He tried rubbing his eyes and opening them again, looking closer to make sure that he was seeing it right. For the second time he looked, he was definitely sure that it was the next in line to be the Duke. The son of Duke Matthias and Duchess Frances.

    ''But why is here?'' Chance thought. When the Duke and Duchess bid farewell to return to their manor, he was sure that their son was with them. ''Did he follow when we were walking to the library?''

    Fortunately, the soon-to-be duke did not notice him, which means he was not the one he was looking at. But after thinking that he was lucky for the young duke to not notice him, the direction in the man''s eyes shifted to his direction. ''What a rotten luck.'' Chance thought as he looked at him awkwardly.

    Their gazes met and the young Lockhart looked away, turning around to leave the moment he saw someone looking at him. Chance immediately headed back to his table and dropped his journal and notes on the table.

    He was about to follow after the son of the Duke and Duchess but forgot that his personal knight was there, Alec grabbed his master''s hand when he saw him walking at a hurried pace, "Your Highness. where are you going?" he asked.

    Chance glanced at the door and the man was not there. He looked back at his knight. "I need to talk to someone." he said.

    "There is no one to talk to."

    "Indeed, there will not be if you delay me from catching up to him," he said. He did not mean to sound rude but the young Lockhart might have gone far if he does not follow now.

    Chance pulled his hand from the knight''s grasp. "I will be back shortly, Alec. I will not go too far from the library," he said and turned around to head for the little door where he saw the man.

    There are many doors since the Royal Library was huge. He went outside the library through the other door that the young Lockhart was peeking in. He looked at both sides and spotted the next in line to be the duke of Antares, walking away. "Wait!" he yelled, to get the man''s attention.

    The man kept walking as if he had not heard the Crown Prince calling him. Any person that would be around that hall would have heard the Crown Prince since it was a yell, unless the person is deaf. "Wait up, Sir Deaf!" he called out again.

    ''S-sir Deaf?'' the man thought. What a weird choice of a nickname, he thought.

    Chance has caught up with him and grabbed him by the shoulder to get him to face him, "Finally," the Crown Prince muttered as he pants. "I caught up with you."

    It was evident on the Lockhart''s face that he was surprised by the Crown Prince. He looked at him weirdly and averted his gaze with a guilty look on his face. "Did you just pretend not to hear me?" the Crown Prince asked, raising his brows, curious.

    Sweat formed in the corner of the man''s forehead as he scratched the back of his neck while still avoiding the Crown Prince''s head. "I deeply apologize, Your Highness," he said and bowed.

    "What were you doing earlier?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

    Lockhart swallowed and laughed awkwardly. "Your Highness came to catch up with me for that question?"

    "One would certainly be curious to see someone peeking behind a door suspiciously, is that not right?" Chance said, and the Lockhart looked away, knowing that the Crown Prince has a point.

    "Why did you not leave with His and Her Grace? Duke Frances would be worried when they find out you did not follow them." the Crown Prince added.

    ''It is actually because of them why I am still here...'' he said in his mind and sighed.

    The Lockhart soon-to-be duke bowed his head again, "I will have to stay here for a while, Your Highness." he responded and Chance''s eyes slightly widened to hear his reply.

    "Stay here? In the palace?" the Crown Prince asked, making sure he understood it right.

    ''Our son will be in Howards'' care.''

    ''So that was what the Duchess meant.'' he thought as his head nodded.

    He went back to the question he had almost forgotten. "You have not yet answered my question. What were you doing earlier?" he asked, and the Lockhart lowered his gaze again.

    Chance wondered why it was so hard for him to answer such a simple question. The only possible reason he could think of was that the man was hiding something. He looked at his face and saw a slight blushing of his cheeks. ''What the...is he actually shy?'' he thought with his lips slightly parted.

    "Why...do you look embarrassed?" Chance asked, seeing the look that was plastered on the Lockhart''s face.

    The man looked at the Crown Prince in surprise and laughed, "I am not embarrassed about anything at all, Your Highness." he answered and gave him a smile.

    The Crown Prince stared at him for a while, his smile was beautiful, it reminded him of someone he knew. He looked at the smiling man in front of him a little longer and he remembered what the library helper said to him.

    ''The son...did not die in the fire.''

    His surrounding darkened as he drowned in his thoughts once again, ''Did not die...did not die in the fire...'' he thought continuously. He became even more curious. The book said that the whole family was inside the manor. They all died inside the burning manor. ''I wonder what happened...''

    "Is something the matter, Your Highness?" Lockhart asked with a worried look on his face. "You seem troubled about something," he added.

    Chance shook his head while waving his hand and smiled. "Oh, no. I just remembered something," he said to reassure him that nothing was wrong.

    "Your Highness, if it is all right. I would like to ask something." the man said and a look of embarrassment appeared on his face again. Chance definitely saw it. What a lie it was for him to say that he was not embarrassed about anything.

    "What is it?"

    "That person...in the library. What is his name?" he asked, looking directly into the eyes of the Crown Prince, eagerly waiting for a response.

    Chance blinked and stared at him. He scratched his cheek with his index finger, "Erm, there are four of us in the library." he said.

    "Go on."

    "The librarian, Edmund?"

    "Hmm, I think not." he replied.

    "My knight, Alec?"

    "No, that person cannot possibly be a knight," he responded, putting his fingers on his chin.

    Chance finally knew who he was talking about. "You mean Clayton?"

    "Was he the one reading a book?"

    "Yes, indeed, that is him." the Crown Prince said and the Lockhart''s face lightened up. "I thank Your Highness for your help," he said, and his smile widened.

    Chance smiled to see how glad he was to know his brother''s name. "I guess that explains why you were peeking behind the door." he said with a teasing smile. The man stopped smiling when he realized he was smiling widely in front of the Crown Prince.

    "Y-your Highness, you might misunderstand me." he said, nervously.

    Chance chuckled at his reaction. "Of course not, do not worry."

    It seemed like the son of the Duke and Duchess has never seen or known about Prince Clayton, seeing how curious the man was about his name. "Just so you know, Clayton is my brother." he said, which made the man turn his head to look at him.

    "Forgive me for my ignorance. I did not know Your Highness had a brother." he said.

    Finding out that there are people who do not know the other prince of Antares makes Chance''s heart ache. He must still be hiding behind his walls, walls he made with the excuse of being the son of a concubine.

    "Clayton is the Second Prince of Antares. The son of His Majesty, King Cadell with his concubine, Her Highness, Melanie." Chance said so that the Lockhart would know. Seeing someone curious about Clayton made him happy.

    "I see, thank you, Your Highness."

    Chance recalled the lines he had said in the conversation he had with Prince Louis.

    ''Behind the walls he makes, is a weeping man of loneliness. I believe he will meet someone who is strong enough to break that wall.''

    The Crown Prince smiled as he stared at the son of the Duke and the Duchess. ''I think that is about to happen.'' he thought.

    He approached him and patted him on the shoulder, secretly giving him support without him knowing. "I must go back to the library now," he said.

    "Thank you for the help, Your Highness. May the Goddess bless you," he said and bowed while raising his other hand.

    Chance smiled at him again. "I wish you good luck, Theo." he said and turned around to leave and head back to the library.

    "Pardon? My name is Clifford, not Theo, Your Highness."