Mars quickly got off his horse and walked inside. John bowed down to show respect and greeted him.
"Please prepare my bathwater," said the crown prince coldly. He walked toward his old room in the royal palace.
John stood dumbfounded on the spot when he heard the prince's order. The butler was shocked to see Mars returned in such a short amount of time.
Shouldn't he still be on the road by now?
Did he travel without stopping for three weeks?
Even if he did it in one month, he would be really exhausted. Yet he made it home in slightly over three weeks?
He could have died of exhaustion!
John hurriedly walked inside and ordered his subordinates to prepare the bathwater for the prince. He could imagine the arduous journey that Mars took to get here. He must be really, really tired and needed his hot bath to relax his mind.
"John, I want the same thing!"
Suddenly John heard Gewen speak from behind him. He turned around and saw Gewen walked hurriedly to chase him. For a moment, the butler batted his eyes, trying to guess who this man was.
He thought the voice sounded familiar, but who was this man?
Now, Gewen became super annoyed because John also didn't recognize him. The young general wanted to scream out of frustration. Gah!!
He couldn't believe that these people really couldn't recognize him as the famously handsome general, just because he looked dirty and disheveled. Was he really that different???
"It's me," Gewen said with an annoyed voice. "Lord Gewen Athibaud."
"Oh... my lord." John was astounded.
Now that he looked at the man in front of him carefully, John could see the resemblances to Gewen.
Wait... was this scruffy and disheveled man really Lord Gewen?
The most beautiful man in Draec?
Right at that moment, John could really imagine for sure how rough the journey must have been for the prince that even the flamboyant general could be reduced to this.... state.
"What are you looking at?" Gewen growled at John. He looked like a wounded bear, looking angry and annoyed at the same time.
The understanding butler hurriedly smiled and bowed his head slightly. "Oh, I am looking at your, my lord. I can see that you are very tired. Let me fix you a bath and prepare a nice chamber so you can rest."
"Hmm." Gewen raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Yeah, I want that."
"Please follow me," said John tactfully.
He walked inside to show Gewen his chamber. While walking, John efficiently gave instructions to his subordinates to get the chambers ready for the prince and Lord Gewen, and then prepared their bathwater.
Gewen was satisfied when he saw the nice chamber where he would spend the night, resting. Just looking at the fluffy mattress and soft sheets, he felt like jumping in joy.
Gosh... he missed those babies! After sleeping under the stars and whatever inn they could find to sleep for 4 hours max every night, he could really appreciate a nice comfy mattress.
Now, Gewen was sure that he would finally have a good night's sleep here.
"The bathwater is being prepared, my lord. Please wait here a little bit," said John respectfully. "My staff will cater to all your needs. He will also prepare supper for you if you'd like."
"Yeah, that will be nice," said Gewen. He behaved more friendly now toward John. His mood had changed for the better after he saw the nice chamber.
"Please, excuse me, my lord. I will go and check on the crown prince's chamber," said John. Gewen just nodded.
John bowed down a little and took his leave. Once the butler disappeared behind the door, Gewen plopped his butt on the soft mattress.
He would kiss the mattress right there and then if a servant didn't suddenly enter his chamber with a bucket of water.
When the servant stepped in, Gewen instantly got up and cross his arms on his chest. He stood by the bathtub and oversaw the servant's work when he was preparing the bathwater.
Another servant came with more buckets of water, followed by the other one. Soon, the bathtub was half-filled with water. Then, one of the servants lighted the fire in the fireplace and boil a big pot of water.
Once the water boiled, they poured it into the bath and Gewen could finally take his warm bath. The servants excused themselves and let him take a bath while they went out to prepare supper for him.
Gewen quickly stripped and stepped inside the bathtub. As soon as his skin touched the nice, warm water, he let out a satisfied moan and closed his eyes.
Ahh... this was too good.
***
Meanwhile, John hurriedly walked toward Mars's old chamber. This was his private chamber when he was still living in the royal palace, before he was given his own castle to manage.
The butler dreaded the moment when Mars entered the chamber. He was wondering if the prince would break down in tears or lash out in fury.
However, contrary to his expectation, Mars had not shown any anger or sadness after he returned. He didn't even ask about his mother and his wife.
What was going on? What was he thinking about the whole thing?
Gosh... John didn't know how to handle this situation. Without Queen Elara, the royal family was in a mess. She was the heart of this family... And now she was gone.
After she died, the king went mad and her son was must be devastated from losing the queen and his wife at almost the same time.
Wait.. did the prince know that his wife was dead? He had not spoken or asked about his wife.
"Your Highness," said John respectfully when he knocked on the open door. He waited for the prince to tell him to enter, but Mars didn't say anything.
Finally, John braved himself and entered the chamber. He thought Mars must not have heard him because his mind was busy.