Chapter 626 - Six Hundred And Twenty-Six : His Parents Were Cryptic
The third point of view :
The celebration was as boring as hell. Even though the mood was merry and there was lots of eating and drinking and dancing, Akim was not interested in any of them.
He had not talked to his parents after his fight with them and they didn't push him either. He was good with that. The last thing he wanted was to get reminded of the reason he was sneaking out of the palace in the first place - he should be leaving through the front door proudly, not through the back like a thief.
His sight moved to Jasmine who was as bored as him. Although dancers were showing off spectacular moves in the middle of the hall, she was not moved by the sight. She had seen all those before. Nothing was new. The palace wasn't new.
Akim watched as his mother Emily tried to captivate Jasmine's attention but the girl was not easy to please.. Once she was not interested in something, no one could change Jasmine's mind. She was as stubborn as their father? Or mother? He couldn't tell since both of his parents were two pigheaded individuals.
Jasmine simply lay her head on the table and pretended to be sleeping. Akim chuckled at the gesture, he'd see if this silent treatment would elicit a response from his mother. Akim knew once he was able to convince his mother to see from his perspective, their mother wouldn't find it hard to convince their father.
The festival of harvest was not an annual festival, well, it could be, that is if the products turned out beautifully at the end of the first planting season. The festival was carried out to celebrate a high-yielding farming harvest.
Lincolnshire has experienced a lot of unfortunate battles compared to other states, hence they tend to appreciate every little progress they made. A kingdom without food was one on a downhill to devastation. He has seen how famine tore many countries apart. So above other problems, the people having food on the table was Judy's priority.
As foreseen, the festival is declared with plenty of eating and drinking. On that day, there would be a huge discount on all foodstuff such that products are sold very cheaply that families partake in the celebration.
A lot of dishes were set before their table but Akim was not interested in any, he was more eager to leave here before the festival ended in the town square.
Although the royal family sat at the high table, Akim pretended like his father was invisible, not that he noticed him anyway. He was accepting drinks from his officials and engaged in conversation with them.
Some of the officials had come with their family members - mostly daughters. As if he couldn't see through their plans, thinking of establishing relations with the prince, huh?
Akim sighed yet thanked God he was not entitled to dance with any of them. At his last birthday party, he had danced with so many women that he couldn't feel his feet afterward. Above all, none of the women had been entertaining, they just whined about how mysterious he was and blah blah. It was almost as if he was talking to a group of copies all over and over again. None of them were original.
Thank God, his parents hadn't engaged him to some princess or socialite - he appreciated them for that. They promised him he had the freedom to choose and marry whoever he loved. There was not going to be any political marriage with him.
A few minutes after Jasmine was sent to her room to go sleep, Akim knew it was the time to leave.
"I'm withdrawing for the night," Akim simply informed his father and was already on his feet before he could hear what his father had to say.
Judy knowing that the boy had tried "behaving" tonight, simply nodded and his son took off.
There were guards at almost every corner of the castle and unless one wanted a taste of death, they wouldn't dare to infiltrate.
As soon as Akim returned to his room, he switched back on his laptop and began to study the blueprint. There was nothing that showed of a hidden passageway even in the design, but that couldn't be unless his father intentionally didn't include it here least it falls in the wrong hands.
Akim put himself in his father's shoes and began to think where he would keep an entrance to the secret way. For someone as paranoid as him for their safety, his, father would surely include one.... in his room in case of another invasion so he could escape easily.
Shit, that was it. His father, the king, would surely find a way to keep him safe.
Invigorated, Akim began to search for any abnormality in his room. How could he live in ignorance all this while? Thinking about the fact that there could be a way to escape all this while made his heart ache greatly. He was so dumb!
Akim pulled all the books on his shelf; looked under his study desk for a secret button; checked the walls, and pulled his portrait on the wall; he came up with nothing. Did he think wrong? He wondered and was about to think of beyond his room when his eyes fell on the Lion head sculpture on his wall.
Why didn't he think of that?
He at once felt the golden sculpture and pulled at the metal ring around the lion's nose yet it didn't budge.
His brows furrowed, was it not this? But then, the sculpture stood out in his room and didn't make sense - he hadn't even thought of it as a hiding place until now. Maybe, there was a hidden mechanism?
At once, he began to search the sculpture and in the lion's mane, discovered a little circular hole, it was almost like a missing puzzle and the missing space seemed familiar to the... necklace his father gave him.
Akim at once looked at his chest and pulled up the necklace his father had bestowed on him on his fifteenth birthday. His majesty, the king, said, it would be his safe haven when he needed one.
Holy God, how could his parents be this cryptic?
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