16. Finally!
When Prince Dylan walked in, his cheeks almost ripped from smiling. He just kept walking and didn’t notice that he would meet General Agustin.
“Good morning, Prince Dylan.” But no one greeted the general back because Dylan had just passed him. General Agustin frowned and briefly saw Dylan’s face before it disappeared from his sight. “Why does his face look so happy?”
The general walked out and went to the place where Prince Dylan and Adira were training. He saw Adira arranging things. He came there and asked.
“Young lady!”
While she was arranging the things Dylan used, someone spoke from behind her. She turned around and saw that it was just the general. “Why?” she asked, wondering.
“What happened to the prince?”
She frowned. “He just entered the palace. Did something happen?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just wondering why his cheeks are almost tearing from smiling so much. ”
She secretly smiled. “Look at the round wood over there.” She turned to where the target was. “Did you see the arrow buried in the center of the target?” The general nodded. “The prince is guilty, I guess.” She grinned and continued to get the bow and arrow arranged.
General Agustin smiled. “I’m happy that the prince already knows something. Because he didn’t learn anything from me.”
She answered frankly, “Maybe you just let him do what he wants to do, even though you haven’t finished training.”
He laughed softly. “You’re right, young lady. The prince is like my son, so whatever he wants to do, I just let him do it. ”
She stared at General Agustin’s face. He’s handsome if he’s only 20 to 30 years old, but even then, he’s still handsome even now that he’s old. “Don’t you have a family?”
He looked at the sky while his hand was near his eyes, covering the sun’s rays. “I’ve grown old here in Stalwart Castle without ever trying to fall in love.”
“Why?”
“I swore to be faithful to King Stephen for the rest of my life on this earth. Having a family is something I have never thought about because it will be a bitter memory if I die in a war.”
She remembered Simon from what General Agustin said. He also chose to be alone because of his status as a gangster. He didn’t want to harm his future family, so what happened was that he just got old and never tried to get married.
“Are you happy even though you don’t have a family because you chose to be a soldier in King Stephen’s palace?”
He looked at her. “I already have a family here, young lady. The king and Prince Dylan. The word “family” does not mean just having a wife and children for me. The important thing is that you feel that you are considered family even if you are not related by blood. ”
She nodded and agreed with what he said because it was true. Non-blood becomes more of a family than the family she has. She was lucky with her parents, but not with her sister. So she chose to be alone without her sister.
General Agustin faked a cough to get her attention. “I also thank you for teaching Prince Dylan. Now, he knows at least a little, and I know he will be good at wielding a sword.”
A few minutes passed. They were just silently looking at the target where the arrow used by Prince Dylan was still buried when Adira asked again.
“General, about the prince who visited here. Is he a friend of Prince Dylan?”
General Agustin looked at her in wonder. “Why did you ask about that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t seem to like his presence.”
He smiled. “I’m not sure if the two are friends, but their fathers have been real friends since they were young. Prince Damon and Prince Dylan rarely see each other, and if they do, I don’t see them talking, so I can’t answer if they are friends.”
“He’s the reason Prince Dylan’s leg has been strained for the past two weeks.”
He stopped and frowned. “That’s not what Prince Dylan said. I thought he just stepped on the ground wrong while he and Prince Damon were talking.”
She put her hands behind her back. “They both fought, but Prince Dylan was still weak, so he couldn’t use the sword properly. But what I want to know is how well Prince Damon used a sword.”
“Is that so? But if you want to know, Prince Damon is the best of all the princes here in our country and in other countries. But the sword, he is not great at using it; it’s a bow and arrow. His use of a sword is just part of being a prince because they need to know how to use it. He’s best with the bow and arrow, not the sword.”
“He’s good at that, even if he’s not the best at using a sword.”
General Agustin looked in the other direction and seemed to remember something. “King Felip is skilled at using the sword.”
“King Felip, who is he?”
“He is the king of Paradise Castle. The palace that is quiet and full of love when you face him will not go home defeated. It’s the opponent. Even if Prince Damon challenges him, he will not be able to beat King Felip because he is “The King of Swords.”
“Does King Felip have a son?”
“There is, why did you ask?”
“Why can’t Prince Dylan be friends with King Felip’s son?”
“By the way, their son is also a man, but that prince is quiet. He also doesn’t participate in the tournament that only princes participate in. ” And General Agustin smiled, seeming to remember something about the prince of Paradise Castle. “You wouldn’t immediately recognize him as a prince because of his clothes. When I first saw the prince of Paradise Castle, Prince Franco, I didn’t immediately recognize him as a prince because of his ordinary clothes. I haven’t even seen him before wearing princely clothes like Prince Dylan.”
It’s clear from her face that she’s wondering about the prince of Paradise Castle. “Is that okay with his parents? He is a prince of their palace. He should act like any other prince.”
General Agustin smiled sadly. “The news is that there is a serious reason why Prince Franco doesn’t wear princely clothes, and that’s what I don’t know anymore. So if you happen to see him wearing ordinary clothes, you can also think that even with what he’s wearing, he still looks like a royal. ”
She already knows a lot about this country. It turns out that their lives are not good even though they are in a palace wearing expensive clothes and will just have to wait to be served what they will eat at the table. The saying is right. A person will not be happy if something is missing from their personality, even if they or already have everything. The important thing is to be happy, even if you almost give up on life or don’t belong to a royal family.
She turned and looked at General Agustin. “There are so many palaces here.”
“You’re right, but the others are not that well known. Only Stalwart, Valiant, and Paradise Castle are the most famous in our country.”
“What is the characteristic of Valiant Castle?”
His face became serious. “The palace with many soldiers, Valiant Castle, is brave and does not back down in battle. They are the ones who are ruthless when it comes to the enemy. So as much as possible, others choose to be friends with King Cyrus rather than be his enemies. ”
She thought, and there were some lines on her forehead because of too much frowning, “That’s why Prince Damon’s courage is also that brave because of the characteristics of their palace.”
“Fortunately, King Stephen is a friend of King Cyrus, so there is no problem between the two palaces.”
“Sorry for asking so many questions. The Stalwart Castle. What’s the characteristic?”
“Strong and with good hearts; kind and easy to get. The place is at peace because the king and prince both have soft hearts.”
“That’s why Prince Dylan is so hard to teach,” she whispered.
“What is that, young lady?”
She hesitates to smile. “That’s nothing, in general. I’ll just fix the one the prince and I used. ”
“Then I can leave you.” He bowed slightly and walked away.
Adira was left as if in deep thought. “As long as I’m here. I know it’s not just a problem with Prince Dylan that I know. My head hurts, especially in the Valiant Castle palace because of the prince, Prince Damon. ” She shook her head and followed the general because she had fixed the bow and arrow in their case.
When she entered the palace again, she saw the woman who had brought Dylan tea for the last two weeks. While carrying the clothes, she was looking at her. She doesn’t know what she looks means. But when a soldier passed by, the maid looked away. She followed the maid using her eyes until it disappeared from her sight. “You will be one of my targets here in the palace. You better be careful, because, by the time I find out, you are one of the culprits. Not a hair will be left on your head. “She finally went to her room because she was so tired of standing and teaching Dylan.