Chapter Text
1926 Maldonia, a country located in an unheard part of the globe
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“FALDI FALDONZA! YOU TWO ARE RUINING MY LIFE!” screamed an irate Prince Naveen in a rapid tyrant of Maldakesh (the Italian-derived language of Maldonia).
As an ensemble of angry, stampede-like footsteps emerged down the hallway coming from the King’s Headquarters, an array of nosy maids and servants peeked around the corners in anticipation for yet another tantrum to occur, most notoriously to be expected coming from the eldest prince of Maldonia.
However, the youngest heir was far more level-headed and mature compared to his elder brother. The age gap, though, was significantly concerning as opposed to his six and a half-year old sibling, the 21-year old Crown prince was far more unbearably immature and spoiled harshly.
“NAVEEN, DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM ME! COME BACK THIS INSTANT, YOUNG MAN!” the King roared in equal, angry Maldakesh as he went about chasing after his son, though it would be apparent that the young prince’s physical stamina outweighed his father’s age by a landslide as Naveen hurriedly dashed down the foyer and disappeared into another part of the castle before he could be dragged back to his father’s office.
Whenever fights between the royal family were publicly announced amongst palace staff, no one dared to intervene and, for most would escalate to everyone either quickly hiding in unused rooms or in secret spots; it’s one thing to be publicly reprimanded from the prince if you get in the way of his escape route, but a far more punishable offense if you allow him to escape from his royal parent’s.
Just as the King, with the Queen following close behind, descended down the stairs and hurriedly entered into the hallway leading towards their sons’ private chambers, a sudden cry echoed out from Naveen’s sleeping quarters. The two doors, both decorated in elegant golds and polished whites were pushed wide open and a soft breeze bristled out from the room as the Majesties ran into the bedroom in search of their troublesome child.
The enormous, Baroque-styled bedroom was comprised of two separate rooms conjoined by a preceding archway, with the initial entrance serving as a living space that contained a fireplace and velvet sitting furniture and the other room housing the prince’s king-sized bed with velvet curtains hanging over the ceiling above. A private bathroom was adjacent to the bed and a set of glass doors led out to a Juliet balcony on the other side of the room.
Unfortunately, the doors to the balcony were also pushed open and, as such the terrace was inconveniently located on top of a koi pond that rested in the palace’s immaculate gardens. From a glance, the King quickly noticed a pair of checkered brown/white oxfords that his son had been wearing that morning placed near the metal gates, along with some white socks jammed into the shoes haphazardly. Thinking the worst scenario, the parent’s rushed onto the deck and peered down towards the pond.
Sitting in a combination of mud and frigid water, Naveen nervously looked up towards the balcony and shook in fear as his parent’s disappointed gazes bore extremely heavy, as was their usual perception of him these days. Though he should have known better than to do so, Naveen had stupidly thought that he may have had a slight chance of escape if he jumped from the balcony and ran out of the garden, as similar attempts had been successful. However, he didn’t consider the shallow depth of the pond, nor its muddy floor to be a hindrance as when he landed in the pond, he quickly slipped and fell backwards into the water, with the Koi fish scattering all about from the impact.
The heaviness from the mud quickly weighed him down as he had attempted to stand up, even with his clothes completely soiled and the cold water causing him to uncontrollably shiver in place.
“YOU STUPID BOY! YOU COULD’VE KILLED YOURSELF JUMPING FROM A HEIGHT LIKE THIS! HAVE YOU NO SHAME FOR YOUR IDIOCRACY, NAVEEN??” The King screamed as he clutched the metal rails, his knuckles turning white while the Queen solemnly looked away from the scene in utter embarrassment.
As a group of servants ran outside to the prince’s aid, the king hollered at them from above, still tightly clutching the balcony’s handrails to keep himself steady on his weak knees. “YOU FOUR!“ the king pointed to the terrified servants below, “HAVE HIM CLEANED AND SENT TO MY QUARTERS AT ONCE! AND MAKE SURE HE DOESN’T LEAVE THIS PALACE!” and with the last thunderous demand pronounced, the King and Queen left the balcony whilst the servants aided the dejected Naveen out of the pond and forcefully brought him back inside to be bathed.
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The eerie silence that ensued in the grandiose office nerved Prince Naveen as he slumped in a chair that sat across the King’s desk. He knew better than to behave as childlessly as he was acting now (especially when his parent’s fury exceeded to the maximum intensity they’ve displayed before), however he was annoyed with their ultimatum about disinheriting him from the royal family, predominantly in the monetary values that preceded from the long, rich history of their heritage.
In essence, that meant he was dirt broke.
Their previous conversation that took place the same morning had revolved around his parent’s decision to cut him off from their inheritance entirely as they believed their eldest son had grown to be spoiled, vain and lazy in his lifestyle. As his mother harshly put, “we cannot trust you won’t inappropriately use the funds we provide you to NOT spend your time laxy-dazing around the country, flirting with girls and disgracing the family name with your childish antics, Naveen!”
