Soil buried underneath his nails. Calluses in his palms. A hand you wouldn’t expect to be owned by royalty. A small hand you’d reckoned belonged to a young slave.
It has been eight years. And this year’s first season’s winter never ceased to get harsher by the day. Yet the young prince dug through the deep snow during the witching hour, never fearing the time despite having read in the books from the library how a lot of things could happen to little children during these dark, cold periods.
The story of how a woman would snatch children who weren’t asleep in bed, the ferocious shadow who gobbled children, the music that lured children to a dark cave, and all the books of the common old used to scare brats.
It’s not like Cleus never feared them. He just discovered those stories were just mere tales. He’s never encountered even one scary lady despite his nightly routine of going every night to the garden of Jasmine flowers his mother planted. The stories of the old folk were simple nonsense now.
Though he still suspects that ghosts ‘could’ be real, going to the garden is a must for him. He must be diligent with his unusual schedule.
Because his life depended on it.
With a small shovel, Cleus kept on digging and took small breaks to warm his hand which was numbing from the cold. He continued on until the tip of his shovel hit a smooth surface. He smiled when he heard the light thud after digging and pulled out a box made of Teak, a wood that would never get rotten despite being buried underneath the soil for many years.
Despite opening the box every day, the feeling of anticipation was always there. The boy opened the box and let out a sly smirk.
Silver cutleries, old jewelry that the palace somehow had, and gold coins snuggled inside a small pouch. He looked at his precious treasures as if he were some greedy politician.
Taking a deep dive in his left pocket, he brought out a small silver knife he took from supper and added it to his prized collection.
It’s not that he has a deep obsession with wares and sparkly objects. Think of it as savings for his ultimate plan to escape this wretched palace.
If possible… escape out of Dhara.
Dhara, the largest empire of the West Continent, is where Cleus’ father reigns. Emperor Reginald Augustus von Fermielis, the “Sun” of Dhara. A man known to be quite unpredictable not only in becoming an emperor but also in everything in general. He was once a decent prince until he wasn’t and was crowned emperor in typical but not normal circumstances.
He had a particular taste for women who possess specific ‘features’ which is very visible to the bevy he has. Six women with the same looks and then adding the Empress, the “Moon” of the empire, to the list. However, the empress was the only one who didn’t have the features the emperor favored, and she had no intention of becoming his “type” too.
Though one may think these are too many women, the number of women he has is quite a small number compared to the harem of the kings, chiefs, and emperors of the South Continent.
And born from these women are his children, the “Stars” of the empire. His not-so-beloved children.
Though having reproduced these many children, not one saw him as a father as he has never been one to them. But, of course, as the royal children and potential heirs to the throne, their life is very well financially provided by the emperor, and are living quite luxuriously... well, except for one.
Prince Cleus’ life can’t be called a life of luxury. Unlike the rest of the emperor’s children, his mother has passed. It has been exactly a year now.
Indeed, he may live in a palace and not just any palace. He lived in the Black Palace, the oldest of all the palaces owned by the Imperial Family. When his mother was around, the place was managed but it didn’t last long after her passing. The child was left all alone. Though his father is still alive, he wasn’t exactly present in Cleus’ life.
Because of such neglect, the maids have neglected the palace and also the prince living in it.
After all, what can a mere 8-year-old do?
The world seems to be against him ever since his birth. After his mother’s death, his life became more vulnerable than it already was. Despite being known as the most incapable and the most impossible heir to Dhara, he is still seen as a threat to the concubines.
Countless attempts of assassination were ordered and it’s a miracle he is still alive. But such a life was so suffocating. He couldn’t bear it anymore.
He had to flee.
Thus, in order to survive the outside world, as he is not so na?ve to leave the place unprepared, he plans to save for the future. Money is a major necessity a human being needs to have after all.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Lifting up his head from the snow, he noticed that the sky had become pale blue.
“Oh no… The sun is about to show itself.”, he panicked, immediately closing the wooden box and placing it back in the hole.
He hastily covered the hole rushed past the Jasmine Garden and went inside the palace. Like a thief, he slithered through the palace even though it was his. He could never let himself get caught by the maids.
Never.
The white dusty marble floor would’ve revealed his footsteps, but the red carpet, which now looks so black after not having been washed for many years, was a great help in concealing the sounds of his steps. Finally reaching the large dark brown door that led to his room, the boy turned around, and with a cautious look on his face, he walked backward, turning his head left and right as he reached for the doorknob.
The boy opened the door slowly so as to not make a sound and ran towards his bed. While doing so, he removed his black boots clumsily that one flew far off. He immediately ran to get that pair; he couldn’t let that boot be seen.
