Sleeping Beauty Wants The Throne
40. Talent that (Not) Desired

That night, the rain flushed the central Sormenia with a heavy enough exposure. The wind blew noisily, some of the windows that had not been tightly locked seemed to be open-closed by themselves due to the pressure from outside. Friction of tree branches scratching the glass sounds quite creepy, but it does not prevent a boy from playing.

Five-year-old Alastair was sitting in front of the fireplace playing with a dagger. Several times his small body crashed on a thick carpet that almost covered the entire floor in the room, but he still laughed cheerfully and continued his activities with his cousin's sister, he said, Evandre was three years older than him. While from a distance the queen, Isabelle la Empyrean who is the biological mother of Alastair was sitting on a sofa while paying attention to the interaction of the two.

Before long, the door handle opened from the outside. Showing the figure of the man who turned his head back to the right and left before daring to enter the room.

"Sister-in-law," Isabelle greeted with a happy radiance and then got up from the chair. "A long time. I've been waiting for you since."

Izaikhel glanced at the two boys playing in front of the furnace and turned his gaze back to Isabelle. "Don't be loud. The two children can hear you."

"They're just kids, nothing to worry about" Isabelle replied and then rubbed Izaikhel's chest spoiled. "Didn't you miss me?"

"For a big lie, the answer is yes." Izaikhel lowered his face a little and then dyed the bright red thing that always showed Isabelle's sweet smile. "My wife is asleep and your husband is on the battlefield. Isn't tonight gonna be such a beautiful night, baby?"

Isabelle chuckled and hugged Izaikhel. "I love you, Khelee. I promise you, whatever you want, I'll give you with pleasure."

"Including my brother's throne?"

Isabelle looked up and smiled broadly. Without consideration he immediately replied, "Yes, including Derrick's throne."

"I'm lucky to have a woman like you."

Alastair gasped from his sleep after having another nightmare. The man sat down, still trying to adjust his vision in the dark bedroom. He walked over to a small table that stood by the balcony. Take a glass of water and drink it in one gulp.

Actually it was not a dream, but an old memory of Alastair that never disappeared from his brain. The memory of his own mother's actions is so imprecise that Alastair hates all women who seem to pretend to be polite and graceful when rotten and traitorous.

But out of the many nobles that the Grand Duke faced, the majority of them were indeed hypocritical like that.

Thanks to his genius, Alastair can remember anything from the age of two years including the incident. Sometimes Alastair thought that genius was not grace, but the bitter torment God had given him.

The man opened the balcony of his room which directly faced the northwestern forest close to the coastline. The waves sound smooth as they hit the bottom of the bright white sand. Alastair's sleepiness evaporated instantly, his mind drifting on the recent brothel incident.

"Not all women are like your mother. You should be able to tell which ones are truly sincere and which ones just want your wealth."

Luz's words the other day suddenly flashed through the Grand Duke's mind. In fact Alastair often observes women and the average is all the same as his mother; crazy possessions and power. Granted with the title plus sparkling gazes, but in the moment Alastair was chaotic, they disappeared like an illusion.

Alastair ... still harbors hatred towards women. It is not that easy to eliminate the trauma he experienced since a dozen years ago.

Shadow when Queen Isabelle had an affair with her brother-in-law who is now in power to become king....

King Derrick was poisoned on the same day he returned home from the battlefield.

And ... Queen Isabella was made a scapegoat for her husband's death and was given a hanging.

And finally, the orphaned Alastair is banished from the palace to the City of Brighton, the seat of King Derrick before becoming king. His crown prince title was revoked, replaced by Evandre because King Izaikhel felt his son was more deserving.

From a distance, the man's topaz eyes narrowed when he saw the silhouette of someone standing near the fountain pool.

"Lord de Cera?" Alastair muttered and turned and took his coat to approach Ochonner who was standing outside.

"Have you waited a long time, Chonner?" Alastair started the conversation with a relaxed language. He positioned himself as a friend, not a partner.

"Not really," replied Ochonner, "Odyssey worked all day to make new makeup. Just seeing that I was tired, so I decided to come here. I think chatting with you is much better than seeing her busy herself."

"Ignored, eh?"

"Yes, that's it." Ochonner grunts.

"Only on time. There are some unfinished parchments that I plan to discuss with you tomorrow but it turns out that tonight you also came alone to finish it," said Alastair satisfied. "Then wait for me in the study while there are still some things I need to take care of."

Ochonner was flabbergasted as Alastair turned to leave himself again told to work. He came here to share his story, not work until morning but the crazy Grand Duke ... Ah, nevermind!

Oh my God, when is it finished!

Ochonner sighed. There is no point in delaying either. Attempting to be forced to work outside the hours he was supposed to, Ochonner set foot into the North, dominated by ivory-white paint with a light beige marble floor. After climbing the steps, Ochonner took the right aisle and opened the wooden door handle on the left side.

"Good night, Duke of Lancess. It's a coincidence to meet you here" Ochonner said after seeing someone sitting on one of the black sofas with carved statues in the room.

The Duke of Lancess, Louise Georgetown, turned her head and chuckled. He replied to Ochonner with an ignorant look. "Good night, Lord de Cera. I should have told you that. Aren't you allergic to working out of time?"

Ochonner knew the Duke of Lancess well. He was a high nobleman who occupied power in the North, directly adjacent to the power of the Grand Duke in Brighton. The Grand Duke and Duke of Lancess have been best friends since they were in the same camp on the battlefield eight years ago.

"Yes, I'm sorry to come here." Ochonner took a seat next to Louise. "Usually you come to Brighton once a year and this year's rations were used during the palace celebrations a few months ago. Did something happen at the pier?"

And another uniqueness of the Duke of Lancess. Because the area is adjacent to the sea, then in addition to arranging the city, his duty also functioned as a checker of goods that enter or exit Sormenia. Pier being his flesh blood long ago, the man even promised never to leave his homeland rich in shells because of his love for Lancess.

"Every year the workers are always growing and I'm quite helped with that" he replied briefly.

"That's all?"

"There are some problems" Louise said in an honest way. "For that I'm here, talking to the Grand Duke about it so he can help me."

"Lances asked for help?" the staggering parrot Ochonner. He knew this blond figure in front of him as a brave figure, not a typical man who takes refuge behind others.

"I can't do it alone. This time ... The culprit is no ordinary person. I think, but it's still unclear."

"Who is the extraordinary person who shook Duke Lancess to the point of coming here?"

"You'll find out later" Louise replied in a riddle. "Obviously, he's not a random person."