The Web of Knightspur-Chapter 210 - 208

Princess Eleanor walked into the room where Prince Arlo was in. He had a smile on his face as if he was happy to be here.

Princess Eleanor could not help but smile as she saw him in such good spirits. But she then noticed Doctor Raul and Sir Kit standing beside him.

"I have found a way for you to meet me." Princess Eleanor’s eyes narrowed as she looked straight at Doctor Raul. "Don’t forget to get me the flowers or the products made by them when you come to the Royal Palace..."

"But..." Doctor Raul said in a hurry. He knew that Princess Eleanor was referring to the poison. But when he saw the sharp gaze sending warning glares at him, he could not help but shiver. It were at though knives were being thrown his way.

"I can bring them to you." A stubborn tone made everyone quiet down.

Princess Eleanor was silent for a brief second before she shook her head. She could see the jealousy in Sir Kit’s eyes but she could not understand the reason. "You can trust me."

Princess Eleanor realized that the reason why Sir Kit was behaving in such a way was that he did not want her to depend on others. It was a funny thing but she understood it. "I know. But as a doctor, he understands the poison better, and we don’t have to worry about Chief Healer being there every time Doctor Raul comes."

"But how did they grant you the permission?" Doctor Raul could not help but ask. His eyes looked at the Princess as if not able to believe her words.

Princess Eleanor shook her head as she sat beside Prince Arlo paying no attention to the others. She stroked Prince Arlo’s head with a smile but her words were directed to Doctor Raul. "Why won’t they? I trust you because you were the one who had managed to cure me. Also, the rumors about the Royal Palace currently are not good. What if I too get some unknown disease and need medical help like some of the Princesses?" Though there was an innocent smile on Princess Eleanor’s face, Doctor Raul somehow felt it held an unknown depth to it.

"So the Princess manipulated the situation to her favour?" Doctor Raul moved his hand over his hair in frustration. He had always known that the Princess loved to shift the flow of the situation around. There were always chances that one of the words would stick and the whole conversation would move around in that direction.

"I only voiced my concerns and the chief healer understood it." Princess Eleanor sighed, "I have never manipulated anything. Don’t let my brother misunderstand, Doctor Raul."

Doctor Raul shut his mouth as he looked at the young Prince whose eyes were shining. He could not understand what was happening but he knew that the Prince who was sad and dull a few seconds back was now all happy and playful.

"Sister Eleanor, did you just..." Prince Arlo asked as his face turned red. Anyone who saw the man would see that he was embarrassed.

"Did I just what?" Princess Eleanor asked as she looked at her younger brother. She could see that he had suffered a lot but his face was a little brighter. Maybe he was happy here. "Did I just call you brother?" She understood what he wanted to ask.

Prince Arlo’s eyes moved toward Princess Eleanor’s face in shock. He did not know what he was thinking anymore as he closed his mouth. The words that he was so eager to hear were said so casually that made him think if he was overthinking all along.

Prince Arlo knew that when he took the position of the future Crown Prince, everyone called him as Prince Arlo, including his own family. No one called him son or brother lovingly.

"You are my brother and I am your sister here. I do not know if in the future this bond will stay the same but I want to cherish the time I have with you, Arlo. I want to be near my family and feel its warmth before I ruin it myself."

"Will you kill them?" Prince Arlo asked, the surroundings suddenly turned silent. No one said anything but only looked at the young Prince and the Princess.

"Should we eat as we speak?" Princess Eleanor tried to smile but the sadness was evident in them. "I am hungry."

Prince Arlo did not reply as he simply stared at the Princess but soon he nodded his head.

Nia arranged the breakfast as both Princess Eleanor and Prince Arlo sat opposite one another at the table. There was a small table at the side of Prince Arlo to extend his leg.

"You should sit too." Prince Arlo said in a dull voice as he looked around at the other people in the room. He knew that the masked man was the one whom his sister liked and the man who saved him while the Doctor was a man who helped him a lot and Nia, Princess Eleanor’s lady-in-waiting and her best friend had been up all night taking care of him. Prince Arlo wanted to repay their favors but he knew he was powerless now.

Christopher looked at the Princess as if asking for her permission. A smile played on her face as she nodded her head. "My brother wants to eat with you so why aren’t you all sitting down? Do you want to embarrass my brother?" There was a playfulness in the Princess’s tone.

Soon everyone sat around and the table was filled with small movements and sounds of forks and knives.

"Sister, you have not answer me." Prince Arlo asked again as he looked into Princess Eleanor’s eyes. "Will you kill them?"

Princess Eleanor’s movement stopped as she put her cutlery down. Her eyes looked straight into Prince Arlo’s eyes. She knew who ’them’ was referring to in his question. It was too evident but Princess Eleanor could not sense any resentment from him.

"I will." Princess Eleanor did not beat around the bush. She knew that it was the truth and her brother had to accept it sooner or later.

Princess Eleanor did not want Prince Arlo to feel bad but she did not want to hurt him in the long run. What if she says no now but then kills his parents later on? Would it not be considered a betrayal? Princess Eleanor wanted to be clear from the start, even if it meant that her young brother would not like her anymore.

"I understand, sister." Prince Arlo said but did not reply to anything else. He was silent as he continued eating quietly.

Princess Eleanor did not know what to expect out of the situation. It would have been better if he got angry or fought with her. But there was no signs of such a thing. He was not happy with the situation and it was evident in his facial expressions but Prince Arlo did not voice it out.

"Not angry?"

Prince Arlo looked up at the Princess only to realize that she was careful of her tone and action. Princess Eleanor looked frightened as if she would be losing the one family she had left. Prince Arlo shook his head as he said in a soft tone.

"When I became the Crown Prince, I was taught that there is no place for sympathy in the royal family. One’s survival is the most important thing. I did not understand it then, but now I know." Prince Arlo’s eyes were soft as he looked down. "I know what my father had done to Uncle. I know how much he had made you suffer. I can relate to that a lot."

Princess Eleanor was confused by his words but soon she realized that maybe Prince Arlo had suffered a lot. "Sister had the Princess’s title attached to hers but she did not have any power and so did I. I had the Prince’s title attached but it was not me. They wanted me to become who I was not. I was pushed into the training and forced to act like the Crown Prince." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Prince Arlo’s voice shook a little as he continued, "When I was first injured because of Duke Felix, none of them cared about me. My whole family cared about the Prince taking over the throne and not their son or brother. Even now when I have been injured yet again at the wedding, they wanted the heir to survive. Even if I wanted to, the future leader could not be so weak. But what about me? What about Arlo who is not a Crown Prince? No one cares about me. Is power so important than the emotions of loved ones? My father killed his own brother for the throne and I fear that my sister will kill me to get the throne to present it to her lover."

Prince Arlo’s tears started falling down. But soon warmth surrounded him. It was then that he saw Princess Eleanor taking him into her arms. "You are not alone. I am here with you, brother. Nothing will happen to you. I will not let anything happen to you. You will be healthy and able to do whatever you want."

Prince Arlo cried his heart out as he buried his face into his sister’s warm arms. It was the first time he truly felt love from a family member. Someone who recognized him for who he was and not for the position he held.