It was already midnight, yet Lianne still couldn’t sleep.
It was difficult for her to disregard the fact that she had not eaten dinner and that it made her stomach growl in protest. But what had mainly hindered her from drifting to slumber were her thoughts of what happened the night earlier with the newly-crowned King.
She knew she had slapped his pride real good and that she was the one to blame for their confrontation. How could she have forgotten he had risked his life for her?
The act itself was concrete proof that he wasn’t being manipulated by his father.
Now, she felt absolutely guilty to be easily misled by Duke Conrad’s words.
Seeing the prince for the first time express such emotions was a complete shock for her. All this time, she had thought of him as a person devoid of emotions. He would usually wear his familiar cold, blunt facade as if he was not swayed by the events around him. If there was anything she could think to be the reason behind this apparent change, it must be because he witnessed the kiss she and General Cain shared.
‘But that kiss meant nothing…’ she whispered to herself as she lay down on her mattress. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling, the memory of Ruen’s pained expression kept popping over and over again in her mind.
With a deep exhale, she stood up from her bed, wore a silk robe, and walked out to the balcony of her room, sliding the glass door to enter the other side.
The cold air greeted her without delay and it made her shiver in response. She smiled when she saw the sky being bathed with a sea of stars, but her attention was quickly caught to where her eyes had misguided her.
It seemed that the King was not yet sleeping as shown by his chamber lights switched on.
Lianne sighed at the thought of earlier’s confrontation.
‘I’m sorry Ruen. I really am,’ were her words to the wind.
***
Half an hour later, Lianne decided to go down to the servant’s kitchen, wanting to address her hunger.
There was only the clanking of dishes in the scullery that was heard all over the hallway of the servant’s hall when Lianne arrived.
She noticed the main cook of the mansion busily completing his task. He was a great cook, very flexible on many different tastes, but his youth had already left him behind his years. She remembered when he was in his early forties, back when she was still a teen then, he used to give her cupcakes in order to relieve her sadness.
‘I guess now, no amount of cupcakes could numb what I’m feeling,’ she admitted in her thoughts.
“Ah, Your Highness! A good evening to you!” Sir Darlon greeted with a warm smile. He quickly wiped his wet hands with his apron and crossed the room to a countertop where a few pastries were placed.
“You seem to be very busy, grandpa,” Lianne responded with a forced smile. She continued to sit next to the center table of the kitchen, her eyes intently looking at the left-over foods at the party readily seen in front of her.
“Argh, I already told you not to call me that, my sweet Princess!” the cook complained with a disgruntled look on his face.
Lianne, in response, giggled a little. Then, she eyed the food again and tipped her chin up. “Hmmm… they smell good Uncle Darlon,” she commented and then bit her lower lip.
“Ha ha! Of course, they would be! Didn’t I tell you I’m the best cook there is?” Sir Darlon puffed his chest.
The princess cocked her head to the side. “Yes, I believe you did and a couple of times for that matter.” She continued to gaze on a plate of pastry and vegetable salad near her reach. She didn’t realize it but the cook was already grinning at her with amusement.
“By all means, Princess, you are welcome to taste them.”
“Oh, thank you, Uncle Darlon.”
With a sigh of relief, Lianne quickly reached for the plate of veggies and poured down a sweet red sauce on it. She forked the lettuce out of the batch and widely opened her mouth to welcome the piece.
“I couldn’t help but notice you are looking hungrier than I thought you would,” Sir Darlon said as he stood at the countertop holding a bottle of sparkling white champagne. He poured down a generous amount on a champagne flute and handed it to the awaiting princess.
“Thanks.” Lianne accepted.
“I knew you would come down the kitchen sooner or later the moment I noticed your absence in the ball. Why didn’t you attend the party anyway?” he queried, completely oblivious of the happenings between her and the new King. But Sir Darlon had seen her in her ups and downs at the mansion, and can easily say when something was bothering her.
Lianne didn’t reply. She bowed her head and proceeded to focus on her plate as if concentrating on finishing its contents, but deep in her thoughts, she was recalling the evening’s event again. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep with Ruen’s angry and pained face always popping out of her head. She just had to do something in order to make things right.
“Oh, your silence is always a mystery, Princess,” the cook expressed. “Well then, I’ll let you keep the reason to yourself, but promise me you’ll wear those beautiful smile once again, will you?”
Lianne looked up and saw his widened, dreamy eyes staring back at her. A response was due and there was no other word available but a yes to make her hopeful uncle feel at ease.
“Yes Uncle,” she answered with a nod.
The cook nodded back, contented with her answer, but deep inside, he knew she was still sad and that it would need a miracle for that sadness to go away. He wondered then when will she ever feel truly happy inside the mansion.
