After leaving the building, no one said anything for a while. You could tell the mood was tense. I was still trying to put together the things Ms. Levinseon said. In the real world, it’s very common for people to be afflicted with diseases of the mind. Hell, I’ve definitely experienced some trauma in my past life and I’ve been severely depressed before as well. But I didn’t really have the luxury of wasting away because life wasn’t going the way I wanted it to. There have been times where I thought of getting therapy because I knew damn well I needed it, but I always thought that therapy was something for people who had time and money to spend. Of course, I know that mental health is important because it can affect you emotionally and physically, but I never thought it could have synchronized severe affect, let alone that it could affect the body I’m currently in. Ms. Levinseon didn’t specify the root cause of the disease, maybe because she felt like it wasn’t her place or maybe she really didn’t know, but luckily it was curable. However, she mentioned that finding the cause could help the healing process go faster, and I could feel her staring at me while saying this. We made our way back outside, where the carriage was waiting for us. I couldn’t help but look back and stare at the building for a while longer. I could tell there was something important I was forgetting. Information that could help this weak body. Suddenly I could feel the piercing gaze of someone on my back and I turned around and found Donellan looking at me. I couldn’t really put together the look on his face, but I had a feeling it was that of worry which warmed my heart a little (just a little) so I couldn’t help but smile. 

“Don’t worry, father, I’m fine,” I said, trying to reassure him. I lifted my arms to let him know I was ready to enter the carriage. He picked me up in his arms and placed me gently on the seat. He sat himself down and with that, we made our way to the palace. 

We finally arrived at the palace and I honestly could not believe my eyes, even as we passed the gate and Donellan showed his pass as the guards opened the gate to the palace, I still couldn’t fathom the idea of us actually going in there. Of course, we’ve visited some old castle on field trips for our history class, but those castles really had nothing on the one that was currently facing me. The entire castle was made of white gold, yes you heard me currently, not gold but white gold, which was a kind of an unexpected discovery since most of the fantasy novels I’ve read in the past had gold castles. The novel describes what the castle looked like but not in great detail since everything was mostly written from Donellan Grey’s point of view and, of course, Donellan cared little for things that had no importance to him. The novel really didn’t give it the justice it deserved because the palace was magnificent and screamed rich and powerful, but not in a tacky and superficial kind of way. It had an air of class and elegance and pulled you in the more you stared at it. Even I couldn’t help but stare in awe (of course I kept it super cool so I wouldn’t look completely out of place) and after looking at it for a couple more seconds, I directed my attention to Donellan who had been staring at me the whole time. Even if Donellan looked cold ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, even I could tell the look on his face was that of amusement. Feeling a little embarrassed, I looked away from him and noticed there was another building connected to the palace but this one wasn’t as bright and luxurious. If you didn’t pay close attention, you would most likely miss it. The building also had its own charm, but it looked rather inconspicuous and unappealing, at least compared to the castle. But the more I looked at the building, the more curious I became. It was almost like I was in a trance, it was like there was something telling me to go to that building and as I was about to the take a step forward, I felt a hand on my shoulder and snapped out of the trance. There was clearly a look of confusion on my face, since I didn’t know what happened or what that feeling was. Donellan, who had been observing, noticed there was something wrong with me and his face darkened. He turned me so that I was facing him, crouched down and said: “Simuel, are you alright?” He asked sternly. 

That was the first time he had ever called me by my name the whole time I was here, possibly in all of Simuel’s life and I looked at him and could tell that he looked concerned, almost angry. And I don’t know why, but I instinctively reached out and touched his cheek. Before I could realize what I was doing, I told him: “I’m okay.” 

There was clearly a look of shock on Donellan’s face. I mean rightfully so. Even I was surprised by what I had done, but I knew that if I had done this to reassure him I was fine, he wouldn’t make me go back to the carriage and return immediately and I didn’t want that, obviously. The look of shock quickly turned into a look of confusion and because I didn’t want to waste anymore time here, I grabbed Donellan’s hand and guided him towards the palace and Donellan, not knowing that was going on, could only follow. 

Meanwhile Lenard, who was walking behind them along with Laetitia, couldn’t help but laugh to himself. This kid is interesting, he thought, with a glimmer in his eyes. Laetitia, who had noticed her brother’s mood change, couldn’t help but frown. 

Once we entered the palace, a guard who guided us in the palace greeted us. While holding Donellan’s hand, I looked around me, taking in everything I was seeing. The inside of the palace looked just as grand and elegant as the outside, and I couldn’t help but admire everything. The hall was filled with paintings and statues of various historical figures and previous Kings of Novellus. If we had the time, I would’ve loved to look at each statue, but since we were in a hurry and I could tell Donellan was getting impatient, I pushed my curiosity to the side and kept walking forward. I had a vague idea why Donellan needed to see the King, but I still wanted to ask him to be sure. I also wanted to use this to see whether Donellan would tell me what’s going on or decide to keep it to himself. Either way, I wasn’t losing anything by asking. 

“Father, what business do you have with the King?” I asked, having my most innocent ‘I know nothing since I’m just a kid, but I’m still curious,’ face on. 

Donellan, who was looking more annoyed the closer we got to the King’s quarters, looked down and answered my question. 

“We are discussing important things.” He said simply. I looked at him giving a ‘are you serious’ kind of look and he turned around as if he had seen nothing. So that’s how you want to play, I thought to myself. 

“What kind of important things?” I asked again, with a smile. 

This time he replied without even glancing my way. “Adult things.” 

