Bianca

Chapter 14

I remember the first time I met Alexis. It was 12 years ago in my garden. I was taking a nap on a quiet afternoon when I heard sniffling from somewhere.

At first, I thought there was a bored ghost pranking me, but when I looked for the sound, it came from a little boy crying. I was eight years old at that time, while he was 11, but for some reason, we have the same height. and he looks skinny for his age.

I've already heard of him. His name was Alexis, a prince from the Trosian Kingdom. He was thrown here in the Estielieu Empire after he failed to claim the crown prince title. Not my words, but that's what I heard from the people in the main palace.

The battle for the throne in the Trosian Kingdom was a bit more bloody than here in our empire. When Alexis' mother was killed, he lost a lot of his supporters. His older brother was on a killing spree.

As Alexis was still young, the sick King begged the emperor to let Alexis stay in the meantime in exchange for something like an agreement. I don't know what the agreement was since I don't really care about it.

I let Alexis stay in my garden. The poor boy was sent here immediately that he wasn't able to grieve her mother's death.

I don't know how to comfort other people or what to say. I just simply stay with him. And as the day passed, he started to open up. Telling me his stories back in their kingdom. And it wasn't beautiful. This is why I don't like a pointless fight between siblings.

Benjamin should be glad that I don't covet the seat. That he won't think of unnecessary fight with me. This is the thought I want to drill into the empress' brain.

And just like that, two years went by, and he became my nap buddy. In those two whole years, I taught him my daily lazy life. Though there were times he asked me for some advice, and of course, none of my advice was helpful.

I always tell him to give up and just live peacefully. I was sincerely recruiting him to join my way of life. Somehow, my advice went in a different direction. He became motivated to do something. Was it because I joked one time that if ever he wanted revenge, he must go to my grandfather and train or something? I was really joking at that time, but he had something different on his mind.

And so, after two years of playing along with me, he started his journey and went to the border and met my grandfather. I didn't know that he was so serious that he trained rigorously.

I often receive letters from my grandfather about his determination and all that. Grandfather even wrote to me that I had sent him a monster. I didn't expect Alexis to have such talent that he became a swordmaster too. He was so skinny and a crybaby. How should I know?

Anyway, Alexis started joining wars. There was also an internal conflict in the Trosian Kingdom. I don't know who they were at war with, but Alexis won that war. And then, two years ago, he killed his older brother and became the crown prince. He still remembers my revenge plan nonsense.

And now, here we are. 

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