Chapter 37

37 Henry’s Confession (Part 2)

Henry was looking at the sky when Anne’s voice came to his ears.

“I know what are you doing, Henry. You must be needing something from me, right?” She asked Henry while her eyes tried so hard to observe the knight captain.

Henry felt her, she stared that need to know, the curiosity. He took a step forward towards her until his face is getting closer to Anne. Our heroine squeaks and pushes him away, but it backfired and it makes her fall to the ground instead. Henry catches her before he falls completely. The scene feels like a romantic movie in the making, but instead of Anne watching it on her television, she’s the one in the romantic scene.

Something tickles on Henry’s nose, a sweet aroma, a fruity but sweet aroma. He held his breath and carefully put Anne’s on the picnic mat.

“Are you... Are you alright? Apology for my foolish action earlier.” Said Henry to Anne, he does feel apologetic for his rash behavior.

For Henry, fooling around with a woman was his forte before. He never had a problem wooing any woman, peasants or nobles, as the pure noble with a very beautiful face he knows how to work his way to the woman’s heart. Not having the responsibility to the Valorian kingdom like Justice, having to maintain a good image as a genius like Vale, or even just enjoying the company of friends and animals like Xavier. Henry is the epitome of a nobleman that wanted to have fun without any consequences. Although everything changed after he met the countryside peasants with purple hair.

The enjoyment of a woman was never the same after he goes back to the capital. Henry doesn’t know what’s happening to him, until the day that Anne crosses her path with him in the capital. He knew by then, that it was because of her. Right now, the object of his affection was laughing on the picnic mat.

“Henry, I don’t know you can be nervous at this kind of time.” Said Anne while she held onto her stomach, Henry’s getting nervous after he held onto her body was something that she never expected.

Henry chuckles at her, he sat on the picnic mat once again and gave her a bottle of cold berryberry juice. They enjoy the cold juice while looking at the people in the pond. Couples are using a small boat to go around the pond, and kids play in the shallow area under the parent’s supervision. Truly a good day to have a picnic in the park.

.....

“Actually, I wanted to apologize.” Henry spoke so suddenly making Anne turn her attention immediately to Henry, the latter just as before, was staring around rather than looking straight at the girl, “Heirim, she is my only sibling, I have a sense of obligation towards her, but... just to let you know, I hate the way she treated people who she always thought as lesser to her.”

Anne definitely feels bad for him, her feud with Heirim, making Henry in a difficult position.

“Henry, you don’t need to apologize, there’s nothing happened between Heirim and me.” Said Anne, she was trying to cover the recent incident involving his sister.

Henry scoffed, “Anne, I know about the feud, her schemed made you almost lose your chance to become a civil servant.”

“What, how did you?”

Smiling at her, he remembered the day when he heard the rumor. Justice wasn’t alone in the training building, Henry was present at that time. He saw someone talking to her and lead her to her exam building, which turned out to be the wrong building for her. He saw the man talking to Heirim afterward and the look on Heirim’s face, a look of determination.

Heirim, is the woman with one goal on her mind, becoming the empress of the Valorian kingdom. Henry knew about this obsession when he saw Heirim staring at Justice at every prom, how she tried so hard to gain his attention and even plotted to lure Vale in. Justice was never interested in her, of course, the same as Vale.

“Look, all I wanted to tell you, is that Heirim will do anything in her power to get what she wants,” Said Henry to Anne, he took a long sigh and continued, “I wanted to let you know, I never supported her in any way, she is my sister, yes. But our life is...”

Anne smiled warmly at Henry, she even hold his hand to reassure him, “Henry, you don’t have to say it, I know what you meant about having your separate life with your sister, and don’t worry I will never blame you, or anyone else for something that you don’t even commit.”

“I know that you won’t Anne, you’re too kind to hold a grudge.”

The purple hair girl just smiled at henry, but deep down in her deepest heart, it wasn’t the case. She can smile, be angry, and also hold a grudge. Henry just doesn’t know her that well, yet. Anne tried to ease the tension by telling him a story about her school day in Viora village, Henry also tell her about his day in the military school.

Most of the nobles send their children to military school, it will be easier access, later on, to be in the military service. Justice and Henry become best friends since they were inside the same classroom in the first grade. The cool and quiet crown prince with the bubbly and cheerful son of a Duke gets through everything together, and their band of brothers becomes larger when Henry met with Vale and Xavier on his civil servant entrance exam.

They have a good time talking to each other until the afternoon comes. Henry took Anne back to her dormitory safely. He looks at Icarus’s gate with a grin on his face.

“Did you know that Xavier broke this gate at one time?”

Anne a bit shaken by Henry’s comical confession, “What? Xavier broke this gate? Why did he do that?”

“Well, I will let the main culprit do the talking, after all, you are going to see all of us there.” Said Henry, still a bit preoccupied with the memory.

“There? do you mean the palace ball next week?”

“Yes, of course, you still coming, right?”

She smiled and nodded her head, “Yes, I’m going dress shopping this Tuesday with my friend, Clarice.”

“Oh dress shopping, how very chic and ladylike, would you need some recommendation for the store?”

Henry offered her a suggestion, as they walked to the front door. Anne appreciates the suggestion with such enthusiasm.

“Really? That would be nice, thank you.”

“Of course, I’ll send you the note for the dress shop tomorrow, my familiar will send it to you.”

“Oh, I would love to see your familiar.”

“Just open your window at noon, Sabrina will come to you.”

“Sabrina? Oh yeah, you’ve already told me about her”

Henry just smile at Anne, and suddenly took her left hand by surprise, he stared at the bandaged hand for a while.

“You will be okay, right?” Asked Henry, his eyes were staring at the wound, he was worried about her.

Anne just nodded at him, and pull her hand from Henry. He knows that she will never be going to tell him about the wound.

“I’ll see you at the palace ball, and you owe me two dances.”

“What? I never said that I will dance with you?” Anne tried to remind the knight captain with a pinch on his shoulder.

Henry laughs it up and runs away from Anne, they waved goodbye to each other, and while Anne enters her dormitory, Henry took his horse and gallops through the streets, it is almost nighttime when he arrived at the east forest. There are tents and soldiers everywhere, tomorrow is the field training day.

Knights, Magic Knights, Huntsman, even Magi and Healer, all of them are there. Henry goes to one of the small private tents, the most luxurious tent reserved for the royal family. Inside the tent he saw Justice, Vale, and Xavier, already waiting for him.

“So, how is it?” Asked Xavier while he handed Henry a glass of drink.

Henry gratefully took it and empty the glass in a second, he wipe his mouth and look into Justice, “I saw her, and it is worse than we imagined.”

Justice, who looks at him in silence, suddenly took a deep breath and sighed, “So, it begins.”