"That’s why we want you to return to the North as soon as possible, princess," said William dejectedly. "Besides, you are the only person who can ta that man. You are also his reason to get so rest from work. As a friend, I would naturally be worried if he is sick, right?"
Arielle nodded.
"Has His Majesty ever been sick before?" she asked.
William shook his head. The last ti the king was sick was many years ago.
"It’s been a very long ti. When Ronan was still a crown prince, and because of the traumatic incident of his past, he had had a fever for a week. After that, no matter how hard the work he did, Ronan never really got sick."
Traumatic incident? Was it a full moon night when he and his father were out of control and his father attacked his mother and sister?
It seed so.
"William, do you know what his sister’s na is?"
"Whose sister?" asked a confused William.
"The younger sister of His Majesty."
"Oh... her na is Irene. Princess Irene D Blackthorn."
"I see, what a beautiful na," said Arielle. "William, you’ve been through a lot with His Majesty, haven’t you?" asked Arielle with a smile.
William chuckled. "I can’t help it, he is one of my favorite people. Even sotis he can be so coldhearted and pretend that he didn’t like or Lazarus, he still cares about us," he replied.
Arielle could feel the sincerity William conveyed when the man expressed his concern.
William and Arielle beca quieter, listening to the story of a woman who did not accept her inheritance being taken by her cousin. William let out a long sigh that made Arielle frown.
"Why are you sighing, William?"
"This is the case that Ronan hates the most," William replied, watching Ronan not seem impressed by the crying woman in front of him.
"Why is that?"
"Ronan doesn’t like conflicts over property seizures, especially when it cos to noble families. They already have a lot of wealth and live well enough. To Ronan, a conflict like this was just a conflict of greediness. And usually after appointing a territory representative to investigate the case, and if it’s proven that one of the nobles gets caught in a conflict over property, that noble will be removed from the ranks of the Northendell monarchy."
Arielle looked at William with an amused expression.
"I’m getting jealous," Arielle replied so suddenly that William looked taken back.
"Jealous? What are you jealous of, Your Highness?"
Arielle turned her blushing face away. She stood up to join William on the railing.
"You know everything about him very well. I... just feel a little envious. You know about the last ti His Majesty was sick, you know about what cases His Majesty likes and dislikes. You can also help him with many things. I’m just a little jealous because I also hope that soday, I’ll be just as useful as others to His Majesty."
Arielle turned to William with a bright smile. "You did a great job. Thank you for being His Majesty’s friend all this ti."
William was fascinated by Arielle’s sincerity. He held his pounding heart. He knew that Princess Arielle had her own charisma. He did like her, but his heartbeat got him because he felt this was the first ti soone appreciated his work.
"Th-thank you, Princess," William replied, becoming awkward.
"I have heard stories about your first eting and about what has happened to your family. It was a difficult choice, so I really admire you," added Arielle, making William even more nervous. The man wasn’t used to receiving complints, so once he was praised he beca overwheld and didn’t know how to respond.
William laughed awkwardly while scratching his non-itchy temple. "Well, I like North... so it wouldn’t be wrong if I chose to stay, right?"
"Of course, but leaving your family isn’t easy either."
William’s face darkened a bit with the gloomy atmosphere surrounding him. "Ronan is my friend. I have seen a lot of things happen to that man. How his father treated him when he couldn’t return to his human form. How that man stayed away from social circles and chose to be alone ... or at his worst when his family had to die at the sa night, even when he just felt the joy of having a younger sister."
"I rembered very well how Lazarus and I cried when we saw Ronan’s body which was full of wounds from being tortured by the previous king. Luckily, there was Kael who had a calm deanor, so he took care of Ronan when we were both busy crying," William said with a laugh rembering their past.
"Since then the three of us promised to help him. No matter what happens we will trust Ronan. And when my family decided to leave this kingdom, at first I was quite disappointed because Ronan did not hesitate to break the ties of family. We are still a distant family. However, after knowing what my family wanted, I sided with Ronan."
"He is my friend... and I will not betray him."
Arielle looked at William in awe. "Looks like I have more to learn from you, William."
"Please do not. You are the future queen. We are different. Until the Northern snow lts, I can never warm that man. Only you can do it. So..."
"Hm?"
William held Arielle’s shoulder while looking down pleadingly. "Please take care of my best friend with great love, Your Highness. I trust you."
Arielle wrapped William’s hand on her shoulder. "Hm-hm. Thank you for your trust, William," replied Arielle.
William blushed and removed his hands from her shoulder.
"In the future, if Princess Arielle has any questions regarding anything, you can ask ," William replied without looking at Arielle.
"Once again, thank you. I will rember it," she answered wholeheartedly.
Ronan was really lucky to have a friend who had always been loyal and supported him since they were little. Ronan, William, Lazarus, and Kael must have had many mories that they would never be able to forget.
The relationship between the four was no longer an ordinary friendship. It was stronger than that. Maybe their relationship was closer and deeper than the one Arielle had with Tania.
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