Cleus quickly unbuttoned the old blue coat he had been wearing and wore the nightgown he had removed and placed over his bed’s footboard last night. He threw his coat and boots underneath the bed then climbed on top and immediately went under the sheets.
He remembered he had not removed his pants at all and resorted to kicking and shaking it off his leg like a madman just to take it off and untied his shoulder-length hair while his at it. Unfortunately, the pants got stuck in his ankle but nevertheless, the boy slumped his head against the pillow when he heard footsteps.
Not long after, the door opened, and a maid came in with a steel basin.
Pretending to be fast asleep, Cleus kept still with his eyes shut and his mouth slightly gaping. He even managed to pull off a very believable sleeping pose.
With the rays of the sun piercing through the thin yellow curtains, the walls of olive-green utilitarian covering finally showed its simple yet elegant design. Sunlight slowly touched the ebony-colored furniture and did not even miss the portraits up on the wall.
God knows who was in those portraits. None of them seem to belong to the royal bloodline either.
Thanks to the sunlight, a lot of things also became easy to see. Like the cobwebs in each corner of the white ceiling, the thick layer of dust above the shelves, the dying plants that are probably older than the prince, and not to mention the chandelier that seems to fall off at any given moment.
Many would say this place was abandoned.
Well, the maids did not work with a contract, so they needn’t have to fulfill anyone’s standards or requirements. While they do indeed work for the emperor, their employer has not given any heed or any care to what is going on in the Black Palace. And the lady of the house has long passed.
How about the well-being of the young prince? Unfortunately, the maids had no interest in that child.
He’s 8 years old. A weak little boy belittled by the members of the Imperial Family.
There could be at least one person among the maids who can be nice and do their job properly but… who would be willing to do that? They are not the main characters in some books.
Without considering the child who is sound asleep, the maid placed the basin on top of the bed hastily so that some of the water spilled and landed on Cleus’ feet. The cold feels startled the boy, and he immediately rose up from bed.
“You’re awake already? Good!”, the maid spoke and threw a towel in his hand. “Wipe yourself with that.”
Cleus looked at the water in the basin with an uncomfortable look on his face. The water seemed so cold for anyone even though it was such a harsh winter.
This just adds to the list of obvious signs the maids want nothing to do with him. But this is quite a new addition… Why would they suddenly give him a basin of water? Normally, they wouldn’t even bother doing this so he would just go down the kitchen and boil water for his bath. Sometimes, they are nowhere to be seen. They seem to always loiter outside the palace, flirting with the palace guards.
Could there be… a visitor?
There was one person that came to mind. A person he never wanted to ‘guest’.
With clothes bigger than his stature – a yellow vest over his white ruffled shirt and a small green bow between the collar to end the torso look. A lighter yellow color for his short pants, and white knee socks with the toe part folded and snuggled hidden underneath his black shoes since they did not fit his small feet. It was uncomfortable but it would be troublesome if he met this person with a beggar-like look.
With his clumsily tied long silver-white hair, he opened the door to the guest room, the most decent-looking room in the palace. That’s only for today though. It was hastily dusted when the maids heard a visitor from the Emerald Palace was coming.
With his head already down, he bowed and greeted this person.
“I-I g-greet the 1st Princess of D-Dhara. The s-second star of the E-Empire.”
After he greeted her, the princess stood up, and with a straight posture and cold demeanor, she spoke coldly with her head facing the door.
“Leave us.”
The maids of the palace and the princess’ escorts immediately left the room after her order.
The princess was the daughter of the empress and emperor, which made her the highest-ranking princess in Dhara. Befitting her very high rank, she wore a rich purple silk dress embroidered with diamonds all over her skirt and the off-shoulder part of her torso of very delicate purple lace.
Like Cleus, she had green-emerald eyes and brown curly hair that she inherited from her mother, the Empress.
All of each inherited the “eyes” of the Fermielis bloodline, the Imperial Family, of Dhara. A deep shade of emerald green, exclusive only to the bloodline. Finding out if one holds the royal blood is one easy task—just looking at the eyes. Though many attempts of forging this particular eye color have been made, no one can ever perfect this unique hue of color as it is said to be a ‘divine gift’.
Legend says that these eyes were a gift to the founding members of the empire from the Great Spirit of the Gaia.
Going back to the present, the princess walked towards Cleus, and the prince’s eyes remained lowered the whole time even until she finally stood in front of him.
Her hands moved and approached the child’s face.
Like fragile glass, she gently lifted his face and caressed his cheeks.
“While you looked adorable when you greeted me, you needn’t have to greet me in such a cold way. We are brother and sister, yet you spoke like I was a stranger, my dear brother. You hurt my feelings.”
The eyes of the two met and one was looking at the other with utmost endearment.
“How are you, my dear little brother?”
[The Black Palace, year 288]