Just as it said, he who hunts with the hare and hunts with the hound always has an advantage from both sides. But isn't he said to be cunning? Well, who will have the luxury to pry into his true identity and criticize him is you don't actually know him. It's like calling a a sheep a ram in a flock of sheep. We are all the same, and we play the same game. We are all demons, and demons we remain, till the day we die.
[Another day has come, and the feel of waking into another morning felt so..... TIRING. Especially having only an hour of sleep and you already start hearing the rooster announcing dawn. This was too much to bear. Why didn't night go on a little longer? ]
[The young butler passed by all the servants in the red carpet hallway leading to his Majesty's room. They bowed in salute, as he walked with an upright and precise posture like gravity did not exist on him. He is a tall, lean young man with neck length black hair. He is in his normal butler attire, of a black penguin suit, a pair of shiny black shoes, and his long sleeves as white as damzel. His green eyes hid attractively behind a pair of golden spectacles, looking only forward as he matched.
This is Emmanuel Colson, the royal butler of the Doncrat kingdom. He is currently the butler to the young king but has lived in the palace to experience the life of a butler as his predecessor, Oxford Vickrish.
On a normal, according to Doncratic law, the butler of the old king should serve the new one for at least 2 years, before he went on retirement.
But, after the death of the old king, Lord Yorgan Frenchnel V, he mysteriously vanished from the face of Doncrat, unknown whereabouts, and no idea of what must've happened to him.
The people only feast on rumors that seem either true were just a way of getting around the main story. Because a lot did happen in the last years of Lord Yorgan's reign.
It is really a major threat that the most horrible things are expected in the nearest future. All that lies in the hands of their new leader.]
[He finally arrived at the door, after enduring all the stares and giggles of the maids, and the jealous stares of the guards. It was just a normal Tuesday. There's absolutely nothing bad about being handsome, is there?
He pressed down the door knob, and opened the door gently. He takes another breath, before entering the room and shutting the door behind him.
The king's room, what many people think to be paradise if they got into it. Possibly because they have a new and handsome king now, but if entering there was going to see the condition of it, they would come to a crushing reality that they were highly mistaken.
The new king demanded that his study be put in his room, so the tables were always filled with 3 feet tall stacks of documents waiting to be attended to.
He received messages from all around his division and even gets some messages from the emperor to get some job done.
It didn't mean that there weren't many other kingdoms in the empire. Over the years, the empire has expanded to 5 to 7 divisions, all conquered or voluntarily handed over to the emperor by the kings themselves to avoid war or for latter purposes.
Each kingdom is called a division, and you serve there as their king.
The new king of the fifth division, Doncrat, is regarded as the most trustworthy person in all of the empire, and so sometimes handles the emperor's personal matters.
It might actually be due to his father's reputation, and maybe because his father trained him the same, but even so, none of that information needs to be made known to the other divisions.
So, they kept their transactions a secret.
Moreover, the emperor seems to be extremely tired at this rate. He was deep into sleep, and didn't even move regardless of how loud his door is when someone enters the room.
For more description, the room was a mixture of blue and white. A royal mixture. The walls were painted a majestic white, while patterns of blue curtains were hung unto them. The curtains on the window were a thick silky blue, embedded with golden designs on them, creating lovely patterns leading to the scenery of swans floating on a river in the night.
The furniture were made from wood and on one side of the wall, carried a cupboard made of wood, finely polished, carrying mainly gold medals, trophies, and gold statues of special occasions tracing from Lord Yorgan's era of teenagehood to now.
Another cupboard by the kings bed before the nightstand was a shelf too, that mainly carried portraits. On each portrait was the young blonde king with his father at a golf game.
Another was the young blonde on his first international race, crossi6the ribbon with everyone else left behind.
Another was the infant blonde with his mother when he took his first step, gunning straight to his father's arms.
Another was him and his father doing sword training, and his mother watching from the sheds and smiling as his father scolded him about his flaws.
Another was him, on his 16th birthday, everyone gathered around in the yard. Instead of a happy and merry hour, everyone bowed their heads in grief all soaked in their black clothes. Everyone was mourning. He was mourning.
And finally, a year after that, in the absence of his mother, he was being crowned king of all Doncrat. The crown was being lifted to his head, and his eternal devotion sworn to the wellbeing of the kingdom in the presence of the emperor.
Those are his memories.
After the shelf was his nightstand, holding a jar that sparkled with flakes of snow, and glowing light.
This was his father's gift to him before his pass. It might seem disgraceful to receive a 3year Old's gift at his teens, especially to the witness of everyone. But to him, it meant everything. He even holds it close to his chest like his comfort at night, and Colson is the one to take it away before he rolls over and breaks it.
Colson walks in and halts beside his bed, staring at his ill postured sleeping pose.
"Once a child, always a child, I suppose." , he murmured under his breath.
He stares for a moment, as if recalculating the thought of waking him up....this late.
