Chapter 8

"What do you think you're doing?" Blare immediately clutched her chest and covered her mouth to stop herself from making any sound despite of being startled.

She was sneaking back into her room, she almost jumped in joy while closing the door of her room when her mother's voice resounded behind her.

She immediately bow slightly as a sign of courtesy, she took that time to finally compose herself and get over her shock.

"Mother, it's already late, do you need anything?"

"As you've said, it's already late, so I wonder where you came from?" Queen Feu asked.

"I just took a night walk in the garden."

"Alone?" her mother asked with one of her brows raising.

"Yes mother, alone."

"I think I should change Api as your muranda. She doesn't do her job very well." Blare's eyes widened upon hearing her muranda's name.

"No! Api is doing good! I just wanted some time alone that's why I asked her not to accompany me!" she immediately defended. She can't afford to lose Api by her side, she wasn't just her muranda but her friend as well.

Her mother stared at her for a long while before displaying a threatening smile on her face.

"You're the next ruler of this land, Blare. Act like how a queen should act. Discipline yourself." Queen Fue said before she gracefully left the room, leaving her daughter with a clenched fist.

"Ice..." Blare called out.

"Hmmm?" he hummed while slowly playing with Blare's hair.

They were in a balay, a place where they usually meet to avoid being seen in the public. It was located near the Darkess forest that's why only a few knew about the place.

"If I ask you to run away with me, would you come?" Ice stopped caressing her hair when he heard what Blare said.

He helped Blare sit properly from being laid on his bare chest. He rested his back on the soft headrest of the bed where they were both lying.

"What is this all about Blare?" he asked seriously.

Blare stared at her lover for a while, before she silently looks down and played with her fingers.

Ice saw how uncomfortable Blare is, so he also fix his position and sat across her so that they can talk face-to-face.

He then gently held Blare's chin using his fingers.

"Tell me, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm scared, Ice." after she said his name, Blare lost control of her emotions and cried.

It's a good thing that Ice already secured everything that can start a fire after their arrival in the balay they were renting, so when Blare vented her emotions, nothing was set ablaze.

Ice pulled her closer and embrace her tightly.

"Ice, I'm getting married." Ice's body went frigid when he heard Blare.

"W-what?" Blare gently pushed Ice away, so that she can face him. When she saw Ice's unreadable expression, her tears fell even more.

"But I can't, Ice. I can't marry anyone else, aside from you! Especially now that I'm carrying your child!" she suddenly confessed.

Ice gaze immediately directed to her stomach from her face.

"You're pregnant?" Blare immediately nodded.

Ice didn't know what to do or say. He knew staying beside each other can already cause a large chaos in the whole of Narte Fantasia, but now that they're having a child together, things are going to get more complicated.

He once again pulled Blare for an embrace and tightly closed his eyes as he rested his head in between her neck, trying to think of what they should do next.

A few moments later, they let go of each other and just stared blankly ahead of them.

"Are we really having a child?" Ice asked the second time around, but this time, Blare notice a genuine smile on his face.

"Yes, I just learned about it yesterday."

"Who else knew?" he asked while his hands unconsciously made its way towards Blare's stomach, gently caressing it.

A smile crept into Blare's mouth because of her lover's action.

"Just Api, my muranda. Don't worry, she's a friend, she won't tell a soul about this."

Ice remained silent for a while and let his palm rest comfortably on Blare's stomach.

He can feel a life inside. How did they missed? How can they not know about this little life they had made?

"Blare..." Ice called out after a long while of silence.

He already made up his mind.

He'll protect his family.

Blare stared at him, waiting for him to say something.

"Let's run away."

I had to blink a lot of times before I was able to stabilize my mind.

I'm back.

I looked at Cool, who was silently watching my reactions in front of me.

I look around and saw the floating books once again. I tried secretly pinching myself to wake me up if ever I was still dreaming.

But Cool's presence in front of me is a proof that I wasn't.

"Was that really my parents?" I asked him, fighting back the tears that were forming in my eyes.

I miss you, Mom, Dad.

I immediately wiped the lone tear that had fallen from my eyes. I heard him sighed and went near me to tapped my shoulders trying to give me some comforting.

I don't know why, but it works.

Cool and I, we were never really close before. Yes, we do interact for some school works, but that was just... that.

And I believed that our friendliest encounter was that lunch with Sassy and the weird guy, Hailec.

"I know this is too much to take, so take your time," he said and gave me a smile that I haven't seen him show before. A warm one.

"Thank you." I sincerely said, I don't know what I'll do without him here. I can't even imagine myself here, in an unfamiliar place without him by my side.

"It's my honor, Princess," he said, his tone slightly teasing. He chuckled lightly when he earned a glare from me.

"Let's go?" he asked after he was done annoying the hell out of me.

"Where are we going?" I asked while following him walk out of the library.

"You go eat first and then I'll help you look around after."

As we walked along the halls, I kept on awkwardly smiling. Everyone we passed by is doing a slight bow and they keep on calling me Princess politely.

How can I get used to this?

I internally groaned inside and just silently followed Cool, when he suddenly stops.

I was closely following him so when he stopped abruptly, my face bumped into his back, slightly hurting my nose.

"What the hell, Cool?!" I whined while giving my aching nose a slight massage.

"Why did you sudden—"

"It's nice to see you again, your highness." my eyes almost pop-out of its socket when I saw a familiar smiling face in front of us.

"Hailec?! What are you doing here?" I asked, completely stupefied.