Chapter 5

First Date

The pen scribbled against the paper, writing the sentence and ending it with a period. Alfred laid his pen down and looked at his work in horror. It was terrible and messy, the words scrambled all over the paper. He used the book Arthur gave him to write down the sentences and figure out what it meant but nothing made sense to him. A whole week, Alfred had been working on it and it looked horrible. He wasn't even sure what he'd written down and if it made any sense at all.

Quickly Alfred hid the paper under the book when Toris came into his room with a new suit for his date tonight. He came up to him after laying the suit on his bed and showed him a bottle of perfume.

"Feliks told me to give this to you. It's a special perfume with a calming effect, and it chases flies away." He put it down on Alfred's table. "But you shouldn't smell it too long or you'll get a headache."

"I thought it makes me calm?"

Toris shrugged just as confused as him.

Alfred went to pick up his suit and undress himself. It was a nice dark orange color, almost like a grapefruit. It was new for him to wear such expensive colors but he thought they suited him well. He quickly made himself ready and put on his long coat when he noticed rain running down his window. Toris helped him with his finished touches and once again he felt very posh and not himself in these clothes. The whole time he has been here, Feliks gave him neutral colors in brown, white or gray with little to no color by his request, but going to a date or event was a different thing.

When he walked through the corridors the rain outside began to turn into a storm and the wind whistled along the corridors while the rain hit against the windows.

He came to the wintergarden where his date with the Prince was being held. The ceiling was roundish and made out of glass. The dark sky loomed over the wintergarden with thick rain drops pouring against it and lightning striking once in a while. The floor was marbled and Alfred saw his own reflection in it, adjusting his suit one more time. He entered a circle made out of big plants and red flowers, in the middle was a white table with a tea set and of course the Prince and his chaperone the King herself.

Alfred smiled as he went in and greeted the Prince first who stood up from the table. The King who still sat in her chair shot him a look of reproach. "It's impolite to greet the King as the second," she said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize," Alfred said and King Harriot sighed annoyed.

Arthur told him he can take a seat and Alfred did that, still smiling friendly. There was tea and biscuits filled with custard and cream but he refused to take them first, in case it's another mistake which he wanted to avoid in the presence of the King.

"How was your day, Alan. I hope you slept well with this kind of weather?" Arthur asked and before Alfred could answer he was interrupted by the King.

"I've read you work in a hotel, Mr. Taylor. What exactly is your job?"

"I'm serving people and, um, make sure they feel well." That's all he could say and that's all he knew of people in Card Level 5.

"How come that someone who works in a hotel knows so little of a banquet?"

Alfred thumbled with his hands under the table. "Uh, I rarely worked at a banquet."

"That's no excuse for ruining it."

"It was a mistake," Arthur said. "Mistakes happen to the best of us."

"Small mistakes, perhaps. Big ones, that's talent." Her gaze at him told him that she wasn't upset about the banquet but rather mocked him and his existence.

"It's also a talent to recognize that it wasn't on purpose and not the end of the world," Arthur said with a tense look at his mother.

She looked at him with a warning gaze before returning back to Alfred. "Why do you think you can be a good King?"

Thunder struck outside followed by lighting and Alfred felt how the tension inside was higher than outside in the storm. "I think I have good people skills and I know what they want and can provide it."

The King rolled her eyes.

"You wrote in your documents that you can play the violin," Arthur said and changed the subject to Alfred's relief but not to the best. "Why don't you play something for us?"

A servant brought a violin up to Alfred and he looked at it horrified and laughed. "I have not played in a long time, maybe we can do that another time?" But his hands took the violin automatically when the King's disappointed look brushed over him, he got more scared not to play it than to try it out.

He set the violin on his shoulder and played but as he thought, it sounded terrible. The sound pierced through their ears and a couple of white strings set loose and fell. He stopped and grimaced trying to laugh it off.

"Can you play the violin at all?" Arthur asked.

"Not since I lost my arm." Alfred chuckled to loosen up the tension and handed the violin back to the servant.

"Why would you mention that if you haven't played in over 10 years?"

"I thought it would be a nice fun fact." Alfred shrugged and King Harriot sighed. "But I have other good skills," Alfred said to save himself.

"Which?" she asked.

"I'm good with mechanics."

"Do you know what kind of responsibility a King has?" she asked and leaned forward with her hands folded on the table. "I doubt you know. I doubt that someone your status can understand what I as a King have to do everyday and you come here and say you're good at mechanics?"

"I, um-"

"There's so much pressure as a King. I don't sit around doing nothing but it seems to me that most people think they can become King and sit on top of the gold without moving a single finger." Thunder rolled over their heads, dooming Alfred's date and his plan of impressing the Prince a second time. "You have to know a lot of politics and history and much more and you come and say you're good at mechanics," she said taunting.

Lightning struck through the air and with a distant bang the power went off leaving them in the dark. Only the candles on the table were lit and Alfred heard the King stand up and say: "The date is over."

Alfred was disappointed in himself while a headache began to creep in his head, he only wasn't sure if it's the perfume or the situation.

-

It was still raining the next day and Arthur was reading the assignments in his study. He noticed that one was missing and after counting them he realized that Alan's missing. He sent a servant to call Alan to the music room and hoped he was only running late or else it was his last day in the palace. With everything that happened, Arthur couldn't keep him any longer.

