Chapter 43: Envoys to the East
Aleksander stood stiffly. This was the very first time his father had called him his son since the day the king sent him away.
The prince watched as his father spread his arms open as if to welcome him warmly. He couldn’t begin to describe how revolted he was of the gesture.
’He is mocking me,’ Aleksander thought.
The ballroom seemingly turned bigger, the crowds vanishing as the bastard prince and his crazy father faced each other.
Aleksander imagined this moment for as long as he could remember. But now that he was back at the castle, the ill-tempered Prince Aleksander suddenly found himself turning back into a tiny boy who yearned for the love and attention of a father.
It was a strange feeling that seemed to have awakened like a hungry animal from years of hibernation. He hated his father so much for abandoning him on a whim, but to his surprise, a sliver of yearning was still alive in him.
The memory of a little boy who was the happiest when he was adored and taken care of.
But just as quickly as that feeling rose up in him, the current Aleksander squashed it like a pest in his face. The bitter reality of his life dawned on him – he wasn’t that same little boy anymore.
He wasn’t loved.
He was discarded like a toy when his crazy father decided he had enough of him. King Raxus Ardorlean didn’t deserve to be yearned for.
What he deserved was to be hated.