886: Julian Is Trapped In The Palace

Julian Is Trapped In The Palace

Rowena nodded in satisfaction when she saw him agreeing.0

"Yeah. So that's why I'm thinking about heading somewhere else." Rowena smiled. "We've already been to the North and it's been a day, what do you think of going to the great library?"

"Great library?" Prince Liam's eyes widened.

"Mhmm, I heard about a wonderful library, it's got all sorts of books accumulated from various kingdoms. If there's anything we could gather about other realms, I suppose that's the best place to start… and there are other various books too."

"That actually sounds wonderful." Prince Liam exclaimed. He loved books a lot, and while his father always forced him to go spar with him, he enjoyed staying in a corner and reading books.

"You think so?" Rowena raised a brow. She stepped forward towards 'Julian' and placed a hand on his forehead. "You don't seem exactly feverish to me."

"Cold sweats?" Prince Liam laughed and stepped back nervously.

"So you say." Rowena frowned. "Something's not right. I don't think you're really sick–"

"Can you please step away from me, please–" Prince Liam averted his gaze.

Rowena's eyes widened and she stepped back away from 'Julian'.

She had never heard him say something like that.

"...I'm sorry," she said.

"It's already strange enough that a man and a woman are spending the night together, I'm sure that the innkeeper assumed we might be together. But more than that, I do not appreciate having you all over my face. It's indecent and I can barely breathe when you're around," Prince Liam said with a reddened face.

"I see… Well, thank you for finally telling me what's on your mind, Julian." Rowena smiled kindly as a response.

She had always wondered if it was wrong for them to keep spending the nights together. Rowena didn't have any problems with it because the first time they met, they already slept together underneath Julian's old shabby hut without any problems.

He even gave her a dagger back then to prove that if he made any untoward advances, she could stab him.

They had also lived together in their own hut in the valley for a year.  Everyone else might assume that it was similar to that of a couple, or someone in a far more intimate relationship. However, nothing of that sort had happened at all.

Julian had been respectful and even the slightest hint of any gesture that could be 'romantic' was treated like it was nothing.

Rowena always heard Julian say about how she looked the 'same' whether she dressed up in more feminine clothes or wore clothes for a man, and he treated her like a sister.

That was why Rowena felt comfortable with him.

But now, 'Julian' was finally saying it was indecent for them to stay in one room. Rowena should have known that even though their relationship was good and platonic if she kept acting like they were siblings, it was as if she was ignoring the fact that Julian was a man.

"...I'm sorry," Prince Liam said. "I shouldn't have made such an outburst."

He didn't know if he just ruined 'Julian's' chances by saying such a thing. But it felt like that.

"That's fine." Rowena waved a hand at him.

"It's not fine!" Prince Liam said.

Rowena smiled and shook her head. 

"You actually made a good point… it's my own fault for overstepping and acting like you weren't a man. Thank you for telling me the truth. I was actually worried about it since I felt like I took away the chances of you finding someone else, so I'm glad you brought this up. It won't happen again."

***

After the terrible incident that was called a family dinner, Julian excused himself to return to the room… or at least, that was what he gave as a reason for him to not stick around and have a conversation with the royal family of Verona.

He may have looked like the prince, but it didn't mean that the parents, who both seemed like they were involved a great deal in their son's life, wouldn't be able to recognize an imposter.

Julian needed to avoid them.

"Would you like to summon the royal doctor, Liam?" the queen called out to him. Her forehead creased together as she stared at Julian's plate. "You really do seem unwell. You've barely touched your food."

"Your mother is right," the king said in agreement. "We do not wish for you to have caught anything."

"No, I'm fine. I think I will only be in need of a good short rest," Julian lied and reassured the two before he bowed respectfully and then went out of the dining hall.

Julian didn't quite run off immediately, instead, he actually returned to the room of Prince Liam so he'd be given enough time to think through his actions.

"One way or another, this so-called Prince has left his place and doesn't seem to have any intentions of returning here. Does it mean that he's made a well-secure plan and has already left Dustfal?"

Julian was curious and worried if that was the case.

Even Rowena who was both amazing and wonderful at the same time–er, even Rowena needed a little help from Julian to be able to survive in the commoner's world.

Despite Liam's escape around an adult age compared to Rowena doing it when she wasn't even sixteen, Julian didn't think that a prince with a sheltered life like Liam would know his way around the world.

Did it mean that Julian was fully concerned about the guy?

Not necessarily.

Sure, Julian felt bad for the king… and even the queen for not knowing that their son had escaped, but he had far bigger fish to fry. He needed to meet up with Rowena at the inn regardless of the family dynamics.

He winced his forehead. The rash had started to appear on his body. Shit!

Julian touched his face and growled in frustration. If the queen saw him looking like this... the same day next year would be his death anniversary.

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