Hearing Prince Avery snort and snicker, he immediately turned to look where the prince's gaze had gone. He saw Prince Robert on the steps. It looked like the younger prince had fallen. Well so far the younger one proven to not be so graceful and Prince Avery proven himself to be a rather normal brother by laughing at the stunts and mischief that Prince Rober had completed so far.

He turned his attention back to Prince Avery at the mention of payment. He was surprised to find how fast the money would be deposited into his account. Aspen's gaze dropped down to the prince's hand once it was extended. He inwardly winced at the sight of the gravel marks.

"Thank you," Most people wouldn't have shaken the prince's hand in the state that it was in but Aspen still did. He was used to shaking hands that weren't the cleanest. Dirty hands had zero impact on him, speaking about how many gross pranks his brothers had pulled on him.

"I don't mean to overstep but those marks look rather painful. Are you okay, sir?" He couldn't bite his tongue on that. Doing a handstand on gravel must have hurt but in a way it was kind of impressive that Prince Avery could hold his brother's weight and his own for as long as he did."

Maybe the older prince would think again before helping his brother. He gave the prince a nod in return as he started to head back into the castle. He followed once the prince was out of sight, heading back in to finish cleaning up and to return the stuff he had taken from the kitchen staff.

Aspen had a long day and it had only been washing walls. He had done four jobs before the sun hs even risen. He did promise himself only two jobs but he turn down the other jobs he had gotten. Besides, he didn't know if working for the castle was long term or not. He didn't want to lose any potential clients.

He dumped the bucket into the sink and put the bucket where it belonged once he got to the kitchen. He didn't pay any attention to the staff around. If they didn't bother him, he wouldn't bother them. He finished cleaning up and headed out the door.

It was a relatively warm day and a sign that warmer weather was approaching. He preferred winter over summer though, the cold was easier for him to withstand the cold than heat. Nonetheless, it was a nice day and the change in weather did feel great.

He walked back home to work on the blueprint. He wanted to get started on it right away and get it sent to the prince.

Aspen spent the rest of the day working and perfecting the blueprint. He got to see his plans start to take a life of their own. Creating blueprints were one of his favorite aspects of the job. It helped him get his ideas out and made sure his clients were happy with his choices as well.

He made a suggestion with the wall color, choosing a dark maroon color. Maroon was a royal color and would hide the stains that white seemed to show. He did typically like to stick with white paint but he thought the castle would look better with royal colors. He also would paint the ceiling with the same color. He choose to replace the woodwork around the wing's doorframes with fresh that he would spray-paint gold. He figured that the gold would match the golden chandeliers. He also put dark wooden flooring in the hall.

That was his basic vision but he decided he wanted to add a few extra designs to improve it. He made a copy of the blueprint and renamed it Optional Designs. The Optional Designs blueprint had the same basic vision but had a few things added. He suggested tearing out the small window of the castle wing and replacing it with a bay window. He also suggested an old-fasioned gold accented mirror. He also suggested a few more gold-accented hall decorations. His final suggestion was a few maroon and gold rugs.

His optional designs were more of the work of an interior designer but he couldn't help but mention them. He did have a dream to go to college and become an interior designer but that dream had been shattered years ago. He wrapped up both designs and put the estimated cost onto both blueprints. He saved both files onto his computer and then pulled up his email.

"Greetings Prince Avery,

I have attached my blueprint to this email. I have included two blueprints, one is the basic vision I had to improve the wing and the other is a few optional designs. I have included an estimate cost on each blueprint.

Please provide me with your feedback and the king's so I may continue with remodeling the south wing."

He uploaded both blueprints and then reread his email for any typos. Feeling satisfied, he hit send just as the sun set in the west and the approach of the darkness of night began to fill the room of his apartment.

Most of Aspen's clients would have just told him to do what he thought would look good and to find the cheapest options. He normally didn't do blueprints, especially most of the jobs just consisted of replacing floors or repainting. Nothing had been as extravagant as the castle before. Besides, he wanted to do everything right and work hard. He wanted to impress the king, not just for a potential of getting hired long-term but also because the king was paying him way more than just well.

Once finished, he pulled out his planner and checked to see what jobs he had for tomorrow. He had four jobs on the list as well. Four jobs were still reasonable speaking that he was waiting approval from the king. Even if he got approval tonight, tomorrow would be reserved for only buying materials for the castle.

Sighing, he put everything away and stretched. He was probably going to fix dinner, shower, and call it a night. Right when he was putting in a cheap Totino's pizza, his phone went off. It was just the prince sending a quick thank-you. He sighed and stuck the pizza into the oven. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to be rich enough to not eat Totino's pizzas and peanut butter sandwiches everyday.

It wasn't long after he put the pizza into the oven that his phone began to rang. He hesitated on answering it for a minute. He figured it was another client asking for his next available day of service. He really didn't want to pick up another job or two unless they were simple ones.

After a few more seconds of listening to his ringtone, he picked up the phone. He didn't bother to look at who was calling,"Rhodes Painting and Repair."

The voice that began speaking was not the one that he suspected to hear. It was almost as shocking as it would be to hear his father's voice in the phone, considering that his father had been one of the father's that went to get a gallon of milk and never came back.

"Hey, it's Avery. Dad says the plans sound good, and wants to know if we can get any materials over here for you tomorrow."

He wouldn't have believed it was the prince if it wasn't for his unrecognizable voice. The prince was speaking informally but it was the prince nonetheless. He couldn't do anything but stare into the abyss with a shocked expression on his face. The prince didn't seem like the type to talk on the phone. Heck, he hardly even spoke to him in person.

"T-That's great, Your Highness," He stammered out, realizing he had been silent for far too long. He cleared his throat and recollected himself before continuing,"All the great places in town will be closing by now if they haven't yet. I was planning on making a supply run tomorrow in between other clients. You are welcome to accompany me if you please. Of course that might entitle running around in a old beat up ford pickup and not your usual style of transportation."

He invited the prince to come along, trying to remember to keep his words formal and suggestive. He didn't want to make it seem like he was giving the prince an order. Truth be told, he wouldn't mind an extra hand in getting and carrying supplies. There were quite a few that he would be needing to make the designs on the blueprint a reality.