Chapter 403 - 403 Old Friend

403 Old Friend

“Your Highness!” the guard who had gone to inform the Crown Prince exclaimed with a sense of urgency as soon as he was allowed to have an audience.

“Whoa! Calm down!” Alexander knitted his brows after seeing that guard breathing heavily and sweating profusely. “What’s the matter? Why do you look so… distressed?”

That guard’s chest was rattling as he began speaking without properly breathing first, “At the gate… There’s a man… He claims to be…” He gulped dryly and said while pointing outside the door of the Crown Prince’s chamber, “You should come, Your Highness. He is waiting at the gate.”

Alexander was way too confused as he couldn’t make sense of what the guard was trying to say. He was sounding too incomprehensible as he was whispering and breathing out words. “Who’s at the gate? Are you asking me to come with you?”

The guard gulped several times to moisten his throat and then took a few deep breaths before speaking again. “He doesn’t look like one but he is claiming to be the King of Xanmar.”

The moment that guard mentioned the King of Xanmar, Alexander’s vampire guards who were standing outside his chamber exchanged glances with each other. They were instantly on high alert. Two of them hurriedly entered the Crown Prince’s chamber to inspect and guard the windows.

Alexander also suddenly became nervous when the vampire guards began to walk around the room, shutting all the windows and closing all the curtains. They were making him feel as if he was in life-threatening danger.

‘Why did he come here unannounced when I had arranged the meeting for tomorrow?’ he anxiously bit his lips and thought to himself. ‘But it might not be him… What if it’s some random man that he sent here? Or someone else entirely.’

Alexander looked at the guard and asked him, “What did he look like?”

.....

The guard’s eyes dilated when he uttered a single word, “Super-strong.”

“I guess… that does sound like him…” Alexander softly chuckled at that answer from the guard. He then raised his brows and asked again, “How many others are with him?”

“He came alone,” the guard kept his reply short.

One of the vampire guards instantly asked Alexander, “Shall I go and check if that’s him? I had caught a glimpse of him while I was in Xanmar.”

Alexander pondered for a while. ‘If that’s Eve, he must have come here with the intention of resolving issues with me. But what if he gets the wrong idea when he sees my vampire guards?’

He looked at his guard and said firmly, “No. I should be the one to go.” Alexander immediately got up on his feet.

“What if he came here with the intention of attacking you?” The vampire guard instantly stepped in front of the Crown Prince in order to stop him. “And what if he didn’t come alone? He could have hidden his guards or soldiers in the vicinity.”

Another guard also stood next to the first guard and agreed. “Yes, Your Highness. You shouldn’t go outside until we make sure that it is safe for you. It could very well be a direct attack as he came here without any invitation.”

The guard from the gate, however, disagreed with those foreign guards of the Crown Prince. “I’m sorry for interrupting but, if he was here to attack the Crown Prince then he wouldn’t have announced himself to us and missed the element of surprise by insisting that we inform the Crown Prince of his arrival.”

“He does have a point,” Alexander agreed.

The vampire guard spoke, “We still have to be fully sure that it is the King of Xanmar and that he came here in peace.”

Alexander sighed at the over-protective nature of his vampire guards. He knew that they only meant to protect him. However, he didn’t want to give Everard a reason to be wary of him by showing off that he had accepted the protection of the King of Sorvando.

Alexander looked at the vampire guards who were blocking his way and said, “How about this? I will appear alone in front of the gates. But, you all can follow me closely, while hiding away from his sight. And when I make sure that he isn’t a threat, you all can rest easy.”

One of the vampire guards instantly spoke, “But if he is a threat then we will take him under control and drag him all the way to Sorvando. We will let our King decide what to do with him.”

Alexander nervously laughed and said, “I sure hope it won’t come down to that. Let’s all be optimistic.”

After deciding on the formation using which they would protect the Crown Prince, the vampire guards finally let him step out of his relatively dark chamber.

Alexander was quick on his feet. He was eager to know if it was his old friend who was at the gate. And if it was, he was also eager to know why Everard decided to come to the castle at an earlier date when he had clearly mentioned the date, time, and place of their meeting.

At the gate, Everard was close to losing his patience when his eyes finally caught sight of his friend. “Alex!” he let out a soft whisper with happiness because he wasn’t even sure if Alexander would come to him in the first place. He was afraid that Alexander would deny meeting him and send him back.

Alexander also recognized Everard when he walked closer and closer to the gate. A part of him was happy to see Everard happily waving at him. And the other part of him was wary that Everard might be up to something bad.

Still, he suppressed that suspicion in his heart and waved back at Everard.

Everard was over the moon when he saw Alexander waving and smiling back at him. ‘Oh! Has he forgiven me after reading my apology letter? It doesn’t feel like we ever had a misunderstanding, to begin with.’

“Alex!” Everard shouted excitedly when Alexander was only a few steps away from him. “How have you been, my friend?”

Alexander smiled and replied while showing a hint of relief on his face, “I’ve been well.” He then gestured for the guards to open the gate for Everard.

And as soon as they opened the gate, Everard ran inside like a lost puppy who was reuniting with his master after days. He immediately hugged Alexander while laughing with extreme happiness.

Alexander also hugged Everard back without holding back. He also completely forgot about all the reservations that he had towards Everard after finding out about his nature.

For that brief moment, both of them felt as if they had been transported back to the time when they had no secrets and no enmity between them. Best friends. That’s what they were.

After a while, they both pulled away from the tight hug and looked at each other. Their eyes held regret and deep longing for each other. Both of their eyes were glistening with tears, their throats sore, and their lips holding a melancholic smile.

Alexander sniffled and then finally broke the silence, “Why do you look like you haven’t bathed for a month?”