You Think I Won't Talk?-Chapter 86

It was a good decision to eat the canapés and grapes first.

Despite them being delicious like any food I’ve been served here, these apples were on a heavenly level.

It was a shame to eat the last one knowing that after it, there wouldn’t be a following slice. That’s why we ate it preciously and savoured it slowly in our mouth to ensure the taste lasted in our tongue as much as it could.

’Haaa..... That was so nice~ Our stomach is filled, I drew a great picture, the wind and sun feel awesome, the grass and the flowers’ scent is so fresh..... Phew~ What a nice day this is~’

Laying flat on the grass, surrounded by the wonderful ambience created in that pretty Garden, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply the pure fragrant air as I told this to Anne.

Watching the blue sky unfolding towards the further universe made my eyelids feel heavy and drowsy thanks to my relaxed state.

The tranquillity of the outside and the content joy energizing our body were so pleasant to us that the guard we would always keep up lowered without care. We were immersed in the commodity peace embraced us. And naturally, without having to fight the hunting fear Marianne always had every night... We fell into a deep repairing sleep.

*******

"How may I serve you, Your Majesty."

Francois was seating on his new favourite seat, on the Emperor’s lounge, as he finished a cup of good wine in the late morning when his secretary entered the room, answering his summon.

"... Where is he?"

"... The Crown Prince... His Highness appears to have left the Royal Palace... We are ashamed to have failed to track his steps once more, Your Excellency..... I deeply apologise."

’Bloody hell... Where has he gone again?!’

"Sigh... No matter. He’s the Frotschter Empire’s Hero for a reason..... Go back. Inform me immediately once you find him."

Waving his hand in annoyance, The Emperor dismissed his nervous secretary. Francois was frustrated and tired of never catching, not even the tail, of his devilish son. Nonetheless, he had grown accustomed to it. Such egoistic behaviour had commenced from an early age in his oldest child and was well aware that a significant fraction of said attitude was inherited from himself.

The Prince would make fortuitous escapes and wander around places his Father, The Emperor, could never imagine.

Francois would never learn of his mysterious whereabouts directly from his son’s mouth. The Emperor would only get to know... either while or little after, an atrocity had happened. One made by no one else than his so feared and respected Empire’s Hero and Successor to his Throne.

’He’s always been like this... However, he seemed to be behaving lately... I had expectations of him disappearing to go find Lady Marianne..... But that STUPID son of mine hasn’t even approached the Sylfinnier’s Lands!!! Where in the world is He??!!’

Bang!

Irritated by the uncertainty Zeleskiaz’s activities brought him, Francois hit the arm of his seat with rage, denting the hardwood it was made of a few millimetres.

Seeing the barely misshapen arm of his favourite chair, he bit his lower lip and pressed the bridge of his fine nose with incredulity to his own actions, and, also...

"D*mn it all... To think that brat broke the other one completely..... And even caused damage on the receiving floor..... I’ll be d*mned for life."

Recalling the reaction to one of the outbursts his son had once in his teens, a short shiver ran down his spine.

Consequently, the only thing he could do now was pray so today wouldn’t be the day he finally learned what was the place he associates with lately.

Nonetheless, the prayer to their familial deity that had accompanied and blessed the Royal Family with its power was one that did not comply with what prayer entails. The words Francois directed to the creature craved in the Royal Emblem... were phrased as a warning.

’Fenrir... Don’t forget to walk by our side..... And not carry us around with bloodlust...’

*******

The path he had studied and quickly learned after his initial three days of reconnaissance, was craved in his head.

Whether it was the shape of the trees, their leaves, the road that took him to the forest, the lake that was hidden inside it or how the type of earth beneath him changed from one to another, everything was recorded with great detail by his hyacinth eyes.

As easy as it always has been, Zeleskiaz smoothly managed to evade his Father’s monitoring guards, and effortlessly fled the Royal Palace’s broad grounds.