As the grandfather clock ticked each passing minute, Naveen observed his exhausted father rubbing his aching temple, his sluggish sighs preceded by a segment of scolding and parental disgruntlement at how horrible the Crown Prince had been behaving these past few years. Seated right next to the King, Naveen’s mother depressingly looked out the large windows behind her, her focus more preoccupied by the impending thunderstorm that was supposed to approach this evening rather than force herself to look at her son in shame.
“Naveen, I don’t even know what to do with you anymore. It’s clear you obviously aren’t taking this situation seriously, and your antics are proving to be dangerous to handle.” the king solemnly uttered. “At this point, the Queen and I believe it not only to be best to cut you off from the royal family’s inheritance, but that you should be confined to the Palace grounds until you either start taking responsibility for your actions, or attempt to grow up and find yourself an occupation so that you can earn yourself a living!”
The Prince sat in silence, his despondent demeanor evidenced through his huffing and pouty expressions. “Why are you two going at my throat now when you didn’t care in the past about what I did??” Naveen grumbled lowly, striking a menacing scowl at his parents.
“Because we mistakenly didn’t correct your bad behavior then, and now we’re left in this predicament to deal with. Do you realize how pathetic you are acting, Naveen? You’re an adult man, a Crown Prince of a royal lineage that can’t even dress himself properly! You completely mistreat the palace staff to cater to your every needs, and your lack of responsibility when it comes to money is completely disgraceful; just last month, we had to clear out multiple international charges from your banking account that stated you “paid for female companionship” at a French cabaret, as well as thousands of euros spent on Italian liquor!” The King angrily replied, rising from his seat as he paced across the room.
“Mon Petite Pruto (My Little Prince)” the Queen sadly spoke as she went towards her son in the chair, kneeling to the ground as she took hold of his large, soft hands. Rubbing little circles across his skin, the Queen looked into Naveen’s eyes with what only he could describe as a sort of loving pity, a familiar expression she gave him whenever he was punished and feeling terrible afterwards. “My dear child, we want nothing but the best for you. However, your father and I are concerned for your wellbeing; what life are you expecting to live if you remain completely dependent on us to care for you?” she asked with a hoarse cough in her speech, evident that she had been crying before their conversation started.
Even now, Naveen could see a clear sheen in his mother’s glassy eyes underneath him. He looked away from his mother, trying to put his attention elsewhere as his father went back to his seat across from him, tired of anxiously pacing in the grand office space.
“You can’t tell me what to do. You can take my money and freedom, but I’ll find a way to get it all back eventually.” Naveen frustratedly vocalized as he peered into his father’s sad expression.
“Oh, we know how determined you can get! We just wish you would put more focus on improving your skills and work ethic, Naveen, rather than trying to avoid your responsibilities and always take the easy way out!” his father added, completely exhausted from the day’s events. Suddenly, he quietly mentioned out loud, “there is an option you can choose that will grant you access to funds and a lavish lifestyle..”
Naveen perked up at the mention of money and luxury in the same sentence! He leaned away from his mother’s hold, resting his arms on his knees as he listened to his father’s supposed offer.
“But, you will have to consider marriage and settling down in one location. I have been in contact with a prominent sugar-factory owner from the United States, who mentioned that his daughter has taken a liking to you through what we’ve shared via our correspondence. They’re known as the LaBouffs and their family heritage dates back many centuries in the southern part of America, and right now are operating multiple sugar-cane factories in Louisiana.”
At the mention of America, Naveen quickly became excited at the thought of traveling to the state! Not only was he interested in the lifestyle of American people, which he heard can be quite entertaining in certain parts of the country but his love and appreciation for Jazz music was birthed right in the heart of Louisiana!
“They have a southern-style mansion in the city of New Orleans, and Mr Eli LaBouff has graciously offered to accommodate housing for you, ONLY if you are serious on this proposal.” the King sternly added, already nervous at his son’s bouncy excitement. Knowing Naveen, the King assumed that his son probably didn’t hear the entirety of his offer and only concentrated on what he deemed to be the more “exciting” parts of the deal.
“I’ll go! I want to see New Orleans and all the jazz! GRAZIAÉ, father and mother for your gracious offer! I shall promise to keep in touch with you both on my journey!” Naveen happily announced as he shook his father’s sweaty hand hurriedly and kissed his mother on the cheek, quickly running towards the office doors to prepare for his awaited travels!
“NAVEEN, WAIT A MINUTE!!” the King shouted out as he and the Queen nervously observed their son’s giddy enthusiasm unfold before them, though the two knew their boy well enough to understand that he didn’t fully comprehend their discussion, and therefore had no intention in changing his lazy, carefree ways of life.
Instead, their offer of a wealthy marriage seemed to only ignite more troublesome scheming instead of solving Naveen’s problematic antics!
“Abinazza, father and mother for I’m going to start packing immediately!” emanated the joyful response from Naveen as he ran out of the office towards his room.
As they stared dumbfounded at the doors, the King turned to his Queen and asked, “do you think he heard anything about the marriage proposal part?”
With an exhausted, almost jokingly apparent sigh, the Queen replied with, “probably not.”