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Chills ran down my spine when I imagined Klydeur using me and the Empress as chess pieces for him to become Emperor. Eldest seems to notice my worry, and so she pat my shoulder which made me snap out of those thoughts.

"Relax. I told you before, didn't I?"

I blinked, staring at her golden orbs, which didn't blind me but instead, comforted me for a bit.

"You have the ability and the chance to change. Whether you are Clydeur or Reillouisse, it really doesn't matter."

It's the same words like the other world Eldest told me back then. Different sentence structure yet same intent.

My silver orbs glistened, still staring at her golden orbs. "Your name doesn't define who you are." She continued. This feels the same to the vibes of having a talkshow and getting a handful advice.

"If you're Reillouisse before, then you're Clydeur now. Still the same person. The body doesn't matter, the soul does. Okay?"

Those were the words I didn't know I wanted to hear so badly. I smiled contentedly. All my insecurities about my identity finally vanished, but I'm not yet fully over it. Still, it helped out a lot.

I gave her a close-eyed smile. "Thank you."

When I opened my eyes, she remained looking at me as if she's awestruck with something, but soon she regained her composure. "Sure."

"I know I kept on asking about this, but still, what about the book?" Honestly speaking, I really wanted to read it. I don't think I can sleep easy at night if I recall the fact I had the truth in my palm but then it slip right away.

If anything, I could ask her to just tell me its contents. But I am far guilty that I feel like I'm burdening her with my clumsiness.

Eldest looked back to me with her eyes narrowed. "We can't do anything about it. Unless you take the risk of dissappearing from this world and let rumors circulate about you again, then you can go to the other world and retrieve the book." She nonchalantly replied.

I scratched the back of my head. "Well, I do want to, but maybe I can tell everyone in advance that I'm going somewhere important?"

"And why are you so eager to get it back?" She fired back, crossing her arms. "I can just get it back when I feet like it. So don't wor—"

"But what if the other Eldest actually have it?" The possibility of my question is what makes me nervous as well. If the other world deity finds out, what will she do?

Spread the truth in our world?

Abduct me?

Threaten me?

Gah! Even thinking about these negatives thoughts made me recoil from my seat. The other world deity must be kind enough to know privacy, right? Right?

It seems what I said made Eldest change her mind as she remained dead silent, making me silent as well. Blinking her eyes as if to stop the tears of stress from rolling down, she forced a smile with an irk mark popping on her forehead.

"You know what? I'll go get it now."

"Er...I didn't mean to force you now!" I scrambled with my words, in a panic, since Eldest looks like she's about to enter a World War III or something. Wait, did the World War I and II even exist here?

She stood up, waving a hand to dismiss my worries. "I believe it would be best to go now. Besides," snapping her fingers, I eyed the glowing gold light surrounding her. "I said I'd go if I feel like it."

"And I do now."

With a blink of an eye, the deity was gone in sight. There had me left alone in my room, full of thoughts, worries, and confusion. Sighing, I decided not to overthink.

Did she really just snapped her fingers and then she's off to the world I just got to? Or is she going to look for Ashley first before forcing the Florida princess to tell her everything about it? Meh, she's a deity alright, she probably doesn't need Ashley.

Now that I just got back, I feel like I'm not entirely home yet. Or is it because I'm feeling uneasy? I do feel like this sometimes when I had to go to work but then the boss told me it's my day off.

Probably because I'm a workaholic or I got used to being outside, I forgot what it feels to be a couch potato.

Standing up from the couch, I decided to sleep for the day. Pulling out my shoes, I hopped into the soft mattress of my king sized bed. The texture of the bedsheet is soft and fluffy, yet silky and elegant. As expected, having a gold spoon is the best!

But with a twisted gold spoon? Nope. Not really.

If you don't know what I meant, I just said having a twisted (complicated) gold spoon (rich life) is not really the best. But I'm sure I can manage. I already got this far, there is no turning back.

Even with my limited knowledge of what the original Clydeur did in his life, or whatever experiences and events that happened to him, his death alone is already enough to make me desperate to survive.

A complicated imperial family tree, twisted relationships, manipulation and deceptions. I never get a break since I turned 10, huh?

Closing my eyes, I put an arm up to cover my closed eyes. I forgot to close off the curtains, so the afternoon sun is still shining inside my room, almost blinding me. But I'm too comfortable lying on the bed that I don't want to stand up and close it.

In the end, I kept myself relaxed and tried to forget other problems I have.

Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts—

A knock from the door interrupted my happy thoughts. I sat up straight, massaging my jaw since I had enough smiling for the day. As soon as my jaw relaxed, I prepared my polite smile.

"Come in."

The door opened, and there revealed someone I did not expect to visit. I stood up properly upon seeing him. He bowed down to me with a proper greeting. "I greet the crown prince, future sun of the empire. May time make haste to the Vermillion Empire."

"Archduke." I acknowledged his sincere greetings, maintaining my small and polite smile. "You may enter. Is there anything you wish to talk about? Were the rumors about my exaggerated death dealt with?"

"Yes. Rest assured, the rumors have been corrected, and no one shall dare gossip about it again."

I sighed in relief. Atleast one burden dissapeared in my load. "Thank you, Archduke Shaman."

