The Rose That Blooms In North
Chapter 11: Stylo and Plume

That morning Anna looked very agitated. He could not even chew his hard bread and only drank bone soup at breakfast. The only thing that could make him that uneasy was the Last Stage of the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard selection. Although Anna had previously not paid much heed to this Last Stage because the Survival Test at the Second Stage sounded even more terrifying than anything else, now he felt that he had underestimated the live Interview Test with the Crown Prince.

Leon who had noticed him since earlier could only calm him down "It wouldn't be too difficult. You just have to answer all the questions clearly, briefly and honestly as possible. Although the 'honest' part of your dictionary should be a little different from the true honest meaning."

Anna just nodded.

Last night Anna came home after making sure all her injuries had been treated by the Palace Witches. The wounds on his shoulders and legs had completely healed and left only a slight scar. So when Anna returns home in the early hours and meets Leon who is still awake at the inn entrance, Anna lies that everything is going smoothly. Anna did not tell about the incident of the bandits' rise and how she almost died in the Ice Labyrinth if no masked men came. Anna still believed that the man could not be Leon, although deep down she really wished Leon had come. But if Leon comes to know that there is something very dangerous to his life such as the sudden appearance of the Black Mamba members, Anna is sure Leon will not allow Anna to join the Third Stage. And that means all his efforts during this time will be in vain.

"You sure it's okay? You look very pale." Leon said as Anna was about to depart back to the Palace for the Final Stage exam.

"I just don't sleep, Leon. I'm fine." Anna forced her smile. "See you later. I'll bring you good news."

He went to Nordhalbinsel Palace.

***

There are only five candidates left. They were two men from Westeria, one a good archer from the Orient, Honey Welsh and Anna. They were all seated on chairs that had been provided in front of a tent. It was inside that tent that Crown Prince Xavier would interview the five candidates for his personal bodyguard.

"I'm so nervous." Honey Welsh said.

"I am too." Said Anna. The word 'nuggle' was too simple to describe what he was feeling at the moment. If he fails at this stage of the interview, it means that all his plans have failed. And he had to find another way to get inside the palace and find his mother and sister. Though he had put all his efforts into successfully becoming the personal bodyguard of the Crown Prince.

"Listen, whoever is elected among us, even if none of us are elected, I want us to be friends." Honey said. She smiled so kindly at Anna.

"Of course." Anna said solemnly. He had never felt so good about having a girlfriend before.

Anna was last in the interview. He noticed the people who had finished their interview tests. Most of them would only smile with relief once they got out of the tent. When Honey Welsh who got the number four sequence, Anna could see Honey looking calm and relieved after coming out of the tent even though Honey was initially as nervous as Anna. So Anna thinks that maybe the Crown Prince isn't that scary.

Shortly after, it was Anna's turn to enter the tent. Anna tried hard not to strain and catch her breath. Leon has taught her many things including making up her background to look natural and honest. But at this moment, everything that Leon had taught seemed to disappear from his mind.

"Please sit here." Said one of the guards. There were five bodyguards there, and all of them were wearing Nordhalbinsel's signature headgear helmet. Anna can't see their faces but she's second-guessing one of them might be Elias Winterthur.

Anna immediately sat down at the place she had prepared. While waiting for Crown Prince Xavier to come and to ease his nervousness, Anna noticed the surroundings. In front of him was a table made of precious metal and a chair that would later be occupied by the Crown Prince who was also made of the same material. Anna guessed the Crown Prince's personality from the placement of the items on the table. There was a pile of paper to the right of the table that Anna had assumed contained the results of the assessment from the other participants. The ink pen made of gold and decorated with white goose feathers he had seen on the desk of King and Queen Schiereiland and also on his desk first, neatly arranged to the left of the table. Anna felt there was something odd about the arrangement of the objects, but she didn't really know exactly what it was. Anna was busy thinking about her own theories so she was barely conscious the moment Crown Prince Xavier entered the tent.

Anna hurriedly got up from her seat to salute the Crown Prince, but Crown Prince Xavier asked her to return to her seat.

Crown Prince Xavier, as he heard from the rumors of the Montreux female knights, looked unreal. Like a mixture of dreams and wishful thinking. He was like a fictional man composed by a female writer who had high tastes. Anna had been in Nordhalbinsel long enough to draw the conclusion that most people in Nordhalbinsel have beautiful faces. Anna had already seen Elias Winterthur and Prince Jeffrey, but she could still be even more amazed when she saw the Crown Prince's face for the first time. As the people said, Crown Prince Xavier had very unusual Emerald-colored eyes and not a single one could take his eyes off those two beautiful eyeballs.

As if bewitched by the charm of that pair of emerald eyes, Anna almost forgot to immediately sit in her chair. His face was red with embarrassment. He had never looked at a man like that.

Crown Prince Xavier smiled looking at the red hue on Anna's cheeks.

"Don't be nervous. I'm not gonna ask you many questions." Crown Prince Xavier. For some reason, his voice sounded very familiar in Anna's ears. It was as if he had heard it every day of his life.

