Chapter 23: Past Happen

The prince looked at me, confused. "Why me again?"

I gasped for air. "How can you train if you're locked in your room for two weeks. If you hadn't practiced alone, you wouldn't have sprained."

I saw how the emotion on Dylan's face changed. "Because I want to prove something."

"What?" I confusedly said.

"I know I'm weak, especially in fighting, so I practiced alone and used what you taught me before I left the palace. I have to admit, I'm really useless at handling weapons and I'm my father's only child, so I need to know everything."

I folded my arms and seriously answered what he was saying. "You don't have to prove yourself if you know you can't do it yet. You can be ruined if you always think you have to learn right away because you're embarrassing."

"It's been a few years. Adira, the other prince, just made fun of me because I'm so weak to everyone." He looked up and remembered the past.

The archery tournament of the princes with the bow and arrow is starting again. While everyone was getting ready, Prince Dylan was on one side and watching the surroundings because the other princes, especially Prince Damon, were not his friends.

Prince Damon approached him. "Maybe you already know how to use a bow, because otherwise why are you still here if you won't even get any reward because you are just a weak prince in our country." He grinned before he left.

Prince Dylan's tears were forming in the corner of his eyes, but he tried not to increase them because he knew that when the tears fell on his cheeks, he was the one diverting the attention of others, and he didn't want that. Shame on Stalwart Castle and his father, King Stephen, for his son's cowardice and weakness in front of everyone.

The game begins. All the princes who were there had their reward, except for Prince Dylan.

He didn't even bury the arrow in the target, which was a round piece of wood.

Since then, the other princes have laughed at him, especially Prince Damon. He has not been an ally or a friend to even one of the princes, so Prince Dylan is slowly discouraged every time the month comes where the princes meet for a contest.

I noticed that the prince was stunned and there was a glint in his eyes. "Dear prince!" I said with strength.

He was surprised, but I noticed that he wiped the corner of his eye. "Sorry, I just remembered something."

"What do you remember?"

He stopped and looked at me with a smile on his face that I knew wasn't real. "How the other princes laughed at me because I didn't know what to do."

I stared at his eyes because it was obvious that he was trying not to cry because the veins in his eyes were red. "How come you're still affected?"

He looked at me evilly, but tears fell from his eyes. "That's a shame in our palace, Adira. I'm a lone prince...but I'm not like other princes in our country who are strong, can use all weapons, and above all, they are brave, unlike me, who is weak. "He looked away from me and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "So if possible, I won't attend, but it's even embarrassing if the prince of Stalwart Castle can't appear because he's afraid of being laughed at again."

I folded my arms. "Do you know why you became weak?" He looked at me but just stared. "You embrace what you hear, see, and do to you."

He frowned at what I said. "What do you want to convey?"

"You let them do those things to you. It's also your fault that you became like that. "

He got bored and suddenly moved his foot. "See, I told you it was your fault." I grinned, but suddenly it disappeared. "You didn't turn what they were telling you into a weapon, but you let all of that hit you, so you're full of wounds now. It's not because you feel that you won't get up or that you'll just wait for someone to help you. Learn to endure, but that doesn't mean you're old or weak. What you should have done is to pretend in front of people that you are weak on the outside turns into a monster when your true personality comes out. "

"I do not understand," he asked, confused.

I closed my eyes. "Be a tree. Even if you are hurt and shed a resin, it will still stand and grow leaves."

He scratched his head. "Why the depth of what you say? It's hard to understand. "

I looked at him angrily. "Tsk, that's why you are called weak, because even your brain isn't working anymore!"

"What did you say?" He didn't know he had a lame foot, so he acted normally and planned to stand up. "Ahhh..." he shouted. I winced at the force, but I was shocked when the door suddenly opened.

 It's General Agustin entering. "What's going on here?" he asked in confusion.

"I think the prince forgot that he had a lame foot, so he acted normal, so he shouted because he accidentally moved his leg."

He exhaled and calmed down. "I just wonder what happened here."

"Don't worry, general. I'm here, so the prince will be okay. "

"I was just shocked while walking out of the room, so I immediately went in."

I looked at Dylan. "The prince just lacks attention, but he's okay."

The prince just bit his lip when he couldn't say anything bad to Adira anymore. "Then I'll go out." I just nodded and General Agustin finally got out.

"They say don't move your leg, but it seems like you want your foot to get worse because you've overcome the worm." I stood up and stretched. "I'll leave you here for now. Don't miss me too much because I have something to do."

Prince Dylan was whispering softly, "This young lady has courage."

"Did you say something?" I asked while I was next to the prince's bed, so he was surprised and just held his chest and didn't move his leg.

"How strong is your hearing?"

"That's instinct because I know you want to say something, but you want to be the only one to hear it because it's not a good word to come out of your mouth."

He was angry and pushed my back. I was next to his bed, but our bodies were facing the same direction. "Go away! My head is getting hotter because of you, and I'm moving my legs a lot!"

"You must say that you really want attention, but I'm really leaving." Adira started walking towards the door, but she stopped while holding the door lock. "Don't think and remember the past, dear prince, because I will make that memory of yours happy if you can participate in the tournament again next month." I opened the door completely and left.

Prince Dylan kept looking at the door, and he repeated in his mind what Adira said. "Thank you so much in advance, if you can do that." He slowly lay down and closed his eyes.