He always threw a tantrum when he woke him up from sleep, and he'd endure a 30 minutes scolding for doing his job.
"Your highness. It's time to wake up. The morning has arrived, and it's time to start your royal duties."
He called in a loud but majestic tone, his voice echoing in the room. But the only thing that resonated with it was the king's soft breathing.
"Not again." He said, in slight annoyance from the subtle frown on his face.
"...Oh...wait... I think I can...see it..."
'Hm? He's talking in his sleep. Is he dreaming? '
He takes a deep breath, then lowers himself, and gives him one last tap. "Your highness? Your highness? Your highness!"
And with the last call, the king jolted off his pillow with a gasp which also seemed to have startled Colson. But shortly after, he recollects himself and clears his throat standing up straight again.
The king on the other hand, was trying to keep his eyes open, but found it extremely difficult.
"Why did you wake me?", he started lazily. "I was on an adventure and you pulled me away~ You're so mean ~ "
"Good morning, your highness. I'm glad you are up and healthy today. What would you like to start the day with? "
The king stared at the young butler like his mouth was moving but nothing was coming out of it, and his face was as serious and twisted as the bark of a tree. Well, that didn't stay long, cause he soon collapsed on his bed again and closed his eyes, "I want to sleep."
Colson didn't react, he didn't say anything. He wasn't even surprised, but soon...
"Put me down!! What is wrong with all of you?! Stop this immediately, and put me down! Do you hear me? I said-- Ugh! Colson! You're not saying anything!"
Two guards were carrying the king wrapped inside of his blanket while they held it from end to end. Colson was walking in front of them, leading the way, while they went to his bathroom.
The king wiggled violently in the blanket like a worm, while loudly throwing tantrums and trying to force his way out. The hallway was completely empty. Colson made sure to steer clear of all the maids and other servants before carrying this out.
Once they arrive the king's bathroom, he was slid into the bathtub, and the guards leave with the blanket while Colson was left in the bathroom with the king.
Royce: Now, I demand to know what that was.
Colson : If you throw any further tantrums, I'll inform all the maids about what happened just now.
Royce: Are you blackmailing me?
Colson : No. But I will do it if you are not quiet from now.
Royce: ... I wish to have my bath now.
The maids came soon after the butler left and the king was given his bath. After that he was to have his lunch and then perhaps go back to his room to sort out a few documents.
His tables were full, and he just couldn't feel happier getting rid of them before beginning anything else.
After his lunch, Colson escorted him to his room.
Royce: Today's a rather good day. I forgot to ask. How did you sleep, Colson ?
Colson : That's rather too good of you to ask, your highness. But if you must know....
Royce: Nevermind. I just wanted to hear your annoying voice again.
Colson : (soft sigh)
Once they got to his study/room, Royce immediately got into his work. This is Royce Frenchnel VI, the son of Yorgan Frenchnel V. He is the first and only son of his father, and of his mother, Gracious Callinham.
He is often referred to as heaven's pride and apple in Doncrat. It's not for no reason at all. He does take after his mother's appearance from the luscious black hair to the sun kissed skin, to the masculine neck, a pair of captivating rare grey eyes which he is said to have inherited from a distant relative in the past, and a kind of jawbone that was a bit plump, but still held and gave so much dominant masculinity to his appearance.
He got his piercing gaze from his father's subtle attitude of his only he seemed to notice most of the time, and often called him a womanizer. But this nature was just a thing a gentleman should always achieve.
He arrived at his table all while talking to Colson, who just followed him behind, listening to everything like he was the fault.
Royce: It hasn't been long since I got the last report about some really strange occurrence. All ranging from the death of a widow to a fire outbreak in the forest. Are people even aware that this is a civilized country and we need to act like it? Why would they go around doing such?
Colson : I often ask myself the same thing...
Royce: Right? I've been so stressed lately, that I just feel....
[He halts for a second, and went silent. Colson stopped as well, and still maintained his calm composure, but something was going on in the Royce's head that he could feel it. And his abrupt pause just made him uneasy.]
Royce: My father did everything in the past to make this kingdom what it is today. He broke his sweat and cut his sleep for this kingdom, and he was proud before he left. I even loved his work and promised to keep it that way. But....it has only been not so long...and everything is already falling apart...What sort of a king am I?
[His voice broke with every word, and every word carried endless burden behind it. Colson, on the other hand, was rather concerned for some reason. He was a man of logic and rational reasoning. Though he wanted to comfort him, he feared his words might rather open the wound than heal it, and he didn't want that. So chose to sigh instead, and change the topic.]
Colson : I received a letter from afar this morning. From my observation, it looked like any other letter, but something else caught my attention. It has the stamp of Thermis on it.
[Royce suddenly awoken from his sulking, and then stiffly turns around to meet with Colson's emerald eyes, that seemed rather dark at this point. ]
Royce : You said....what?