Prologue

Before you dive into the story, I would like to clear the leads' age to avoid confusion.

Renai was twelve years old in the beginning, four years later she was sixteen and now eight years later she is twenty-four.

Zebian was eighteen in the first meeting. Twenty-two four years later and now, thirty as a king.

******

“Lo and behold, kneel before your glorious Majesty,” A voice bellowed out all over the hall. Everyone, from toddlers to grey-haired, fell on their knees with their heads facing the concrete ground. 

The Majesty’s powerful tread echoed all over the hall, his cape billowed out on the floor, marking the flooring of his enormous castle’s hall as his victorious territory. He reached to his retained throne and gracefully took the royal seat, arms resting on the armrest of the impeccable throne. 

“Rise,” The King commanded and within a second, the heads of his people were upped as they stood on their feet, but eyes still downcast. 

The hearing began. The imperial chief shared several news with the people and suggested some strategies to empower the states under their rule. Lord Bancroft listened to his ingenious schemes and nodded while contemplating the best decision to render for his people. 

Citizens of different villages were presented before them, they shared the frets of their tribes. Their lord attentively listened to them and passed commands in their relieving favour. The people of Sebria were loving their current Lord as he was merciful and compassionate. They couldn’t be more thankful to their former King for choosing Bancroft over the original king who died on the battlefield because of his incompetence. 

The hearing ended two hours later. Everyone was ordered to empty the courtroom. It was now only The King and his personal advisor in the hall. The lord stood to his feet and gazed at the setting sun through the window on his right. 

“Where’s his Highness? I was expecting the prince to be present during the hearing,” Lord Bancroft menacingly asked the imperial advisor who stood behind him now. 

He lowered his head in remorse as he knew his words would not please the King. “My Lord, his Highness has taken a ride towards the West. My Queen has overruled the evening walk’s restriction on the future King, I seek forgiveness of my merciful Lord,” The advisor bowed deeply in proper etiquettes. 

The King’s jaw clenched hearing his son’s defiance again. The boy had never been this stubborn. He was sure now that something wasn’t right. “Send men to bring him back. I want him present in my room in an hour,” The King pressed an order and stomped toward the exit. 

He needed a good earful. 

****

Chords of giggles flooded in the open sky as he chased her in the deserted jungle. He didn’t expect her legs to run this fast, maybe he underestimated her. The girl’s laughter escaped her throat as she glanced at her best friend, still many feet away from her. 

“Just wait, Rose, I’m going to catch you in a blink,” Zebian warned her, her laughs burst into the air again as she shook her head while pushing her legs to consume their maximum velocity. 

“You wish, goblin,” She shouted, dodging trees and bushes with thorns. 

He tried to reach an inch closer to her but she wasn’t giving him any chance. After sprinting for what felt like a century, they reached closer to their secret spot, he begged her to stop. She first shook her head to tease him but watching him coughing hard got her steps jammed. The pitter-patter of the river blended with his choking coughs. 

She dashed back to him and clapped his back. “Are you okay, my Lord?” She asked in utter concern and sincerity. Zebian’s blue eyes flitted at her once he stopped coughing. 

“What did you call me?” He threw a rhetorical question, rasping in tribulations. Renai’s eyes flickered fatuously but then she realised where the problem laid. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot not to address you with that,” She apologised. 

“Do not ever call me that, Rose. For your friend takes it in his offence,” Zebian commanded her in his majestic tone. Renai’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment. How to tell him she always felt intimidated whenever he spoke this way. She would get reminded of who he was and how matchless their friendship was. 

Whereas Zebian always came here to avoid his reality. He preferred to be treated like a normal person by her. He liked living an ordinary life. But in his reality, the word ‘Normality’ had a different definition. The more powerful and exalted you were, the more normal and fancied you would be perceived. 

Zebian flickered his eyes from her to the stream that was cascading down like rhythmic pearls of sapphires smoothly merging into the river. His lips stretched into a humble smile, he liked this, not because he was a die-hard fan of nature but because the girl beside him made every moment special of his life.

Having her by his side filled his life with the peace that he always craved. 

“You know how precious is this moment for me?” He murmured generally, the sunset behind the stream was an ethereal sight. He couldn’t be thankful enough for the day he discovered this spot with a girl as innocent as a newborn baby.

Renai followed the line of his gaze and hummed pleasantly. She was a devoted nature enthusiast. “I am aware, this sight is worth dying for,” she blurted out admiringly, absorbed by the beauty. 

“No talks concerning death, rose. For such words do not suit my beloved,” Zebian’s forehead had a faint crease of offence.

