Royal Thief

Chapter 10

"We're here, Lord Idris." the attendant spoke after opening the door for them.

He walked down the wagon and waited for Rufus, he turned to the man behind him, he looked up to the towering man's expressionless face.

"We're here... the shop is near here?" he asked awkwardly.

It took a couple of seconds before the man answered, "Yes, my lord."

"Alright, after you buy the materials... c-come back here and ride with us again." he whispered the last sentence, enough for Rufus to hear alone.

Rufus failed to hide the amusement in his eyes, he looked down at the lord and nodded slowly, "Sure, my lord. I'll be off now."

Lord Idris smiled a little, trying to use his friendly side, "Yeah... I'll see you later then." the man nodded at him, and he watched him walk away.

"You're here, my lord!" the tailor exclaimed, happy to be visited unannounced by the duke's son.

Idris walked inside the tailor's shop after being greeted by the owner, he saw three middle class men on the shop's corner examining some cloth while talking with each other.

The man in the middle noticed him and bowed immediately, he nodded a little then smiled, the two others noticed their friend's action and turned to him also, both were surprised by Idris presence but didn't forget to bow for courtesy.

"We're glad to see you, Lord Idris." the man in the middle stated.

"Glad to see my people too." he said genuinely.

All of them turned to the door when it opened, "My lord, please come inside!" the tailor said while holding the knob of his door.

He walked towards the office and glanced at his attendant before signaling him to wait for him outside, the attendant nodded before following his signal. After getting inside the tailor's office, the assistant helped him to remove the thick coat he was wearing so the tailor could measure his body properly.

"New assistant, Mr. Martinez?" he asked, after glancing at the boy.

"Yes, my lord. And please, just call me Henry." the tailor turned to the boy, "This is my nephew and assistant at the same time, he's Arsean."

The boy bowed at the lord and his cheeks turned red when the good-looking young master smiled at him.

"Oh well... you've been reminding me for years now, guess I will never get used to it." Lord Idris said then smirked a little before looking at the boy again, "Nice to meet you, Arsean."

"N-nice to meet you too, my lord!" the boy said in a high-pitched voice.

"Arsean, get some food and drinks for the lord." the tailor demanded.

"Oh please! It's not necessary, please don't treat me like an important person."

Henry raises his brows, "But you're, my lord. Arsean, go now let the lord taste our delicacy."

The boy nodded before running out of the office. Idris just sighed, this happened most of the time, even though he declined they'll just insist, he actually likes it, getting to taste different food the locals are eating, because all of his meals in the manor are fixed, all are listed by the nutritionist, appointed by his dad.

Henry started to get his measurement and after that he sat and ate the food that they served while waiting for Henry's proposal design.

"I haven't seen you for a while, my lord. Here in the middle caste." the tailor started while scribbling on his notebook.

Idris placed the teacup on the table after sipping, he looked up at the man, "yeah, getting ready for the coronation... and you know about the missing heirloom necklace, right?"

Henry glanced at him then adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, pushing it upward using his index finger, "Right... are there any news about the necklace, my lord?"

"No, nothing as usual." he said after a sigh.

He's honestly losing hope as days passed by, all he could do is pray and wait.

"Don't lose hope, my lord." Henry stated after he noticed the lord's sad expression.

Idris smiled a little, "Hmm, please come to the manor for my coronation."

"You are inviting, my lord!?" the tailor asked with wide eyes.

"Of course, well, it'll be held months from now, but I just want to say it... you know I'm kind of forgetful nowadays." he joked.

"Of course, my lord. I'll come! Who am I to decline?" the man said happily.

They talked for a couple of minutes about the suit he's requesting and after that the tailor walked him to the shop's exit.

"Thank you, Henry." Idris said.

"At last!" the man said then laughed after hearing his name from the young master's mouth.

Idris turned to the wagon's direction but the smile on his lips faded when he saw Rufus loading the wagon's back together with an unfamiliar woman beside him, talking and laughing.

Are they close? He wondered when he saw that Rufus didn't look uncomfortable or... unapproachable like usual. He silently walked towards them. "Rufus," he called out.

Both turned to the lord behind them, "Who... is she?" he asked after staring at the tanned skin woman, dressed in common clothing for middle class people.

The two fell silent and that made Idris awkward and uncomfortable until he realized his actions, his ears felt hot because of embarrassment, and reminded himself not to pry with someone's business next time.

"She is a friend, my lord. Harne..." Rufus answered after he noticed Idris' ears.

The lord nodded, My... My name's Idris, Idris Gastrell." he introduced and extended his hand.

The woman reached for it and gave it a small shake, "Harne, Lord Idris." she answered sweetly with a bow.

And while Rufus' loading the wagon, the two chatted a little, Idris was still embarrassed, but he listened attentively to the lady's story about Rufus. They're that close, I guess.

He happily sat on the carriage's chair, trying to hide his smile, he just gained a little knowledge about Rufus' life way back at the North. Rufus was originally from the North, he grew up in an orphanage together with that girl and many more, both shared the same school the orphanage offered, it's just a common school for peasants who couldn't afford. Rufus was the most excellent out of them all, he could beat the nobles even though they were offered limited education.

So, he can actually outsmart me then? That thought made Idris blow some air while trying to hide his smile. Rufus noticed the young master's weird behavior, but he didn't ask.

Nobles and aristocrats can share the same school but of course, knowing the typical attitude of the two, there is still hierarchy working inside their schools; aristocrats are considered the lowest and nobles are the highest, depending on the titles they hold. And Idris hates that. Lastly, no matter how smart a peasant is, they'll never get a chance to enter a school that offers a broad education where they can learn more; schools in the upper caste are built for the people in the upper caste alone. There's no such thing as scholarship in their empire. Though there are no rules for that, but no aristocrat will support another child smarter than their own, it's all about pride. And that's one of the many things he wanted to open once he became a duke. He doesn't want to use his position or advantage by being the king's longtime friend, but his intentions aren't bad, right?