He continued on with his work around the kitchen never asking any more questions on the princess. He glanced at her from time to time observing her silence, until abruptly, he saw her stood up.
Lianne drank the last of her champagne and then bade the chief cook a good night and thanked him for the meal.
Her mind was like a whirlwind of chaos when she ascended the stairs to the second floor.
Ruen’s words, his enraged and pained expression, his wound on the left shoulder flashed continuously in her head.
She felt her hands cold to the touch as she continued to trek the hallway towards her room, but the minute she arrived at her main door, she stared blankly into the hallway towards the north wing, leading to Ruen’s chamber.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew then she just had to do something….
***
Right above an elegantly-designed furniture set, a green Venetian chandelier was hung, providing a soothing effect on the open waiting room of the third floor. A couple of flower-shaped wall lamps could also be seen, adding to the room’s magnificent lighting.
Unbeknownst to the princess, Ruen was silently sitting in one of the seats of this area. Resting on his lap was a book when he noticed someone ascending the stairs to his floor.
He was astonished to see who the woman was and immediately, he clenched his jaw.
With only just her presence already a hardship, now the fact that she was walking towards his room was pure damnation for him. How could she make him suffer so?
His pulse started to rise when he stood up. It seemed that she didn’t notice his presence as she continued to stare at his main door like a hawk on its prey.
‘Why is she here? What does she want? Is this perfect apparition even real?’
Surge of questions took over Ruen as he continued to watch her every move.
He walked closer behind her not even making a small sound, just to see how much distance he could bear.
It was as if a dream. Was his mind playing games on him again? He thought she could never initiate coming to his chamber on her own, but why was she here then?
An acute answer came into his mind, and it made his face darken. If he was right, if it’s for Cain, then he could only treat her coldly again.
***
Lianne debated to herself whether to knock the door or not. Her hands were like stone unable to move well due to the anxiety she was feeling.
Was it right for her to come here?
Was her impulsiveness winning over her again?
Was even a single apology good enough for him?
She decidedly halted her move. ‘I can’t do this!’ she announced to herself.
Quickly, Lianne turned around to retreat but found herself in a more awkward situation.
She gasped as she saw the man in her front, just a meter away from her. He wore another loose trouser and a velvet suede robe to warm his body, but his naked chest was ultimately exposed.
‘How could he be here!?’ she shouted in her mind, unable to grasp the reality of his presence.
“It’s already midnight. You should be sleeping by now,” Ruen voiced out, his tone arctic.
He gazed at her who looked dumb speechless and then he walked past her towards the main door of his room.
They passed each other as if it was a slow-motion scene in a movie.
Lianne stared at him and held out a breath when a slight brush of their shoulders occurred.
Then, Ruen twisted the knob open disregarding the presence at his back as if he was alone.
Lianne was indeed taken aback with the circumstances presented to her. Upon remembering the main reason she was there, she whirled around to look at him and then spoke quickly, “I apologize for bothering you!”
Ruen paused and slightly positioned his head to the side to hear more.
“I… I know the hour is already late, but… I saw the lights in your room still on so I assumed you’re still awake.” Lianne stopped, cleared her throat, and took a deep breath as if calming herself from the moment. “Is it too late for me to ask an audience with Regaleria’s new king?” It was a painstakingly polite manner, something she had never done with him or even with Garlow.
She waited for his response, but she didn’t receive one instantly, and that was when she sensed he was deliberately ignoring her. He basically didn’t turn around to face her nor did he glance at her direction.
After a minute of waiting, Lianne clenched her hands. She should have known then that such a feat would be futile in the end. She should have known then that this man still had the capacity to hurt her.
She embraced herself in an attempt to warm her body as the cold air surrounding the hall began to seep through her skin. She gave his back a pointed look as a result. If he was planning on ignoring her, then he should have said it frankly, not make her suffer like this.
Ruen sighed deeply looking as if there was turmoil in his mind. Heaven knows how much he didn’t want to ignore her. He wanted to talk to her face to face, make her understand his feelings, and make her feel his embrace, but still, he can’t just let her speak and hear Cain’s name on her lips again.
“Then, you should wait until tomorrow. I will attend to your matters in the court,” Ruen finally answered, the effect of his words for Lianne were like cold water thrown in the scorching fire.
Ruen continued to open the main door and began to step inside when in a heartbeat, Lianne pleaded without hesitation.
“Wait! Your Majesty, please! Can’t you just give me a minute?”
Though surprised by her own action, Lianne held the last of her courage as she meant to clear her self-guilt on the very night.
But what was she thinking asking for his time when it was such late an hour? She began to question her motives on summoning his attention, but it was already too late to back out now that he had, at last, turned to face her.