Chapter 123: The Picture She Treasured

"Hmm. I think I’ll open it now," Basil decided. "There’s no point putting it off. I’ve had it hanging over my head for long enough, and I’d rather find out what’s inside than keep wondering about it."

"All right." Darius nodded. "Do you want me to give you some privacy while you go through it? I can wait in your bedroom or even go back to my suite if you’d prefer to look through everything alone."

"No." Basil answered almost immediately, then glanced at him. "I want you here with me. Just stay while I open it."

Darius’s expression softened. "Of course. I’ll stay."

Basil nodded and turned his attention to the phone. It had been switched off for some time, and he pressed the power button, waiting as the screen gradually lit up.

The moment it came on, a photograph appeared on the screen.

Basil froze.

It was a picture of him and Nanny Linda, taken on his fifteenth birthday.

For several seconds, he simply stared at it, his fingers motionless around the phone. He remembered that day clearly. After the birthday celebrations and the cake-cutting ceremony, Linda had insisted on taking a photograph with him. Basil, who had never been particularly fond of photographs, had refused her without a second thought.

"Come on, Your Highness. Just one picture!" Linda had pleaded, following him around with her phone. "You don’t even have a proper picture with your nanny. How am I supposed to show off that I’m working for the most handsome prince in the universe?"

Basil had turned to stare at her as though she had suggested something utterly ridiculous.

"Why would I take a picture with a nanny just because you want to show off?" his fifteen-year-old self had demanded. "I’m the crown prince. How would it look if people saw me taking pictures with a servant?"

Instead of getting offended, Linda had clasped her hands together dramatically and bowed her head. "Oh, forgive me, Your Highness! How could this lowly nanny have forgotten her place? Please, may this humble servant have the honour of taking one little picture with her beloved, handsome crown prince?"

Basil had huffed, clearly pleased that she had finally acknowledged what he considered an obvious fact. "Fine. Since you finally remember your place, you may take one picture. But be quick about it."

"Of course, Your Highness! I’ll be very quick. I promise!"

Linda had hurried to stand beside him, practically beaming as she held up the phone.

"Now, smile for me, my handsome prince. Say cheese!"

"Be fast about it, or I’ll leave you here and go back inside," Basil had warned, maintaining the most serious expression he could manage.

Linda had laughed and taken the photograph anyway, capturing his reluctant scowl beside her delighted smile.

The king and queen, who had witnessed the entire exchange, had burst into laughter. Linda had barely paid them any attention, too busy admiring the picture she had taken.

"Oh, look at you!" she had exclaimed, holding the phone up for Basil to see. "You’re so handsome, my baby boy. Honestly, I don’t think there could ever be a prince more beautiful than you. Look at that face! Look at those eyes! How am I supposed to stop bragging about you when you look like this?"

"You’re making too much noise over an ordinary picture," Basil had complained, though he had eventually glanced at the screen.

"An ordinary picture? This is a treasure!" Linda had protested. "I’m keeping this forever. When you’re older and become an even more magnificent king, I’ll show you this picture and remind you of how you used to treat your poor old nanny."

"You can try," Basil had replied dismissively. "Just don’t expect me to take another one."

Linda had laughed again, completely unbothered by his attitude.

Now, Basil stared at that same photograph, at the woman who had once been the centre of so many ordinary moments he had never thought he would miss.

His thumb moved across the screen, gently touching the image of her face. A small, unsteady breath escaped him. He swallowed hard, trying to push down the sudden tightness in his throat, but the memory had caught him off guard. He could almost hear her teasing voice and her laughter again, almost see the way her eyes had crinkled whenever she looked at him with that familiar, unconditional affection.

For a moment, he forgot about the betrayal, the switched babies, and all the pain that had followed her death. All he could remember was the woman who had begged him for a photograph because she wanted something to treasure, even if it meant putting up with his arrogant attitude to get it. Who could have known that the very picture he had reluctantly agreed to take would become so precious to her that she would make it her phone’s wallpaper, keeping his face as the first thing she saw whenever she turned on the screen?

Darius remained silent beside him. He didn’t interrupt or ask what was wrong. He simply watched Basil, giving him the time he needed to collect himself. Eventually, Basil drew in a slow breath and blinked away the moisture gathering in his eyes. He wasn’t ready to cry, not here, not when he hadn’t even begun to understand what he was feeling. He straightened slightly and focused on the task at hand.

The photograph was only the beginning. There was still the password Linda had left behind, written in the shorthand he had eventually managed to decipher. Basil entered it carefully.

Nothing happened at first. Then the screen unlocked, granting him access to the phone. He stared at it, his thumb hovering over the display.

Now that he was finally inside, he wasn’t entirely sure where to begin. Should he check the messages first? Perhaps the emails? Or should he look through the gallery to see whether there were other photographs, videos, or anything else Linda had kept on the device?

He considered his options for a few seconds before making up his mind. The gallery seemed like the simplest place to start. If there was anything else worth finding, he could move on to the other applications afterwards. With that decision made, Basil tapped the gallery icon and began looking through the photographs.