Aster sat in his new room, it was definitely a better room compared to his previous damp room. It was larger, fully furnished, had warm carpet and safer. Just with one order, Charles could turn the situation for him. Aster gritted his teeth, even though his grand duchy is definitely strong and the wealthiest. Although his gold might even surpass the wealth of royal palace, under the authority of the royal family, he was still nothing.

'What is the point of having incredible wealth if I couldn't even move a finger against such authority?'

Aster then, remembered his slave again. He often forgot about useless things, such as lowly person's name. He couldn't even remember some of the name of the heirs of his vassal houses.

But he remembered about this slave, his name is Ramuja, he was about seventeen years old, a head taller than him, had bronze skin and striking facial features. Even if he was a slave, his handsomeness was still there.

'He don't know how to read, but could count from 1 to 10,' Aster smiled, reminiscing all the good things about his slave.

'He is often absent minded, especially when he is staring at me. But well, he is very obedient.'

'Even after that incident, all he could remember was how thin I've become…'

Aster remembered about that moment, when his slave was forced to bear a punishment, a torture because of his own incompetence.

Aster wasn't a weak hearted person, when he needed to punish a slave, he would punish it as necessary. But at that time, he could hear the whip slashing through his slave's back he felt that his heart was sliced. Aster could only sat in silence while he felt so useless.

'Maybe leaving me here alone is the right way for him… what is the use of useless master like me? I can't even guarantee my own safety.'

Aster mourned. He was indeed very useless.

Aster was still grieving until the next day.

The next day, there was no regular maid who delivered him his food, rather it was Crown Prince Charles who delivered a tray to him. It was awkward.

"Charles, you're the crown prince, how could you act like a butler?" Aster scolded. But Charles wasn't bothered, in fact, a smile bloomed on his face.

"I want to deliver this personally to you everyday," Charles said.

"Everyday?!"

"Yes, everyday," Charles said undoubted.

Aster was left speechless. He didn't know that Charles was this confused. How would Helene think about them? No, how would Emperor and Empress react about Charles' weird behavior?

Charles seemed to realize Aster's awkwardness and he leaned closer to Aster's ear and whispered, "I will help you here, so let me serve you."

Before Aster could react, Charles already pecked his cheek with a small kiss. Aster immediately backed off. He saw Charles smiling to him.

There was a moment of silence between them before Aster replied, "Keep your promise."

"Yes, darling," Charles' face beamed with happiness as he already got his kiss.

Days passed and Aster was passive he couldn't do anything. He was supposedly under the tutelage of the Emperor, but Emperor wasn't even bothered to summon him after the first day. While Empress seemed to be passive after Charles arrived.

Charles delivered Aster's food everyday, even when he was busy, he still had enough time to deliver it every morning and steal a kiss in Aster's cheek everyday.

Aster wanted to protest because it felt awkward, but he had no power to object. Besides, after a month and a half, Charles finally whispered something to his ears, "Come to Rosalie's pavilion this afternoon. I will give you a way," and then kissed his cheek as usual.

In the afternoon, Aster headed to Rosalie's pavilion. He saw Charles and Rosalie already seated, waiting for him.

The atmosphere was somewhat unsettling, as there was no servant at all, it was only three of them. Aster knew that Charles and Rosalie won't hurt him, but he knew that today's matter wouldn't be pretty.

"When was the last time we were seating together like this?" Rosalie smiled.

"Maybe when both of you were ten years old? You and Aster were so cute, now only Aster is cute, not you," Charles bickered.

"You're too biased!" Rosalie replied jokingly.

They laughed, at least in the surface, this looked like regular tea party between cousins. But Aster was unsettled, he felt like this was a calm before storm situation.

Charles shifted his gaze to Aster and smiled, "Relax, we will only be talking about our alliance here."

"Alliance? Shouldn't I take neutral approach for this?" Aster knew that the royal palace, even though there were only one Crown Prince and one Golden Princess, wasn't the cleanest place.

Rosalie sneered, "No one is neutral, even the grand duchy wasn't neutral. Your mother, Grand Duchess had her own noble faction to hold against Empress' suppressing power."

"That-- of course, but I saw no relation between me and my mother's faction," Aster said, before he turned vigilant instantly, "Unless… you want me to use grand duchy's resource to fight against your enemy."

"My enemy? Ha ha ha…" Rosalie chuckled, as if she just heard a funny joke.

"What's so funny? Rosalie, I may not be much, but I had saw too many nobles proposing alliance to my duchy, to me," Aster replied unpleasantly.

"It is funny, because you thought it is my enemy we're fighting against?" Rosalie sneered, "It is YOUR enemy, the root of your problem here."

"My enemy? Don't say--"

"Yes, we're going to fight and possibly eliminate the root of your problem…" Rosalie smiled.

Charles enveloped Aster's fingers with his warm palms and said, "We will fight against the Empress."

Charles said it lightly, but to Aster, it was a striking thunder that made him stunned for a while.

'The Empress? Their own mother? Why?'

Seeing the stunned expression of Aster, Charles' gaze becoming softer, he ċȧrėssed Aster's soft hair with his other hand.

"Naturally, we have our own interest to help you," Charles said.

Aster stared at Charles' eyes and found that the golden eyes of Charles seemed to get brighter and brighter.

Aster gulped. At this moment, he realized that his cousins weren't the kindest.