Renai turned her gaze toward him and blinked, there was a dire intensity of some emotion glistening in his bluish orbs that she couldn't understand. But she had a little idea of what that fervency meant. Though she could not dare to fall for it. This would never happen. 

Despite being friends with the member of the most powerful family alive, she couldn't dodge the truth that she was a plebeian and yet daring to fall for a prince who would be a King in upcoming years was a sin. Deadly sin for an indigent commoner like her. 

“Here I feel the need to correct you, my friend. I can not afford to be your beloved, I'm just your secret friend who daily comes to meet you for a few hours and when she goes back, she forgets she ever met you,” Renai beamed teasingly. Zebian’s eyes morphed from soft to hard.

"Then one day I shall take her with me so she never ever thinks about forgetting me," He retaliated back, earning a chuckle from her. 

"It's never going to happen, we are bound to forget each other one day," She replied between her soft chuckles. 

"Never," Zebian gritted, his forehead grew in a grave grimace and jaw clenched upon her piercing words. 

Renai's eyes flitted on him, her grin morphed into a melancholic smile that tyrannise her features. "We can't forget our realities, my Lord. You're someone I am not even allowed to think of, yet I'm here to share my lunch with you, you see how daring I’m,” she tried to joke again. 

No matter how many times Zebian had used his eloquent words on her, that couldn't make her forget how her people had perceived her. For them, she would always be a curse. For many years her heart had recited endless fantasies that she knew were bound to hurt her one day, so she never believed in any of them. 

He jerked away his face and strode in the other direction. Renai watched him walking away from her. Her innocent face bore a cute strained pout. “Hey, where are you going?” She shouted to have him stop but he continued trudging away. 

After shouting two to three times and not getting a response, she shot to her feet and scuttled after him and held his arm with her dainty fingers. “You promised me you will never avoid me,”  she spoke with a crack in her voice. He halted and turned around to fix her with a cold stare. 

“First learn to talk high of yourself and then I shall grant you my words,” He grumbled huskily. He never liked how she disparaged herself and talked highly of him. Only if she had known what she meant to him, she would have never felt low about herself. 

Renai inhaled longingly, “You are overreacting for no reason. No one can deny the truth. It’s better if I admit it, it would hurt less,” She murmured with a soft smile. Zebian’s heart contorted in a congested jolt. He dashed toward her in two urgent steps and cupped her cheeks in his palms. 

“You rose…you know you are the only reason that excites me to start my day. You make me happy. Only I know how I passed those ten days without having a sight of you. Being with you makes me think I’m turning into a better man, I don’t know what I would do without you and when you speak of forgetting and leaving me one day, trust me, I feel the need to set the whole world on fire just to keep you close to myself.” He confessed with a heavy heart that shone in his bluish orbs. He bent his face closer to hers. Her eyes flashed to his lips which made her gulp.

“I’d do anything to make you happy. You have me, love,” He grazed his thumb on her cheek.

Renai also dragged a ragged breath, staring vehemently into his eyes. She raised her hands to grab his wrists and shook her head, tears welled up in her eyes but she willed them to stay back.

“No, my lord. I shouldn't be the one to accept your affection, for they belong to a woman of your status, not someone like me. I’m no princess, I’m just a daughter of a commoner who sells meat,” She retorted nervously, a tear slipping down to her cheek. 

Zebian was quick to follow and wipe it away. 

“Don’t you fret, my sweet. One day you will say what I want to hear. Just that day,” He had been telling her that for almost a year. She playfully huffed in retreat and stepped back to collect her fabric bag that had their lunch.

Their friendship had elevated to a hazardous turn when they disguised as a couple and snuck into another state where they had to stay motel room and share a single bed. 

Both of them detested the idea and Renai even offered to sleep on the floor as he wasn’t used to it, but he didn’t let her and forcefully, they both slept on that bed.

Renai was quick to sleep out of shyness and exhaustion but Zebian stayed awake all night like a hawk, staring at the snow-white beauty in his arms. There, he admitted he was feeling the emotion his heart had been indicating at. He madly fell for the sixteen-year-old. Her body was emitting waves of serenity that he craved. He loved being closer to her. 

After their four years of friendship, he finally realised he wanted this girl beside his throne. He met many princesses but no one ever caught his interest the way she did. There was something unique about her. 

A smile crawled on his lips as he played with her stranded strands. Her lips were parted innocently, he leaned closer and pecked her on them, that was his favourite thing to steal whenever she fell asleep in his arms against the tree. 

