"That boy, I swear," Josephine sighed as she continued to trim the rose bush. She looked over her shoulder, eyeing Celine and Elianna, who were sitting behind her on one of the benches in the garden. "Nicholas, is he okay?"

  Celine nodded, "He's fine." She smiled at Elianna, "Elle helped cheer him up."

  Elianna shrugged, "I was just there for him."

  Josephine smiled warmly, "Sometimes, that's all he needs."

  Elianna looked at Josephine, smiled, and nodded, "Freya said the same thing."

  Josephine looked back at the rose bush she was trimming, and let out a huff, "Honestly, though, to call Nicholas a murderer." She shook her head, "What a cruel thing to say." Josephine dropped some of the timmings into the basket beside her, "Nicholas has always felt horrible knowing how his mother died. But to have it thrown into his face by his own brother."

  Elianna looked at Josephine curiously, "Were the mages not able to help heal her?"

  Josephine's hands froze, and her expression turned distant. She lowered her hands and let out a sigh, "They tried everything they could." Josephine turned to face Elianna and Celine, her expression sorrowful. "It was a challenging birth. Nicholas was breached, meaning he was feet-first. Evelyn was hemorrhaging, and a difficult decision had to be made. Ultimately, the physician was able to remove Nicholas surgically, and the mages quickly tried to heal Evelyn." Josephine's eyes fell, "But Evelyn had lost too much blood, and her heart couldn't take it."

  Elianna covered her mouth, her eyes wide, "That's... That's horrible."

  Josephine nodded, "William was devastated, and shrank back into himself."

  "My mother said she stayed here for weeks, trying to comfort her brother," Celine said, looking down. "She said he was so lost after my aunt died."

  Josephine nodded, "That he was. Eadon had taken over his official duties while he recovered. I took it upon myself to take care of Nicholas and Tristan." Her lips curled, "The first time Nicholas opened his eyes, I saw Evelyn's, and from that moment on, I made an oath to her that I would watch over her son's." Her smile fell, "Or at least, I tried to."

  Elianna looked confused, "What do you mean?" She smiled, "Nicholas turned out great, in my opinion."

  Celine gave Elianna a side eye and smirked.

  Josephine looked at Elianna and smiled, "Yes, Nicholas turned into a fine young man." Her smile faded, and she sighed, "Tristan, though, is very different from his brother."

  Elianna's brows furrowed, and she shook her head, "I don't understand. Why are they so different?"

  Josephine looked up at the sky, "When I first started watching Nicholas and Tristan, Tristan was a kind young boy." She smiled, "In fact, it seemed like he, too, was going to grow up to be a fine young man." She looked down as a troubled expression crossed her face, "Then, a year later, he stopped spending as much time with me as he began his tutoring. Over time, I saw changes in Tristan as he became more entitled and even acted colder toward Nicholas."

  "What brought on these changes?" Elianna asked.

  Josephine shook her head, "I haven't the faintest idea." She let out a sigh, "Sometimes, I wonder if I had been more assertive with him, he would act differently than he does now."

  Celine smiled at Josephine, "You can't blame yourself, you did all you could."

  Josephine looked at Celine and returned her smile, "Thank you, dear."

  The sound of the gate opening caught the three's attention, and they all looked toward the front gate. Several jail wagons rode down the path toward the palace, with guards riding beside them. Behind them, a stream of people, whose attire ranged from elegant noble attire to common shirts and pants, began to walk in, heading toward the palace. The palace doors opened, and a group of guards began to walk out, taking sentry positions around the area.

  Elianna's brows rose at the number of people. "What's going on?"

  "Looks like court is about to start," Josephine said, looking at the procession of people.

  Elianna raised a brow, "Court? I remember Nicholas' father mentioned something about it, but what is it?"

  Celine looked at Elianna, "It's where criminals are brought to the king to face punishment for their crimes. Also, during this, people can also bring forth their concerns and issues with the king, hoping he can solve them."

  Elianna looked at Celine curiously, "What kind of issues?"

  Celine shrugged, "Neighbor problems, disagreements about prices for service, you know, civil issues." Celine chuckled, "My mother would always say it was her father's least favorite thing to do."

  Josephine smiled, "William isn't exactly a fan of it either."

  "I'm sure Nicholas isn't going to love it either, then," Elianna said.

