KIESER BROUGHT out the pendulum again, willing the guards to let him go. They did, roughly dropping him on the ground. Kieser landed on his feet and continued into the palace. I stealthily entered the palace behind them, following them straight to the throne room. “Enter,” my father boomed, allowing the guards to open the heavy doors to shove Peter and Kieser in. I knew better than to enter through the front door, instead going around to the other side. I gently cracked open a door hidden behind a tapestry that I had found once when I was running away from General Lambert who had been prodding me to do something I did not want to do. I edged through the door, and eavesdropped on their conversation. I was lucky, they had just begun talking about why Peter and Kieser had been summoned to the palace. I was hidden behind a red curtain in the very back of the room that reached from ceiling to floor, and was mainly used to cover the boring stone wall behind the thrones. “Do you know why you’re here?” my father demanded. “No, highness,” Kieser said, as if wooing would help his situation. “Silence!” my father ordered. “You mock me, bringing that fool instead of my son!” he gestured to the left, where Braden had been brought in, held mercilessly by the shoulders. I was surprised, he usually never raised his voice, and never got angry. “It was meant with the highest respect,” Peter sniveled. “QUIET! Do you not know not to speak in the presence of your betters?” my father accused. Peter shied, backing down. “Now, for your punishment…” he trailed off after seeing Kieser’s pendulum swinging back and forth. I closed my eyes tightly so I wouldn’t be hypnotized too. “There will be no punishment,” father continued. “Thank you, majesty. We will bring you the…” he paused, looking in my direction. I stepped back, and found my way to the door, eyes snapped forward. “Correct young prince soon.” “Very well, carry on.” my father said passively. “The guards will put you in the dungeons for the next few days, then you will be able to find the uh… ‘correct young prince’ as you put it.” I ran out, sneaking through the kitchen door, and running around the castle to the front where I hurriedly bolted off the grounds. It was a long walk back to the school. By the time I got there, my legs were aching, and I rendered myself totaled. The sun was starting to set, and carriages were riding off in all different directions to bring all the nobles back to their homes. I flopped onto my cot, not caring about the spray of grime that poofed into the air, then settled back on my clothes. I closed my eyes, and wished I were with Hana. In the morning, I did my chores until my first break. Hana had the same break as me, on my own request, so I asked her if she wanted to meet up in my room. “Of course!” she had answered, and we went to my room. The nice thing about having Peter gone was that she finally looked in some other direction. We also had the chance to talk alone. My original plan was to tell her how much of a pinhead her beau was, and then she’d instantly fall for me! Ahh… I thought as I gazed into her eyes across the table. We were silent for a long while, then she started the conversation. “Why do you always try to run away from Peter?” she asked, making me lose my train of thought. He’s a twit and an idiot, that’s why! And he knows who I really am! “Oh… um…” I answered as truthfully as I could without giving Peter totally away. She continued questioning me until I just couldn’t stand it anymore! I almost gave myself away and told her my true feelings. Then I just had to ruin the entire conversation and tell her about Peter. Why didn’t I just tell her straight up? I thought. And then I could have told her how big of a noodle her beau is! After she ran away, I questioned whether or not she actually believed what I had said about Peter. She had known him her whole life, and he’d never done anything like get arrested. “Cock-eyed!” I said to myself. I flopped once more onto my cot, shunning the flurry of grime rising from the thin bedsheets. I heaved an aggravated sigh. “Why didn’t I just tell her the truth?” A second later, I popped off my cot, wondering, Why did she question me so much? Maybe I could’ve avoided this whole escapade if I had never invited her to spend time with me! What was she trying to accomplish?! I thought suddenly. Doing that will do nothing! Absolutely nothing! I Don’t have anything important to tell! I knew this thought was faulty, but I didn’t let that get me down. “Oh, just stop!” I yelled, roughly pulling my ring off and throwing it on the floor. There was just no point! I was done living the “high life,” and I wouldn’t ever get Hana to like me even a little more than just as a friend. I pummeled back into my bed, stuffing my face harshly into the pillow, muttering things.
Read ^ First! --------------------------------------------------------------------- It was Friday. The day Kieser and Peter would be let free to do whatever they wanted with me. “Hey, prince,” Peter said to me in the hallway. The dungeon hadn’t done a thing to him, he was still just the same person as before. I ignored him, walking faster. “I was just wondering… what would your father do to your friend… Braden, as I understand, knowing that he impersonated his son?” I disregarded this as well, pushing through my door, shutting it in his face. I sank to the floor, hearing his feet step away. The rough wooden door pressed against my back. I let out a sigh of relief. The real answer to his question was: I don’t know. Father usually was lenient on his punishments, but occasionally, he was uncharacteristically rash. I always wondered why he let most people go on such low terms. It always got on my nerves when people let others go. Whenever they did, it was typically big enough to get the largest punishment possible. I think he just never wanted to deal with it. “Why did he have to be lenient this time?” I wondered aloud, sighing at the unfairness of it all. Peter and Kieser had been let go. All because of that stupid pendulum Kieser kept swinging around. I was convinced he could hypnotize people into doing what he wanted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- HAPPY CHAPTER 27!! Yessss. This is chapter 27. I am so happy to share this with you! Wassup?!?! Yesss this is a good chapter. I think...? There are some secrets tbr... -OREO OUT
