Summary: Leo copes with Constantine’s death by following a family tradition and decides to break the circle of his own bad habits.
The funeral for King Father was a long ceremony registered by the international press. During another assassination attempt at one of the most important events at Unity Tour, Constantine saved Liam, his son and his monarch and got himself killed in the process. He died not only as a father protecting his son but a national hero. The world couldn’t get enough of this tragic news and its consequences. The Royal Family, on the other hand, couldn’t wait for those seven days of mourning to be over.
“Do we have to do this now?” Leo rolled eyes as he waited for Regina to open the door to Constantine’s chambers. “I mean, there’s always tomorrow and the day after that, and the other day after,” he complained.
Regina turned around to look at him. “Yes, we do. I will not wait another day and give you the chance to run away before we can finish this family tradition,” she said. “Your father would want us to do it.” She resumed to find the keys, opened the door and they got in. Turning the lights on, their eyes quickly scanned the room and both of them went to different sides of the room. Leo looked into the drawers of his father’s closet and Regina began to open the safe.
“But it’s not like I deserve it. I’m not the King,” Leo yelled from the closet. He opened a drawer and found his father’s medals and personal collection of accessories, laying his dark blue eyes on the antique pocket watch Constantine liked so much. Liam and he spent all their allowances savings to buy it for the King’s 42nd birthday and the King proudly wore it on many special occasions. Leo felt a lump in his throat. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he shut the drawer. “Liam is the one who should have it.”
“And I will,” Liam said, putting a hand on his older brother’s shoulder. “But you are the first born, you have to read it first.”
“Do you think he wrote bits of advice on fixing marriage fights while traveling in it?” Leo jested.
“Probably. He had three wives after all. Is everything alright with Katie?”
“She yells at me more often than Regina did when I played pranks during tea parties, so I think it’s safe to say she must be pretty bored right now.”
“I’m sorry, brother,” Liam said.
“Meh…” Leo slumped his shoulders. “I’m sick of living in Monterey, but somehow she loves that boring ass town. I spend most of the time traveling anyway. I’m glad to be back, even though the circumstances aren’t ideal. I’ve missed you, the guys, Regina.”
“Are you actually admitting you missed Regina? Are you alright?” Liam pressed his palm against Leo’s forehead jokingly.
“Bite me,” Leo retorted.
“You two. Knock it off,” Regina appeared on the door. “Less talking, more searching,” she berated and headed back to the room as the brothers chuckled then proceeded on their search. The Queen Mother collected some of his belongings. After several minutes, Leo noticed a gap on the closet wall, opened and took an antique wooden box out of the secret spot.
“I think I found it,” Leo shouted and walked back to the room showing the box. “It’s locked, though.”
“That’s not a problem,” Regina took off her necklace, removed a tiny gold key from it and handed it to Leo. “He gave me the copy the night he told us about his cancer.”
Leo opened the wooden box, opened and scanned the content quickly. “I still don’t know if I should read it. I don’t think I can. Not right now,” he frowned.
“It’s okay, dear. It’ll only become part of the Royal archives once you give it to your brother. But please read it,” Regina cupped Leo’s face, giving him a reassuring smile.
“Take your time, brother,” Liam patted his brother’s shoulder and soon all of them left the room.
…
Leo tossed and turned on his bed once again. He has been in court for three days but barely stayed in his room for six hours. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the image of his father lying on a pool of blood on the ballroom floor and it made him sick. He was so tired but he couldn’t sleep. He ran his hands through his tousled sand blond hair and got up to pour himself a shot of whiskey and looked at the box that belonged to his father, his fingers tracing the lines that formed Cordonian crest on its cover. Leo took the shot in a single gulp, picked up the box and walked out of his room, heading towards the backyard.
From the back door, he saw the patio couch he had in my mind to stay occupied by a slender and tall female figure. He approached it slowly, she didn’t seem to notice. “I guess I can’t no longer say this is my secret spot,” he said, studying Hana’s elegant frame curled up in the chair as she read a book.
“Oh,” she blushed at the sight of the Prince. The green cotton robe he wore was open, giving her a good view of well-built chest and abs, his sleeping pants hanging on his hips in a way it was noticeable he had no underwear underneath it. She closed her book and stood up quickly avoiding eye contact. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, I’ll leave right now.”
“Hey,” he held her wrist, stopping her on her tracks. “I didn’t say you had to leave. Forgive me if I made it seem like I did.” He peered at her delicate features for a moment and lifted up her hand to his lips. “Can you stay here with me, my lady?”
“I don’t want to disturb you, si–”
“Please,” he said quietly, his voice softer, husky. He brushed his lips on her knuckles, gazing at her cocoa brown eyes.
“If you believe I won’t be imposing,” she replied shyly.
“On the contrary, I’m sure your presence will prevent me from doing stupid things. Please, sit,” he gestured for her to make herself comfortable in the long plush couch and she sat back on the corner. He followed her, leaving a respectable distance between them as he placed the box on his lap, fished the key out of his pants pocket and opened it. From the corner of the eye, Hana watched him pick up a few envelopes, one of them with his name. He grabbed a hardcover vintage diary, his fingertips running on the letter C engraved. “Shakespeare would be disappointed to know his stories aren’t capturing a bright woman’s attention,” he smirked.