  Josephine tossed her sheers into the basket, "Oh, definitely not." She picked up the basket, "I have a few more rose bushes to trim. Will you go with me, or head back to the palace?"

  Celine and Elianna shared a gaze before smiling and nodding. Celine looked at Josephine as they both stood up, "We'll go with you."

  "We don't mind helping, either," Elianna said.

  Josephine smiled, "Splendid, then let's go."

  ***

  Walking down the opulent hall, Nicholas pulled at the collar around his neck, as it was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

  Tristan, who was walking beside Nicholas, gave his brother a side-eye before looking ahead. "Maybe if you dressed according to your position more often, you'd be used to wearing such attire."

  Nicholas shook his head, "Maybe I like to feel comfortable. Plus, it doesn't matter how I dress."

  "Appearance is the first thing people notice," Tristan scoffed. He chuckled humourlessly, "Then again, you left to be some great mage. So, who cares what you look like, since you won't accomplish anything."

  Nicholas rolled his eyes and looked away from Tristan.

  Tristan eyed his brother before he looked forward and grinned, "Though, I will say you do keep good company. That elven friend of yours is quite easy on the eyes."

  Nicholas' body went rigid, and he slowly turned his head to look at Tristan.

  Tristan smirked as he looked straight ahead, "Maybe I'll try to better introduce myself to her later." He gave Nicholas a side eye, "Who knows, she might even prefer my company more than yours."

  Nicholas gritted his teeth, stopped, and faced Tristan, "I think you need to shut your mouth."

  Tristan stopped, whirled Nicholas, and stepped up to him, "Oh? Feeling ballsy, are we?

  "Enough!"

  Tristan and Nicholas' heads snapped to the side, eyeing their father, who had stopped walking.

  William faced away from his sons as he let out a long sigh. He turned around and eyed both of them with a stern gaze, "We are going to court, where the citizens of Zasaly will be in attendance." His eyes flicked between his sons, "Both of you will be on your best behavior and will not argue."

  Nicholas stepped back from Tristan, faced William, and nodded, "Yes, Father."

  Tristan waved his hand dismissively, "As you wish."

  William eyed his sons for a moment before he turned and continued down the hall. They walked to one of the tower doors and entered, then descended to the first floor. Once on the first floor, they walked down the hall to one of the doors, where four guards were standing.

  The guards snapped to attention as William approached and bowed, "Your Majesty."

  William nodded back, "Open the door."

  The guard closest to the door nodded and opened it, revealing a long passageway illuminated by lumous stones. William began to head down the hall, with his sons and their guards following.

  "When we enter the throne room, stand straight, and keep your chin high," William stated.

  "Yeah," Tristan began, and looked at Nicholas. "Nicky."

  Nicholas narrowed his eyes on Tristan.

  William looked over his shoulder, "I was speaking to you, too, boy."

  Tristan eyed his father before grumbling and looking forward.

  William looked straight ahead, "Everyone should already be gathered. The council members should also be in place, prepared to give advice when needed."

  Nicholas looked at William curiously, "Is that why they left ahead of us?"

  Tristan rolled his eyes, "Obviously."

  William nodded, "Yes. Gaelin and Helena are always present because they're a deterrent, preventing anything from happening. They, as well as Francis, Tysandra, and Eadon, will advise if need be. Eadon should also have a list of all the requests for today."

  Nicholas nodded and looked forward, seeing the door they were approaching. His heart began to race with nervousness, but he forced his face to relax, not wanting to show it.

  Two guards stood in front of the door, who bowed and greeted William. William gave them the order to open the door, and they did.

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  As soon as the door opened, Nicholas could hear a plethora of voices coming from inside. William walked through the door first, followed by Tristan, and Nicholas walked through last. As Nicholas entered the room, he quickly scanned his surroundings.

  Nicholas observed they had entered the back of the throne room through the rear entrance. They stepped onto the dias, where a large chair made of beautiful red wood sat, with two smaller, similar chairs on either side. The throne room itself was vast, stretching far and wide. It was made out of dark gray brick, with gray stone columns on either side of the room. Hanging from the ceiling were golden chandeliers with lumous stones that illuminated the area. People were crowded on both sides of the room, past the columns, leaving the center empty.

  On the dias' steps were the council members, with Tysandra, Gaelin, and Eadon on the right, if you're looking at it. On the left were Helena and Francis. At the bottom of the dias was another older gentleman, tall with black, graying hair and a beard, dressed in a black robe. He held a silver staff in his hand, and his eyes were locked on William, Tristan, and Nicholas as they approached the front of the dias.

