Chapter 233: His Conflicted Thoughts
The next day, when the sun had casted its morning glow in the Chevalier Palace, everyone gathered within the Palace vicinity to celebrate Maurice’s accomplishment. Gone where those days when the citizens of GreenHollow were never allowed to step foot in the Palace, it was considered trespassing and punishment-worthy, but in Ivan’s reign, the people of GreenHollow were given the privilege to be a part of any public ceremony that was held in the Palace– for example, being bestowed the privilege to witness Maurice receive his award for making it out triumphantly in the end of the event.
A smile Ivan was only recognizing for the first time, graced Maurice’s lips as he lowered his head in a polite bow. With an honor that was both charming and admirable, he received the new, magnificent sword that gleamed mystically in the light. In the hilt of his new, majestic blade was the gem he had achieved in the finals– the reason for his attainment, and when everyone, including Helena and the royals stepped forth to congratulate him on his success, he inadvertently spotted his teammates through the crowd, unawareably sneaking peeks at them through the corner of his eyes.
Bryn quietly stood at a corner, arms folded, expression indecipherable, whereas Jack excitedly clapped his hand, singing his praises from afar. The mere sight of his teammates was enough to make the smile on his lips fade gradually, and at once, none of this celebration felt right to him. It had only been a day they spent together trying to locate the last gemstone, the time difference between each realm was equivalent to spending a whole day on Earth– reasons why he regained consciousness only to see the sky had darkened last night. The time difference wasn’t important anyway, but seeing them stand over there made him feel a pang in his chest, as though he was doing something wrong.
"What do you wish to say to His Majesty?" One of Ivan’s entourage spoke on his behalf, and the murmuring crowds instantly quieted down. The sudden, unprepared silence made Maurice feel a little uneasy, but when he looked at his sister who smiled while giving him a go-ahead nod, Maurice found his seeping courage returning, and he took in a deep breath.
"Thank you for this opportunity, your Majesty." He said, sounding genuinely grateful to Ivan, "but... I will have to decline all these rewards as they are.... unfair treatments towards my teammates. Honestly speaking, I wouldn’t have made it back with the final gem if it weren’t for them. Pardon my manners but If.. if you do not mind, I think they deserve to be awarded with this more than I do."
Maurice simply suggested, not daring to meet the gaze of Ivan after voicing out his perception. He could hear the crowds murmur their awe, even his sister was left evidently surprised by it, but that didn’t deter him from speaking what he had in mind. However, Bryn and Jack, who had come here to be a part of his celebration, were left frozen after coming to the realization that they were the teammates he was openly talking about. To be fair, his Majesty never casted them aside after their return, their accomplishments were honorably celebrated while he was unconscious all through last night, and to top it off, they were awarded a position, which meant they were successfully among the new recruits chosen to follow Helena back to the borders.
"Sigh... that thwart of a human, why is he being nice? It’s embarrassing." Bryn clicked his tongue, already feeling sorry for the human lad, but Jack remained inquisitively silent as he was still trying to comprehend the meaning behind Maurice’s statement.
In the midst of where Maurice stood, one of Ivan’s entourage frowned upon his manner of speaking. He was about to reprimand him for refusing His Majesty’s gifts in front of everyone, but, before he could let the words slip from his mouth, Ivan raised a hand, silencing his entourage. When they feared that it might be a little too late to stop his Majesty’s anger from rising, they dared to steal a peek at his face but alas! The vampire King bore no disappointment on his ethereal features, nor did he show any negative display to the behavior of the human lad, rather, his eyes flickered with warmth, as if proud– to their stupefaction.
"It is fine if you do not want them." Ivan replied, his tone surprisingly calm, as if he understood the views of the human lad, and then he added. "However, I cannot take them back as I have already given them to you. What you choose to do with them from here on out, whom you choose to pass it on to, or how you intend to make good use of them depends solely on you. If you have any fears that I may be offended, then that is not something that you should be bothered about... I don’t get offended for foolish reasons, and am not stopping you."