After that encounter Leila rushed down the hallways and stairs like she was being chased, she bumped into a servant on the way, almost knocking her off her feet.
"Sorry"
She muttered a quick apology and continued without even stopping to report to the maid in charge of this guest palace.
When she stepped out she let out a breath and took another deep one to calm herself, taking a note in her mind to avoid this palace and that strange man altogether in the future.
She felt really drained, so drained that she didn't bother to do any other work when she reached the servant quarters but instead went to her small chamber and lay down to rest.
******
"Have you had any encounter with that devil?"
The king of Varre asked his first son and crown prince.
"No father"
"Very well then, I trust you know what to do when you meet him"
"Yes father".
Lenard bowed and made his way out of the king's study.
He never really liked his father, even as a crown prince, he had his own values and believes that some boundaries should not be crossed, but his father had always unsettled him and had never really been a father figure.
They just had different goals, and he was sure to rule in a different way than his father, he just needed to be a little more patient.
He made his way to the venue of the Kingdom greet, a very vast hall with elegant decorations and a noble atmosphere where most or all of the guest are already gathered and mingling amongst themselves.
At his entrance all eyes turned towards him and the conversations slowly died down.
He gave his practiced polite smiled and gestured with his hands for them to go on before taking a glass of wine from a passing servant holding a tray filled with drinks.
He hadn't even taken a sip before he was approached by three figures, Marquis Dan with his wife and beautiful daughter.
He sighed mentally but still played his part.
"Good to see you Marquis" he said while firmly shaking the other's hand.
"Your highess..." He said with a small bow of his head while his wife and daughter gave proper curtsies.
"...this is my lovely wife Rosetta and my daughter Amelia" he introduced them, Amelia stepped up then.
"Nice to finally meet you your highness, I've heard so much about you from my father" she said with a shy smile.
"I hope you are enjoying the gathering"
"Very much so my lord".
"Well then, if you'd excuse me Marquis Dan, you have a lovely family, I hope you'll continue to serve the kingdom seamlessly".
He said as he wanted to just leave and be alone.
"Of course your highness, have a lovely day".
Lenard moved with long strides as a way to avoid any more mingling with nobles with fake smiles and ulterior motives..
He finished his drink in a go and dropped it at a random table without stopping.
He walked all the way across the vast hall, his destination a back entrance that led to a garden.
Luckily most of the nobles were too busy discussing to meet him then, and he was also too fast for the ones that were less busy to catch up.
But just before he got to the door, he bumped into a sturdy figure.
"Hello Crown Prince"
Darren said with a smile
Lenard's expression darkened and he clenched his jaw, visibly annoyed.
"What do you want now"
"Oh nothing, can't I say his to my best friend's brother, come on, we're all family here"
Lenard took a deep breath to calm himself and said through gritted teeth "we are not family and that bastard is not my brother "
Darren dramatically took a sharp breath in while holding his chest as if he was hurt by the words Lenard said
"Quite a vulgar word coming from a crown prince don't you think?"
This he said with a raised brow.
"He's your brother after all, whether you like it or not"
At that Lenard said nothing and Darren moved a away while chuckling and shaking his head.
He wasn't exactly right, as Ciaran had a different mother and father from Lenard.
But they were related just through broken familial ties.
Prince Ciaran's mother was the former Queen of Varre, and princes Lenard's mother Prisca took over after Karena's death.
Meanwhile Ciaran's father was the Devil, not many people knew this but the king and Lenard knew about it. The relationship was very complicated and Ciaran was never acknowledged and had always lived outside the palace since he was born.
He only came to stay for a year one time because his mother had to go back to take care of some things.
After that she moved back to her father's kingdom and died there.
Lenard finally moved and walked out the doors into fresh breeze and a calm morning .
The sun was hidden behind the clouds even though it didn't show any signs of raining soon so the weather was perfect for a picnic or a stroll.
It didn't take long before guests started coming out the meet him so he had to go back inside soon to entertain them and relate as the Crown Prince.