Chapter 774 - The Prince's Plans

"Big Brother, we still have an entire year left."

Hearing this bland response, King Ophire frowned at the lack of enthusiasm from his younger brother.

Prince Draco would turn sixteen next year, becoming an adult according to the laws of this great Kingdom.

Therefore, how could it not be an event worth celebrating with much pomp and extravagance?

The King only had this one brother whom he could spoil so he did not wish to waste this opportunity that he had gained after so many years.

There was still much time before he would prepare for his childrens' coming-of-age ceremonies thus he wished to splurge on his younger brother's for now.

After Draco had grown up a little, he had expressed his desire to stay away from the eye of the public and live his life without attracting too much attention from others.

Despite not liking this idea, King Ophire had acquiesced when his brother had requested it.

They had decided that he would appear before the masses once he was an adult.

This was also the reason why the King was overly enthusiastic about an event that would take another year's time to come around.

He wanted Draco's admission into the noble society to be one that everyone would remember.

However, now it appeared that his brother did not seem to share the same thoughts as him.

"Brother, I was thinking if we complete my ceremony on a small scale…" Draco's words only proved that the King had made the right deduction.

Not only King Ophire but the other men in the Throne room right now also frowned at what they had just heard.

"Prince, you should rethink that decision." Duke Obinn Tanner pleaded as this might be detrimental to Prince Draco's reputation.

While the nobility did not gossip about the prince for fear of the King who doted on him, it was undeniable that there were some rumors that had been circulated after his continual absence from their society.

"I agree." The other duke of this Kingdom, Duke Maldock Brodie supported Duke Tanner's stance.

These two men had not accompanied their wives to attend the Kiron tea party and had arrived at the Palace after gaining the summons from their King.

They had been informed about the reason they were called to the Palace so, during their trip here, they had thought about what they might do to seamlessly integrate the Prince into the noble society after such a long absence.

However, before they could even get the chance to put their thoughts forward, the Prince had shut that door on their faces.

Duke Tanner was the one who had trained Prince Draco from a young age and could be called his trainer and guide.

On the other hand, Duke Brodie did not have a very close relationship with the Prince but was a good friend of the King.

Therefore, he knew just how excited the King had been to celebrate this event.

Now to hear that the Prince wanted a simple ceremony that would not attract too much attention defeated the entire purpose of the King's careful planning.

Prince Draco scanned the room and found everyone's faces displaying their reluctance to follow his plan.

'Even Big Brother's aide disagrees…' He coughed when he saw the man who always served the King was also not on board with the idea he had stated earlier.

He had different plans in his mind and seeing that it would not be easy to get his way without revealing his intentions to them, the Prince was left with no choice but to spill everything he had on his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Prince Draco looked into his brother's eyes as he disclosed what he had planned for his future.

"Brother, I want to leave for the Roschester fief as soon as my coming-of-age ceremony ends." He announced, his loud and clear voice echoing in the spacious throne room.

King Ophire had always known that he would have to let go of his brother someday but had not expected that day to be here already.

There was just one year left for his coming-of-age ceremony and Draco had already made up his mind to leave Amarthea and the Royal Palace in order to look after his maternal fief, Roschester.

Duke Tanner had heard about the Prince's desire to look after his mother's maiden fief once he grew older.

However, he had forgotten about it since their conversation had taken place a very long time ago.

No one knew that the Prince had been frequenting Roschester for a while now hence they were surprised to hear his reason for refusing a lavish party for his coming-of-age ceremony.

"I will be leaving Amarthea for…" Draco continued but soon halted as he too did not know how long he might stay there.

King Ophire's frown only deepened at the uncertainty written all over his brother's face.

"I might not come back for a while so there is no reason to prepare for a lavish coming-of-age ceremony." He declared his thoughts in a straightforward manner.

In his mind, since he would not be mingling with any of them once he was in the Roschester fief, there was no reason for him to come before the eye of the public.

'I don't have any intention of meeting more people.' He decided as he had enough acquaintances for now.

Prince Draco was lost in his thoughts about these friends that he had made in secret when he noticed the silence consuming the entire Throne room.

Looking up, he faced the King's gloomy expression which signified what he was feeling right now.

"Brother…" He called out to gain his attention and succeeded when King Ophire glanced at him with sad eyes.

The older brother could not leave the Palace as he was the King and the younger brother was going to a place where it was not convenient for him to visit at any time it pleased him.

The thought of being separated from his brother brought sadness to the King which affected the atmosphere of the entire Throne room.

Until now, Duke Brodie had assumed that someday, Prince Draco would express his desire to fight for the Throne against his nephew, Prince Fritzen.

However, everything that he had witnessed today revealed that he had been wrong to think in that way.

Prince Draco's zeal to protect and provide for the fief his mother was once a part of, was visible for him to see today.

This made him wonder if he had been quick to make assumptions and judge the Prince in the past.

The Prince had not realized that his actions today had changed the mind of a certain Duke as his attention was focused on how to pacify his elder brother.

"Brother, Roschester is a short journey away from Amarthea." He reminded the King, implying that he could return at any time he wanted.

The terrible memory of what had taken place the last time he had visited that snow-filled fief made the young Prince grit his teeth for a second but he did not let it affect his mood any longer.

He wasn't lying as Roschester was to the immediate north of Amarthea and it was only a whole day's journey between the Roschester mansion and the Rosenhyde Royal Palace.

This reassurance soothed the King's burdened mind and he gave his brother a weak nod.

Prince Draco's emerald eyes sparkled when he saw the positive response from the King.

The King's chamberlain who was also his aide was stunned to see the quick change of heart that his Master seemed to have.

'He agreed to let the Prince go?' He was baffled just like the Dukes at this shocking outcome.

Draco too had assumed that he would have to work harder to convince his brother but the King had accepted soon after his earlier hesitation.

Noticing this, King Ophire rolled his eyes at the men who were looking at him as though he had been possessed by some spirit.

"But I have one condition." His calm voice as he glanced down at his brother made them stop and straighten their backs, indicating that the King had their attention.

'That is like the brother I know.' Prince Draco nodded his head, his earlier surprise fading a little.

There was no way that his elder brother would have agreed so quickly which caused Draco to wonder what condition the King had come up with.