I Will Avoid The Death Flag [It's Published]
12. Princes

As Jelena said about how bright this afternoon, I held a tea time in the garden of the Palace of Happiness.

I sat in the spacious and classic white gazebo, so that the sunlight could not really penetrate my skin. Around me is also filled with green flora and various flower plants that have various colors. In the corner of my eye, I could see a fountain pool whose voice relaxed me a little, and could forget that I was getting into a crazy novel.

Then when I looked up, I could see a blue sky accompanied by some clouds and sun. That's very bright. Even the birds that were flying while chirping looked elated.

It's refreshing.

Except what makes this tea time creepy is the presence of the man.

I really, really wanted to hit him with a cake plate, how could a king enjoy tea time casually for the past hour and ignore all his urgent work? Then, sit quietly opposite me with a look as if inviting the lion to fight.

Even I was very sympathetic to the king's aide who moved restlessly beside the gazebo, while carrying a wooden board and file that seemed quite important because the aide had been following his king long ago.

Meanwhile, Sir Derick and three of my personal servants were thrown out of the gazebo leaving us only in the gazebo.

"Your Majesty," call me.

Viten simply raised one eyebrow while his hand held the Earl Grey tea cup. He loved that tea.

"What's that?" ask Viten at the end.

"Are you—"

"Enough," cut off the Viten. "Don't talk formal to me again when it's just the two of us."

I almost laughed, but held it in after realizing how pitiful he was.

I'm sure that Viten just wants someone to relax with, talk as they are without any formal tone, without the need to lick and reap the benefits of each other, or speak in a thoughtful tone that amazes others.

Because it's not all Viten.

Viten is a person who wants affection in his life. That'sallthatis. However, it was a pity, being a royal family, especially the crown prince who had been glorified by all the people greatly suppressed him.

So Viten had to throw away the whole dream of what it was like to be hugged warmly by his family.

"Good, fine. Your Majesty, aren't you working?" ask me obediently, omitting the formal words in my sentence.

"Whatchu mean? Do you think the king can take a vacation?" Viten put the teacup on the coaster until it sounded loud, no. "But if you want a vacation, I can take time off."

I'm goosebumps over Viten's last statement. Still, despite avoiding the Viten death flag, I still felt a little afraid of him. Because the shadow of Viten's death and torment directed at Serethy in the novel continues to haunt me. And imagining it all happening to me, it would be so creepy that I'd goosebumps.

I still can't let my guard down. No one knows when Viten will change his mind and instead torment me like in the plot of a novel.

"No, I mean is, your aide has been waiting for you since, um... an hour ago? It seems like Your Majesty is so busy that your aide looks uneasy?"

The adjutant I mentioned had a bright expression when I mentioned it to Viten.

"Whatchu mean? I don't understand it at all" said Viten, then took a plate of less sugar snacks. Viten doesn't like sweet foods very much.

I sighed at Viten, then looked in sympathy at the aide. Highlight me as if saying I-can-not-help-you-because-Viten-can-not-can-be-persuaded.

The adjutant looked disappointed and turned to leave the gazebo with a haggard back.

"I have a lot of aides, I don't need to be constantly present in the workspace to work if I have dozens of aides."

Hey, that's called slavery.

I almost wanted to reply to Viten before a voice interrupted.

"Hey, Brother!"

Viten and I looked at each other at the same time, then I could see black hair and other red eyes.

I glared, it was similar. The man who was running around here was very similar to Viten sitting opposite me. It was as if there were two Vitens at the same time.

Brak!

The man who was similar to Viten hit the table after arriving at the gazebo, making me flinch.

Seriously so! Why are they so similar? It's so similar that I can't tell the difference!

"Cioten." Viten sighed in frustration. "What are you doing here?"

The man called Cioten only gave a wide grin and rested his head on the two hands that hugged his own nape. His expression was bright, inversely proportional to Viten who prioritized psychopathic and cold highlights.

"I heard rumors that there is a new Princess here, I just want to see who that woman is" said the man called Cioten as he watched me with a bright smile.

His red eyes are very similar to Viten's, but quite different in how to highlight something.

"And leave Matria's home region?" dengus Viten's. "I gave you the task of managing the territory, and you came here without a second thought and no notice at all?"

"Boo, Brother is not cool," said Cioten while pouting. Then he approached my face. I reflexively moved away until my body leaned against the chair.

"So you, yes, the new Princess? What's your name? Cereal? The serena? Wait, that's not it."

"Serethy," cut off Viten making Cioten snap a finger.

"That's it! Hello, Princess Serethy." Cioten bowed his body to me according to etiquette, then his right hand stretched out to me. "Include me, I am Cioten Marilion Asher, prince of the Asher Kingdom. It's nice to meet you."

I hesitated to give the back of my hand to be sniffed.

Cioten's expression instantly brightened.

