Present by Olivia Frew
It was quarter past three. Prince Robert lay awake staring at the ceiling, memorising the decades old carvings of flowers and elaborate patterns with eyes that had grown accustomed to the darkness over and over as he chased sleep. It had been like this for weeks now, the sleepless nights, ever since his father had announced he was stepping down from the throne in the wake of his son’s wedding, an arrangement that had been made years before. Robert had no interest in being king, he longed for a life outside the suffocating walls of the castle where he could make decisions for himself instead of having them thrust upon him. He yearned for the freedom to discover who he was without the constraints of the lavish life he was born into.
from the garage and just drive. ‘It’s the middle of the night, who would see?’ he thought. He had connections all over the globe, it could be so easy to take that leap of faith but in spite of that, he was terrified.
His brother on the other hand was all but ready to take the crown and lead the country in the wake of his father abdicating; however, in light of the scandal surrounding the legitimacy of his royal blood, that was entirely out of the question. Robert would have to take it upon himself to fulfil this destiny and put his own wishes aside.
Yawning, he climbed out of bed and slowly crept to the door, opening it quietly as to not alert anyone who may be lurking.
And yet, the closer he got to his impending nuptials, and all that came with it, the less he found himself caring about the consequences of leaving. It wouldn’t be too difficult, he could pack a bag, take one of the many cars
Sleep was a long time coming. Robert knew this and sat up, stretched, and reached for the glass of water that usually rested on his bedside table only to find it empty. On any other night he would call for one of the multitudes of servants to bring him water from the kitchen however he knew he would have servants answering his every demand for the rest of his life so he might as well do something for himself while he still had the chance.
“That’s odd”, he thought, the hallway, which was usually illuminated by ornate lamps on either side, was pitch black. ‘Someone must have forgotten to switch the lights on’, he said to himself as he softly moved forward making sure to avoid any especially creaky floorboards. He made his way to the main staircase and began his descent. Perhaps he should have
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