William became bored few minutes after Adrian's disappearance. He lingered at the table long after Adrian had disappeared from sight. For a brief moment, he had actually toyed with the thought of following him— just to see where the beautiful stranger might wander. But something within him stilled his feet. He remained seated and decided to mind his business. Instead, he leaned back against his chair, eyes drifting over the bustling inn but seeing none of it.
His mind suddenly drifted to something else entirely as he was in deep thoughts immediately. William leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as unease coiled in his chest. Something about the Emperor's decree bite at him.
"Cognize the heart of the people… the heart of the people… heart of the people…" he muttered under his breath, his fingers curling against his jaw as he tilted his head in thought. "What does that even mean?"
The words had been echoing in his mind ever since that night in the palace— the emperor's final decree before sending them away. Forbidden to return until the time was done. Each of the three princes had been given the same task, yet no explanation followed. No weapons, no guards, no crown, name or titles to shield them. Only the emperor's heavy gaze, and those words.
At first, it had sounded like nothing more than a test of endurance, a childish trial in disguise. But the longer William sat here, the more it pressed against his thoughts like a blade at his throat.
Why?
What was the emperor truly planning? Sending the empire's heirs into the wilderness of the country without protection, without explanation… it felt less like a mission and more like exile.
William let out a long sigh, ruffling his own hair in frustration. For minutes he wrestled with the phrase, trying to force meaning where there was none. But the harder he thought, the further the answer seemed to slip from his grasp. He was not getting closer to the answer he needed. Finally, he gave up. He exhaled sharply and waved the thought away.
"Forget it. I will drive myself mad before I solve that puzzle."
Silence settled over him, the chatter of the inn muffled in his ears as his thoughts shifted again. He would not return home for six months. Six long months wandering foreign lands, stripped of his name- his title, stripped of the luxury that had always followed him.
His lips pressed into a thin line as he considered the weight of it. Six months… what could happen in six months?
His mind played out scenarios: betrayal, hunger, war. Perhaps even death. Death lurking in places even princes could not predict.
Yet he did not flinch.
Love? He thought. He almost laughed at that thought.
William exhaled heavily, drumming his fingers against the table. The mission felt empty, void— something crafted not to be achieved but to remove them from the palace, where they had always been safest.
"Is the emperor testing us… or discarding us?" he muttered. The thought chilled him more than he cared to admit
For he was no ordinary traveler or wanderer.
Beneath the simple clothes, beneath the false name he carried like a shield, William was the First Prince of the empire— the rightful heir to a throne in his kingdom. He had walked away from the golden gates of his father's palace, from servants who bowed at the sound of his voice, from the safety of walls built to protect his bloodline. Now he sat among strangers, indistinguishable from the crowd, tasked with proving his worth- to be the emperor of the Oyo empire.
He smirked faintly, a flash of pride mingling with the uncertainty.
"I will survive. No matter what comes… I will survive."
The words were quiet, but in them was the steel of conviction.
Still, he could not help but wonder what paths the other two princes were walking at this very moment. Were they thriving? Struggling? Did they too, lie awake at night haunted by the emperor's riddle?
But that was a thought for another day.
For a moment, his thoughts strayed back to Adrian— the stranger with the storm in his eyes. William's smile softened unconsciously. There was something dangerous there, something untamed. And perhaps, just perhaps, something worth uncovering.
For the first time since Adrian's departure, regret pricked his chest. He could have followed the so called goddess, trailed behind those stormy eyes and sharp words, and perhaps found some distraction in the mystery of him. At least I wouldn't be alone, he thought bitterly.
But what were the chances of crossing paths again in a kingdom this vast? Almost none.
For now, the First Prince leaned back, raised his cup of wine. His gaze dropped to the two coins Adrian had left on the table— payment for a debt neither of them had agreed upon. William picked one up and rolled it between his fingers, the faint smile tugging at his lips betraying his mood.
"Beautiful, rude goddess…" he murmured, shaking his head.
Slipping the coins into his pocket, he rose from his chair at last. The inn buzzed with laughter, clinking cups, and the aroma of roasted yam, but for William it was already behind him.
With one last glance at the empty seat across the table, he straightened his robe, squared his shoulders, and stepped into the streets of the central kingdom— his six months of uncertainty just beginning.
To be continued