Heinrich and I conversed so amiably that I personally escorted him out of the Crown Prince's quarters. He turned to look back every few steps, inviting me to discuss translations of the *Aeneid* another day, and I agreed with a smile.
Once his carriage rounded the corner, I asked my attendant, "Has that boy Leonhard been sent to the stables?"
"Your Highness, he has been settled," came the reply.
I smirked. "Skip his dinner. Prepare a portion of hot soup and bread, and I will deliver it myself tonight."
When the moon rose to its zenith, I entered the stables carrying a food box. Leonhard was reclining in a haystack, gnawing on a straw stem. Seeing me, he scrambled to his feet, though his eyes still held a wary edge.
"Is my lord adjusting well?" I asked with a smile.
He turned his head away. "Your Highness knows perfectly well what you're asking."
As if on cue, his stomach growled.
I opened the food box. "Actually, I have a favor to ask."
He eyed me sidelong. "Does the Crown Prince ever need to beg for help?"
"The chick was returned to its nest," I sighed. "But perhaps it picked up human scent—now it's starving and chirping loudly. The mother bird circled the tree several times but never dared land."
I looked at him. "Does my lord have any idea what to do?"
He was silent for a moment. I shook my head. "The chick's voice is already weak. I'm afraid it won't survive the night."
I held out the hot soup and bread. "Well, eat first, my lord. I'll go ask the grooms instead."
My attendant murmured, "Your Highness should eat too. You've been busy half the night without a single bite."
Leonhard suddenly interjected, "Why haven't you eaten?"
I smiled. "I wanted to share a meal with you, but since we've missed the dining hour, I'll stay hungry with you."
His face flushed. He thrust the bread into my hand. "Then eat already!"
I sat cross-legged directly on the haystack and shared the bowl of soup with him. After a moment's hesitation, he finally let down his guard.
As the warm soup settled in our bellies, Leonhard blurted, "I'll go see the bird with you."
"No rush," I said, pointing to the other end of the stable. "See that black horse?"
His eyes lit up instantly. "Is that your horse?"
I nodded. "Your mother, Lady Stauffenberg, is an expert in evaluating horses."
He grinned. "Yes! My mother always says a good horse's eyes should be like tempered steel. This one…" He stroked his chin. "Though still young, it will surely run a thousand li one day."
By now, Leonhard's wariness had vanished entirely, and he opened up to me like a lifelong friend.
The next morning, before the morning mist had lifted, we galloped through the royal gardens. Leonhard's laughter startled a flock of robins, their wings fluttering over dew-covered rosebushes.
As we parted, I pressed the black horse's reins into his hands. "Take care of it for me. A true man should see the borderlands—bring it to witness the snows of the Alps."
He stood frozen, clutching the reins, as I mounted another horse.
In the morning mist, his figure gradually blurred, but I knew—
These two young men would henceforth be mine.
From then on, Leonhard and Heinrich became frequent visitors to the Crown Prince's chambers.
I had few playmates my age growing up, but with these two lively boys around, even reading the *Justinian Code* gained a touch of fun. We practiced horsemanship together, memorized epic poems, and even sneaked out of Hofburg Palace to mingle with merchant caravans at the grape market to listen to bards tell stories—the days suddenly flowed by as sweetly as honeyed mead.
One day when I went to pay my respects to the queen, she stared at the grass clippings in my hair, her expression faintly strange. "Louis, why do I hear that the sons of the Eibstädt and Stauffenberg families are always in your chambers? Even... staying overnight?"
I leaned closer and lowered my voice. "Mother, wasn't it you who said we should win over these families?"
She paused, her fingers stroking a string of pearl rosary beads. "Of course we must... but you are not like them—"
"I understand," I interrupted. "As crown prince, though I must treat talents with respect, there is still a distinction between ruler and subject."
The queen's expression softened at once. She reached out to adjust my collar. "Yes, your status is unique. Besides myself, Lady de Montfort, and Nurse Mary, allow no one else close to you, especially... when bathing or changing clothes."
I lowered my eyes and acquiesced. "I remember all your teachings, Mother."
As I withdrew, an unreadable emotion flickered in her gaze.
The night before my birthday, Leonhard thumped his chest and declared he would show me "something eye-opening," dragging Heinrich along as company.
Though not yet close, Leonhard and Heinrich had grown familiar from their frequent meetings in the Crown Prince's chambers.
When we stood before the "Red Rose Tavern," Leonhard dramatically flung his cloak back. "I'm buying the drinks tonight!"
He strode inside, shouting, "Fetch all your best musicians!"
Our trailing attendant whispered, "My lord practiced that line for half a month at home. He said he dared not come alone and begged both highnesses to join him for courage."
Heinrich and I followed at a leisurely pace. The madam hurried forward with an obsequious smile—it was no wonder the tavern was empty; it had been reserved exclusively for us.
"This way, young sirs. The girls are all ready."
A cloud of perfume mingled with the soft strains of a lute. Five or six musicians, varying in figure, wore sheer gowns that revealed snowy collarbones. Heinrich's face was rigid, his ears bright red—whether from shame or irritation, it was hard to tell; Leonhard, meanwhile, stared blankly, utterly transfixed.
I took the main seat calmly, and immediately two of the most beautiful musicians knelt at my feet. Heinrich leaned in on my left, murmuring, "Your Highness's virtue and self-restraint put my worries to rest."
Leonhard scrambled to my right, stammering, "Lou... Louis, about that—"
The musicians began dancing to an upbeat tune. They deliberately bent before Heinrich, sweeping jasmine-scented handkerchiefs across his face, making his ears turn crimson. Leonhard finally perked up at this, slapping his thigh and laughing. "Hahahaha! Your face is redder than a market apple!"
I ignored them, my gaze falling on the musicians' chests—since morning, I had felt a dull ache there. I couldn't help glancing at Heinrich's chest, flat as newly plowed fields, starkly different from the musicians'.
Just then, a bold musician swayed her hips and sang a bassy flirtatious ballad:
"—Stroke a maiden's soft waist, tease a youth's stiff spear—"
Heinrich clumsily batted away the approaching musicians and took a swig of wine, his ears burning.
I couldn't resist asking, "What's a stiff spear?"
Heinrich choked on his wine. "Lou... Louis—"
Leonhard threw an arm around my neck, laughing uncontrollably. "My dear Highness, it's a man's—"
His tone suggested I ought to understand, but I deliberately played dumb. *What "that"?*
I frowned. "I have ten."
The room fell so silent that the lingering vibrations of the lute strings could be heard.
Leonhard snapped to attention, solemnly clasping his fists in respect. "Truly worthy of a crown prince."