An hour had passed since he had been inside the dressing room, along with his valet, who was responsible for his physical appearance. Both his hair and outfit, as well as everything else about him, conveyed status and wealth, making him feel a bit prideful due to his past life experiences. However, he resisted such thoughts and tried to stay true to his principles.
He stared at the mirror for a while, examining his physical appearance more closely. Although he didn't look that bad in his past life, the body he had now was simply beyond his standards. He couldn't help but admire it for a while.
The valet stared at him with a bright smile, as Lucien was admiring his appearance for today.
"You look great, Your Highness. Is it to your liking?" The valet said, then asked in assurance.
Lucien tilted his head toward his valet and said with a warm smile.
"I like it, you did a great job, Elias." Lucien complimented Elias.
"I am most grateful, Your Highness," Elias said with heartfelt appreciation.
Soon after, someone knocked on the door. Knock! Knock! Knock! Lucien's eyes focused on the refined door of the dressing room, and as he did, a thought formed in his mind. 'I knew it.' Lucien had indicated that he wouldn't wait long until his father accepted his request.
Normally, it would take hours or even days to receive an answer to such a request. However, due to several factors, it didn't take too long this time.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a formal outfit greeted Lucien with respect.
"Your Highness, the king has accepted your request," he paused, then added. " The carriage is prepared and is waiting outside."
Lucien remained silent for a moment, then said in his usual tone.
"Tell them to wait for a moment, I have something to do before I go."
Gareth bowed and left the room. Lucien then bid his farewell to Elias and headed out of the dressing room, going towards his bedroom. As he came inside his room, he went to his table and grabbed the book resting on it.
He then proceeded outside and admired the stunning view of the estate's grounds before climbing into the carriage. The grounds were beautifully landscaped, featuring perfectly cut lawns, flowers swaying gently in the cool breeze, and a fountain that enhanced the overall splendor of the scene.
He took a deep breath, then walked towards the carriage, where Gareth was waiting for him. He opened the door for Lucien, inviting him inside. Lucien then went inside the refined, luxurious carriage. Gareth then followed inside, sitting beside him.
After that, the carriage started moving. Heading to the royal palace, where Lucien will be meeting his father. Some carriages followed Lucien in the back to make sure he was well guarded. After all, he was an important person.
The carriage reached the gate of the estate, where two knights could be seen pulling the gate open, making way for them. They then went ahead of the gate and journeyed through the capital city of the Kingdom of Eldoria.
Lucien stared at the window, admiring the view of the nostalgic city. Nostalgic for Seojun, at least. However, for Lucien, it was the same kind of view he'd see as he roamed around the capital city. People stopped what they were doing and gathered to see the life beyond their reach. Lucien heard many voices and words, coming from adults, kids, and teenagers. Some were negative, positive, and neutral.
Nobody knew who was inside the carriage; however, considering that it came from the same path where Lucien's estate resided, the citizens were starting to make some speculations that it was The Foolish Prince who ran away from his responsibilities.
However, some also denied the speculations, as it could have been his wife, Seraphina Verdanne. Either way, nobody knew, and they didn't care that much. After all, even if Lucien were to carry on his responsibilities as the crown prince once again, would he do well enough? Expectations were futile, as they knew what awaited them was a disappointment.
As they passed the streets, the people went back to what they were doing before. The majority of them had a negative reaction; they couldn't accept that the next in line on the throne was so pathetic. At first, they believed that he could have been honed, and over time, he would eventually become better.
However, as time went by, he had failed all the tasks given to him by the king. Although he did pretty decent at some point in certain tasks, that was the best he could give.
Soon after, they finally arrived at the royal palace. The royal palace stood before them, its structure and architecture emitting both status, power, and wealth. Two knights stood before its golden gate and opened it for the carriages in front of them.
They bowed and greeted the royal carriages heading inside the palace. Respect was a must, after all. Even if Lucien's image wasn't so deserving of respect, he was still a prince and the crown prince at that.
The carriage traveled along the pathways of the royal palace until it reached the main entrance, where it came to a stop. Knights were standing in formation, waiting for him to step out. A man in a formal outfit opened the door, inviting Lucien to exit the carriage.
Lucien stepped out of the carriage, while Gareth went out on the other side. The moment he stepped on the grounds of the royal palace, the knights pounded their fists over their hearts, greeting him with the utmost respect.
Gareth walked alongside Lucien, leading him toward the entrance of the palace. As they entered, the interior revealed what one would expect from a royal residence. The decorations, furnishings, and architecture surpassed even those of Lucien's estate. Although Lucien's home was quite fine, the royal palace was simply more grand and luxurious.
As always, he tried not to be obvious about how amazed he was. He tried to remain as calm as possible, focusing more on the important matter. Ever since his conversation with Gareth, he had tried to act like how Lucien did, to prevent any weird reactions.
Although showing his true personality wasn't a bad thing, if he showed any significant gap between Lucien's personality and Seojun's personality, it might raise suspicion from those around him. It wasn't that hard for him anyway, since his personality wasn't that far from Lucien's.
He used to act like the original Lucien did. He used to act shy and soft; however, as he faced countless setbacks in his past life, he began to show fewer emotions, but of course, that didn't stop him from being kind and considerate to others, just like how Lucien was.
So he didn't need to force himself to do anything he didn't want to; that was a part of Lucien's character. It honestly amazed him how much his personality intertwined with the original Lucien.