The Past and The Present

Chapter Eleven: Old Friends

"Come with me Claude please! You're the only one who Francia listens to!"

"No"

Claude mumbled out a response and threw a pillow at the annoying man in his room. 

Not caring for the half awake man's comfort, Lawrence marched to the large king sized bed and snatched the sheets.

"What the hell?!"

Claude's toned upper body was exposed and his blue hair was messily strewn about. His sharp eyes and handsome features seemed to contradict his messy appearance.

Claude squinted at his surroundings and noticed that his bedroom was painted in a gentle orange hue.

Grabbing his aching head, Claude looked at his friend with an exasperated expression, "ugh what time is it?"

"It's 7, your Royal esteemed highliness."

Lawrence was annoyed. This friend of his had just returned from abroad, and had made no effort to contact him. It took Lawrence three days of persistently showing up at the Vestra family mansion to be let in.

Claude ignorant of his friend's thoughts got up lazily from his bed, and sat down on the armchair next to the window.

"I'm not helping you with Francia."

"Wha- why?"

Claude, Francia, and Lawrence belonged to a different social circle than that of Noah, and Leon. They all knew of each other, but had scarce interactions outside of banquets.

The trio had grown up together, but when Francia broke off his engagement, Francia ran away. Claude knew Francia had once deeply loved Lawrence, and could only sigh sadly when he saw his friend stupidly throw away his fiancé for another woman. He didn't blame Francia for ending things early, after all it was better than getting humiliated repeatedly.

(^Author: I messed up this part lmao so I had to edit it ~ ah don't you love it when you forget your own plot details?)

"Because you don't deserve her. And she will never forgive you."

Lawrence collapsed into the armchair next to Claude, his hand rummaged through his dark hair. His appearance with the added hue of the sunset made him look very attractive.
"It's my loss I know. And she suffered a lot because of me.. I- I know that but I can't help it."

Claude sighed and patted his back, "her family practically disowned her, and she was forced to leave the city. Now that you've finally opened your eyes on how stupid your actions were, you've come crawling back."

Claude sneered at his friends idiocy," that woman and you. How did you even dream that your family would be willing to accept that? and she also played you like a fool. But hey I tried to warn you."

"I know."

The two men became silent.

Suddenly the silence was cut short with the sound of Claude's cellphone ringing.

"Francia is calling you?!"

"Yes because unlike some people I know, I didn't treat her like a bastard."