As soon as Heinz left, Florian lingered in the room, his eyes locked on the door as though it might swing open again. The silence stretched thin, amplifying the pounding of his heart. Only when he was absolutely certain the king had gone did he step out, shoulders slumping under the weight of what had transpired.
Just as he expected, Lucius was waiting outside, leaning casually against the wall. His sharp gaze snapped to Florian the moment he emerged, but there was no mistaking the concern in his otherwise impassive face.
"Your Highness—"
Florian raised a hand, cutting him off before he could say another word. "I need some alone time," he said, his voice clipped and heavy with frustration. "Send a note to Lady Alexandria. Tell her His Majesty is fine. Or have Cashew or someone else deliver the message."
Lucius opened his mouth to argue, the furrow in his brow deepening, but Florian didn’t give him the chance. Without waiting for a reply, he turned sharply on his heel and walked away. His footsteps echoed down the corridor, each step an attempt to leave the suffocating tension behind.
His head throbbed, a dull ache that seemed to grow sharper with every passing second. He ran a hand through his hair, fingers tugging at the strands in a futile attempt to dispel the storm of thoughts swirling in his mind.
The cool air of the palace gardens greeted him as he stepped outside. Normally, the quiet rustle of leaves and the faint scent of blooming flowers might have brought him solace, but today, they only seemed to mock him. His eyes darted around, scanning the area for any sign of maids or servants.
Once he was certain he was alone, the composure he’d clung to so tightly shattered.
"Gods above!" Florian groaned, his voice breaking with pent-up frustration. He threw his hands in the air, pacing back and forth in erratic, uneven strides. "Fuck!"
He punched the air in front of him, his chest heaving as he muttered curses under his breath. Another groan tore from his throat, louder this time, followed by a string of expletives spat with venom.
He was mad. No, furious.
Mad at Heinz for orchestrating such a cruel and calculated test. Furious at the mental torment he had inflicted on Alexandria—making her believe he was dead just to teach her a lesson. And the worst part? This was only the beginning. The other princesses would endure the same heartless charade.
’I hate this. I hate this. I fucking hate this!’
Florian stopped pacing, his hands trembling as he buried his face in them. But beneath the fiery anger, something else lurked—a nagging ache he didn’t want to acknowledge.
He understood Heinz’s reasoning.
"Fuck. Fuck. Why do I even care?" Florian muttered, his voice hoarse and tinged with desperation. "They’re just princesses. Characters in a book. Why does this bother me so much?"
The words felt hollow, even as he spoke them. He dragged his hands down his face, his breathing uneven.
"I can’t take this anymore," he whispered, the raw honesty of the admission stinging in his chest. "This whole situation—it’s testing me. It’s like..." His voice broke, the words catching in his throat. "I can’t go through that again."
The unspoken hung heavy in the air, memories clawing at the edges of his mind. Memories he wasn’t ready to face. Memories he didn’t dare confront.
And yet, what frustrated him most was the uncertainty. Why was he so upset? No one else seemed affected. Not Lucius. Not the chefs, who had clearly been in on the plan. Even the palace staff had carried on as though everything was normal. But Florian? He couldn’t shake the burning frustration, the overwhelming sense of wrongness.
"Fuck. Fuck it all. Fuck, shit, fuck—"
’You have got to be kidding me.’
"Sir?" Lancelot repeated, raising an eyebrow. "When have you ever called me ’sir,’ Your Highness? This is new."
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