When Charlton went down the stairs at 1:15 in the afternoon, he wanted to go see Serena and ask her to convoy their carriages, but he saw Geoffrey standing at the lobby as if waiting for someone.

Geoffrey was standing at the lobby as if contemplating. Hearing someone approach, he turned and saw his cousin.

"Hey." He greeted. He raised his brow seeing that his cousin was a little too dressed up today but chose not to comment.

Charlton smiled at him, trying to hide his unease. "Hey to you too." He greeted back as he noted with some satisfaction that although Geoffrey looked good in his attire which consisted of a navy-blue suit with matching pants, paisley patterned ivory vest and beige necktie, he definitely outshined him today.

"We haven't talked much as of late, so I thought that we should ride together going to the church."

Having no choice and no reason to decline, Charlton nodded his head. "Sure. Just wait a moment and let me give instructions to my coachman first."

Geoffrey nodded and walked towards his carriage to ride it.

Charlton told his coachman, who was also privy with his relationship with Serena, to inform her. He also instructed him to follow Serena's carriage on the way to the church and that he'll also need the carriage as his ride later going to the reception.

--

Geoffrey's carriage was larger and more extravagant than Charlton's. The exterior was black inlaid with gold. Inside, the seats were padded and covered with velvet red.

When the carriage started moving, two more carriages carrying a group of guards followed. The ride to the church was less than an hour away, but they had to leave a little earlier so that they won't gather too much attention and cause traffic for the other guests when they arrive.

The silence inside the carriage was deafening. Geoffrey who still felt bad regarding his words to his cousin roughly 2 months ago felt that he should be the one to start the conversation.

"I know that things have not been the same ever since our argument regarding Leonard's sister, but I don't want something like that to ruin our ties as cousins, and our years of friendship."

Charlton, not really wanting this conversation, just nodded his head. He recalled his cousin reprimanding him, telling him to mind his own business and that he owed him no explanation.

"I understand that you were just being concerned because what I was doing then will inevitably cause a rift between me and Leonard. So, I apologize for my words."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Charlton asked. He felt his heart throbbing painfully on his chest, afraid that his cousin would start paying attention to Serena.

"I must say that I am being sentimental and just miss the old days. I don't think that Leonard and I will ever be the same again, but I don't want you and Kylo to think that I don't care." He sighed. "…and to tell you honestly, I also need someone to vent my pent-up frustrations to. You understand what I mean?"

"Yes. So, what do you plan on doing now? Are you still seeing that girl?" Charlton asked tentatively.

"I will be honest with you. I can't really say this to Leonard for obvious reasons, and I can't tell Kylo, because you know how he is. Yes, I am seeing another girl. Before you saw us together last time, we have already been writing to each other for a year." Geoffrey began as he looked at his cousin's reaction. Seeing that he was all ears, he continued. "Right now, we're in a mutual relationship, but I have no intention of breaking my engagement."

Charlton clenched his fist. He had to stop himself from punching his cousin. "Why don't you just break your engagement? Wouldn't that lead to a better ending for everyone?"

Geoffrey shook his head. "I can't do that. My father chose her for me for certain reasons. Duke Maxwell will also be a powerful ally to me. Aside from that, you know that the fight for the throne is never an easy battle. Although I am the crown prince, there is still the 2nd and the 3rd prince. Other than my brothers, there is also that group of vigilantes."

"What if you can still have the duke's support without marrying his daughter?" Charlton asked again. He understood his cousin's plight, but he was never going to give up Serena.

"I don't know. At first, I thought that the girl I'm seeing was IT. But right now, I am not too sure. She was proving to be a little different from her letters. Last time, I told her that we must take a step back on our relationship. That I believe we should get to know each other better… I need a little advice as this is my first relationship. What do you think should I do?"

If Charlton were being a real concerned family member and a good friend, he would have told him that he should just break up with the girl and focus on his intended. That nothing good would ever come out of his love affair. However, he had his own personal interest in the mix so what came out of his mouth was entirely different.

"I believe that your feelings of ambiguity just stem out from the fact that you feel some guilt for the girl because you are engaged. However, I see that you must really like or even love her, because you would not be seeing her behind everyone's back, or even sacrifice your years of friendship with Leonard, if you don't. Also, what are you afraid of? You should not let political matters control your heart. You have my ducal house behind you. So, I say, just break your engagement and marry the girl you love."

"you really think so? But you know, I also thought about Leonard's sister. She is a sight to behold and lately, she doesn't seem that bad." Geoffrey asked uncertain of his cousin's advice.

Charlton felt his intestines twisting when he heard Geoffrey mention Serena. Truthfully, he just wanted to come out clean, but he thought of the consequences. Besides, based on what Geoffrey said earlier, it doesn't seem like the outcome will be beautiful. So, he kept up with his pretense and tried to convince his cousin otherwise.

"I know so. Leonard's sister, well, she just looks good on the outside, and though I admit that she is indeed capable, she is quite the spoiled young prima donna. I have been paired up with her since the start of the school year, so I can say that I know her better, and I can tell that you two will just clash. It will never work. She is too, how do you say this? Ah, dominant. And she also looks like the jealous type. She will never let you have an affair, if she were to find out about your relationship with that girl, then, sorry to say, she might even try to dispose her." Charlton said as he burned incense in his mind, praying to the gods for Serena to never catch whiff of whatever he is telling Geoffrey now. Anyway, it was not like he was completely lying. Some of those things he spouted were half true. Though he found those traits of her endearing.

"I thought that the two of you get along. I never imagined that you have those kinds of thought about her."

Charlton continued with his lies. "I was just being professional. Like Sir Felix said, she is indeed a musical genius. Also, I'm not the one who is expected to spend the rest of his life with her. Besides, I still have to think of Leonard."

"This is the first time I heard you disparaging someone behind their back. She must really be bad."

"well…" Charlton replied as he chuckled awkwardly. "by the way, who is the girl you're seeing?"

Geoffrey sighed, not wanting to keep things from his cousin any longer. "Her name is Emily. The girl who's paired up with me."

"So that's why you agreed with the pair up. And how far have you gotten along?" Charlton asked, wanting to know how deep their relationship was, firsthand.

Geoffrey blushed. "Don't think of her like that. We never engaged on anything except for some kisses."

Charlton nodded in understanding. At least that much was good. He knew that his cousin would never want to accidentally impregnate a woman before marriage as that would lead to an unwanted succession feud in the future.

Geoffrey looked outside and saw that they were already near the church. "Anyway, thank you for the advice. I'm glad that we had this talk. So, everything is good between us again?" he asked.

"Yes, and if you need any advice, don't forget that I'm here for you." He replied, while feeling a little guilty inside.

But hey, as they all say, all is fair in love and war.

--

TBC

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