A/N: I am so sorry for the huge delay in getting this chapter up. x( I was hit by a perfect storm of midterms and flu and afterwards my brain was so frazzled everything I wrote sounded absolutely terrible. I wasn't able to reply to many reviews, so if I missed yours: I'm sorry! I promise to reply to the next batch, since I've forgotten who exactly I sent a reply to... ._.;

Anyways, thanks again to everyone favoriting/following/reviewing! I promise to get the schedule back on track. :)

Unlike many of the royal courts at the time, the kingdom of Belgium had an open court which allowed its citizens to come and go as they pleased. While King Lars of the Netherlands— who implemented the policy— did not suffer these daily intrusions, Princess Manon of Belgium certainly did. In fact, the lack of privacy was something the princess had come to resent, although her brother remained oblivious…

The trio arrived in Belgium late at night, worn out from the overseas travel and happy to have finally reached the next kingdom, as well as excited by the prospect of sleeping in a bed that wouldn't be rocked by the waves. However, while they had expected some fanfare upon their arrival, they did not quite expect the dozens upon dozens of Belgians streaming in and out of the castle. Finely dressed men and women were milling about the steps and the courtyard, some even in the dirt roads, all chattering away excitedly.

"Why are there so many people?" Arthur wondered aloud.

The coachman pulled up to the very front of the palace, nearly running over a couple that had been loitering in the road, and the three men climbed out. Arthur and the driver went to retrieve the luggage, while Francis and Alfred surveyed the palace.

The castle was one ripped straight from a storybook, with ornate gray columns and a tower jutting out from the very middle, a little flag waving at the visitors from the top. The beautifully dressed men and women adorning the area added to the fairytale look, as did the princess standing at the very top of the stairs that the men had failed to see. It was only when she began her descent that Alfred and Francis took notice of the tall blonde woman in the sky-blue gown who was being followed very closely by her giant brother in his bright red military uniform.

"It is such an honor to be in the presence of the prince of America," the princess said once she had gotten closer. "I am Princess Manon," she continued as she curtsied. Alfred returned her curtsy with a bow and then repeated the gesture for her brother.

"Welcome to Belgium, Prince Alfred. I have travelled to Belgium just to meet with you." The king smiled as he spoke, although it did not hide the boredom in his eyes. "I am King Lars, of the noble Janssen family."

"Thank you very much for coming all this way, your majesty," Alfred replied. "It's so kind of you to travel all the way here."

The king nodded absentmindedly. "Of course, it was in our family's best interest. Although, it appears, I am not the only one to have travelled all this way for my sibling."

"...Pardon?"

"Your brother arrived in Belgium this morning."

"Mattie—ah, I'm sorry, Prince Matthew?" Alfred queried. He glanced over his shoulder at Arthur who shrugged quizzically.

"Affirmative. He's waiting in the dining hall. Shall we go?" Without another word, Lars turned on his heel and began to walk back towards the castle. The three men had to contend with the throngs of visitors in order to keep up with the king and the princess.

"May I ask why there are so many people?" Alfred asked as he hurried to keep up with Lars and Manon, dodging the elbows and canes of two wandering gentleman.

"It's supper time. They've come to watch," Lars replied.

"To watch? What do you mean?" Arthur asked as he, too, dodged the men in order to keep up with Alfred.

"The royal court is open to visitors and they're allowed to watch the royal family dine," Manon explained.

"They watch you eat? What for?" Arthur replied, furrowing his brows, but Manon simply shrugged. "Isn't it usually just you in the castle?"

Manon smiled. "Mostly. King Lars is always traveling and our brother, Luca, is always busy with his work."

"Don't you get lonely?" Alfred interjected. Manon smiled at him curiously, yet did not reply.

"How can she be lonely? She is surrounded by people," King Lars said flatly. The conversation fizzled out as the little group arrived at the dining hall. A pair of servants sprang forward to open the doors.

The dining hall was cavernous and brilliantly lit by three large chandeliers in the middle of the high ceiling. A large stone table stood in the center of the room surrounded by a dozen plush red chairs. Various sight-seers were walking around the edge of the dining hall looking around curiously; however, despite all of the people, Alfred only had eyes for one: his brother, who was directly across from the entrance.

"Prince Alfred!" His brother exclaimed, rising to his feet. "I knew you'd arrive just in time for dinner."

"Prince Matthew," Alfred replied with a wide grin. Although the fact that his brother had felt compelled to visit him on his quest—most likely to intervene—was not good news, he could not help but feel a certain amount of relief at seeing another familiar face. The two reached to shake hands, then embraced in a hug.

"Ah, such a beautiful display of affection!" Francis exclaimed, grabbing Arthur's arm. "Oh, if only we could—"

"No. Let go," Arthur said curtly.

"What are you doing here?" Alfred whispered.

"I'll explain later."

The brothers pulled apart and went to their seats, Alfred flanked by Matthew and Manon, while Lars sat at the other end of the table by Francis and Arthur.

"That reminded me of whenever Luca visits," remarked Manon as Alfred and the princess sat down.

Alfred smiled. "I take it you don't see him very often?"

"No, not at all. Although, lucky for me, I get to spend my time with a bunch of strangers," Manon replied sarcastically.

"It must be strange," Alfred said, glancing over his shoulder at the noblemen and women watching them. "I can't imagine having this happen every night."

"Trust me—you don't get used to it," she said, taking a sip of her drink, her eyes travelling to a couple of people watching her from the corner of the dining hall. "Luckily they haven't asked to watch me sleep."

