Chapter 121: Chapter 121
The next day came and the students of Alpha Academy woke up at the break of dawn. Breakfast was a lively affair, filled with students making plans for the two-month-long holiday that they were being given.
By the time breakfast was over, carriages owned by the parents of the students were already pulling up to the front gates of the college. It was time to leave.
Henri expected his mother to arrive flashily so he was certain he would know right away when the carriages coming for him would arrive. Goodbyes had already been shared before the school carriages holding students and their luggage set off for the gates. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
So he was rightfully startled when a lady dressed in plain clothes tapped him on his shoulder. She had a pastel flower-printed fan held over her face, her soft brown hair left down her shoulders.
"Mother?" Henri murmured with wide eyes.
Marina’s soft brown eyes glittered with excitement when he recognized her right away. "I’ve come for you, Henri." She said in a quiet voice, hugging him quickly. "We’ve got to hurry to the carriage before the media catches wind of me."
Henri let his mother take his hand, hurrying behind her to an unassuming carriage, it was no wonder he hadn’t seen her arrive.
Servants immediately opened the door and helped them both inside the carriage and out of the public eye. The media had already approached Henri as soon as he stepped out of the school’s carriage, finally getting that interview out of him.
They also didn’t hesitate to ask him if any of his parents would be coming to pick him up. Henri was certain that his father would be too busy to make it but it was also with that same certainty he knew that his mother would come.
He wasn’t obligated to give them a direct or a necessarily true answer though so he had just gone with something vague and perfect for the papers. Fortunately, they all left afterward to interview some other important faces while making sure to keep a close eye on him.
Marina could hug her son properly when they were in the privacy of the carriage, tears making her gentle brown eyes glisten. "Oh Henri, I’m so happy to see you again." She said with a shaky smile in her voice, pulling back to get another proper look at him. "My, look how your collarbones have caved in, are they feeding you at all?" She tutted with loud disapproval on her face. "Good thing I already had a feast being prepared before I left the castle.
Henri could hardly get a word in, his mother ruffling his hair and hugging him occasionally as she spoke. "I missed you too, Mother." He gave her a happy smile, letting her do as she wished.
After pleasantries were shared, Henri’s curiosity got the better of him. "Why are you dressed like that?"
Well, he more or less knew that it was to avoid the media but it was very unlike his mother to do something like this. She would rather brave the media than dress like a member of the working class to evade them.
It was very jarring to see her without her crown and exquisite dresses but not in a bad way. It reminded him of when he found her sneaking into the kitchens at midnight, she looked more like his mother now and less like the Queen.
"Eli and I have to travel for an important meeting and if I had come dressed like the Queen, the media would have held us up for too long." She explained.
The servants had already piled up his luggage into a different carriage and without waiting for them, the driver of their own carriage had already started moving.
"How long will you both be away?" Henri asked, long used to his parents having to take long trips due to their positions.
"About three days, but it could be more. I couldn’t risk not seeing you before I left so I dug out this dress and hurriedly rode down here." She said, and with a fading little smile held out the deep brown skirt of her dress. "So what do you think about it? Eli said it was pretty."
Henri made a big show of looking it over, "I think it suits you more, it matches your eyes."
Marina beamed at this, "Thank you, perhaps I’ll make a habit of wearing simpler dresses when I don’t have to appear in an official capacity."
By the time they got to the castle, Eli was already waiting impatiently outside the front doors of the castle. He gave Henri a quick hug before sweeping his wife off her feet and taking her to the carriages.
He ignored her requests to change into something more fitting for travel, reassuring her that she looked just fine the way she was.
Henri just made his way across the foyer and headed up the main stairs to his chambers. He would be all alone in the big castle for three whole days, it would be an odd experience indeed after spending so long constantly surrounded by people.
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Back at the gates of Alpha Academy, just as the unassuming carriage that held two of the country’s royalty rode off, another carriage pulled in.
It was a really large carriage and when it stopped, a pretty lady with soft blonde hair holding the hand of a little girl with matching hair color stepped out the door with the help of the driver of the carriage.
It was none other than, Errol’s and Valentin’s mother, Lili, and she had little Celine with her. Lili bid the driver to wait by the carriage while she went off to find the boys in the milling crowd filled with students and parents. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
She would also be picking up Audie as well because his mother who was married to an Earl didn’t like to appear in the media. Lili didn’t mind helping her friend out, and Audie preferred to stay with his friend for as long as possible.
Then there was Nael whose father was too busy and would send a servant too late. She would also stop by Omega Institute to pick up Dodie, it was why she had picked their largest owned carriage for this trip.