"Okay, Your Majesty." Anna said as calmly as possible.

"From your accent, you sound like a Schiereiland. Am I right?"

Being too nervous, Anna forgot to speak in her Nordhalbinsel accent. Inevitably, Anna could not lie about her origin.

“True, Your Highness.” Anna answered, briefly.

“I have received your data from the registration form. But I want to confirm back, what's your full name, Miss?”

“Anna, Your Highness.”

“Only Anna? You don't have a surname?”

“Nothing, Your Grace. I have no family.” Anna tried to remain calm as she said that. He should really sound honest and convincing.

“You know, the other four candidates are from noble families or families that have great influence in their respective Countries. Are you pretty sure you're acceptable? Moreover, you are from Schiereiland, which was previously an enemy kingdom to me.”

Anna took a deep breath before answering. He must be calm in order to convince the Crown Prince. “I am sure that what will protect Your Majesty is my sword and my oath of allegiance, not my family status nor my country of origin.” Anna replied as she ventured into the eyes of the Crown Prince before her.

His heart was pounding violently either because he was lying, or because the Crown Prince was looking at him deeply. Or maybe because of both.

Crown Prince Xavier smiled in satisfaction at the reply. He hinted at one of his guards who was on the left to get the ink pen that was actually not far from him. The bodyguard immediately took the pen and gave it to the Crown Prince.

“Alright, that's all I want to hear. You can go.” The Crown Prince wrote something down on Anna's registration form paper that he had been holding since. Anna noticed what she was writing but she was unable to see it from its place.

Crown Prince Xavier rose from his seat. Anna immediately did the same. But he did not leave the place immediately. Anna was still standing in her place.

“There's more you want to say, Miss?” Ask the Crown Prince.

“Before I leave, please allow me to convey my respectful greetings to His Highness Crown Prince.” Anna said with a smile as soft as possible.

“Alright, please.”

Anna walked away from the Crown Prince before her, to the bodyguard who had taken the Crown Prince's pen. Once in front of the bodyguard, Anna knelt down. “Mistake my respect to His Highness Crown Prince Xavier.” Said Anna.

“What are you doing—“ but the Crown Prince was instantly silent after getting a gesture from the bodyguard who was in front of Anna.

“You can stand, Anna.”

Anna obeyed his words.

The bodyguard in front of him took off his helmet. Showing the face of the real Crown Prince. “How can you know?” Ask.

Just when asking that, the face of the Crown Prince who had interviewed Anna had changed to Elias Winterthur.

“Sorry in advance if I'm presumptuous, Your Majesty. But I know that you're left-handed." Anna said with certainty. He now looked at the Crown Prince confidently. "You used to write with your left hand, which is why the pen was set to always be on your left. But Mr. Elias, who was disguised as a left-handed Crown Prince, I had seen him during the First Stage, and I noticed his way of holding a pen."

Now Anna's eyes glanced at the golden pen on the table. "The ink pen belonging to a member of the royal family is different from a regular pen because it is made of precious metals such as gold and silver so the weight is different. I also observed earlier when you handed the pen to Mr. Elias in disguise, You hold the pen in the same way that members of the royal family do, holding it in the middle to keep the weight balanced. Also because you used your left hand. From there I learned that you are the real Crown Prince Xavier.”

Crown Prince Xavier was silent for quite a long time hearing an explanation from Anna that was very interesting to him.

“You're right.” Crown Prince Xavier said after being silent for a while. “But if you don't mind, I have one more question I need to ask before actually accepting you to be my personal bodyguard. If you can answer honestly, you might be able to pass this stage.”

“Please, Your Highness.”

“How can you know enough about the habits of the royal family members? Especially things that seem quite trivial like how to hold an ink pen.”

That question was never expected by Anna. But he tried to remain calm and replied, “I once noticed Princess Anastasia of Schiereiland while writing, at that time she was volunteering to help the residents in my home village, Your Majesty.”

Crown Prince Xavier nodded in understanding. "All right." He said, "You can go. Tomorrow morning at 6 come back to the palace. You'll be notified of the results tomorrow."

Anna thanked him and saluted the Crown Prince once more before he left the tent to return to the inn.

After Anna left, Elias noticed the look on Crown Prince Xavier's face that looked very different from usual. If usually the Crown Prince always looks serious or upset or angry, this time the Crown Prince looks like a person who just got what he was looking for. He looked so happy that Elias wondered what was wrong with the Crown Prince.

"Good work, everybody. You can all go and rest." Xavier said to his guards.

When all was gone, Elias approached Xavier and spoke to him. "The Royal Princess Schiereiland never left the Palace."

"I know." Xavier answered lightly.

"You know? Do you know that no ordinary person has ever seen the face of the Princess? That's why we're having trouble finding him."

Xavier turned his gaze away from the pile of papers before him and looked at Elias. "I knew. I already know everything." He added with a mysterious smile, "That's why I know who he is."