His knowledge about the capital, the near towns and villages, and most importantly, the plentiful still undeveloped lands in between he acquired from a young age, was of great help for him to efficiently lose any troublesome vigilant placed on him.

Now, free of the watchful eyes that lost him as soon as he stepped outside his office’s window, the Crown Prince made his way to the place he has frequented the last several weeks.

Using a rented horse, he arrived at the forest near the now-familiar Castle.

Impatient to arrive, he prods on the docile mount, speeding up its pace, entering the engulfing dense green pertaining to the populated wilderness.

Seeing how the sunlight slipped in, more vivid as he advanced, the Prince recognised his soon arrival.

The unrestricted beam of light at the end, told him his journey was over, and, exhilarated by what it meant, his concentrated gaze glisten in anticipation while his lips lifted in a joyous smirk.

The Prince’s agitated breathing was now responding to his restless heartbeats that continued to accelerate with the growing expectation.

Just when he was about to leave the forest, the man drastically pulled on the reins to stop the horse in place to swiftly dismount it in a brisk jump.

Securing the horse to the nearest tree, Zeleskiaz turned away immediately to move in the direction of his target. The more steps he gave, the more his instincts enhanced. His ears were attentive to any little sound and his nose was on alert, waiting for the desired scent to enter and notify the presence of the entrancing Lady.

Nonetheless, as much as he advanced, no sound nor scent came his way.

Staring at the window he had traced her quarters, his mood became serious as he realised her absence.

’She’s not there. Where is she?’

Turning his striking pupils to the west, the anxiety to find her whereabouts made the reddish notes in his clear violet eyes palpitate, becoming with every passing second more and more electrifying with their ferocity.

Zeleskiaz’s body, by its nature, focused intensely on discovering any kind of clue that would lead him to the lost Lady and, as fast as he did the first time he came in her search, his beastly instincts showed him the place she would certainly be in.

The speck of a fruity aroma, elegant and addictive to any man did not fool his high concentration.

Following the direction the wind that brought it to him came from, the Crown Prince’s eyes found the wall of upheld bushes further away, just a few tens of meters to the front of the Castle. The official roads that he intentionally avoided to get to these Lands separated the isolated place from the paths that surrounded it, and from the unguarded place he stood, he could see the entrance to it.

Although he decided to depart there to find the fair Lady, the Prince was certainly aware of his need to be cautious about making his overwhelming presence known to any of the people in the manor... Including the one he came to see.

Thus, using his extremely trained speed, Zeleskiaz made his way smoothly concealing his existence with the beastly abilities he possessed, to the whispering isle.

Once inside, ignoring the beauty of the hidden Garden inside the thick bush walls, he continued his almost desperate search until the sound of slightly flown papers was heard by his helpful ears.

There was no hesitation in his strides. He was sure that the unforgettable essence of her skin was the one that had travelled along with the sound of the paper.

’She’s... Here..... My Lady Marianne...’

His chest trembled with the thought, swallowing the desire to meet her up close... as close as he could.

To see her marvellous figure, the beautiful visage where resided those addictive and seductive cherry lips he’s been dying to taste once again to the point of never-before-experienced despair. Recalling the touch of her silky hair tangling between his rough fingers and how her tender body felt as he held her in a tight embrace... Had been driving him further into madness for so many days and nights... that even the real number of them he spent waiting, would only amount to a tenth of how long he felt it had been for his soul.

’Where... Where is she....’

Walking at a fast pace, he crossed part of the garden with silent but strong steps, until... The scent stopped coming with the wind, and the papers had quit their fluttering sounds.

’...’

Confused by the sudden pause, his eyes scanned the surroundings carefully from his spot and traversed the whole scenery without finding any sight of her presence...

It was only by mere chance that... At the very corner of his view... Reddish, shinny and wavy strands of hair were found, being absorbed by the frondous grass.

The so-known colour, the so lovely shape each strand took to create her fascinating fluffy hair... Took the air out of him and stopped his heartbeat.

Her whereabouts... were closer than he ever thought they would be.