  The man with the silver staff turned around and slammed it against the floor, creating a large thunderous sound that silenced the room in an instant. Nicholas's brows raised, wondering if it was a magic item with a sound-creating enchantment.

  The man with the staff spoke loudly, his voice echoing across the room, "Announcing the arrival of His Majesty, King William of House Rinehart, king of Gavaria, accompanied by their Highnesses, Prince Tristan, and Prince Nicholas."

  The vast ocean of people fell to their knees and bowed their heads, while the council members simply turned and bowed.

  Nicholas swallowed hard with nervousness as he walked around the dias, following his father and brother. Tristan stood in front of the chair on William's right, while Nicholas stood on the left and remained standing. He reminded himself to keep his back straight and chin high.

  William stood poised before his throne and gestured with his hand. "You may rise."

  There was a chorus of shuffling as everyone got to their feet.

  Nicholas watched his father out of the corner of his eye, and as soon as he took his seat, Nicholas followed. Out of his periphery, he could see Tristan had taken his seat as well. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Nicholas kept his back straight and chin high, as his eyes scanned the crowd. He saw a variety of people from different social circles. He even caught a few of them whispering and pointing at him, including one group of young ladies who seemed to be giggling.

  "I hereby call this court to order," William began, and looked at Eadon. "What do we have on the list today?"

  Eadon looked at the parchment he was holding, "Two criminal cases, and eleven civil infractions to be heard, Your Majesty."

  William hummed, "Not bad." He looked forward and announced loudly, "Per usual, we shall begin with the criminal cases first. Bring forth the first accused."

  Nicholas looked to the side as there was a rattling of chains. His eyes fell on a young man who looked pale and thin. He wore simple, dirty rags, with his wrists and ankles cuffed, that were connected with chains. Four guards were escorting the man, surrounding him on all sides.

  Tristan scoffed, "I can smell him from here."

  William shot Tristan a side glare, "Enough." William looked forward as the man and the guards came to a halt at the end of the dias. "What are the charges?"

  One of the guards stepped forward and bowed, "Your Majesty, the prisoner, Delix Sebran, is under arrest and charged with theft. He was apprehended while in the process of stealing food from a street vendor."

  William nodded and looked at Delix, "Is this true?"

  Delix looked down with a defeated expression, "Yes, Your Majesty."

  William hummed, "I see. Tristan, Nicholas, what do you think?"

  Nicholas' gaze shot to his father, his eyes wide.

  Tristan sighed, placed his elbow on the armchair, and rested his chin in his hand, "He's a thief, and admitted to such. He should be tossed into the stockade to show that all crimes must be punished, no matter how small."

  William nodded, then looked at Nicholas.

  Nicholas eyed his father, seeing his expectant gaze. His eyes flicked forward as he realized all eyes were now on him, which made him nervous. He adjusted in his seat, and his gaze flicked to the prisoner. As he eyed Delix, he felt a pang of sympathy for him, seeing his sorry state.

  Nicholas shook his head, "Why did you do it?"

  Delix looked up slightly, his brows furrowed, "Your Highness?"

  "Why did you steal the food?"

  Tristan rolled his eyes, "Who cares. A crime is a crime."

  Nicholas narrowed his eyes on Tristan, "I just want to know."

  William eyed Nicholas curiously before looking at Delix. "Answer."

  Delix's eyes fell, "F-For my family, Your Highness. I was a simple shop owner, but it was burned to the ground. Since then, money has been tight."

  Tristan raised a brow, "So you resorted to stealing from others?"

  Delix closed his eyes, "I was only looking out for my family, Your Highness."

  Nicholas eyed Delix for a moment before looking at his father, "Isn't there a way to, I don't know, get him some help? He didn't have bad intentions."

  Tristan scoffed, "A crime is still a crime."

  William looked at Nicholas, then at Tristan, before looking forward. He spoke loudly to Delix, "Both my sons make a fair point. While you didn't have nefarious intentions and were looking out for your family, a crime is still a crime." He hummed, tapping his finger on the armrest, "Which is why I now give my verdict. I declare your time has been served."

  Delix's head shot up, eyes wide, "Meaning, no more prison time, Your Majesty?"

