have you seen Father? I can't find him anywhere."
"Oh," replied Kraden. "His Majesty is in a war."
En raised a brow.
"He's having a tough battle with a mountain of documents he has to read and sign," Kraden clarified, laughing. "That's why he won't have dinner with you tonight."
"Is that so?" asked En.
Kraden replied with a nod.
"I don't understand why the throne is so desired by many." Kraden sighed. "If anyone saw how stressed your father is doing paperwork, they would think twice before having one."
"Then I'd better prepare myself to face those papers," En teased.
Kraden smiled at him.
"By the way," said En before he took another step. "Weren't you supposed to travel to Eteria to visit your family?"
Kraden folded his arms. "Are you chasing me away?"
"Of course not," replied En, chuckling. "I'm curious."
As the King's right-hand man, Kraden spent most of his days in Celestia. He only visited his family twice a month.
"Your aunt will drop by here in a few weeks," said Kraden. "I thought it would be better we leave together once her visit ends."
En's brows arched. "Why is aunt Regina dropping by?"
"Don't worry." Kraden patted En's shoulder. "Despite her being the leader of our clan, visiting her twin brother won't hurt her."
En gazed at him suspiciously. As the leader of the Dragon Clan, his aunt had planned dates to see them, so she wouldn't abandon the clan suddenly. This sudden visit seemed fishy and he didn't like it.
"I have to see Father." En rushed away from the area.
For a few minutes, he walked around the castle as worries flooded his mind. After making that mistake in the Forbidden Lands, he had been feeling uneasy. The constant council meetings that summoned his father. Those confusing words Belinsk had told him and his aunt's sudden visit definitely meant something was going on.
"Ah, good evening, Your Highness." A tall man with thick skin on his arms stood up as soon as En approached the reception area.
En glanced at him, avoiding an expression of surprise. "Is the new secretary not feeling well?"
"No, My Prince." The man shook his head nervously. "The new secretary couldn't handle the pressure, so she resigned."
En sighed. "How surprising. At least she resisted for a few weeks; most of them run away after a few days."
En wondered if there would be a day they would find a brave secretary. It was always like this; they hired new people for the job and ended up losing them in a short time. He didn't blame them though, part of their resignation was because of his father.
He gazed around, spotting a few types of furniture filling the area.
"Is Father in there?" asked En.
"Yes," replied the man. "Please go ahead."
En nodded slowly and walked to the door by the man's side. Someone opened the brown door before he could. When he gazed at the person in front of him, he saw a lean man, his wild face displaying fear.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness," he said with a slight bow. He then paved way for him.
When En entered the room, the man didn't hesitate and quickly left the area, closing the door.
En sighed and as he looked around, he found himself in a medium-sized room with a few bookshelves standing by the gray walls. As he walked further into the room, he spotted a few items of furniture and a painting.
Gazing across the room, he saw a well-built man, busy writing something on a paper.
"You weren't kind to your employees again, were you, Father?"
"We shouldn't show kindness to anyone." His father grabbed another paper and examined it. "It's a sign of weakness."
En approached his father's table which was filled with several documents.
"Still," said En, "you should be a little kind with people who work with you since they're your subordinates. Otherwise, we'll keep losing them."
His father raised his head; En could see the white, stone-like details streaming from above his eyebrow to his temple. The light waves of his dark hair hardly hid them.
"I can't count how many times your mother told me that," said his father, a quick chuckle escaping his lips. "I guess she passed part of her philosophy to you."
En saw a smile spreading across his father's face. It was always like this; whenever they spoke of her, his father would show those rare warm smiles.
"But, son," his father continued, "as Kings of Eteria we can't show emotions that make us look weak; you know that very well. Our people have to fear us to respect us."
En looked away, still not understanding that idealism. As silence fell, he spotted Zhurog's Eye placed by his father's side.
That sword always fascinated him. He was not sure if it was because of the scarlet gem that could be seen on its pommel or because it was the King's weapon. He still wondered what was the meaning of those strange scriptures written close to the gem and streaming down the silver blade.
"Did something happen for you to pass by here?" his father asked, saving him from his thoughts. "You usually wait until I'm done with work to talk to me."
"Ah, yes," said En. "I heard aunt Regina will visit us. Is there something wrong for her to be here?"
For a second his father froze. He then sighed. "There's nothing wrong. She just wants to visit us. Why would you think there's something wrong?"
"Because she usually doesn't visit us suddenly," said En. "She plans dates to not leave the clan all of a sudden. Besides, these meetings you've been having; I have a bad feeling about them."
