Conquering His Cold Heart

“Eve, where are you headed?” Alexander casually asked out of habit.

Everard, however, gave him a glare and threw a satire, “Oh, I didn’t know we were still on talking terms and that you were still interested to know about my whereabouts.”

Alexander narrowed his eyes and said in a monotone, “How many times do I have to tell you that Hamilton is a nice person, not to mention that he is someone I need to respect no matter what. Besides, you are the one who didn’t come with me even when I invited you. So, why are you the one who’s angry at me? I should be the one to get angry.”

“Well, I didn’t come because he’s an arsehole. I don’t like him,” Everard said a bit assertively.

Alexander was tired of listening to the same reasoning that didn’t even make any sense considering how the two of them only interacted a few times with each other.

So he angrily scolded Everard, “Then that’s your problem, Eve, not mine. Stop acting like a baby and treating me like a traitor for hosting a guest you didn’t like.”

“Hey, I am not acting like a baby.” Everard folded his arms and tried to defend his action. “I don’t know... I just don’t like that man and when I saw how you were showing him around, I kinda felt... angry, alright.”

“Well, now you know how I felt when you were hanging out with that new friend of yours, that Lorry or Enzo or whatever he was.” Alexander averted his gaze from Everard and added, “If I was to behave like you then I would have been angry with you a long time ago.”

.....

“Lorenzo is a nice guy!” Everard tried to speak for his new friend.

But Alexander gave him a glare instead. “Sure...” he rolled his eyes and headed towards his own dorm room.

Everard now regretted poking Alexander and unleashing his angry side. So he turned around and tried to calm his friend down, “Okay, I’m sorry! I won’t get angry with you. Can you do the same?”

Everard thought that it would be enough to make his friend talk.

However, Alexander entered his room and deliberately slammed the door so that Everard would know that he was still angry.

All this while, Ruby was awkwardly standing beside Everard with her head down. And after listening to the two friends quarreling with each other, she glanced at Everard and asked, “Shall we postpone today’s plan? I think you need to be with your friend today. It looks like both of you have missed each other greatly.”

Everard wanted to go after his friend and clear their misunderstanding. However, he didn’t have the luxury to postpone the plan with Ruby.

“We need to find the chains by today. If we are unable to find something suitable for you, then we will have to place an order to the blacksmith, which will take some time. So, we can’t postpone this any further than today.”

He took a glance towards Alexander’s door and said, “Don’t worry about him. He’s not going anywhere. I will talk to him after coming back from the shopping.”

Everard then started to walk again.

And Ruby sprinted and caught up with him so that she could walk side by side with him.

—

It had already been about an hour since Alexander walked inside his room after showing his anger to Everard.

By now, he had given up looking at the door, hoping to see Everard running inside the room.

He was lying down on his bed and was thinking about a lot of things.

‘He changed ever since that Lorenzo walked into his life. And now, he is always with Ruby.’

He sighed after listening to his own thought because he was sounding like a jealous wife.

However, shortly after, he started to complain again. ‘I’m not saying that he should give all of his time to me. In fact, I am happy that he spends time with Ruby. I don’t have to hear him lamenting about Anna’s marriage. It looks like he is ready to move on, but...’

Alexander abruptly got up from his bed and mumbled, “But I am his best friend. Shouldn’t he at least spend some time with me? He used to stick with me like glue and now, he is growing distant by the day. I am not ready to see him behaving like a stranger.”

Alexander was lost in his own thoughts when he suddenly heard some commotion outside.

He went to the window and looked down to find a fancy carriage approaching their building.

From the way the coachman was dressed, he knew in an instant that it was a carriage from Xanmar.

And Alexander instantly gritted his teeth, “I swear that if it’s Lorenzo then I am going to ask him to go back before Everard comes back. That shorty has done enough to estrange the two of us already.”

However, unlike what he had thought, two of the men whom he had seen before stepped out of the carriage.

“Aren’t they the messengers from Xanmar?” Alexander squinted his eyes to see more clearly. “Yes, it’s them. But why are they here in a carriage? And why the two of them?”

Alexander decided to go outside and wait by Everard’s door so that he could receive the message on Everard’s behalf. He had done that a couple of times before. So, even though he was angry with Everard at the moment, he stepped out of his room.

By the time he reached Everard’s door, the messengers were already waiting outside.

Both of the messengers immediately bowed to the Crown Prince of Orsenia.

“Are you here to drop some message for Everard?” Alexander asked while looking at their hands to see if they were holding any scrolls.

One of them was indeed holding a scroll.

“Yes, Your Highness. Is he not inside his room?”

Alexander shook his head and replied, “Everard stepped outside just a while ago. I don’t think he will be back anytime soon. May I receive the message for him?”

However, unlike before, they didn’t show any initiative to hand over the scroll to Alexander.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. We were asked to deliver this message directly to His Highness,” the one who was carrying the scroll replied.

Alexander respected their wish. But he couldn’t help but notice how both of the messengers looked tensed. So, he asked worriedly, “Did something happen back at Xanmar?”

The messengers were carrying sensitive information. But they were well aware that Alexander wouldn’t misuse it. They were also aware that Everard would share the message with Alexander anyway.

So, one of them replied to the Crown Prince, “His Majesty suddenly fell ill. And he has requested His Highness’ presence in the castle. We are here to take the Crown Prince back with us, not just to deliver the message.”