  William nodded, "Correct. And, we will see about getting you some financial assistance."

  Tristan raised a brow, then shrugged.

  Delix looked at Nicholas and bowed, "Thank you, Your Highness."

  Tristan's eyes narrowed.

  Nicholas' brows raised, "Y-You're welcome."

  William waved a hand, "Next."

  Delix turned, and he and the guards walked away.

  As the next prisoner was being escorted forward, William said, "A crime is a crime, yes. But know when to be lenient, and when to be stern."

  Nicholas nodded, "Yes, Father."

  Tristan sighed, "Still think he needed to be taught a lesson."

  Nicholas looked at the next prisoner, seeing that they were a stocky man with a stern expression and long blond hair. The man walked to the edge of the dias and held his head high.

  William narrowed his eyes on the man before looking at the guard, "Charges?"

  The guards bowed, "Murder, Your Majesty." There was a plethora of gasps from the crowd. "The prisoner, Zenner Yangly, murdered his wife and her lover after finding them in bed together."

  Nicholas eyed Zenner with distaste.

  William looked at Zenner, his expression cold, "Is this true?"

  Zenner shrugged.

  William narrowed his eyes, "You will speak."

  Zenner scoffed and spat on the floor, "Fuck you."

  One of the guards kicked Zenner in the back of his leg. Zenner grunted and fell to his knees.

  "There is no need for that," William said sternly. "His silence to contest these charges is an admission of guilt." He looked between Tristan and Nicholas, "What do you think?"

  Tristan smirked, "The punishment should fit the crime. Execute him." He shot a glance at Nicholas, "Unless you want to ask him why, first."

  Nicholas shot Tristan a glare before looking at the man. He sighed, seeing the man's hateful expression, "No. I agree, per the laws of Gavaria."

  William nodded, then looked forward, "Then it shall be. Zenner Yangly, you are sentenced to spend three years in prison. Afterward, you shall be put to death by decapitation." He waved his hand, "Dismissed."

  "Go fuck yourself!!" Zenner yelled as the guards grabbed him and dragged him away. "That whore fucking deserved it! I'd do it again."

  Nicholas shook his head in disgust, watching as the guards dragged Zenner out of the room.

  "Sometimes," William began, his gaze landing on Nicholas. "Leniency isn't an option."

  Nicholas looked down and nodded, "Yes, Father."

  ***

  Elianna smiled as she sniffed the roses, "These smell good."

  Josephine smiled and nodded as she trimmed the rose bush, "I love the smell of roses." She hummed and looked to the side, "Lilacs also smell good."

  Celine looked at Elianna curiously, "What's your favorite flower again, Elle?"

  Elianna smiled, "Orchids."

  "Oh, yes," Josephone nodded. "Those are beautiful."

  Elianna smiled as she trimmed the rose bush a little, but she looked up at the sound of voices. Her eyes fell on a group of three young women who were walking together through the garden. They were elegantly dressed in different-colored dresses, each holding an umbrella.

  The girl in the front was pretty with brown hair and green eyes, and was wearing a yellow dress. She was looking back and forth between the flowers, "Too bad Prince Tristan is busy, I would've loved to meet him. But I'm loving this garden, so it's not an entire loss. These flowers are all quite beautiful. I can definitely get used to walking around here."

  The girl beside her, a purple-haired girl in a blue dress, grinned, "You'll definitely have the chance."

  "I'd love to take some of these home," a black-haired girl in a green dress said.

  Elianna raised a brow and looked at Josephine, "Who are they?"

  Celine looked at Elianna, then at the girls.

  Josephine looked at the girls and hummed, "I'm not exactly sure."

  Elianna looked back at the three girls, seeing the purple-haired girl point in Elianna's, Celine's, and Josephine's direction.

  "Oh, perfect," the brown-haired girl said, and looked directly at Elianna. "You! Elf girl! Cut some flowers for us. We'd like to take them home."

  Elianna raised a brow as they walked over to her. "Excuse me?"

  The brown-haired girl blinked, "I said, cut some flowers for us."

  The black-haired girl snickered, "Honestly, making Tiffany repeat herself. Who does this elf girl think she is?"

  Josephine's brows raised, "Ah, you're Tiffany Carsender."

  The purple-haired girl smirked and nodded, "Yep, Prince Tristan's fiancée."

  The black-haired girl looked at Tiffany and grinned, "Our future queen."