***

"Instruction smoothly. Don't worry so." Anna said as she again found Leon waiting for her at the entrance of the inn with a worried look on his face. "Let's go in, it's cold in here." Take Anna.

Anna and Leon immediately walked into the inn. That afternoon, although the snow did not fall, the air was colder than usual. Leon tells Anna about the Nordhalbinsel blizzard that usually comes when the weather is sunny and the snow does not fall all day. So the arrival of the blizzard itself was like a surprise after the people were quite calm and happy with the bright sun they got before its arrival. Leon then analogizes the blizzard to their current condition. That Anna should not calm down first when things are going well for her, because 'Snow Storm' can come at any time and that's what keeps Leon worried. But he himself can't do anything.

"Do you think you can find Queen Isabella and Crown Prince Alexis as soon as you're accepted as her bodyguard? What if Crown Prince Xavier asks you to stay by his side all day even at night?" Leon let out all his worries after they had already reached the inn room. Louis was asleep in a corner of the room close to the fireplace.

"Did I ever ask you to stay by my side even at night?" ask Anna.

"Yes, Your Majesty. You always have been." Answer Leon directly. "And that's my job. Someone could just walk into your room at night and kill you so I should always be around you even when you're sleeping." Added immediately.

Anna was silent as soon as she remembered it. He realizes that Leon is always by his side from morning to night even when he sleeps in his room at the Palace, Leon will keep him right at his bedroom door. Except when he was away at war, Leon was with him for twenty-four hours every day.

"Gee. Don't tell me you just realized it." Said Leon.

"You're right." Anna was silent for a moment before continuing. "I must've been troubling you this whole time."

"I told you that's part of my job. And I'm happy to do it. I live to protect you, Your Majesty."

"Thank you very much, Leon." Anna said sincerely and earnestly. "I may never really say it to you, but I'm really grateful to you."

Leon smiled embarrassedly upon hearing that. "I must thank the royal family for considering me part of the family even though until now I knew nothing about my real parents. Therefore, as an expression of my gratitude to the King and the royal family, I want to protect all of you." Leon was silent for a moment considering the current state of affairs, "But I have failed."

"You didn't fail to protect me." Anna sat beside Leon, by the fireplace. "You've always been there for me without even needing to ask. That's why I wanted to marry you so badly."

Leon looked at Anna in surprise as Anna still remembered that as well as she still remembered it. "Your Majesty—“

"I proposed to you once, but you rejected me right then and there without even trying to pretend to think about it first. You remember that?"

"Your Majesty, you were only ten years old."

"But by then you were fifteen. I proposed to you when you were at a good age to get married. I meani... Other men at that age would definitely not reject me if I proposed to them but you immediately rejected me without thinking about it. I was really sad at the time." Anna Protest.

Leon laughs. She unconsciously stroked Anna's head gently as she always did back when Anna was a child.

"Sorry." said Leon so realized. He immediately raised his hand. But Anna pulled her hand back and grabbed it.

"I want to know." Anna said as she looked at Leon. "If I proposed to you now, not ten years ago, would you still reject me the same way you did?"

Leon was surprised. He looked like he wanted to say something but he was unable to say it, so he just looked at Anna before him who was now looking at him solemnly.

For a while in the room, no one spoke. Louis was still soundly asleep and it seemed like Anna and Leon's conversation didn't bother him at all. Only the sound of firewood in the fireplace slowly began to run out.

"Your Majesty I—“

"Don't. Don't say anything." Said Anna. He turned his face away from Leon. "I currently have nothing to offer you. I have no kingdom, no place to live or title as the King's Daughter. I'm nobody right now. So I might get another rejection from you. Wait until I can save my family and my kingdom, only then will I be ready to hear from you."

Anna gets up to prepare to go buy food for their dinner, but Leon doesn't take his hand off Anna.

"You're just scared." Leon said as he looked into Anna's eyes which he could now see. Anna's eyes began to tear as if she was about to cry. "It's okay, you can say that you're scared. Ten years ago you proposed to me because I was going to be sent to the battlefield and you were afraid that I would die on the battlefield by then. So you said you'd marry me so I wouldn't have to go to war. At such a small age you have learned that the couple of the King's Daughter who has not had children do not need to participate in the war. That's why you proposed to me at the time."

Anna didn't say anything. His eyes began to hurt because they held back the cry he had been holding back. He was scared but he didn't want Leon to know about it. He was afraid that his plan would not work. He was afraid that he would fail to save his mother and sister. He did not know what danger he would face. And how much longer will he have to live as he is today. But more than anything, he's afraid of parting ways with Leon. Throughout his life, from the day of his birth, Leon has been with him and has always been with him. If Leon wasn't around, he felt he would lose himself.

Leon immediately hugged her and let Anna cry in his arms. "You don't always have to be strong. You can cry and be afraid. I know you're thinking about a lot of things right now. You're also afraid that your plan will fail and you won't be able to save the Queen and Crown Prince Alexis. But you should know that you're not going to do all that alone. I'll help you, no matter what happens and how."

***