Chapter 103 - Remarkable

In the coffee shop which was located just next to the Moray Hospital, Prince Felix was having a conversation with Derin Larson, the Duke of Aswald.

The Prince doesn't talk much but it was the middle-aged man who did most of the talking, eager to impress the Crown Prince. If he knew the Prince true impression on him, he would be utterly ashamed!

Taking a sip of the tea which was just served, the Prince narrowed his eyes at the Duke left leg. "I bet life will be hard with a damaged left leg." He remarked.

"It's indeed hard, Your Highness. But I tried to think of it as a little sacrifice I made for the country. I still have a fit right leg and I'm glad for that." The Duke responded with a proud smile.

The royals and some nobles of the Edeladon had a common practice in which young man served in the military for a while before taking part in the administration or whatever career they chose. It was not mandatory but by doing it, they earned more respect from the people.

The Duke of Aswald also served in the army for a while and he got his left leg damaged during a war. The leg was still there but it cannot function well anymore. Not to mention that he was quite proud of his sacrifice.

"I'm glad that our country has someone like you." The Prince commented, all while faking a smile.

"You flatter me, Your Highness. Everyone has a duty to protect their own country." The Duke humbly remarked with his face as poker as ever.

"I agree. Actually, I want to talk with you about your daughter." Felix started to get on the topic after listening to the blabbering of the Duke for the past five minutes.

"Please go ahead, Your Highness." The Duke quickly replied, feeling thankful that the Prince even talked about his daughter.

"Right now, Lady Gina's condition is not that good. She has aphasia but we think that she will be able to recover soon. She also shows great improvements in the past few days." The Prince said while keenly observing the father's expression. He soon realized that the Duke didn't have sympathy for his only daughter. The little worry that he had displayed was too fake!

"So, judging from her condition, we think that it might be too much for her to handle if she meets you." He carefully continued.

Sawing the Duke's confused face, Felix quickly added, "The Doctor said that it's best for her to have a complete rest. If she sees you, she might afraid to worry you and that will take a toll on her, mentally. Even when Lord Phillip came to see her for the first time, it took quite a toll on her." He deliberately made up lies to not draw more suspicion.

"Really? But Philip is always the cousin she is most close with." The Duke finds it hard to believe. Was her condition really that bad?

"Lord Philip was quite flustered too. But she is good with him now." Felix made a deliberate pause. "I know that it will be hard but can you agree to not see her for now? If her condition gets worse again, it will take a long time for her to recover and in the worst case possible, she might not even recover."

Sensing the hesitation in the Duke's face, Felix added, "You don't have to worry, Duke. Me and my cousin will take good care of your daughter. I promise you that she will be fine soon. As long as she is under my care, nothing will happen to her."

Felix knew that the Duke will find his proposal tempting. Well, he had already knew the Duke's weakness and he only used it to his advantage. Just as expected, the Duke easily agreed.

"Of course, Your Highness. I trust that my daughter will be fine as long as you're the one who looks after her." The Duke commented, hardly hiding his excitement.

"I'm glad that you agreed. Lady Gina will recover soon. When that time comes, I will bring her back to Edeladon. You won't need to wait for long." Prince Felix reassured the Duke though he knew that the father didn't need any.

"Thank you for your words, Your Highness." The Duke of Aswald humbly replied.

The Prince glanced at his wristwatch and realized that he spent more time than he thought. Then he shifted his gaze back to the Duke. "I have another appointment, so I will get going now. Thank you for your time." He rose from his seat and so did the Duke.

He walked past the Duke but halted when an idea crossed his mind. It will be great to make the Duke return to Edeladon right away. Turning back to the Duke who was still standing at his place to see him leave, he said, "I just talk to my father before you came. When I tell him that you will be coming here, he said that he really wanted you to take his place in the event which will take place tomorrow evening."

"Are you serious, Your Highness? But that's a huge event." The Duke gasped.

"I know but it seems like my father has another important appointment." Felix simply replied and leave the coffee shop while the Duke was in a daze. For an attention seeker like the latter, there was no chance for him to miss the opportunity.

The moment Felix left the shop, he takes out his phone and calls his father. When the father didn't pick up the call, he tried calling the chief guard who used to accompany the King wherever he goes. The chief guard was very quick to answer the call.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Is my father near you?"

"Yes."

"Give him the phone."

"But -"

"I don't have much time and it's urgent. Do you want to be held responsible for it?"

Hearing the Prince's threatening word, the chief guard agreed right away. "Just a second, Your Highness."

After waiting for a few seconds, the Prince finally hear his father's unpleasant voice.

"What is it?" The King of Edeladon bluntly said to his son.

"Where are you? If you can talk on the phone, that means you're still in Silveren."

"Why would I tell you that?"

"Okay. Then listen to me. The event where you will be participating tomorrow, can you tell the Duke of Aswald to take your place? It's important." 

"Why? Did the Duke blackmail you?" The father asked with a light chuckle.

"What?" Felix gasped. "Of course not."

"Then why? You never like the Duke." The King was quite persistent.

"I will explain later, so, please can you just do as I ask?" Felix asked once again. His father really had a way of making him lose his patience!

"Fine. I will do that. Besides, I plan to stay here a bit longer anyway." The King simply replied. He was calmly sitting in a hotel suite which was not even far from the Moray Hospital.

"Why would you do that?" Felix's eyes widened when he thought of the sudden visit. "Don't tell me you're planning to meet my fiancee again!" He gasped.

"Is that forbidden?" King Lawrence simply replied again with a peal of light laughter.

When the sound of his father's laughter echoed in his ears, Felix sighed. He hated to admit but he had so many similarities with his father! All his behaviour was just the same as his father.

"Father, what is going on in your mind? If you keep on doing unexpected things, how will I face Yelena?" He grunted. He didn't hate the fact that his father visited his fiancee but... Was it really necessary to do that unannounced?!

"You are returning to Edeladon tomorrow, right? I plan to stay for at least two more days. That means I can meet her whenever I want and you will not be able to do anything." The King said, completely disregarding his only son's words.

Felix was filled with the desire to yelled at his father but he barely holds back himself! Trying his best to keep his tone in check, he asked, "Then tell me. What did you say to her today?"

"What?" The King gasped. "You still don't hear anything from her?" The King's calm face was now plastered with disbelief.

"I called her but something came up." The Prince still refused to tell his father about the Duke and Gina. It's best for them to not know.

"Then just ask her when you have time." The King simply said again. "I plan to meet her again, at least 2 more times. It's necessary." He informed his son.

"Why is that necessary?" Felix retorted right away.

"To know what kind of person she is." King Lawrence frankly replied. He wanted to be sure before he makes any decision.

The Prince was quite delighted with the response. If his father wanted to know what kind of person Yelena was, that means he at least considered accepting her. There was a chance! He stood still at his place without saying anything. Then he heard his father's voice again.

"I'm hanging up." The King paused for a second and in a more serious tone, he finally said, "Son, your lover is quite remarkable. I'll give you that." He then ended the call right away.

Being stunned by his father's last remark, Felix slowly put down his phone. What does that mean? It only made him more curious about their conversation.....