The prince and his loyal attendant stood by the door of the wrecked room for several seconds in silence. To break the ice, Henry thought he could air out his thoughts, seeing as the prince looked like he could use some words of wisdom.
The attendant cleared his throat and then spoke, "Regarding the princess hating you, Prince Aleksander... I don’t mean to be rude, your highness, but - "
"I know what you are going to say, so don’t even bother finishing your sentence," Aleksander immediately interrupted the old man. "I know, Henry, I know it. I was an asshole, and the princess’ walls are up because of it."
"It seems like you are at a loss. May I speak my mind without being interrupted by your instantaneous reaction, your highness?" Henry asked as politely as he could.the atten
The old man peeked from the corner of his eyes at the prince’s face in the dimly lit corridor. Shadows played around the young prince’s face as the fire in Henry’s lamp flickered. Aleksander took a while to respond.
The attendant only noticed his mouth opened and closed as if mumbling something, but the prince did nod his head when he made eye contact. The attendant took it as an approval, and so immediately spoke what he had in mind.
"Aleksander, I have served you since you were a child, and I know you like the back of my hand," Henry spoke softly. "You will need to be patient. The princess, just as much as you are, had been molded by the tragedies of her past."
"Don’t speak to me like that, Henry," groaned the prince as he rubbed his temples, "it’s like you are speaking to a child. I am by no means a child."
Henry chuckled, to which Aleksander didn’t really appreciate.
"Shall I continue?" the attendant asked.
"Go on," Aleksander grimaced, "I don’t have anything else to do anyways."
"You aren’t as bad as you make people think you are, my prince," the old man looked at the young prince fondly, "your unapproachable personality is only a by-product of years of rejection from everyone that should have given you the validation you needed."
Aleksander’s face contorted with the words Henry had spoken to him. Now that he thought of it, it made sense that his attitude was just merely a coping mechanism to survive in the hostile world of the vampire society.
"You are just trying to get on my good side now, Henry," the prince scoffed in reply. "Do you really think I have any goodness left in me? Could I really make the princess join me as I seek for revenge?"
"Do you like the princess only for her birthright and powers, your highness?" Henry suddenly asked, veering off-topic with the question, "Or do you like her as she is?"
The prince’s face twisted in discomfort of the question, "I don’t really know, Henry. She does have quite an interesting personality, but right now, all I could think of is to get her to my side and take the opportunity to bring our common enemies down faster."
"So, you don’t see her as a potential..." Henry trailed off, letting Aleksander fill in the gaps.
"Not for now," the prince replied, "I don’t know, Henry. Maybe I do like her in a sense but her powers seemed to be more enticing. It confuses me if I like her because of her personality or it’s just the effect of becoming entranced by her powers."
"Very well, I understand," the attendant nodded, "I trust that things would go as what you have planned, your highness," he affirmed.
Henry smiled warmly at the prince, his forehead wrinkling as a reminder of the time that passed him by. The short opportunity that Aleksander showed his vulnerability was the only time Henry could really speak to him heart to heart.
Once the prince’s tough armor was up, it was very much hard to break in – even for Henry.
"It is true that you two were hostile to each other for almost a month," Henry continued, "I had assumed you’d end up killing the princess right off the bat, but somehow you deviated from my expectations."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" the prince smirked sarcastically.
"Not really," Henry scratched the back of his ear.
"You are adding salt on my open wounds, Henry," the prince frowned.
Henry knew the look of disappointment and dejection in the young prince’s eyes. He could tell that Aleksander was doing his best to control his destructive impulse as well, seeing as his hands were shaking beside him.
"Prince Aleksander Ardorlean, if you must have the princess by your side to succeed in your goals, then you must learn to let kindness and patience take over your cynicism," Henry spoke, his eyes turning soft as he gazed at the troubled prince.
"I am ashamed to say this," the prince whispered, "but I don’t know how to be kind, Henry. The world had been too cruel to me since I was young, and the idea is foreign to me. I feel vulnerable if I turn too kind, yet I find myself still trying."
The old man looked out to where the prince’s eyes were staring at the dried blood on the ground, "Then you must work hard, my prince. If you really are sincere, then I know the princess will see what your heart truly feels soon enough."
"Right," the prince agreed.
Henry was about to add something else but suddenly, Aleksander turned and walked away from him without a word’s notice.
"Your highness? Where are you going?" the attendant called out to the prince.
Aleksander didn’t reply. There was a different kind of determination that suddenly overcame him. Henry’s words were a bit too touchy-feely for his taste, but in the end, it did help alleviate the prince’s worries.
He reached the princess’ chambers in a flash, his feet taking him as fast as he could to reach her before his pessimistic tendencies changed his mind.
He knocked on the door, and as Elys opened them again, the prince grabbed her hands and said, "I will prove to you my sincerity, Princess Elysianne. Help me get the crown, and I will give you your heart’s desires."