“I’m so sorry, Your Highness, I didn’t mean to pry,” she looked away.
“It’s okay, Lady Hana. I’m just stalling here anyway,” he gave his shoulders.
“Do you mind if I ask why?”
“This is my father’s journal. He had it since he was a Crown Prince and wrote in it his thoughts about his life as a ruler and some personal memoirs, I think. All Cordonian kings have one, it’s supposed to be cathartic, a place where they can write their own ideas freely, without any reservations. Once they die, it’s passed along to their descending kings so they can use it as guidance,” he heaved a sigh. “It should be in Liam’s possession, but Regina and he insisted I have to read it.”
“But you don’t want to read it,” she added.
“Precisely.”
“Why?”
“I’m not ready to know what he wrote,” he trailed off, looking down the grass.
“Don’t you want to know his perspective of everything he went through? There must be so much about him that you don’t know because he kept to himself. Maybe there are many things he did to protect you and Liam.”
He smiled ruefully. “You’re one of those people who see the good side of everything, aren’t you?”
“I try. I believe in eliquibrium, we all have qualities and flaws, we all have thought and done good and bad things. I’m sure King Constantine was more than just a dutiful man who did whatever it took for his country.”
Leo gaped at her, musing her words and studying the graceful shapes of her face. He noticed her cheeks turning into a light shade of pink as she curled up on the couch looking down and opening her book again. He smiled and followed her lead, opening the letter addressed to him, then his father’s journal. After a long moment of silence, Leo closed the journal, placing it inside the box and inhaled sharply. He always thought he was so different from his father, but just found out he was following his father’s footsteps. Of all the traits he could have taken after, this was the one he inherited. Hana kept reading, but her pink nose and cheeks gave her away. “Are you cold, Lady Hana?”
“I’m okay, Your Highness,” she answered.
“It’s late, we should go back inside and go to bed. May I escort you to your room?”
“I’m actually going to the kitchen to make some chamomile tea to help me sleep. Would you like some, Your Highness?”
“Does it really help to sleep?”
“It always soothes me.”
“I’ll trust your tea expertise then, my lady. But only if you call me Leo.”
“Okay. I guess it wouldn’t make sense if you keep calling me lady, then.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough,” he stood up, grabbed the box and offered his arm to her. “Shall we?” She entwined hers on his and they went to the kitchen talking as she prepared the tea.
…
The clock at Liam’s office marked 11:35 am when he heard a knock. He laid in his couch with his eyes closed, massaging his temple in circles. It was the third time he had a migraine that week, but the service of a King never ends. To handle a migraine and his work, the drapes were shut, no one was allowed to make noises in the halls and rooms next to his office and his meetings were put on hold for the day. Wishing desperately for it to be Andrea with the pill his doctor recommended, he got up to answer the door and found his older brother holding a tray with his medicine and an orange juice and the other arm hidden behind his back. “Special delivery!” He enthused, then looked around the room. “Ooooh… Are you turning into a vampire?”
“Ugh… Get out,” Liam grumbled.
“Hey, can’t I just be a nice guy and delivering these stuff to my sick little brother?”
“Please don’t tell me you lied my assistant again to find a way to get here,” he stepped away to let his brother in and laid on the couch again.
He laughed. “She’s so naive. Gorgeous, but way too naive. Anyway, she told me to give you this pill and to emphasize that you must have lunch in half hour or Jade will tie you up to a chair and force you to eat,” he extended his hand and Liam sat up to take the pill, drink the juice and lied back again.
“You good? Because I kind of need to tell you something and it has to be right now.”
“I just took a pill to get rid of a migraine, Leo. Can’t you just come back later?”
“Come on, Liam. It’s important.”
“Fine, I’m listening,” Liam said with his eyes shut, massaging his temples again.
“I finished reading father’s journal and I’m leaving it here with you,” he placed the box on Liam’s desk. “I need you to promise me you’ll read it before you get married.”
“What? Why?” He opened his eyes and turned to look at his brother.
“I want to make sure you’ll get married and be happy and that you’ll never repeat our father’s mistakes like I did.”
“What does father’s journal have to do with your mistakes and my wedding?”
“Read the journal and you’ll know. By the way, I’m flying back to the States to pick up my things and I’m coming back until I figure out my next move.”
“Leo, you have a wife and a career in US. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m breaking this family pattern of marriages filled with lies, betrayals and extra-conjugal arrangements and filing for divorce. Read it and do this country and Jade a favor: Don’t turn into our father.” He leaned down and clasped Liam’s shoulder. “Get well soon, brother. See you in three days.”
Leo stood up, marched to the door and shut the door behind him. Liam stood up, glanced at the box then at his engagement photo on his desk. His brother might be reckless and impulsive sometimes, but he was quite certain about their father. They had to break the pattern.