I couldn’t mask the look of annoyance on my face. It was obvious with the answer he gave me he was dismissing me, as if saying don’t ask anymore questions. Knowing this, I could only puff out my cheeks and pout. This guy is treating me like a child even though I’m a 17-year-old boy who can handle serious conversations. 

During the whole exchange, Lenard was trying very hard to hold back his laughter while Laetitia, who usually had a look of indifference plastered on her face, looked at the child knowingly. 

This made Simuel even more annoyed. Everyone is treating me like a fool, he whispered to himself. The three others, including the guard who was walking next to the little boy, heard this and thought to themselves, “you are the one treating others like fools.” 

They arrived at the King’s quarters and Donellan looked down at his son and told him that no one besides himself was allowed in, so he suggested going to the library that was next to King’s quarters to pass time. Since this was the King’s palace and it was heavily guarded, Lenard and Laetitia stayed back to accompany the Earl while Simuel, accompanied by the previous guard, made their way to the library. He then told Simuel he would wait outside so if he needed him, he could give me a shout. Simuel made his way inside the library and couldn’t help but marvel at the sight in front of him. He knew that the Grey household had one of the largest libraries in the country, but it still didn’t compare to the one in the palace. It was the size of a public library in a big city, but slightly larger, and they filled the bookshelves to the brim with books. They neatly organized each section, making it easy to find what you are looking for. I made my way to the section of short stories and browsed through the selection available in this place. I was making my way deeper into the section, when I bumped into something. I looked down, thinking I would find a stack of books or some other hard object when I find myself face to face with a person. He was a little boy who looked like he could be around my age; he was wearing a white blouse with blue detailing, a matching blue bowtie that was adorned with a broach, along with black dress shorts. The blue on his blouse and bowtie compliment really well with his shoulder, length blue, almost black hair. He was an exquisite boy with an angelic face, but there was also a certain darkness to him which contrasted with his delicate features. I couldn’t help inching closer to him and admiring his face. If I hadn’t felt the warmth radiating from his body, I would’ve mistaken him for a doll. Or maybe the warmth from his body was just my imagination, and he really was a doll. I mean, he looked too unreal to be a human boy. 

As if sensing my presence, the boy’s eye opened and a pair of shiny azure blue eyes stared back at me. I was so startled that I fell back, landing on my butt. Still in a daze, I exclaimed: “Oh my God, it’s real!” After opening my mouth, I realized that what I said was extremely rude and was about to apologize when I heard a soft voice say: “It?” I looked up and could tell that my off-handed remark clearly offended the boy. I quickly apologized. “Sorry, what I said just now was really rude. I didn’t mean any offence.” The boy looked at me weirdly and I quickly realized why. I guess I unconsciously spoke a little too casually with him, forgetting that I was no longer a 17-year-old boy and couldn’t talk down to a kid, especially not to a kid who looked like he lived here. Since I’ve only been around adults, I knew to mind my manners, but got too comfortable in front of a child. Sigh, I should really think things through, I thought to myself. 

“Um.. who are you, if you don’t mind me asking?” I asked tentatively. 

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” He snapped back. Yikes, I thought to myself, I’m sensing some strong dislike from this boy and he isn’t trying to hide it either. The last thing I need is to make some enemies, and I really don’t want to deal with a moody little boy. I sighed out aloud, which annoyed the boy even more. 

“Look, I apologize if I offended you. I’m not looking for a fight. I only wanted to look at the books in here. If my presence bothers you, I can leave.” I said calmly. 

The boy was looking at me as if trying to analyze me and said nothing for a while. Being looked at like that bothered me and since he wasn’t saying anything, his silence made me even more uncomfortable. As I was about to turn around and leave, he finally spoke. “I don’t think you’re important enough for your presence to bother me. Do whatever you want.” He said with a condescending tone in his voice. 

Did this little boy just diss me?! Who does he think he is? You know what? Maybe it’s my fault for saying what I said, but I don’t think my comment deserves this much animosity, right? What is wrong with this guy? Since I had said nothing for a while, the boy took it as Simuel being offended by what he said and he thought Simuel was going to leave angrily, but contrary to his expectations, Simuel didn’t leave. In fact, he stood there and gave him a look of indifference. He finally said: “since you don’t have a problem with me being here, I’ll stay.” 

And with that, he took his book and made his way to the table. He sat there for about 20 minutes, just reading. The boy couldn’t help but stare at him in shock and disbelief. Whenever he talked to anyone, it always resulted in a fight or them being offended by the things he said. No one had actually brushed him off before and so the boy couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with Simuel. He was about to approach Simuel to tell him off again when a guard came into the library and spoke to Simuel. The guard was letting him know his father was done and was waiting for him outside. Simuel got up and made his way towards the direction he had just been. He passed by the moody boy and put the book back where he found it. The boy expected he would try to talk to him again, but Simuel didn’t even acknowledge his presence and brushed past him and exited the library. There was an unexplainable feeling and a sense of defeat wheeling up in the young boy’s heart. He looked out the window and the boy who brushed him off smiling at what looked to be his father holding his hand and making his way to the gate. Seeing this made him even angrier, but there was also a feeling of longing deep within his heart. 

“You will suffer for this humiliation, I swear it.” He declared to himself. 

“But wait, what is that jerk’s name? He was so rude and didn’t even bother saying his name.” He huffed angrily. “No matter, I’ll ask, father.” He said, while making his way out of the library in a hurry. 

While boarding the carriage, Simuel felt a slight shiver going up and down his spine.