Conversation ceased as four servants entered the hall through a hidden panel in the wall carrying food fit for a king—one who, perhaps, was on a very skimpy diet. Alfred was surprised to find the Belgian kingdom's dinner to be so meager, but as he looked down confusedly at his plate, Manon nudged his arm.

"He doesn't like to spend very much on food," she hissed, nodding towards her brother.

Lars cleared his throat and everyone at the table, and a few of the onlookers, turned their heads. "After our feast," at this word, Manon and Alfred began to chuckle, "our visitors shall adjourn to their rooms and afterwards we may discuss the business of my sister's marriageability."

"How romantic," mumbled Manon under her breath.

"Pardon?" Lars said, but Manon just smiled and shook her head.

"The last time I was here, there were not quite so many people," Francis remarked, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin. "It was quite a shock to see."

"Yes, well, we as a family decided we needed to be more open to the public," the king explained.

"Yes, we as a family made that decision," snorted Manon, earning her a disapproving look from her brother.

"Right. And it has gone swimmingly," he said, ignoring her derision. The princes and Arthur were shooting each other nervous glances as the siblings subtly quarreled.

"Definitely… I wonder, though, why you haven't implemented the same policy at your castle in the Netherlands?"

Lars looked around embarrassedly and then cleared his throat. "Prince Alfred," he began in an attempt to change the subject, "how is trade going in your kingdom?"

"T-trade? Ah, yes, well I've been gone so long—"

"We've recently set up a new agreement with the Vargas family," Matthew intervened.

"Ah, I've been meaning to have a meeting with Prince Feliciano, but I'm always so busy," replied Lars.

"You could send me," Manon said, to which the king did not reply. Instead, he turned his attention to Arthur.

"Arthur, yes? How much does the prince pay you to be his attendant?" Lars asked, shoving a spoonful of food into his mouth.

Arthur looked up from his plate, clearly flustered. "I hardly think it's appropriate to ask me that… your majesty."

"Why not? Money is not a holy subject."

Arthur shot Alfred a look. "He pays me well, sir," he finally hissed through gritted teeth. Although not enough to put up with questions like this, he wanted to add.

"I see. I only ask because I feel as if we pay the servants here too much," Lars replied with a sigh. "Although I suppose you are more of a companion for the prince, rather than just a servant, no?"

Francis grinned mischievously. When Lars turned his attention away, Arthur elbowed the Frenchman in the ribs.

"Yes, Arthur is a very dear friend of mine," Alfred said, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice. "Money is no object there."

"I can't believe he asked that," Manon muttered, placing her chin in the palm of her hand. Everyone fell silent, their eyes fixed on their plates as the dinner took a turn for the awkward—everyone except Lars, who was happily finishing up the rest of his meal, until he noticed his sister's elbow on the table.

"Manners, Princess Manon," Lars admonished, wagging his finger. "Not in front of your future husband."

"What an uncomfortable dinner," Matthew said as he swung his legs off the foot of Alfred's bed. The brothers and Arthur were sitting in Alfred's designated guest room discussing the night's events. "I had no idea Lars was so… straight-laced."

"There are other words for it," replied Alfred as he slumped down in his seat. "I can't believe he asked how much we pay Arthur!"

The brothers laughed, but Arthur just shook his head. "I bet you two don't even know how much I'm paid," he said bitterly, which made the brothers laugh even harder.

"That's true. We're not really in charge of finances," Matthew admitted. "Although the future king ought to know something like that," he teased.

"No, what the future king wants to know is why you're here, Mattie. I thought you were watching over father?"

"It seems he's recovered a bit of his strength. The king and queen thought it best if I met with you and got a better… feel for the situation," Matthew explained. "They want to know exactly how you keep running into such troubling events."

"Did you tell them about Vietnam? That one was particularly unnerving," Arthur said with a laugh.

"Ah, yes, we never told you about our marriage!" Alfred exclaimed, leaning over to slap Arthur's shoulder.

Matthew frowned. "Your marriage?"

"It's a long story," Arthur said, still chuckling.

Matthew looked at the two of them curiously, his eyes darting back and forth between the prince and the servant. "I see," he finally replied.

"Maybe we'll tell you some other time. I think I should go get some rest," Arthur said, rising to his feet and making his way towards the door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," the brothers said in unison.

Once the door shut, Matthew took Arthur's seat. "Alfred, can I ask you a question? And please—don't get offended."

Alfred nodded. "Of course, Mattie."

"What exactly is the nature of your relationship with Arthur? Is he the reason you haven't found a wife yet?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's just…" Matthew's voice trailed off. "You know, there were rumors around the kingdom."

"Rumors? What rumors?"

"You two are awfully close. Things can be misconstrued."

Alfred shook his head vigorously. "I don't have a clue what you mean, Mattie. You want to know why I'm not married yet? Ask all of the crazy princesses I've met."

"I knew you would get offended, but Alfie—"

"Believe all the rumors you want, Matthew, that's fine with me," Alfred interrupted. "But Arthur's not the reason all of the princesses we've met so far have been absolutely nuts."

"I see. Well, then I'll take your word for it, Alfred," Matthew said quietly.

The two sat tensely in their chairs, each avoiding eye contact with the other. Alfred felt a bit light-headed at his brother's revelation. Rumors? Exactly what were they, and why had he never caught wind of them? The thought that his own brother had heard them and not discounted them immediately only made him angrier. His train of thought; however, was interrupted by a knock on the door. It creaked open and Arthur's head popped through.

"Come quick, it's an emergency," the manservant said, gesturing wildly towards the hall.

"What's going on?" Matthew asked as he and Alfred got to their feet.

"It's Princess Manon—she's run away."

Bonus A/N: It seems conversations/awkward situations are always getting interrupted by a knock on the door in the TPOH universe. x)