It was early morning when we arrived back at the palace; the royal ball had ended and everything was silent. We were instantly greeted by King Lucien and Queen Elbereth as soon as we walked through the gates of the palace.
I sucked in a big swallow. I was scared about what would happen to me, but I was much more concerned about what would happen to Prince Augustus.
"You!" King Lucien made a gesture towards Prince Augustus. "Do you have any idea what you did? Everything I had planned was wrecked because of you. I expected you to behave, yet you're acting like a rebel once again. Augustus, this thing was intended for you."
"The purpose of this is to help you, not me. Nobody asked you to hold a ball for me; I didn't even want you to do it." Prince Augustus expressed himself.
I was dismayed when Queen Elbereth slapped him twice in the face. "We embrace you as a member of my family, ensure your prosperity, and prefer to have you next to the throne even though you are Lucien's bastard." Queen Elbereth said in a firm voice. "
"I didn't ask for everything from you." When Prince Augustus responded, he looked the queen in the eyes without a sign of fear in his eyes.
Queen Elbereth snorted, her eyebrows raised in mockery. "Take a look at the youngster you've raised. Disgraceful behavior is not acceptable for someone who is meant to be the King."
"Because he ought to be the heir," King Lucien said.
"Why not Emmanuel, after all? He's your biological son!" Queen Elbereth spoke out loudly in response.
"This isn't the problem, Elbereth." King Lucien said.
"Of course, you may do anything you want. After all, you're the King, not I. I will no longer engage in conversation with the family since my thoughts are of no benefit." Before she eventually walked away from us, Queen Elbereth remarked.
"You can't get away from this, Cynfael. Everyone, even the late Queen Victoria, has chosen you to be the future king. Now show them that you are deserving of the position."
"Why can't you see what I'm saying? Nobody wants to be you, not even myself." The monarch was resistant to his attempts to persuade the prince, and no matter how many times he stated his disinterest in listening, he was unable to persuade him. Not sure if the monarch didn't fully comprehend or whether he just refused to pay attention to Prince Augustus's words and arguments.
"Why? What do you want, then?" King Lucien inquired, as though he had reached the end of his tolerance with the prince."
"For over 10 years., I've been asking for my mother's return." Prince Augustus responded by walking away, just as the Queen had done.
"I apologize, King Lucien." I bowed my head and then proceeded to follow Prince Augustus.
As I was climbing the stairs, I thought about what Prince had said earlier. "There is nobody who can understand me." His heart felt ice-cold at the thought that no one could understand him. I'm here. I get him.
"Gemma!" The sound of a person's voice rang out from behind me.
An unmistakably sweet voice jolted me back to reality. I bent my head in respect. "Princess Ameerah, do you need anything at this time?" I inquired as I got closer to her.
"Do you have a minute? I'd want to speak with you about anything," she said.
"Yes, of course."
"I don't think this is the best place to have a conversation," I said. "Can we go to my room?"
My steps were taken in her footsteps. We walked inside the room, and she checked outside the door to make sure no one was listening in on our chat before locking the door.
Shockingly, she came up to me and embraced me. "I know it's kinda weird, but I just wanted to express my gratitude for taking Augustus away from here last night." She let go of my arm. "Augustus may have been our father's betrayal, or we're not as close as the other siblings, but I still don't want him to be locked in this life. The pain he went through as a child is enough. I want him to be happy. And it is only by reuniting with his mother that he can bring back the happiness he has lost."
Prince Augustus was completely wrong, and she had me, Prince Emmanuel, and Princess Ameerah. We're all on his side. I'm not in their shoes, yet I'm still hurting for them. The love and concern they both have for Prince Augustus are beyond; I hope the prince knows it so that he may claim that at least a few members of his family were fond of him.
"I'd want to give you something," Prince Ameerah said, pulling a tiny box from her wardrobe and handing it to me. "Give it to Augustus."
I opened the box that had a brooch inside.
"After years of hoarding it, I finally got the opportunity to give it to him." She let out a long, heavy sigh. "Before leaving the palace, his mother gave me this box. He was just 9 years old that day, so I don't think it's the right time yet. Augustus will be able to track down his mother now that he has something to cling to."
"If you're the one who delivers this to Prince Augustus, he'll be delighted," I suggested.
"I'm going back to Norway tomorrow, I'm not sure if I'll be able to come back, so I want you to give it to him since you're constantly with him and you're certainly the only one he appears to trust," she said.
"But, what about...."
"Gemma, this isn't a command rather, this is an informal request for assistance." She took my hand in hers. "At this point, can I trust you?" 
I nodded, but it was a sluggish nod. "I'm going to save it for the sake of the prince."
"Thank you very much." She had a grin on her face.
Following our conversation, I headed to my room. I sat on the bed and opened the box at the same time as the loud sound of the trumpet, which is why I let go of the box and it dropped to the floor. When I reached for it, I saw that it had a piece of paper attached to the bottom. I took it gently.
I love you, Damiera, with all of my heart.
"Damiera?" I wondered aloud to myself. Is it possible that this is the name of his mother?