482 Wish To Be Friends Forever
On the third and last day of the festival, Arlan urged Drayce to bring him out of the palace. The prince from Griven badgered him as soon as they met, wanting to roam around the ‘central plaza filled with fun performances’, which was something he quoted hearing from passing servants. Thankfully, this time, their nannies were able to stop them before they decided to sneak out.
“Your Highness, please wait till evening arrives, and not only the Duke and Duchess bring you there, even the royal family of Megaris will leave the palace and come host the lantern parade,” Arlan’s nanny explained.
After spending the entire day together playing in the Queen’s palace, Arlan decided that rather than attend with his family, he would go to the lantern parade along with Drayce. Duke Cromwell reluctantly allowed him after getting him to promise that he would behave and not cause trouble for the Second Prince.
That night, both Drayce and Arlan wore formal clothes as they would be leaving the palace in the Queen’s carriage and would be seen in public. They were riding together with Esther. As the representative of the royal family, Esther would be heading the official start of the lantern parade, where she would be the very first to light up her lantern.
When they reached the grand river that crossed Blackhelm, the lifeline of the city, they saw a floating platform slightly extended from a port, protected by the royal guards and meant for royal family members only. The First Concubine, the Second Concubine and his older brother were seated on the platform, and they stood from their seats upon the Queen’s arrival.
“Oh, there’s my sister! Uncle and Aunt too!” Arlan said as he spotted the Duke, the Duchess and Alvira seated near the platform. It seemed to be a special arrangement for nobles and important guests.
Because he was with the Second Prince, Arlan was given an exception and allowed to stay on the floating platform. Further down the river, he saw a crowd of commoners standing by the riverbanks, each also holding their own lanterns.
“Whoa, there’s so many people!” he could not help but exclaim.
Drayce merely grinned at his friend’s enthusiasm. Last year, he probably reacted the same way, though not as noisily. This was his second time to be allowed to attend the end-of-the-year festival, and thus, he was no longer surprised.
Soon, Esther gave a brief welcome greeting to mark the start of the lantern parade. She ended her speech with a gentle encouraging smile.
“May our heart’s wish be granted, and may our lives be filled with happiness as we welcome the new year.”
With those words, she lit her lantern and let it float towards the sky.
The other members of the royal family also lit theirs accordingly.
Drayce turned to his friend. “Arlan, let’s light our lanterns together.”.
Their nannies passed the lanterns to the princes and helped them light them up. Both boys held the lanterns in their hands with wonder.
Lady Saira gestured for them. “Prince Drayce and Prince Arlan, make sure you close your eyes and make a wish before letting these lanterns go.”
The two princes followed what she said, and soon, the lanterns floated towards the night sky as the two kids let them go. After the royal family lit theirs, the other people also released their own wish lanterns. Some lanterns floated up in the sky, while others chose to put their lanterns on the river and let the flowing water bring them downstream.
Countless lanterns filled the night sky and the dark water of the river, making it look like there were countless shining jewels above and below the onlookers. The world looked like a beautiful painting, with numerous fireflies shining against the dark curtain of the night.
The two little princes happily clapped as they watched their lanterns fly higher and higher up the sky.
Arlan looked at Drayce. “What did you wish for?”
Drayce looked back at him. “You first. Tell me what you wished for.”
“How about we say it together?” Arlan suggested.
Drayce agreed to it and Arlan showed his three fingers as if he was going to count till three. One finger went down, the second finger also went down and as soon as the third finger bent, both said, “I asked for our friendship to be like this forever.”
Hearing the same thing from each other, the two laughed loudly, causing the nearby people to stare at them as if to chastise them. The princes immediately shut up, but every time they would look at each other, they would once again burst into laughter.
The Queen could not stay long as she had to return to host the third night of the royal ball. The two princes were too young to be left outside the palace, and thus they had to return with her, much to Arlan’s disappointment. He thought Drayce and him could enjoy the commoner’s festival he overheard from the servants.
Upon returning to the royal palace, the Queen left, and they realized it was time for them to part ways as well. The two looked sad.
“Tomorrow, I will be heading back to my kingdom. I don’t know when’s the next time we can meet again,” Arlan sighed. “Can I stay with you for the night?”
Drayce looked at his nanny. “Can he?”
Lady Saira and Arlan’s nanny shared a knowing gaze with each other. The two women had also become close to each other since their wards had spent the past two days together.
Arlan’s nanny smiled. “Will you promise to behave, Your Highness? If you behave like a good boy, I am sure His Grace the Duke will allow it.”
His blue eyes sparkled in joy. “I promise!”
After asking permission, the foreign prince was allowed to spend the night in the Queen’s palace and play in Drayce’s chamber.
After a while, their nannies left, leaving the two princes in the chamber to start preparing for their bath and their sleepwear. When they returned to the prince’s bedchamber, they saw the two little princes dozing off by the window, sitting on chairs while resting their heads over their folded arms on the window sill.
The two nannies could not help but chuckle while looking at them as it was such a lovely and peaceful sight to see. The two picked them up in their arms and simply laid them on Drayce’s huge bed, allowing the pair of friends to sleep side by side.
——-
The next day, Arlan was leaving with his uncle, aunt and sister. Drayce was in front of their guest residence with his mother to see them off. Both princes looked sad about parting.
Esther noticed it and said, “This won’t be the only time you two are meeting. I am sure there will be many more such occasions.”
Drayce looked at his mother. “Really?”
“Hmm.” She nodded. “So you should smile and say farewell to your friend and wish him a safe journey. It’s not a good thing to bid him goodbye with a frown. You should do it happily with the thought of seeing that person again.”
Drayce, being the obedient child, smiled and looked at Arlan. “Travel safely. We will meet again soon.”
Arlan nodded with a smile as he too heard what Esther said. They finally parted ways with the hope of seeing each other once more.