  Tiffany chuckled and looked between the girls, "And, one of you could be my sister in law, if you play your cards right with Prince Nicholas."

  Elianna's brows raised, "Play your cards right?" The three girls looked at Elianna. Elianna scoffed, "Who exactly do you think you are talking about, Nick, like he's a prize to grab?"

  The purple-haired girl narrowed her eyes, "And who exactly do you think you are?"

  The black-haired girl scoffed, "Especially to speak of the prince so casually."

  Elianna tilted her head slightly, "You don't need to worry about who I am."

  Tiffany narrowed her eyes, "Wow, I didn't know the palace staff could be so rude." Her head tilted slightly. "Maybe if you apologize to Deidra—" she pointed to the black-haired girl— "and Nira—" she pointed to the purple-haired girl— "I'll let you keep your job."

  Nira and Deidra smirked.

  Elianna narrowed her eyes.

  "Okay," Josephine said kindly. "There is no need for such threats."

  Deidra looked at Josephine, "Stay out of this, old lady."

  "Okay, that's it," Celine said firmly, then walked over. "You three need to leave."

  Nira scoffed, "And who are you?"

  Celine smirked, "I'm Celine Argyle, Princess of Gavaria, niece of King William, and cousin to Prince Nicholas."

  The three girls went suddenly pale.

  Celine tilted her head slightly, "Actually, I think you owe Josephine and Elle an apology before you leave."

  "Elle?" Tiffany said, and her eyes flicked to Elianna. She looked Elianna up and down, seeing she wasn't wearing gardening apparel. "Wait, are you Elianna?"

  Elianna looked surprised, "How did you know that?"

  "Wait, what?" Nira said, and paled. "She's the one accompanying Prince Nicholas?"

  Elianna felt confused.

  Deidra's jaw tightened. "We should go."

  "Apology first," Celine stated firmly.

  Tiffany's, Deidra's, and Nira's jaws clenched. "Sorry," They all said simultaneously.

  "Let's go," Tiffany said, then turned to walk away.

  Nira and Deidra eyed Elianna for a moment before turning and following Tiffany.

  Elianna looked at Celine curiously, "How did they know who I am?"

  Celine shrugged, "My mom said that Uncle William announced that Nick would be at the engagement party." She smiled at Elianna, "And that you would be accompanying him."

  Elianna blinked with surprise, as her cheeks reddened, "O-Oh. That must be why he wanted me to have a matching dress as well."

  Celine smiled and nodded, "Yep." She let out a chuckle, "Not even at the party yet, and you're already making girls jealous."

  Elianna looked to the side, her blush deepening, "L-Let's finish these rose bushes."

  Celine and Josephine chuckled and nodded before continuing their trimming.

  ***

  Nicholas rubbed his temples and looked at the clock in his father's office, seeing that it was already getting late. He was already tired from the council meeting and the court, and just wanted to leave. He looked down, wondering what Celine and Elianna were doing at this hour.

  Tristan was sitting beside him, tapping his pen repeatedly on the desk, looking annoyed.

  Sitting behind the desk, William sighed, "Tristan, that pen tapping is annoying."

  Tristan sat back into his seat, "Are we almost done? This is boring."

  William gestured to the pile of papers on his desk, "We still have some things to go through."

  Tristan grumbled, "Seriously. Fine." He looked at his paper, signed it, and placed it into the completed pile.

  William eyed the paper with a raised brow before he grabbed it and read it over. He let out a sigh, "Tristan, you didn't read this over, did you?"

  Tristan shrugged, "It just needed a signature."

  William shook his head, "No. This is a request that needs either approval or disapproval. You just signed it." He sighed, waving his hand dismissively. "You know what, I can handle the rest."

  "Good," Tristan said, and shot up from his seat. He stretched his arms, "I have better things to do."

  Nicholas watched Tristan walk to the door and leave the room. Once he was gone, Nicholas looked back at his father, who was staring at the paper, looking frustrated. Nicholas, too, wanted to leave to spend time with Elianna and see how her day was. But there was something about his father's expression that kept him there.

  William's eyes flicked to Nicholas, watching as he grabbed Tristan's unfinished pile and added it to his own. He eyed Nicholas for a moment before his lips curled, and he looked at the paper before him. The two of them fell silent, with the only sound being the scibbling of their pens, as they worked on the paperwork together.