Octavius got up from the bed and looked down at Omari, who was still fast asleep. He went to the bathroom and took a shower. When he returned, Omari was still asleep, so he got dressed and then went for breakfast. 

He passed Caecilia on the way, who bowed to him. Nodding his head, he said, “Omari is still asleep, and I don’t want to wake him. Please stay by his side until he wakes up and give him something to eat. I still have work to do, but notify me when he wakes up.”

She nodded and was about to ask what she should give him when Prince Magnus, the second son after Crown Prince Linus, walked their way. He glanced their way, greeting the commonly good morning and went on.

Octavius stared at his brothers, parting back, and a painful throb got him. He sighed and said, “I will see you both later.”

Caecilia grabbed him by the arm before he could go off and asked, “Are you not going to cover that up, your highness?”

Octavius looked at her, then scratched his nose and winced from the pain. He had forgotten all about the piercing and remembered when he saw his reflection in the mirror.

He smiled at her, shaking his head, “New things, new me.”

She stared at him, surprised. There was definitely a new person standing before her and she liked him very much and it was all thanks to Omari.

Octavius walked into the dining area, and it was already packed with his family. He walked up to the table and stopped behind the Queen. He placed his hands on her shoulders, leaned down, and kissed her on the cheek.

Queen Hortensia was so surprised by the act, especially by the hug he was giving her. She placed her left arm over his and cupped his cheek with her right hand, saying, “Good morning, Octavius.”

Octavius smirked, “Good morning, mother.”

He let go of her and tried to walk off, but she grabbed him. “No no no, come hug me again.”

Octavius looked down at her, then at the empty seat beside her and asked, “Should I sit here?”

Before she could even answer him, he sat down and was fixing the plate and cutlery. Queen Hortensia and everyone else, especially King Demetrius, was surprised.

He stared at his son, who was exhibiting odd behaviour, and immediately saw the nose piercing that had not been there before.

Queen Hortensia couldn’t take her eyes off of him. There was something about Octavius, but she just couldn’t tell what it was.

Prince Felix could see the nose ring from his angle and jumped up. The servants had just placed Octavius’s scrambled eggs on toast with mushrooms down. 

“What is that on your nose?” He pointed out the obvious.

Octavius looked at his brother and smirked. He rubbed his nose, then picked up his fork and knife, saying, “Well, it should be obvious.”

“I know, but why did you get one and when did you?” Felix asked and sat back down.

“Let me see,” Queen Hortensia said. He turned his face to look at her and she saw it. She cupped his face, observing him clearly, saying, “I think it looks good on you. When did you get it?”

“Yesterday morning,” he answered, and started eating.

King Demetrius eyed his wife, who felt his stare and looked at him. She smiled and said, “So tell me more. What are your plans for today?”

“I don’t know. I’ll see when I’m done here.” He answered and continued eating. He lifted the cup of coffee up to his lips and couldn’t believe how easy it felt speaking to them.

“Try the French toast roll ups. They are your favourites, remember?” She said, placing a plate of them in front of him.

Octavius nodded and said as he picked one up with a fork, “I actually prefer chicken tenders as of recently.”

“I can arrange that,” she said with a smile.

Octavius turned to her and asked, “What about you?”

She raised a brow, looking at him asking. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head, asking, “What are you doing today?”

“Accompanying your father,” she answered.

“You should go to the hairdresser,” he said, and the smile she had dropped.

Her hands flung to her hair. “Is there something wrong with my hair?”

Octavius just stared at her, then continued eating with an amused look on his face.

Crown Prince Linus observed him throughout the conversation, then said, “How about we all, us brothers, have a bowling competition at noon today?”

“I’m busy,” Octavius said. They all rolled their eyes. He may talk a lot, but he was still rejecting everything.

Octavius smirked as he looked at his brother and said, “I’m only joking. There is no need to look disappointed. Instead of playing in the game room, how about we go to the arcade?”

The royal family members raised brows, surprised.

“That would endanger our safety.” Crown Prince Linus said.

Prince Felix’s eyes darted around excitedly and said, “I want to go.”

Octavius looked at him and shook his head amused, “Linus said it’s dangerous so nevermind, I’ll be busy again.”

“That’s not fair!” Prince Felix said, slamming his hands against the table. He sat back down and glared at Crown Prince Linus.

Linus was at a loss. This was the perfect opportunity to bond with Octavius, who was in a good mood.

“But to rent the arcade out at such short notice?” He said out loud, conflicted.

Octavius looked over at him, meeting his father’s eyes briefly and asked, “Why would you waste the taxpayers’ money like that?”

“Then what do you suggest?” King Demetrius asked. He was intrigued by this idea, especially that it came from Octavius, who kept to himself.

Octavius looked at his father, then at his brothers and said, “Well, dress up normally and meet me outside at noon for now. I have to get back to work.”

*

After Octavius left, Queen Hortensia looked at her husband and other sons who were silent and asked, “What do you think happened to him?”

“I don’t know, but I dislike what he did to his body,” King Demetrius stated.

“Oh my dear husband, he is a grown man. He can do whatever he wants with his body,” she said to him.

“But what will the public say?” He asked.

“Shouldn’t Octavius’s happiness come first? Today is the first time that we had a conversation with him, even if it was brief,” she said, wiping her tears away.

Prince Magnus gazed over at his mother, who was continuously wiping her tears away, “Does his silence upset you this much, mother?”

Queen Hortensia sighed. Shaking her head, she said, “Your brother used to speak so much, but down the line, Caecilia took my place as his mother. When he stopped expressing himself, she was the one who assured me he was fine and still does.”

“If Caecilia is a problem, then we should solve it,” Prince Linus said.

The queen shook her head, saying, “It has nothing to do with you, dear.”

*

Caecilia opened the door that was just knocked on, and her eyes widened in surprise. “My Queen, what are you doing all the way here?”

Queen Hortensia smiled and handed her the papers back she had given her late last night in the evening. “I’ve come to return this.”

Before she could answer, the trolley with the food on it for Omari arrived. She looked down at the tray and dismissed the servant, who brought it over. Smirking at Caecilia, she asked, “Is he in there?”

She nodded her head silently and stepped to the side. Pushing the trolley in, she heard the door close behind her and looked around. The bed was still a mess and there was no one around.

She turned to Caecilia and asked, “Why is the bed still a mess?”

“I was just about to make it up when you arrived,” she said with her head bowed and quickly walked over and made it up.

Queen Hortensia sat down on the made up bed, just in time to catch Omari walking out of the bathroom. He was wiping himself off with the towel and complaining, “The shower’s here are too nice. I’ll never get used to this.”

“We don’t expect outsiders to get comfortable in the palace,” she said.

Omari’s head snapped in her direction and when he saw who spoke, he shuddered.