Chapter Text
As much as he hates to admit it, the people living in Cyries seem to be happy. Bern thought that if they have someone like Silike Beurisen as their queen, they’d think about overthrowing her but from the few days he has been travelling in this land, the commoners only complain when their crops don’t grow. What the nobles do doesn’t seem to bother them.
He has a hard time believing it and decides to head to the cities as there are more mercenaries and other rich people who would be worried if the royal family does something. Which means there will be more people willing to work with him.
Devlan chased him out, banished him to be more exact but Bern is certain that if he goes back offering information about the enemy then he’ll get pardoned. It’s not like his crime was serious, Devlan overreacted as he was disappointed in him.
Bern knows he wants him to take over the throne when the time comes but he doesn’t like that idea. What will become of Chase if he becomes the king? According to the traditions, he’ll be killed to avoid internal fighting.
He flipped out once he understood it and that’s what caused father to get disappointed in him. He always thought his firstborn will be heartless and have a great hold on what he wants but then Bern came and did what he did.
Well, the teenager smiles to himself, he’s feeling really rebellious right now and it’s nice to just wander around for a change. When did he last get a moment to be so alone and didn’t have to go and train his sword? It’s not like he doesn’t like it but even after all those years of training, the lessons still cause him to hurt so he isn’t a fan.
“Excuse me, is that way the capital?” he asks one of the villagers who looks like they might move around a lot to earn their living.
The villager takes one look at him and points him in the right direction. Bern thanks him and is just about to go when the same man stops him to continue talking.
“You’re going there to get a job in a rich household right?”
“More or less, I don’t know if I have the luck for it,” Bern answers because that is his plan but not necessarily something he needs to achieve or do.
“Oh, don’t fret about it, you’ll do fine,” the man promises and pats him on the shoulder. Bern smiles even though he isn’t comfortable with it. “Your behaviour feels like a noble’s. I was about to ask you if you’re one but then I saw how you ate all the soup and changed my mind. But the nobles will like you for it.”
Bern wants to groan. He ate like that because he had been hungry for the last two days but it’s worrying to hear that’s the only reason why they didn’t believe him to be a noble. It’ll be disastrous if anyone finds out he’s a banished prince. Especially the royal family.
He doesn’t like Devlan’s ruling but he has no intention of being a political prisoner either.
But how to act less than he actually is? How to switch off the politeness and the way he presents himself through his posture and behaviour?
Bern finds himself in a pickle.
“Good luck in the capital!” The villager wishes him luck as he leaves and Bern nods. He still isn’t sure what he’ll do there but anything other than being found out by the royal family is fine.
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The capital is like another world compared to the village he just came from. It’s shiny and the buildings are tall and heavily decorated as if they were only made to show off the owners wealth. It reminds Bern of Secritia’s capital, they bear similarities.
One of the similarities is the noble’s arrogance. He experiences it first-hand because although the villagers sensed that he’s a noble, the rich here only look at his appearance and pay no attention to his behaviour.
It makes Bern scoff, he was worried for nothing. He’ll never be found out like this.
“Hey you! You’re one of the people who applied to work in the castle right?” one of the guards stops him as he passes by the palace walls and Bern points to himself if he’s really the one being talked to.
“Are you deaf?” the guard gets angry. “Of course I’m talking to you! Come here! We’ve all been waiting after you.”
Bern walks closer to explain that they’ve got the wrong person but is grabbed by his shirt and led inside and then it feels too late to clarify the misunderstanding. He hopes the real person applying for this position doesn’t show up because otherwise he’ll get exposed as a spy.
“Now, just stand here looking pretty and don’t say anything. This way you might get out unhurt,” the guard gives him a piece of advice and if that’s supposed to make him feel better then it fails miserably.
Bern has no idea what he got himself into, just that he happened to be at a wrong place at a wrong time. Is his life in danger now? What is this job that he’s suddenly applying to? Does he even know how to do it? He isn’t used to working, if he’s supposed to be a palace baker then he’ll fail.
There are other people standing next to him and he’d like to ask them what they’re doing here but they all look like they’re about to pass out from nervousness so Bern doubts any of them would be willing to answer and thus just observes their behaviour and looks around to try and understand where he is.
If this is the palace, then it must be one of the shabbier parts of it. Most likely the servants quarters. Does this mean he’s applying to be a servant of some sort?
He doesn’t know anything about it either. Dusting and cleaning isn’t something he’s familiar with and the same goes for washing the dishes.
The longer he stays here, the more nervous Bern becomes about his future. He isn’t certain he can fight his way out of the palace if things go south.
They’ve been waiting for a while when someone finally comes to see them. Bern has never seen her in person before but he’s certain that the lady with a fancy dress, green hair and cold eyes is Silike Beurisen. From her behaviour he gets a sense that he doesn’t want to get on her bad side and thus tries to be as still as he can when she passes by him.
But she still notices him as once she’s seen everyone standing in this row, she comes back to him and raises his chin with her fan as if trying to evaluate him. Bern doesn’t like it but bears with it. She’s the queen and he might be a prince but he’s an enemy in her territory and thus can’t act out.
Any normal subject of hers wouldn’t dare to talk back at all.
“You’ll do,” she says and then orders her servants, “show him to his room and inform him of his duties.”
“But your majesty he’s not even a noble, what if he gives the second prince bad influence?” one of the servants, must be her advisor of some sort, points out.
“That won’t happen. I’ll only suffer losses if I really employ a noble in that position and his behaviour is close enough. Lemaine won’t find out.”