"Don't stress yourself with those people." His father grabbed yet another paper. "I've got them; they won't take the crown away from you. You're the King's son. No matter what their opinions are, you will be their next King."
En gazed at his father, still feeling uneasy.
"But Belinsk said unexpected changes will knock my door," said En as calmly as he could. "I'm not sure what he meant by that, but I'm worried that you may lose the throne because of me."
His father raised his head again, his green eyes with shades of yellow on their contours, displaying irritation.
"That man has reached the epitome of shame, annoying you like that," said his father, anger tainting his expression. "I don't understand why your grandfather offered him a spot in the council if he never accepted him as his legitimate child."
"Isn't there a law the first Dragon King set?" asked En thoughtfully. "That besides the crowned prince, all the children of the King had the right to benefit from their father."
En remembered reading that law so many times. He admired how the first Dragon King was fair with all his descendants.
"Your grandfather could have paid that woman to disappear before Belinsk was born." His father rubbed his forehead. "You know that I admire our ancestor, but sometimes I question his idealism."
En knew very well his father admired the first Dragon King, that was the reason he shared the same name as him.
"I guess he wanted to make sure his descendants only had one child," said En. "If perhaps the first child would be a girl, then he wanted to make sure they had children with one woman to avoid problems."
"That's where your grandfather failed," said his father, sighing. "Since his first child was a girl, he didn't believe your grandmother would give him a son. After she gave birth to us, your grandmother had a sense of humor to name my sister Regina; her name means Queen in some languages."
En smiled at the mention of his grandmother. "Yeah. If I'm not mistaken, the word Rei in your name means King in an Earthling language."
"You're right," said his father. "Your grandmother probably wanted to shove in your grandfather's face that she finally delivered the heir he was desperately seeking."
En let escape a quick chuckle. He always thought his grandmother was a brave woman to mock a Dragon King like that.
"About that bastard," said his father, "don't listen to his nonsense. He just wants to mess with you because he knows he will never be a King."
En nodded slowly, scolding himself for falling for that man's taunts. He always knew he was jealous of his status. After all, Belinsk once told him that his brother didn't want to have children. He believed that he would be the next in line after his passing, but En had to be born and ruin everything.
"Have you decided which team you'll join?" His father changed the subject. "It's been days since you wandered around the city waiting for that girl."
For a second, En froze upon hearing that reminder.
"N-no." En shook his head nervously. "I'm sorry, father. I think I'll wait for the others to capture her."
His father shot him a serious stare. "And why is that?"
En looked away; he couldn't handle that freezing stare. Traveling to the worlds would mean that he would have to kill her and slice her head off to show to his father as proof. His stomach churned. He couldn't see himself doing that.
En remained silent.
"Those deep feelings for her are ruining you," said his father, his tone serious. "You should forget them; they're making you look pathetic."
En gained the courage to shoot him a serious gaze. He didn't understand why his father considered those feelings weak. After all, he had loved before.
"Pathetic," En repeated with a quick chuckle. "Did you look pathetic as well when you discovered your feelings for mother?"
His father stared at him, his face expressing seriousness. It was as if his son's question didn't affect him at all.
"You should understand my feelings," said En, his tone firm. "You loved mother. Try putting yourself in my shoes, would you have the courage to kill her and cut off her head?"
His father didn't drop his serious gaze as a brief silence fell.
"I understand how you feel. I would definitely have difficulties," his father replied. "But we should think of our future as leaders and unfortunately some things have to be sacrificed. Remember; the heart of the Dragon King belongs to his kingdom."
En gazed at the dark floor, disappointed with his answer.
"Your future is at stake and that girl is the problem," his father continued. "Don't let your mother's sacrifice be in vain. You have to become the next King."
At the mention of his mother, he sighed. Despite his mother having risked her life to give birth to him because she wanted to have a child, En wanted to at least fulfill part of her dying wish. Even though it would be impossible for him to bring peace between the two countries, he could at least succeed his father and become the next King.
"Okay," he replied almost in a whisper.
His father grinned. "Do you have a team in mind to join?"
"Yes," said En. He hoped that once he crossed paths with Arisa, his feelings for her would no longer be there. "But before joining them I'll drop by the Yue Kingdom."
"You want to visit her, I see," said his father, a smile spreading across his face.
En nodded. "I don't remember the last time I visited her."
"Alright," said his father. "Make sure no one sees you, especially her brothers."
En replied with a nod. He knew that if his mother's brothers saw him, they wouldn't hesitate to bring him down and chase him away.