"Much obliged!"

I thought that was the end of it. But no. As he fully entered my room and closed the door, he dusted off his coat slightly before flashing me his signature grin. His green orbs lit up like emeralds, with his blonde hair a mess yet still looked decent to have him described as handsome.

"I have good news for the crown prince!" He chirped, and I can't say for sure whether I saw light radiating from him or I'm just hallucinating. I internally slapped myself back to reality.

Good news, huh? Well then. Finally! Some great good news! "What is it?"

Archduke Shaman seemed to pull out something from his vest, then afterwards, I saw a bunch of flowers in his hand. It was styled as a small bouquet. I squinted my eyes at the sight of a suspicious yet familiar bunch of lilacs.

The goods news...is this it?

Since I don't want to be rude and question what does a bouquet of flower have to do with some good news, I decided to ask something else. "Oh, uh, wow. That's...for whom?"

He beamed, oblivious of my visible confusion, or just simply ignorant. "These are lilacs, your highness!" His response seem to overlap my question, but then he replied again. "And these could be for you, my prince."

Could be?

Does that mean he originally thought of giving it to someone else but gave it to me instead? He must have gotten rejected, or straight up changed his mind and chose to give it to me.

I hesitantly accepted the bunch of lilacs he held out for me. It feels weird, since nobody gives me flowers that much. I mean, I'm a prince. Do you expect me to go crazy for some flowers?

But I won't lie, lilacs may seem simple, but they have a touch of elegance today in my keen eyes. Is there magic involved to make them look extra fresh and appealing to the eye?

Staring suspiciously at the Archduke, he shrugged with a small chuckle. "They are freshly picked, your highness. No magic involved, I swear on my honor."

"Ofcourse, I trust the Archduke." I replied, feeling a bit surprised since he swore on his honor. That should mean he really meant it, or his honor really isn't that much and he's lying. I'd like to think it was the latter.

"I'll be putting these in a vase."

Since I have no idea where are my maids, I took the matter into my own hands. Fortunately, I saw an empty vase. I went to the bathroom and put water on it first, before carefully placing the lilacs in it.

The Archduke seems pleased upon seeing it placed on the table. "It's really beautiful, isn't it? I hope it stays like that forever."

I blinked my eyes upon hearing his words, before looking up at him. For a moment, he looked quite solemn. Even with that smile plastered on his face, his eyes tells me otherwise. Were these flowers for someone dead?

Or...what if it was that?

That line is oddly alike to what I saw before. Since this world also had a lot of idioms different to my own, his line reminded me of what I read before in a certain book.

'It's pretty. I hope it lasts.'

To compliment a bouquet of flowers, means to long for someone whom they have an unrequited love for. And hoping for it to last or stay forever, means they hope that atleast, their feelings won't fade nor change.

But in that idiom, it never included giving the flowers to another person. If anything, they'll give it to the person they like, so they can either confess or accept the fact of getting rejected.

I sealed my lips awkwardly, just nodding along his compliment with a hidden agenda. I shouldn't judge him easily, maybe I skipped some parts regarding that specific idiom and it has a different meaning if given to a child.

What kind of love life did the Archduke have anyway? I feel bad for this man. Could that woman he loved already dead? It can't be, since he should have given it on her grave.

Then, is it me?

I shuddered. Maybe no. He already said could be for me, so it means he really might have feared rejection from the person he originally wanted to give the flowers to, and decided to give it to a kid like me.

But of all kids and people around, there is Klydeur as well, why did he give these to me—

Oh.

"It seems I have intruded into your resting time for too long." The blonde man smiled as he bowed down to me once again. "Thank you for accepting my presence, your highness. May time make haste to the Vermillion Empire."

"Ack, wait—" but before I can even stop him, he already turned his back on me and left the room. I was left alone, yet again. But this time, I suddenly had a cold realization.

If the idiom about his words that I remembered is true, then the action of him giving these flowers to me is a clue who that person he likes.

At first, I thought he just wanted to give it to me normally and ramble about his heartbroken love life in a disguised way.

But now I know better.

Even if this part is not included and somewhat different in that idiom I know of, my common sense was enough for me to understand his intent. If he left these flowers to me, a child, instead of that person whom he have an unrequited love to, then...

The Archduke is hoping...to finally let go of the Empress.

Since children are viewed as the , and elderly as the it could be given to any kids, but if he gave me these flowers and told me the idiom of his miserable love life, then this means he liked the wise Empress, my tyrant mama!

Did he intentionally do it for me to notice? Or did I just guess it wrong? It can't be, that's the idiom I know of for sure! Besides, he looked really sad when he was complimenting the flowers. No one could be that sad when praising a beauty, right?

In other circumstances, it could be.

But is this really enough for him to let go? Was he not qualified to be one of the Empress' consorts before? Or is it because of our father, a man whose name I don't even know except being a replica of Klydeur?

I stared at the lilacs in the vase as I sat on the couch. Lilacs....that was the flower I saw in the Empress' palace garden. That must be why it looked so familiar, fresh and elegant. So it is all true then.

Did he try to give it to her but failed getting an audience to visit her, so he visited me instead?

Haaaa, now another person's love life became one of my problems as well.

Dang it.

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