Bern has no idea what either of them is talking about but he guesses his position must have something to do with prince Franz. Isn’t he Silike’s son? And what’s that about the nobles and everything?
If the queen is trying to deceive the king then the palace’s relationships must be worse than they actually thought. Somehow this piece of news doesn’t make Bern feel any better because the worse the people living here get along, the more dangerous it will be for him.
He doesn’t fancy the idea of getting pulled into assassination plans and schemes.
The servants show him a way to the small room and give a few introductions to what his tasks are. To his surprise he had somehow – he isn’t sure whether by luck or bad luck – become Franz’s personal servant. It does grant him access to inside information and he knows what those types of servants are supposed to do but it’s also a dangerous position and it’ll be hard to quit.
All of it means that when it’ll be time to leave, he has to run away and hope he reaches the border before Silike’s soldiers catch him. His heart starts beating faster when he thinks about this future of his. All of this was never supposed to happen.
He puts on the clothes provided to him and then takes a look at the mirror. The royal family shouldn’t know what the enemy prince looks like but he wants to make sure so he takes time styling his hair in a way he has never been painted with.
It makes him feel strange and it’s as if there’s a stranger looking back at him in the mirror but it’ll definitely work. He’ll get used to it.
Done with that, he tries to find the second prince’s room. They gave introductions but the palace is big and way too unfamiliar to him. It takes him way too much time before he reaches the right place but he does get a lot of information about the layout of the palace. It’ll be easier to find a way here tomorrow.
“Prince Franz, I’m your new personal servant, may I come in?” he asks after knocking on the door.
There’s no answer.
Will it be rude to still enter? As he’s playing a commoner, he might get executed if the prince doesn’t like it or if he isn’t in his room but since he’s thought to be a noble – only the nobles can take on this position – he might just get away with this.
Bern decides to take the risk because he isn’t too good at waiting after others. He’s the type that wants results and to bring them forward with his own hands. He’s also certain Franz’s previous servants haven’t tried it before.
As much as he knows about the boy, he’s at that age where he should’ve had someone by his side for some years already. Maybe something happened to the previous servant?
He steps into the room and groans as soon as he does. Franz, the sleeping figure on the bed must be him, is in but he obviously has no plans to wake up as the curtains are still in front of the windows. But the air feels stuffy since the windows are closed and Bern feels a headache nearing.
He doesn’t waste time on trying to wake the boy up and opens the windows, pulling the blinds aside. Light and air fill the room and now that Bern gets a better look, the interior is fitting for a prince. But why hasn’t someone woken him up before?
Bern doesn’t want to believe that Franz has no lessons he needs to attend.
“Who the fuck are you?” a sleepy mumble comes from the bed which is followed by an angry groan “Get out or I’ll get you killed.”
Bern turns his attention to the owner of the voice and pulls the blanket out from the bed. This action causes the owner of the bed to rise up and attack him but Bern catches the small fist aiming for his head with ease.
“Your little threats don’t mean anything to me,” he informs the small boy who is even younger than Chase. “The queen herself told me to be here.”
“My mother doesn’t care about you. The guards listen to me too, I can order them to kill you,” the young prince informs him but Bern doesn’t feel intimidated. He’s not some noble that needs to worry about his reputation or family and he leans a little closer to inform Franz of this.
“Well, I might as well run away before that can happen then. You don’t even know my name and address, you won’t be able to find me if I do.”
“What’s your name?”
“Bern.”
“No family name?”
“Why should I tell you about that?” Bern asks Franz with a smile “You’re just planning to hurt me.”
“I’m the prince. You have to tell me.”
“One of the three princes. You have close to no authority in reality, trust me I know.”
Franz shuts up after it and Bern lets him pull his hand free.
“Let’s just get along, Franz. I'm a much better choice for a servant than other nobles.”
“Why do you say that? If my mother told you to be here, you’re obviously on her side, you’ll report everything I do to her.”
“Here’s the trick my dear prince, I’m not a noble, I don’t have to take sides. She didn’t tell me to do anything.”
“Not a noble?” Franz asks as if he can’t believe it and Bern shrugs.
“She said something about suffering losses if she put a real one here and that the king won’t find out.”
“You’re crazy,” the small green-haired boy tells him and Bern smiles.
“So they tell me.”
“I like you,” Franz suddenly announces and Bern isn’t sure why he says this but uses it for his own gain.
“If you do then get up. I still have a job to keep.”
“I like you but not the way you speak to me,” Franz grumbles and Bern snaps back
“Dear prince Franz, would you be so kind and get your royal buttocks up from this bed?”
“I changed my mind, I actually don’t like you,” Franz says but still stands up and Bern can make up the bed. “I should just give you out to the guards for pretending to be a noble.”
The blanket remains wrinkled but it’s close enough to pass for a done bed. It’s not like he bothers or Franz cares. He noticed the blanket but didn’t say anything about it.
“My pretence doesn’t hurt anyone,” Bern reminds him and then helps him put on his clothes.
This too is a foreign experience for him, it’s usually him who’s getting dressed like this but Franz is so small that he can pretend he’s taking care of Chase.
“I’ll pretend I don’t know anything about the criminal you are,” the green-haired boy promises and makes it sound like it’s terribly generous of him to do this but Bern smiles softly. The second prince may not want to admit it but he has already taken a liking to him.
“I’ll serve you well for this,” Bern also makes a promise and Franz looks satisfied.
He’s one arrogant but utterly adorable prince. Bern thinks he’ll quite like serving him even though he senses they’ll quarrel a lot.