The smell of leather with a mixture of dust from the parchment that was lining up in a row on the floor to ceiling shelves tickled Maxen's nostrils endlessly.

He wanted to sneeze, but he always came in short and couldn't sneeze away in full force like what he wanted to happen, which was more annoying than sniffing the scent itself.

In all honesty, Maxen hated King Alistair's private study. It reminded him of how much power his father had over him and how he was under his "rule" for as long as the king shall live.

Oftentimes, he envied his brothers, Oliver and Wyatt, who had the freedom of choosing some paths to undertake for themselves although the three of them all had one thing in common which also happened to bound them all together—the burden of keeping their families' legacy going.

Oliver Lin had Lin Prime Holdings on his shoulders, Wyatt Ang was carrying not one but two heavyweight names under his belt, and Maxen had the crown's burden sitting on top of his head.

Maxen scratched the skin above his eyebrows. Sometimes he wished to live the life of a commoner for just a day and be freed from all the responsibilities he had to carry involuntarily. Just a day, he thought. It would be nice to stop worrying, even just for a day.

Glancing up, Maxen met his father's gaze, and every complaint he had vanished when he realized how his father never even had a friend to lean on except for his mother, Queen Isla. He wondered if, at one point in time, King Alistair had other friends besides her.

He had to swallow his pride so he could ask for a favor, even when he was fully aware that King Alistair and Olivia wouldn't agree to his plan. But as of that moment, the thought of Olivia getting as much as a scratch from those rebels puts him on the edge of his seat.

"So?" Maxen said when King Alistair kept on staring at him as if Maxen was a stranger. The king's blue eyes sent icicles towards Maxen way, piercing him on his seat. Did Maxen offend his father? Why was it taking a long time for King Alistair to hear what Maxen had to say?

Squaring his shoulders, King Alistair finally relaxed his shoulders. He stood up and went over to the rolling bar, picking up the crystal whiskey decanter. "How do you like yours?" he asked as he poured one for himself—neat, just like he always did. He tipped his head sideways and peered at Maxen who was now rolling his shoulders.

"I'll have the same as yours," Maxen responded. 

Upon hearing Maxen's reply, King Alistair filled a glass with two fingers of whiskey—enough to fuel them during their conversation and relax him later before bedtime. He balanced one glass on each hand and walked back to the couch where he saw Maxen checking a security camera feed of his bedroom on his phone.

King Alistair almost chuckled but held back. Just how obsessed was his son to even check in on his wife even at home? Clearing his throat, it was enough for Maxen to peel the phone from his nose.

Maxen sneered. He didn't like the smug look on King Alistair's face. "Mind your own business." Maxen c.o.c.ked a brow on King Alistair as he locked his phone screen in a blink of an eye. He then pocketed his phone and accepted the glass King Alistair passed to him, downing his drink in one go.

"I can't promise you anything, but I will take into consideration that little favor yours," King Alistair said upfront. He had an inkling Maxen wouldn't ask something simple, but to his surprise, Maxen's little favor was so little, he wondered why he almost had a heart attack earlier.

"Very well. I just want to hold off my engagement announcement with Olivia. I'm planning to send her away as soon as I made the arrangements for her."

"Eh? Have you spoken to her about your plan?" King Alistair placed his glass on the center table and crossed his legs, placing both hands on top of his knee.

"I will."

"You do know that it doesn't matter whether you hold off that engagement announcement. Enemies will attack us, and as long as Olivia is living under the Sui's roof, she's subjected to such dangers."

"I am well aware of that, Dad," Maxen said. He pressed the rim of the glass onto his lips and frowned. He realized he already downed his drink earlier and his glass was now empty.

King Alistair reminded him, "She signed up for that, Maxen. And Olivia knows that too. She can't run away from all the perils that threaten the crown and you have to give props to your wife too. She's stronger than she looks."

Maxen nodded at King Alistair's statement and couldn't help it when a corner of his lips tugged up in a proud smile. However, just as he smiled, he remembered what transpired in Olivia's apartment earlier that day his lips curled down in a frown.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he informed the king of the intel, "Lance Go said the Huks are ready to attack in a month. All I need is a week to send Olivia away. When the Huks are taken care of, we can announce my engagement with her any time of the day."

King Alistair's brows scrunched. He didn't like what he heard but it wouldn't deter him from saying no to Maxen's favor. 

They needed Maxen now more than ever and him being away for a week to settle Olivia wherever he wanted would slow their preparations down. "I suggest… we announce your engagement and the Huks might back off knowing that the Lins are our ally from here on out. That should scare them for the meantime."

There he went again with his suggestions. Maxen knew King Alistair wouldn't budge to whatever reasoning he would present to the latter. He rolled his tongue over his teeth, dropping the glass with a loud thud on the table. "I just… I just want to send her away somewhere safe for the meantime. She… hasn't recovered from her miscarriage yet, and then there's the nightmare she's been having every once in a while. She needed time away from all this… whatever this is," Maxen exasperated.

King Alistair's shoulders sagged as he exhaled heavily. He almost forgot about Olivia's miscarriage until Maxen mentioned it. He didn't know whether to feel guilty that Olivia's current condition slipped his mind or feel proud that so far his daughter-in-law looked resilient and ready to face head-on whatever came her way. 

"Okay," King Alistair agreed. He uncrossed his legs, slapped both hands on each l.a.p and bobbed his head. "I'll give you a week off from your duties, but that's it. But I highly doubt Olivia would agree to your terms. She doesn't look like someone who would run away from her problems." King Alistair chuckled. Of course, he nailed the right spot about Olivia rejecting Maxen's offer, and the little prince knew it too.