Honestly, I don't know who this guy is. She is not described in the novel unless there is a narrative about Viten having a twin sister separated from him as a child by the Queen Mother, the Former Empress. This became a rule for the entire palace regarding not uniting the two twin sons.

However, the Queen Mother is so cunning that she does not allow the twins to meet until Viten ascends the throne. After that, Cioten free to roam.

By the way, if I recall, the Queen Mother was not the biological mother in the twins, but the biological mother of a princess who had disappeared.

Rumor has it that the princess was sold on the black market or became a slave. It was this reason that the Queen Mother pressed Viten and kept him away from Cioten.

The Queen Mother is a vengeful person. If she loses her daughter, then Viten will have to lose her sister as well.

Tuh, right. This novel is so fucking.

Now, the Queen Mother was lying helplessly on her bed only to welcome the angel of death.

The narrative is described in the novel as it enters into the sad past scenes of Viten. Remembering it made me sympathetic to the young king. She's 27 now if I'm not wrong?

"Hello, Prince Cioten." I stood up from my chair and did my greetings. "Include me, my name is Serethy Asher, Princess of the Kingdom of Asher. Nice to meet you, Prince."

"You haven't got a middle name?" cioten asked directly, raising his eyebrows next to his.

"Middle name?"

"You don't know? Only the Royal Family can have a middle name in Asher. And you're a royal family too, aren't you? You need to get your middle name right away" Cioten said, glancing at Viten.

Viten himself only sighed, but I could see his face soften a little.

Anyway, she is a sister who loves sister.

"Ah, I'll get it soon." Although I do not know how, I continued in my heart.

Hearing her reply, Cioten smiled brightly and then glanced back at Viten.

"Oh, yes, Brother." Cioten took a less sugar snack on Viten's plate.

Viten did not protest and only drank his tea.

"The origin of Matria is very excited."

"Why say something sure?" ask Viten calmly. "They are the people of Matria. When the kingdom collapses, there will certainly be a stir. That's your gun there, Cioten. Stop those disruptive revolutionaries. They must shut up and begin to realize that Matria has disappeared from the world map. They're part of Asher now."

I then sat back in my chair and drank my tea casually, though occasionally Viten stole a look at me. Was he worried about talking about the Matria Kingdom that had collapsed before me? You are wrong to worry about people. I am a 25-year-old office lady, not part of the Matria royal family, so I have absolutely no feelings of sadness and anger towards the loss of that kingdom from the world map.

"That's right, brother. But I came because the rumors about the Princess have reached Matria's home region. They wondered about whether the Princess would ultimately betray Matria and their trust in the Princess? Is now the Princess taking Asher's side completely?"

Cioten pulled the teapot, then poured his own tea into an empty teacup. He seemed to reliably do it, as if he had done the same thing over and over again.

"Cioten," call Viten. "Spread this rumor."

"What is that, brother?"

Cioten gulped his tea regardless of the strict etiquette of the royal family. He looked relaxed and free. He doesn't have to be restrained by everything he doesn't like.

Unlike Viten who had chains everywhere to twist his body, making the man difficult to move and free.

Cioten is the form that is inversely proportional to Viten. The two are opposite each other. If Viten is the sun, then Cioten is the shadow. No one cares about the shadow, while the brighter the light, the darker the shadow will be.

All attention and hope will be on whatever people see as interesting. The unseen expectations of others would continue to press Viten and weigh on both of his fragile shoulders.

Can Viten be jealous of his sister, Cioten? Isn't a life like Cioten what Viten wanted?

"Daughter Lord Serethy Asher did not side with Asher. The reason Serethy became the Princess was to defend the people of Matria origin so that they could get a leader they trusted."

I cringe at hearing that. But don't say anything. That's because there's nothing wrong with the rumors that Cioten needs to spread, because it will make my influence rise even more rapidly.

Well, sometimes Viten will also be very useful for my survival.

"I understand, Brother," Cioten replied while grinning. Then then, uhuk!

Tests, tests.

Blood dripped from the corner of Cioten's mouth, leaving me gaping.

Viten himself immediately pulled out a handkerchief in his shirt pocket and wiped the blood, as if he had gotten used to it.

"I'll leave early, are you happy?" asked Viten with a slanted smile at me.

I blinked. Happy what? I'm more worried about Cioten continuing to bleed from his mouth. Is she gonna be okay? How painful is his body to bleed that much?

"A-I—"

"When the Middle Names Ceremony takes place, please invite me, yes," Cioten said in an indistinct voice due to the blood in his mouth.

Viten simply sighed and held Cioten's arm over his shoulder, then carried him out of the gazebo.

"Think of middle names when you're dying."

Samar, I could hear the soft tone behind Viten's sentence.

...***...

The clues!

How to read Cioten's name is Sioten, okay? So it's not Kioten, because it's a really weird weird, right?