Crown Prince?
1258 Words
Vera couldn't help but feel embarrassed as she stretched her hand out toward Marcus for a handshake.
Maybe it was because his looks were quite literally unbelievably attractive or maybe because she'd shaded him quite a bit before even meeting him, she found herself unable to look into his bright blue eyes.
Coughing awkwardly, she averted her gaze.
Naturally, Marcus took offense to this as he interpreted it as her being repulsed by his appearance.
"Do I look bad?" Marcus asked.
Vera, taken aback by the question, stuttered. "N.. No, of course not."
"Then why can't you look me in my eyes?"
"That… Well, no reason." Taking a deep breath, Vera forcefully pulled her gaze toward Marcus, barely restraining herself from shifting her focus again.
Marcus alternated between her uncomfortable expression and her arm, pondering on something for a moment before ultimately deciding to take her hand.
Quite amused by the comical scene, Ethan and Lucy laughed a bit before they finally regained their composure after which they got to their feet.
Seizing the opportunity, Vera retracted her hand before addressing Ethan. "Are you guys going?"
"Mn, we have had quite a busy day. I'd drop Lucy off before heading home to get some rest."
"I guess we have Marcus to thank for ensuring our day didn't end in tragedy," Lucy commented on the side.
Curious about her statement, Vera inquired. "What are you talking about?"
"Long story, don't worry, we'll talk about it another time," Ethan replied before shifting his attention to Marcus. "So you'll be leaving with her now, correct?"
Marcus nodded as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. "I guess."
"Alright. At least I know where to come to find you." Ethan said as he moved over and embraced Marcus before pulling away. "Once again, thank you. If not for you, I wonder what I'd have told my parents."
"Don't mention it." Marcus smugly replied.
Chuckling at his antics, Ethan turned and left with Lucy, leaving Vera and Marcus alone on the platform teeming with people.
"He's a good guy though he didn't believe me when I said I was the Crown Prince," Marcus muttered offhandedly.
Raising a brow at the strangeness of his words, Vera soon spoke up. "Ahem, we should be on our way."
"Ah yes, that's true." Marcus nodded as he turned to face her.
"..." Vera stared blankly at him.
"Is there a problem?"
"Don't you have luggage to get?" Vera asked back.
"Ah." Marcus facepalmed before replying. "I only brought this bag with me. Grandpa says when traveling, one should always go light."
"... I see." Vera gave Marcus a strange glance as the words coming out of his mouth seemed a bit too childish.
In any case, she soon regained her composure and with a cursory glance, left the platform with Marcus following closely behind.
***
The drive back home was a silent and maybe awkward one.
Silent for Vera as there was nothing to say with her diving back into her thoughts while Marcus placed his face against the window, staring in awe at the pleasant sights of Intercity.
In comparison to the capital city, Haven, Intercity was still a way from reaching it in splendor, however, the same couldn't be said about its technology.
Due to tradition, the capital was not too open to accepting new technology, taking only the bare minimum to keep up to date with its people.
So various structures present in Intercity were more advanced than the ones in Haven.
Having spent 18 years of his life in the capital and another 2 years in the mountains learning various skills from his grandfather, this was Marcus's first time seeing such structures, and naturally, he appreciated their beauty.
Due to the comments Marcus made as they drove, Vera soon turned her attention to him. "Can you stop that?"
"Hmm?"
"You are acting like you haven't seen cars or skyscrapers before."
"Of course I have… but like retro versions." Marcus casually replied.
"..." Vera's jaw dropped at the response.
"... Have you never seen a car or skyscraper?"
"Ahem, it's more complicated than it sounds."
"What kind of hole have you been living in all this time?" Vera couldn't help but ask.
Marcus chuckled. "It's not a hole. I've been living in the capital. But yeah, I do agree that the capital is backward compared to here."
"Why are you mentioning the capital so much?... Have you even been there?"
"Of course. I've lived there for my whole life."
"... Are you joking?"
"Nope."
"Do you think I'm stupid or something?... Only members of the Imperial family live in the capital."
"... Would you believe me if I admitted to being the Crown Prince?"
"... Oh my gosh," Vera muttered with a horrified look on her face before slowly shifting her attention back to the road ahead.
Thus, the awkward part of the journey commenced.
***
"Dad!" Vera called out loudly as she parked her car in the parking lot of the mansion she'd driven into.
Leaping out of her car as though worried to be in the same space as Marcus, she ran toward the front door while calling out to her father.
Meanwhile, Marcus slowly stepped down before surveying the impressive structure that fully embodied the advanced technology Intercity was known for.
"Amazing." He mouthed calmly as he followed behind Vera.
Along the way, the appearance of a few figures, wearing black uniforms and carrying weapons caught Marcus's attention.
Judging from the aura about them, Marcus graded them as low-level Martial artists.
According to his understanding, there were five grades for Martial arts: Disciple, Master, Elder, Grandmaster, and Sage.
The security guards present didn't even qualify to be rated as Disciples.
Of course, Marcus didn't look down on them as he could guess that they were not completely hopeless based on the weaponry they held.
Acknowledging their presence with a smile, Marcus soon arrived at the door at which point he could just about make out Vera firing off several words in quick succession.
"... She talks fast," Marcus remarked as he stepped into the mansion, only to be awed by the beautiful interior.
If the outside was amazing, the inside was three times above that.
For a brief moment, Marcus stood, speechless at the amazing sight.
"Should I just remain here in Intercity?" He seriously pondered the matter.
Of course, it wasn't soft enough as Vera seemed to have heard him, as well as her father, Diego, and stepmother, Matilda.
"Dad, there he is. The crazy guy calling himself the Crown Prince." Vera quickly said while pointing at Marcus.
Chuckling lightly, Diego, a middle-aged man with a slightly muscular build and a head full of graying hair, got to his feet and approached Marcus.
Thinking that Diego would kick him out, Vera stood with anticipation on her face but her expectations were quickly dashed as he went within a few meters of Marcus before suddenly falling on one knee.
"This Elder greets the Sage's Heir," Diego said as he grabbed his fist and bowed slightly.
Both Vera and Matilda were shocked by the display while Marcus scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uhmm, Uncle, there's no need to do this."
"I dare not greet the Heir without giving proper courtesy."
"Ah." Marcus knew it was pointless to say anything, so he didn't harp on the matter.
After paying his respects, Diego rose to his feet and embraced Marcus. "I'm glad you are here."
"Hehe, glad to be here," Marcus replied with a chuckle.
- Writer
