Trapped In Hisstory

Chance Howard snapped out of his thoughts and has come to his senses. He sighed. Sometimes he does not know what is real or what is not anymore. He was always stuck between the real world and the world inside his mind.

'I should stop thinking too much,' he said to himself and shook his head, trying to set aside what has come to his mind earlier.

He suddenly remembered that he was in the chamber of the prince. He raised his gaze and looked at the people inside the chamber and the three of them were staring at him weirdly. He felt awkward to see them staring so much, "What...is the matter?" he asked.

He looked at the Princess of Antares and a worried expression was plastered on her face. "That is what we should be asking you, brother? What is the matter?" she asked.

Chance stared back at her. He closed his eyes and massaged the corners of his temple. He put his hand over the head of his sister and patted the top of his head. "Do not worry, I was just thinking of something." he answered.

"You seemed to be lost in your thoughts, Your Highness." William, Princess Carmilla's butler, said.

The Valorian knight who has been observing the Crown Prince looked at him with narrowed eyes. "What are you thinking about so deeply to not even notice us calling you?" he asked.

Chance lowered his head, not knowing what to answer. He put his hand over his head, 'I guess I was too deep in my thoughts for a long time...' he thought.

He scratched the back of his neck and smiled, "I apologize, there is a lot on my mind these days." he said but the worry on the princess's face still has not vanished.

"Are you sure you are all right, brother?" her sister asked.

He tried to give her a reassuring smile that was enough to convince her that he was all right. "Yes, princess. Do not worry." he answered and pinched the left side of her cheeks.

"Brother!" the princess exclaimed with a complaining tone as she caressed the cheek that the Crown Prince had pinched. "It hurts..."

Chance giggled at her reaction. "I did not even pinch it that hard, Milla."

"But still you pinched it!"

The Crown Prince laughed and surrendered. "All right, Your Highness. I am sorry, our princess."

Princess Carmilla looked at his brother's face again to make sure nothing was wrong. "I called you three times but you did not move. You were just staring in the direction of my mirror, it worries me, brother." she said.

'Mirror...' Chance turned his head again and looked at the mirror. He was still Charles. White hair and Sapphire eyes, a man clad in fancy royal clothing. Yes, that is right, he was still in the body of his research subject.

And he was still in the 19th century, he reminded himself.

She returned his gaze back to the princess and smiled. "I was looking around in your room, and then I got into a daze thinking it has been a while...since I last came here." he said as a response.

What he had thought of earlier was far from what he had said, although it was not entirely a lie since he did think that it has been a long time since he came into her room. This was the second time, after weeks of being in Canopus.

The worried expression on the princess's face disappeared and was replaced by a bright look, smiling along with the corners of her eyes lifting up. "Did you miss being in my chamber, brother?" she asked.

The Crown Prince nodded at his sister as a response, "Of course, I missed my sister after all." he answered with a smile.

Princess Carmilla grinned, "Well, if that is the case," she put her hands on the hem of her dress, lifting it up slightly so she can walk faster, rushing to her table on the veranda. 

She extended her hands, presenting the desserts on her table. "Would Your Highness be so kind as to join me for an afternoon tea?" she asked, and curtsied.

'How lucky of me to have such an adorable sister.' Chance thought. He smiled. "I would be happy to oblige, Your Highness." 

The Princess of Antares turned to her butler with a smile, and Chance immediately noticed the slight blush on the butler's face as he smiled back at the princess.

If only he had a phone with him, he would have taken a stolen picture of the butler and teased him with it. "So obvious..." he muttered.

"What's obvious?"

Chance almost had a heart attack, he was startled when his knight creeped in behind him. His low voice made it feel like a wind blew on his neck. It tickled him. He turned his head to face him, but froze when he realized the two of them were too close to each other. 

The sapphire eyes of the Crown Prince met with the ruby eyes of his knight. It was the first time he had gone so close to the knight. He could then appreciate the knight's feature up close, but he cannot do that. It would make things awkward between them once more.

Chance looked away, embarrassed, but Alec remained calm and unbothered by their proximity. "Uhm, Alec, you are too..."

Chance could not continue with his words when Alec spoke. "You seem to have forgotten that I was asking a question." The knight said. "What is obvious?"

"Oh," Chance muttered. He looked at the princess and the butler, William, then returned his gaze to Alec. "I was referring to the butler," he answered. "Quite obvious that he likes my sister." 

Alec's hand immediately went to his lips. He had almost let out a chuckle, but he stopped himself. Chance saw it and was dumbfounded. 'He almost laughed—the blank-faced knight held back a laugh?' he thought, surprised.

He must have been trained to conceal his emotions, so he keeps up a blank face, he thought. Too bad he held back. Chance would have wanted to witness a laugh from such an emotionless guy. "What is funny?" the Crown Prince asked.

Alec Valorian shook his head. "Nothing," he responded with his usual emotionless face. "I see that you are easy to notice someone else's feelings, Your Highness." He said.

Chance smiled, a bit of a smug smile. It was one of his talents; he thought. To know whether someone likes a person or if there is something forming between two people, he could easily tell. "That is right, must be a talent of mine." 

Alec might be wearing a blank face, but he was slightly smiling internally. "Talent, huh, there must be a limit..." He whispered.

'You notice other people's feelings but not those that are close to you. What a useless talent to yourself.' Alec thought.

The two of them looked, and the butler guided the princess to her chair and pulled it for her. "See? His kindness and caring attitude towards her are a sign."

"Well, he is a butler, that is his duty."

"See? Look at how he prepares food for her and pours her tea."

".....he is a butler."

"Anyway, I know he likes my sister." Chance said, not knowing what to say to prove his guess.

"You think Sir William likes Her Highness because of pulling her seat, serving her food, and pouring her tea..?" Alec muttered, a bit amused at how his master thinks.

Chance did not answer. He cannot explain it, but he knows he is right because of his gut. But it frustrates him that he cannot prove it further.

Alec put his hand on his master's back and oushed it lightly, making Chance move as they walked towards the table that Carmilla was on.

The knight suddenly pulled out a seat for the Crown Prince and it made him even more embarrassed. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Being kind and pulling out a seat for you, Your Highness." he answered.

Chance grimaced, 'He must be teasing me.' he thought, and walked towards the seat in shame and sat down.

Butler William and Princess Carmilla suddenly turned when Alec started serving him a slice of cake and poured him tea.

"You are not a butler."

"So you do admit that what he did was just butler duties?"

Chance did not answer and frowned. He does not want to argue anymore. If he does not believe him, then so be it. "Normal people do not know talent like this..." He whispered.

William and Carmilla looked at each other when Alec seemed to be teasing the Crown Prince. Although they do not know what the conversation is about, they chuckled.

"But if he does like Her Highness, would you accept it?"

Chance turned to his knight. "Of course, why not?"

"He is a butler, and she is a princess. It would be a master-servant relationship..."

"I do not really care, as long as they love each other mutually, then I am fine with it." he answered and sipped the tea that his knight has poured.

A bitter smile formed on Chance's lips once again. How ironic his words were, such acceptance that he cannot apply to himself.

"Servant liking a master, huh." Alec muttered.

"That would not turn out well at all."