The Fallen Prince

⋇- 14: A King's Sacrifice -⋇

"Whoa," said an amazed Fai. "The philharmonic hall looks even more majestic up close. It could be Shenmi City's most stunning building."

En didn't say anything as he admired the glass-like building behind the car's window. He agreed with him though, the hall looked really beautiful. 

Compared to the typical architecture of the kingdom which had a mix of oriental designs and western styles, the edifice looked like something from an advanced world. He concluded that its abstract yet advanced shape could be the reason why it felt that way.

As Fai kept driving, on his way to park the car, En couldn't help but admire the many people crowding the area of the philharmonic hall.

"The people of the Yue Kingdom must love classical music," he said, his voice quiet. "It's just an inauguration and it's already looking full."

Fai chuckled. "Most of those people came to see the princes. Your family is pretty popular with our people."

"Is that so?" En raised a brow as he shifted his gaze to him.

Fai replied with a nod, not dropping his focus on the wheel. En's brows rose, realizing how things looked different here compared to Eteria. 

Looking at the crowd, he could see how bright their smiles were and how excited they seemed to be. If it was in his world, people wouldn't smile like that or show any type of emotion besides fear. He wondered if that was okay for the royal family of the Yue Kingdom since, in his world, he was taught that being a feared ruler was all a King needed.

He rested his head on the cold glass of the car's window, wondering if being a feared King was indeed the right way to rule his kingdom. He certainly would rather see his people express what they truly felt while still respecting him instead of looking at him in silence and fear.

"Here we are," said Fai, stopping his car and removing his keys. "We're lucky to have found a spot, the hall isn't far from here."

En opened the vehicle's door. As soon as he left the car, warm air touched his skin. Even though the sun could no longer be seen on the horizon, the temperature hadn't dropped that much. He examined his surroundings, finding himself in a street filled with different cars parked on either side of the road. 

A small number of people walked by and he spotted a supermarket on the other side of the road.

"Since we're not celebrities, well, at least I'm not," said Fai, "we should avoid the red carpet or journalists will interview us. Ara told me there's another entrance on the other side of the building. We should go there before the show starts."

"Okay," said En, walking by his side.

As they strolled down the street, on their way to their destination, En thought that if he had come with Chen and Liu, he wouldn't have to go through all these gymnastics. But as he didn't want to cause trouble by appearing in media, thanks to the many journalists that would be there, he preferred to take a lift with Fai.

The duo walked around the street for a few minutes, crossing paths with several people and small robots patrolling the area. They didn't take long to reach their destination, taking the less busy entrance. As they accessed the building, En found himself in a wide corridor with several people walking here and there.

"Hm," said Fai, grabbing his phone. "I'll call Ara to show us the right area or we'll walk around in circles."

En nodded as they stood in a corner. As Fai spoke to his friend on the phone, En distracted himself by examining his surroundings, seeing various people pass his gaze. After talking to his friend, Fai told En they would stay there for a bit long since his friend would be there personally to show them where the main hall was located.