"Prince Sylvian, why are you not eating?" Louis asked, glancing at the plate that still held most of its food. "What is troubling Your Highness?"
"I received a letter this morning from my mother," Sylvian began, his voice heavy. "She demands that I return to the capital. I have no desire to go back."
Louis looked at him in confusion. "Your Highness, the capital is your home. Sooner or later, you must return," he affirmed gently.
"The palace is a suffocating place," Sylvian mumbled, staring down at his untouched meal. "I cannot survive within those walls, not when I have spent my life accustomed to freedom. And my mother wishes for me to marry. She has been pursuing the matter for quite some time now. I have resisted her attempts so far, but I do not know how much longer I can maintain this stance."
