A maroon whirlpool

"I implore you to listen to reason, Crystal," Aurelius spoke with exasperation, his eyes flickering with frustration. "The Crown Prince does not harbor any ill feelings towards you. May I inquire as to the reason for your continued desire to offer an apology to him?" It was the tenth time Crystal had tried to ask him for the crown prince's location since he was not in the male dormitory for fae students.

Crystal's eyes dropped to the ground, and she twirled a lock of her long hair around her finger. "You don't understand, Aurelius. I feel terrible for what happened, and I want to apologize to him so that I can have peace of mind." When Crystal had learned from Aurelius that the crown prince was not offended in the slightest, and that he wasn't looking to execute her, her worry had subsided, and guilt had taken over.

Aurelius placed a comforting hand on Crystal's shoulder. "Please do not burden yourself with any feelings of guilt, as the incident was an honest mistake and has been fully understood and forgiven by the Crown Prince." Aurelius was adamant. He had a gut feeling that he shouldn't let the other two meet under any circumstances. He didn't know why, but he knew a fae's instincts were never wrong when it came to someone they were interested in.

But Crystal wasn't satisfied. "Please, Aurelius. I thought you were my dear friend. I feel so guilty, and yet you're not helping me relieve my guilt." Crystal started to guilt trip him, and he cleared his throat, looking away from her puppy eyes, which were bad for him.

"Please," Crystal looked at him pitifully, and Aurelius sighed, pinching his nose bridge. His resolve faltered under Crystal's pleading gaze, he couldn't deny the power of Crystal's heart-wrenching plea.

"Very well," he relented, "However, I shall accompany you," he mentioned strictly, but Crystal wasn't having it.

...

Aurelius had divulged to Crystal the whereabouts of the crown prince, and despite his adamant desire to accompany her, Crystal had managed to placate him with her renowned puppy eyes. She had also reasoned with him that he was one who promised he would not ask unnecessary questions and he could not be always there to help her.

Her words had hurt Aurelius and she perceived it in his aura but she knew he would understand her point eventually.

According to Aurelius, Ambrose, the crown prince, harbored only a single hobby in the whole wide world, which was to paint while sitting in a garden filled with flowers.

Such a place was only the botanical garden for faerie gardening classes on the entire campus, which fortunately, Crystal did not require any assistance to locate it.

As Crystal stepped into the garden, the pleasant aroma of flowers embraced her, and her eyes caught sight of Ambrose sitting on a pristine white chair, his canvas resting on an easel, nestled within the farthest right corner of the garden.

There were some flowers that resembled dahlia flowers from Earth but were shamrock-green in color and were called Pulchra due to their unique beauty.

People had always told Crystal that she had very light steps, and as her nimble steps allowed her to approach him unnoticed, Ambrose remained immersed in his painting.

As she gazed upon the crown prince's painting, Crystal discovered a masterpiece beyond her imagination. An intricately detailed whirlpool dominated the canvas, its swirling vortex sucking in every creature of water in its path. Mermaids, small fish, and other aquatic creatures unknown to Crystal fought against the force of the whirlpool's pull. Each creature in the painting exuded a sense of distress, as if struggling to escape the clutches of this monstrous vortex.

Crystal was struck by the surreal beauty of the painting, but she couldn't shake off the sensation that it was more than just a work of art. She perceived the maroon whirlpool as a metaphor for Ambrose's inner turmoil, a representation of the chaos and confusion he battled within. She could almost feel the weight of his emotions in the air around them, like a tangible presence that threatened to overwhelm him.

It was the rawness of his emotions, the vulnerability he was displaying through his painting that made her feel a deep connection to him, a connection that was difficult to explain. She gazed at him intently, entranced by his artistic abilities and the intensity of his emotions. She wondered how he could contain such powerful emotions within himself despite showing a cold image to others all the time.

As Ambrose lifted his brush away from the canvas, the painting almost complete, Crystal realized that now was the perfect opportunity to engage him in conversation.

“Greetings, Your Royal Highness.” Ambrose seemed taken aback, as he was startled and looked around with furious eyes. However, his eyes softened as soon as he laid them on Crystal, who was doing the fae greeting to him.

"The reason of your presence?" he asked, his tone harsher than she had expected. He seemed surprised by his own rudeness, and unlike last time, Crystal did not seem to mind. She did not let his tone shake her resolve. She knew that she was guilty, and she knew when to swallow her pride and apologize.

"I came to apologize to you, your highness," she said, bowing deeply before him. "I had no intention of attacking you. It was a mere coincidence that I was able to summon my powers for the first time and lost control."

Ambrose widened his eyes at her bow, standing up from his chair and looking visibly panicked.

"Refrain from lowering your head in my presence," he demanded.

Crystal stood straight again, looking at him confused. He was the Crown Prince of the fae kingdom, and there would be a lot of faeries bowing to him on a daily basis, yet he looked flustered.

"Pardon me if I have offended you," she said, worried that she had done something wrong. But Ambrose shook his head, his eyes shut tightly in frustration.

"I do not take any offense to that," he said. “Whether due to the inadvertent attack from your water summon or the manner of your apology. As the crown prince, I understand the importance of treating all individuals with respect and equality, and I do not seek to exert undue authority or demand submission from others based on my station."