The music room was covered with a red carpet and red curtains. It had a fireplace and comfort sofas with loads of pillows. A black piano stood in the corner which Arthur used from time to time to calm down and flee from his responsibilities.

"Where is your assignment?" Arthur asked when Alan came. "Did you forget to give it to your teacher?"

Alfred was hesitant and bit his lip. "No, I just... didn't."

"Why? I can't judge your abilities and see if you're worth being a King if you don't give me anything to look at." There was something odd about him, sadly not the good way. He was here to become King but acted as if he had no idea where he was or what he was doing. No matter if he had the assignment or not, Arthur had decided not to keep him anymore.

"I-um, I can't read. Or write," Alfred said low, only looking at the piano behind Arthur.

"Excuse me?" Arthur thought he'd misheard himself, there was no way he couldn't read or write.

"I'm sorry, I know I should've told this sooner but I thought I might be able to learn it in this short amount of time," Alfred ranted. "I tried, I really did. I sat for hours to study how to do it but it just looked horrible and I don't think it's right either," Alfred said.

"Well," Arthur began. "I'm glad you tried but it's not enough."

Arthur watched Alan's face turn into pure horror. Alan was a friendly alpha but whatever he was doing, it wasn't enough and just silly.

"I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast. You can go now," Arthur said and Alfred nodded before going away.

Arthur came back to his study only to find his mother there and scrunched his face in annoyance.

"I want to know which alphas you are going to eliminate tomorrow," she said as she sat on his chair with one leg on top of the other.

"I'm considering Marc, Cassandra." Arthur sighed and leaned against his doorway. "Probably Alan as well."

"Good."

"You made him nervous yesterday. It was supposed to be a date and not an interrogation."

"People like him don't deserve to be here." She stood up from Arthur's chair. "He can finally leave and stop touching my stuff around the castle. You shouldn't have chosen him to come here in the beginning."

She made Arthur mad, talking about touching stuff but coming into his living quarters and touching his stuff herself. She went out of his room and Arthur opened his folder about the contestants. He marked the contestants who were going to leave and when he came to Alfred's documents he set a mark on his as well.

Alan made his mother mad which stressed her out. He knew he shouldn't annoy her but she didn't deserve it any different way. Always nagging and commenting without a stop, it's only right if he does the same to her and that's why Arthur decided to keep Alfred for another month just to stress her out a bit more.

-

Alfred was devastated. He couldn't sleep all night and thought that he had to flee but it was pointless. They would catch him and he would land in prison for running away. He regretted telling Arthur the truth but he saw no other option than being honest even though it might be the end to his mission and his life.

He was tired at the breakfast table and didn't have any power to talk with Jake. He looked blankly at his food until they were asked to move to another room. The Prince told them they'll receive blue roses but the ones who don't, have to go. They'll meet him in the music room for the last goodbye.

Arthur walked away while the candidates sat at a long brown table, and the servants brought out long silver boxes and put them on in front of them.

The servants opened the boxes simultaneously and Alfred stared in shock when he saw a single blue rose standing tall and beautiful in front of him. He looked around and noticed five alphas who didn't get a rose. He didn't understand how that could happen, he was sure he'd lose after all the things that he'd done. He needed to speak with the Prince and waited until all of the five alphas had their last talk with him.

"Excuse me," Alfred said when he walked in.

Arthur stood by the window and turned around. "Oh, hello. Is something the matter?"

Alfred walked more into the room with Arthur's assistant at the sofa looking over documents and the Jack close by Arthur.

"I know that I didn't impress you much this month and I'm confused why you chose to keep me."

Arthur came close and stood by his assistant Howard and in front of Alfred. "I want to give you a second chance, you deserve it. You are smart but you have to learn a lot if you want to keep up."

"Really?" Alfred's eyes lit up.

"Yes. I thought I'll give you a teacher who'll teach you to write and read. I need you to be able to do assignments and projects."

A grin crossed Alfred's face and the hard stone in his chest fell. "Oh, man, thank you so much." Alfred hugged Arthur to his surprise and the Prince tensed up.

"Oi oi, don't do that!" Howard stood up and separated Alfred from Arthur. "You're not allowed to touch His Highness without his permission."

"I'm sorry, I'm just, oh, just so happy." Alfred couldn't stop smiling and thought he's gonna cry. He's not going to die tonight. He's going to live, he has a second chance.

"Ah, well." Arthur adjusted his clothes. "Something else?" he asked, a little flushed.

"No, I'm fine," Alfred said happily.

"You can go if you want."

Alfred nodded and grinned at Arthur when he walked away.

"What are your real intentions with him?" Jack Yao asked.

"Nothing, that's it," he said but knew Yao didn't believe him. "I also thought you might teach him."

"Me? No. I have other more important things to do."

"Please," Arthur said innocently. "It's important that as few people as possible know about this."

Yao sighed and put his hand on his forehead. "I think I'm getting a headache again. Fine, I'll do this," he said rather unenthusiastically.

Suddenly the King came in, bringing the bad mood and making Arthur's day worse as always. "I thought you wanted to kick out Alan?"

Of course she already knew the news. He wasn't surprised about this. "I changed my mind. His clumsiness is just so cute," Arthur said dreamingly and leaned on the sofa.

"We're going to talk about this later," she said and walked off.

Arthur turned to Yao who had an all-knowing expression on his face. "Don't you think it's immature?"

"It might be. But I'm just matching her."