Ophelia and The Dragons

Chapter 43

"My soul is not a palace of the past."

-James Russell Lowell-

***

Ophelia's P.O.V

I received another invitation to the palace and this time it came with the news about the second prince's beheading. 

It was expected, but I had no idea why they would want me to visit the palace during this time. I needed to be prepared for everything.

This time, it was decided that Neo would also come along with me to the palace. He was part of the family and they should know about his existence as well. 

Not as a dragon, but as a family of mine. I also had a promise to Ilia that I would bring him there the next time I visited the place.

The day for me to visit the palace arrived. It was middle of spring. The plants had grown and some flowers had beautifully bloomed. 

The road was evergreen and everything was lovely. Neo looked a bit excited since it was his first time visiting the palace. Surely if he was with me, no one would make things difficult for him.

"It seems a bit silly, the two of us can just fly to the palace and it will take less time compared to this. But riding a carriage isn't bad either." 

Neo admitted as we were heading there. Yes, riding a dragon was three times faster than a carriage. 

But it would also gain more attention so it's not like we had another choice. Riding dragon to the capital should only be done when there's an emergency, like last time.

After a long ride, we finally arrived at the palace. We were once again guided to our room and this time, they asked us if we needed another room since there were three of us.

"Yes, please prepare another room for this man. Lia and I will be sleeping together." He told the maid, who was visibly blushing.

"Yes, I will do that right away." She said before rushing off.

"So, this is the palace, hm? It feels unreal." Neo said with amazement.

"That's true, but after a while, you get used to it and it will no longer feel that special." I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes.

"I wonder what they want from me this time?" We were allowed to rest without any disturbances for two hours. 

Neo was also moved to his own room but he chose to stay in my room until it was time to sleep. Helios wasn't pleased with this but I actually don't mind.

Once our rest time was over, there was a knock on the door. Helios opened it to find the head butler, Piore standing there. He had polite poker face as per usual.

"Miss Von Wickhelm, the crown prince is asking you to meet him at the garden." He informed. I nodded and was about to step out when Piore spoke again.

"I am sorry, but your companions are not allowed to come with you. The crown prince specifically instructed for the miss to come meet him alone." 

Helios and Neo were about to burst out in anger when I stopped him.

"It's okay, don't worry you two. The crown prince wouldn't do anything weird toward me. You guys trust me right?" I asked both of them. They exchanged gazes with each other.

"Okay, Lia, but if he dares to do anything to you, we won't let it go." Helios replied.

I nodded and I was guided to the garden to meet the crown prince. It has been a little over a month since we met. 

So many things had happened during this time. I could tell right away that he had not gotten enough rest. All the things going on around him must have strained his body and mind.

"Greetings, your majesty." I greeted him.

"Lia, I've told you many times already, you can drop the formalities when it's just the two of us." He rose from his seat and pulled the chair for me.

"I want to have a conversation with you, may I?" He asked. I was already there, no need to ask. I sat down and we had tea poured for us. I also took a bite of the small sandwiches offered. 

While eating, Nicholas started the conversation.

"To tell you the truth, I have been unable to sleep well recently. Too many things have happened at once. I thought seeing you again would bring me some comfort. Now I know it certainly does." He smiled weakly.

"You look tired, your majesty. Fortunately I have brought some tonic supplies in advance." I took out a bottle from the back of my coat and placed it on the table.

"One table spoon before bed will help you sleep better and help your body recover faster. You can also mix it with some warm drinks if you want to." I advised him. 

A small smile appeared on his face.

"You are really kind, Lia. I wished I had a woman like you as a partner." His eyes suddenly moved to my hands.

"That ring, why does it look like a wedding band?" I placed my finger on it and looked at the prince straight in the eyes.

"Your majesty, to tell you the truth, recently I got married." He was shocked at my statement that he nearly spilled the tea.

"What do you mean by that? Who is the groom?" He asked.

"It's Helios. I'm sure you are aware of this already. But Helios and I have been lovers for some time now. We decided to tie the knot privately and got married to each other."

"That's why, from now on, I hope you can erase all romantic feelings for me from your heart and think of me as a friend instead." 

I could see Nicholas' expression fell. He looked sad and disappointed at the same time, but he must have expected this as well.

"I see, congratulations for your marriage. I would be lying if I said it doesn't hurt me but I gave up on the idea of having you to myself a long time ago." He stood up and approached me.

"However, if you don't mind. Can I receive a simple hug from you? I cannot ask of this from anyone else. You're the only person I can think of." I didn't know what to do. 

If I agreed and Helios found out about this, he might be upset. 

But the crown prince looked really gloomy right then, if a single harmless hug could make him feel better, I guessed it shouldn't be a problem. 

I hugged him and we remained that way for a few seconds. He hugged me back tightly and buried his face on my shoulder.

"There, there. You've been through a lot, Nicholas. Don't worry, I will continue to help you in the future." I comforted him.

After a while, he released the hug and smiled at me.

"Thank you, Lia. Now I feel so much better." He took his seat and so did I.

"By the way, after I heard about your past with my ancestors, Eder Aristos, I did some digging in the old wing and found this. It was a box that belonged to him. I don't know what's inside, but whatever is in there, it belongs to you now." 

He handed over a wooden box to me that had the royal seal in it alongside the key.

"This is... Eder's belongings?" My hands almost trembled when I received it. I shouldn't get emotional but I couldn't help myself.

Once I was done meeting the crown prince, I headed back to my room where Helios and Neo had waited. 

"Lia, are you okay? Did the prince do something to you?" They asked.

"No, he doesn't. But he gave me this."