The Cup of Tea
Tears fell from Prince Dylan’s eyes as he weakly leaned back in the chair.
“This is only temporary, Prince Dylan. Everyone will return when your father is completely healed.” After King Cyrus said that, he also left, and when he left the dining table, he noticed Adira standing while leaning against the wall.
King Cyrus’s eyes were on Adira because he was wondering why there was a soldier there until he passed. Adira, on the other hand, followed King Cyrus until he disappeared from her sight.
General Agustin approached Prince Dylan. “Be strong, my dear prince. I know it’s against your heart to have someone else take over your palace, but we can’t do anything about it wen they say so.”
“What kind of agreement are they talking about? Father never mentioned that to me.”
“Honestly, I don’t know about that agreement either, because the matter is only between the kings, so I can’t say my opinion either.”
Prince Dylan clenched his fist on the table. “Why hasn’t the doctor been able to determine what my father’s illness is?”
The general didn’t answer Prince Dylan’s question because he knew why the doctor still couldn’t diagnose the king’s illness. General Agustin wanted to tell everything about the letter that his father always receives and why the doctor has not yet determined the cause of King Stephen’s illness because the king needs to be taken to the hospital, but they have already released a statement saying that they will not take the king to the hospital and will not tell Prince Dylan everything because he will not be able to think clearly, especially now that there is an added problem.
“I think you should go to your room first to rest and clear your thoughts,” suggested the general.
Prince Dylan closed his eyes and blew air through his mouth before standing up, but Adira didn’t hear that Prince Dylan and everyone else was about to come out, so she couldn’t do anything but stand up straight because Prince Dylan had already noticed her. The prince looked at her for a long time before asking.
“Do you need anything, soldier?”
She was overcome with fear, but it was good, and General Agustin replied.”I have to order him something, so she is here.”
Prince Dylan nodded and tiredly walked to his room. General Agustin quickly approached Adira.
“Why did you leave your room?” the general asked weakly.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
“I heard the noise outside; that’s why I’m here.”
General Agustin looked her over from head to toe. “You thought about wearing that just to see what’s going on out here?”
“I’m sorry, general, but you also know that I should know something like this, especially when the prince is with me.”
The general’s eyes became sad. “I thought the problem would only be about the prince. I didn’t expect the king to get sick and something like this to happen. I just found out that the nobles have such an agreement.”
“About the temporary replacement of King Stephen.”
It nodded. “I’m sure Prince Dylan is feeling worse now, and besides, King Stephen hasn’t woken up yet.”
“If possible, may I enter the king’s room?”
He frowned. “Why do you want to go there?”
“I just want to visit him, I haven’t seen King Stephen for a long time because of my hiding.”
“Then follow me. Just hurry up and stay inside because there is a chance that Prince Dylan is going to his father.”
She followed until they entered the room. The room seems to share the pain that the king has because of the silence and darkness. There was just a little sunlight coming through the small opening of the curtain.
“I’ll leave you here and watch outside the room.”
She didn’t answer, and the general left completely. She turned her eyes around until she saw the king. His face is still clear, and he seems to be about to go to sleep. It’s hard to believe that he hasn’t woken up in almost a month.
Her feet stepped closer to the king’s head. She also noticed that there were more cups of tea placed on a small table near the bed.
“The maids here didn’t take it anymore? There are about five cups here; don’t tell me that after washing the cup it will be brought here; is that confusing?”
She turned around when the door suddenly opened, so she quickly hid under the king’s bed. Based on what she saw on the feet of the person who entered, it was a woman. It stopped next to the table, and she heard the clinking of the cups, which meant it was being fixed or taken, but in the direction of its foot, it would now approach the king’s bed.
She felt bad, but she frowned when the maid spoke. “Sorry, dear king.”
She was confused by what the woman said based on the voice, and she knew who it was. To a servant who always stares at her and can’t figure out what it means. The maid walked away, and she thinks she took the cups before leaving the room. She was about to get out from under the bed when she felt something. She looked to see what was going on, but she frowned even more when there was another cup under the king’s bed, and that’s what hit her hand.
“What’s in the cup, and I can see it everywhere? Is it their wealth to just put it-” She was stunned when she took the cup and noticed that it was also clean and there was no trace of tea, coffee, or at least water being put in it; if there was any, she hoped it would have spilled when she fell. The only thing she wonders about is why there is a shine-like oil on the part where the lips touch. She stared at it and tried to smell it, but she immediately moved away because of its strong smell. She tried to smell the inside of the cup, but she didn’t smell anything bad, not like the part that seemed to have oil on the mouth of the cup.
She left the bottom while holding the cup carefully so as not to touch the part that smelled like a mixture of different drugs.
She walked out of the room, but she didn’t see the general. Maybe he thought better of guarding the road near the prince. She went to the kitchen and saw Tasha, the servant who had entered the king’s room earlier. She hid in a small space that could fit a person because she saw her washing the cup he took.
“Is the cup he took clean or dirty? I can see that it was very clean earlier,” she said in her mind. She raised the cup she was holding and silently left the kitchen, but she didn’t expect the person she would meet today, so she secretly brought her hand to the back where she was holding the cup.
She stopped and bowed in respect because what she met now was the prince-Prince Dylan.
While Prince Dylan also stopped in front of Adira and stared at her.
“You’re the soldier outside the dining table, aren’t you?” She just nodded in answer. “Why aren’t you at your place here in the palace?”
She swallowed and bit her lip and wished that General Agustin would come. But the voice she heard calling the prince’s name was different.
“Prince Dylan.”
Dylan turned around and wondered at the person in front of him now. “Prince Damon?”
“Yes, it’s me.” He was still smiling while saying that.
“What are you doing here?”
“I would like to visit King Stephen.”
“You probably know that he hasn’t woken up yet.”
Prince Damon nodded. “Even so, I still want to see the king, if you will.”
The eyes of the two princes barely blinked as they stared at each other intensely, but Prince Dylan’s gaze dropped. “You can’t stay in my father’s room for long.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be leaving in less than an hour.”
The two walked, and Adira was left behind, but Prince Dylan stopped and turned to her. He called her. “Soldier, come with us.” And they walked again.
She let all the air out of her mouth that should have come out of her nose because of the tension between her and Dylan. Good thing Prince Damon came, even though she didn’t want to see him. She followed him inside; Dylan didn’t tell her to wait outside. She just stood near the door, but she could still see them clearly while standing next to the king’s bed.