(Past)

LANCE THOUGHT his brother's birth would not affect him that much. The great general didn't send him away. That confused him a lot but whenever he saw the man lurking at every banquet eyeing him with taunting glare, he knew that he would be thrown soon if not now.


"You should have told her gently."

Lance smiled and continued eating as if he didn't hear Sein spoke. The guy continued, "She's your step mother."

"And?" He couldn't help but scoff. "We're not blood-related. I don't like her face. She's not beautiful enough."


Sein's face turned green. He frantically look left and right. "Shut it! What if someone heard you?"

"It's the truth." Lance lost his appetite. He smacked his lips. "She's the only queen I know who's irresponsible and useless. The old fart was not wrong for marrying a puppet for a queen."


"Lance! You're out of line this time!"

"When was I not?" He stood and heaved a breath. "It's been weeks and you're proving yourself not helpful for me. Sein, I think it's time for you to get transferred. How about working at the stables? The kitchen?"

The guy paled. He shifted his foot and opened his mouth but no words were uttered. Lance smirked. "Breathe, okay? I won't do that. You helped me when no one else could. I know how to look back and be grateful at times."

"…just know that my patience is thin. I may remember your deeds once but I won't guarantee that there would be a second time."

Satisfied, Lance padded his way out of the large dining table. On his way to the hallway, he met Adarmus. The man was leisurely resting on the wall. His eyes pensive but the corner of his mouth held a small lilt of a smile.

"Nice. Blackmail, brat?" The man crossed his arms. "So, that's how you treat those who acknowledges you as a friend?"

Lance raised a brow. With an insolent huff, he said loudly, "A true friend won't sell you out. Those who betrays their friend is not qualified to be close to me."

"Ah..." Adarmus nodded. Lance felt that he didn't listen. "Yes, strawberries are good with chocolate."

"What?" Lance felt as though he wasted his time. 'Why did I even bother?' "Move out of the way. There's a lot of seats in the castle if you want to chill out."

Adarmus didn't answer. He went inside the dining table without another word. Lance was used to his behavior. It pisses him off, but it's not like he can do anything to the man.

"Greetings to the crowned prince!" Two female servants, each carrying a trolley full of the things unfamiliar with him, greeted him as he came to pass them. "The young master was in the garden. The queen has just left for a nap. It looks like the young master is a lot to handle, sir."

Lance frowned. He heard somewhere that babies are loud and always dripping with saliva. They don't look like normal kids because newborns were like overripe tomatoes. "Shouldn't he be resting inside right now? Who's with him?"

"Five servants and a few guards is protecting the young master, sir. You don't need to worry for him. Newborn babies needs to soak in sunlight for a few minutes. It's healthy for them."

'Healthy?' Lance doubt that. "I should accompany him then. The servants won't be able to touch him because the policy prohibits it. Who's going to play with him? I should do the part. Can't have the people think that I don't care enough."

The girls went silent. Understanding dawned on their expression. Lance rolled his eyes and waved his hand. "Go on and have your breakfast. When the queen awakens, you will be working for the whole day non stop."

"Y-Yes..."

Lance didn't wait for their responses. He hastened his steps to meet his brother. The baby was just a week old. The parties and prayers all stopped when he was successfully birthed. He knew it will continue once he's a month old. Lance has been waiting for the final judgement on his part but it never came.

Looks like the old man changed his mind.

His feet hurt from walking. Rounding on the last corner, he sighed in relief when he finally found the garden. It was a large space filled with various kinds of flowers.

It was a place he's not really fond of visiting.

At the center was a small crib. Cooing sounds echoed from the servants surrounding the baby.

A small hand emerged. Tightly closed in a fist. The fragile hand moved back and forth. Lance showed a rare fond smile. "What's the noise all about, kid? Were they pestering you?"

"N-No, sir! Certainly not." Everyone stood and greet him. "May the lord's blessing be with the crown prince!"

"As it should be..." he mumbled absentmindedly. He reached out a hand and held the baby's first. His toothless mouth yawned. Lance can still smell the milk and the powder in his tiny clothes. "Where's the queen?"

"She's having a mild headache. A doctor has been sent to her room. It's nothing serious, sir."

"I don't care about her, okay?" Lance clicked his tongue. "I'm worried about this small monkey here. His mother should be with him all the time. When this continues to happen, he will only get attached to you guys and not to the queen mother herself."

'Once she dies, the son won't be familiar enough to mourn for her.'

Lance hated being treated like a stranger. The queen was always in her room these days. It didn't sit well with him. He can understand if she's still having an aftershock after the pregnancy but leaving the baby behind and expect the servants to do all the work is not something that a good mother should do.

She won't even allow the child inside her room. The small monkey has been given his personal room by the time he reached 6 hours from birth.

The child held his hand tightly. His unseeing eyes reflected Lance's emotion. He smiled. "Call me brother, you little monkey."