After Alexei entered the carriage, Celio shut the door behind him, and went to speak with the driver, who was understandably confused.<br/><br/>"The, er, gift," Celio began in a whisper, "was a person. An omega." The driver looked comically stunned, and it took everything Celio had not to laugh and exclaim, 'yes, me too!'.<br/><br/>"Is the king aware of this?" the driver asked. Celio grimaced and shook his head.<br/><br/>"No," he said. "It was a surprise. But I could not turn them down. I hope my father will understand." The driver looked skeptical, but who was he to question the prince?<br/><br/>"It's all the same to me, my lord," he said. "One passenger or two, I will carry you safely to Edria." Celio smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. The two exchanged shallow bows, before he rounded the carriage, and entered opposite to Alexei.<br/><br/>The interior of the carriage was just as lavish as the exterior, with plush velvet seats and silks curtains, and there, in the center of it all, was Alexei, sitting on the floor like a dog. Celio almost yelped. What was he doing there, on the floor?! Was this behaviour expected of him here at the palace?<br/><br/>Celio, bewildered, shook his head rather wildly. "No," he said, disbelief in his eyes. "Up. On the seat, the seat." He moved his hands upwards, palms flat, then pointed at the seat to the left of him, hoping that Alexei would understand. Gods, this was even more dire than he first thought. To think that<i>anyone's</i>first instinct was to sit on the floor... what had this poor boy been through?