♠️ Exceptis Centrum ♠️ ✔︎

Chapter 12

“Why is this morning taking so long,” whined Alfred, staring at the clock with puppy dog eyes in the hopes that would convince time to tick faster.

Alfred huffed as he poked at his paperweight on his desk and pushed it back and forth, the morning was barely over and the evening was still far off. He had already finished his workload as there wasn’t that much, but even doing all that did make time pass any faster. He wanted to snack on some candy or burgers as that seemed to make time fly but he didn’t want to ruin his appetite.

“I want those desserts now,” he wailed, sitting up and leaning back against his chair.

Today was the day those student chefs were coming to cook their chosen dishes so Alfred could pick one to be served at the dinner party. He had been looking forward to it ever since Yao announced it, wondering what those young men and women would cook up. Cakes, pies and soft desserts filled his mind and would cause him to drool uncontrollably. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise but he wanted to know what he was going to get, it was driving him mad.

At the moment the students were getting a tour around the palace, the staff allowing them to get comfortable before they got to work. Alfred had greeted them when they arrived, smirking a little at how flustered they got before him. It wasn’t every day a caterer student got to cook for the King. They seemed like good kids and Alfred couldn’t wait to see what they’d come up with.

It was just the wait that was driving him insane.

A knock at the door caught his attention and he gazed up to see Yao letting himself in. Hopefully the Jack has something for him to do to get the idea of sweets out of his mind.

Yao could see how anxious Alfred was. “I see you’re anticipating this evening,” said Yao, seeming amused but also seemed tense.

“Why couldn’t we do it in the afternoon?” whined Alfred as he spun around his his chair.

“Because they’re on a tight schedule and if you wanted it in the afternoon then they needed to be here much earlier,” huffed Yao, pulling out a newspaper, “but I’m not here to talk about that.”

“Oh?” Alfred was a little intrigued. “What’s up?”

Yao sighed and it looked like he was at a loss with his words, twirling his fingers through his long ponytail. “Alfred,” he said at last, “you’re not... interested in anyone, are you?”

Alfred sat up upon hearing that, his face on the verge of frowning. Were the lower court members interfering with his personal life again? “I thought we went over this?” he huffed, “I’m going out with that Hamilton lady soon, aren’t I?”

“I know that,” sighed Yao, “but your little walk in the city yesterday caught some attention.”

Now Alfred was really confused. “What are you on about, Yao?”

Yao held up the paper, revealing that it was a local and popular tabloid. On the front page was a picture of Alfred in the flower shop he was in yesterday and above that was the headline, “Young King’s heart a flutter?”

Alfred went red in the face, snatching the paper out of Yao’s hands and read the article, used to seeing his name in the papers every now and then but not when it was related to stuff like this.

“Yesterday afternoon his majesty, King Alfred F. Jones, was seen entering the popular Madame Bleu’s Florist in the northern district. This may seem uninteresting but it was his subtle actions inside that caught our attention. When the owner of the shop, Madame Bleu, offered to assist him the young King supposedly became flustered and quickly left. Madame Bleu herself was the one offered to aid the King and noticed certain traits she had become accustomed to over the years. In a quick interview she stated, “he was staring at the flowers with a look of affection. When I asked if he needed aid he became quite embarrassed and ran off, as most young people are when they’re in love and don’t realise it.” If Madame Bleu’s theory is correct than who does our King have eyes for and will we find out who? Madame Bleu’s Florist are well known for providing their customers with bouquets to strengthen the bonds of their relationships...”