Phantasmagoric

10

Diane was crying when she got a hold on me. She wouldn't stop apologizing either.

"I could not believe I let you out of my site my lady." She said as she continues to cling unto me.

"It is fine. It is not your fault." Yep. Its probably mine because I was thinking about something and wandered off.

"By the way, did you get a glimpse of the boy I was with?" Diane finally let go of me then, only to face me with her furrowed eyebrows.

"A boy?"

"Yes. He was just standing behind me when you saw me. He helped me look for you."

"But there wasn't a boy my lady, only you."

"Oh...I see"

I felt my disappoinment swell in my chest when she didn't saw him either because that would only mean that I'm going to be the only one who would remember him.

We went home after that due to Diane's worry that I might get lost again. Even if it's a trivial concern for me and I still wanted to go on strolling, Diane wouldn't have it. She looked so happy when we sent out but now she just looks anxious.

"Diane... I'm sorry." I told her, looking at my feet and fidgeting my hands while we were riding the carriage.

"We finally get to go outside but I only ruined it because I got lost..."

"My lady... Can I sit beside you?" I looked at her and nodded. When she was beside me she clasp my hands with hers.

"It was not your fault my lady. To be honest, it was mine. It has been long since I've visited the center town that I was too excited. It was my job to always look after you but I lost you due to those excitement. So don't blame yourself, all right, my lady?"

"All right..."

Diane finally smiled then, "And our little trip was not too bad, right? You met a boy..."

I felt my cheeks redden to her sudden teasing, "Stop it. You didn't even saw him."

"Oh... But you did my lady..." She stared at me as if she's waiting for something...

"What?"

"Oh my lady, you wouldn't even describe him for me?"

I peek outside the window to avoid the scrutinizing gaze of Diane while she chuckled in return.

Well, if there is one thing I would never forget about that boy is his eyes... Magenta.

Back in the palace, a young man was being scolded while he sat on a coach. Damian was pacing back and forth while giving the young man a mouthful

"Your highness, as one of the beacons of light in this kingdom, please do not involve yourself to meager things such as the commoners. You have us, your loyal subjects to be ordered around and to have our hands dirty for you. You ought to-"

Damian, a subject of Prince Sveren, was not able to finish his sentence when the door suddenly opened revealing the Queen.

She always saves him when I am about to burst a vein.

"Your majesty," Damian said as he courteously bowed for the Queen.

"Oh, Damian. I didn't know you were here!" Damian straighten his back before answering the queen.

"Of course, you didn't, your majesty. I just arrived from my fief."

"Oh... The bloomings of Camelias are this season, right?"

"Yes, your majesty. I will send some here when they fully bloomed."

"Thank you so much, Damian."

Damian bit back his sigh when he understood the hidden message the queen just told him.

I am dismissed.

"If you would excuse me, your highness, your majesty." he once again bowed to show his respect and got out.

When the door closes, the Queen lost her playful action and instead continued what Damian couldn't finish.

"Damian is not wrong, Sveren. You should not make a habit of going outside with no attendants. We would never know what may have happened to you if, one day, you never return home again." The Queen then sat on a coach on the opposite side of the Prince's coach.

Prince Sveren Valdemar carries a heavy invisible weight on his shoulder together with the crown that will be given to him in the future. With his pale green hair and magenta eyes, nobody would be able to question his authority and claim to the throne. According to the legend passed down from one generation to another, quite similar to what the commoner folks belief, the heir and the holder of the crown must have a light and dark hue in their hair or their eyes. It differs from one king to the next due to their marriage with their queen. It might be white hair and black eyes to blue hair and pale green eyes. His pale green hair seems to came from his mother and his magenta eyes came from his father. If he wasn't a prince and his mother a queen who lived from a strong household, people would have surely mocked him for his hair. It wasn't pretty to the eyes unlike that girl's he saw on the streets.

"Mother, I feel like I need to learn and understand the people who would be under me in the future. Whether it may be directly or not."

"I know that and I understand how dedicated you are to the responsibilities given to you by that father of yours. I just want you to stop giving headaches to the people around you. Especially those who are assigned to protect you. How could they ever protect someone who's not there?!"

I flinched at my mothers words. I know I did wrong but my guards would not have been able to keep a low profile while protecting me. People would start to notice me if they see a couple of people following me around. A clear sign and warning to people that I'm someone special.

"Well, what happened today? Im sure something eventful happened for you to listen to Damian's words."

Well, I listened but I'll probably forget it soon.

"I met.... a girl." I told my mother while leaning slowly towards her, wearing a mischievous smile. I immediately perked her interest.

"Oh my... Who is it?!" She excitedly exclaimed. My mother has hosted a couple of tea parties for young ladies just to see if anyone would be able to catch my eyes. Unfortunately, nobody did... Until today.

"That... I was not able to get her name..." I scratched the back of my neck after telling her that. My mother had her mouth agape while looking at me.

"That's it?!" She once again exclaimed but now empty of excitement but full of disappoinment.

"Well... The world is small mother."

And I hope I would meet her again, preferably not lost and smiling widely...