“Can you help me with the mat?” Renai’s soft voice broke his train of thoughts. He blinked twice and found her struggling with setting the mat because of the flared-up wind. He jogged toward her and helped her while she set the lunch for them. 

Renai had made Zebian’s favourite meal today since tomorrow he would be leaving for the state of Kabila for a week. It was her language of letting him know she would miss him. Zebian savoured the food like always. 

“I hope Mr. Aldrich was okay with it,” Zebian mentioned her father, who was not only a butcher by profession but also as a man for his family. Zebian learnt he had a hard hand toward his daughter the day she sustained bruises on her cheek and forehead.

She nodded sillily while stuffing her mouth with grapes. He glanced at her, a smile broke on his lips.

“Thank you for making this evening special for me,” He pressed her delicate hand. Zebian had grown physical with her from that day and she noticed it. She wasn’t complaining till he would touch her inappropriately, which would not happen as she knew he was aware of the boundary line.

“You’re exaggerating it,” She flushed. 

“No seriously. You do make me wish to bring you some jewels or goods.” He mumbled. 

Renai’s eyes snapped at him, she instantly shook her head frantically. “No, I would not be able to secrete such expensive goods, my mattress is upheaved with so many of them already,” Renai told him, cracking a hearty laugh out of him. 

“And here I’m desiring to bestow you with the finest goods of the world so only you can conceal it under your blessed mattress, what an unfeasible wish I’m making,” Zebian teased her, she nudged her arm in his elbow.  

“The Duke shall not belittle a commoner, it’s a rule embraced by your father,” She backfired him. He chuckled again. 

“Oh, so now the future duchess would teach her duke how to behave,” Zebian sneered, and both of them spun their head toward each other. Renai glared at him with a reasonable amount of audacity whereas he grinned with his heart in his eyes.

“I repeat, I’m a commoner,” she gritted. Why had he always pretended to forget this fact? There was no way where she would hold high hopes. It would only get her a brutal downfall.

“I can make you an uncommoner if you shall permit me,” Zebian smirked.

“You’re being unreasonable, stop it,” She averted her eyes at the ground. He was teasing her but there was also a ray of commitment gleaming in his eyes but she knew that would not matter.

He wasn’t the king yet. The current king promised the world to bring wonders to his realm and it was only possible if he ensured the safety of the future was in safe hands. He would never let his son marry a commoner, rather he would kill her in front of him if he'd ever told him about her. He needed a daughter-in-law who would have an insightful, astute and kind-hearted aptitude. A real Queen beside the future King. Which Renai could never be since she didn't belong to royalty, her fate was poverty. 

“It is not possible, my lord,” She told him steadfastly, her heart was ripped up by the unasked pain.

“It is,” Zebian was not going to back down. Renai was clearly testing his stubbornness. She wanted to believe him but just couldn’t, her mind wouldn’t allow to be off-guard. Her head fell over his shoulder as she tried to her best to suppress the pain.

She looked up, her face inch away from his. She tried to scurry back but his hand on her back ceased her movements. “It is possible, rose,”

“How?” She gulped. 

“Like this,” The next she knew was his wet lips attacking her soft flesh in a blink. She tried to push him at his chest but he held her hand only to push his tongue to pass through the seam of her lips.

Her eyes rounded in surprise as he invaded her mouth and worked his hot tongue against her rooted one. He explored every corner of her insides while she endured the shock. He gently bit her tongue and pressed her head more into him as if he would smash their bodies into one.

He pulled away when he felt her erratic heartbeat against his normal one. He slowly pulled his tongue out and bit on her lower lip with his eyes closed. His body was dampened in heat. Every inch desired her. He gave her light pecks on her mouth and traced to her flustered cheeks.

“My..Lord, we can’t…” she tried to speak but words jammed in her mouth as he again pulled her into a fierce kiss. He got full access and deprived her of speaking further when she resisted. He yanked her on his lap and slipped his hands under her dress. He lapped on her mouth as he gripped her sleek waist.

She let him do whatever he wanted. This was the first time they gotten a taste of each other’s carnal warmth. She tasted delicious, divine. He grew devoted and impatient. His body trembled due to sudden explosion of lust.

His hands slipped on her tiny butt. He groped it and kneaded it while passionately working on her mouth. She let out a stuck moan and tangled her tongue against his. His throat escaped a groan as he pinned her back against the tree and pushed his mouth more into her entrance.

She tightly shut her eyes and let tears stream down. She knew it was just temporary. He was not intended to be hers. He would never be no matter how many times he would say. 

But his kiss was melting her heart. Pleading with her mind to grant him a chance that she just could not. This was a facade. It was meant to be forgotten one day. 

He pulled away the moment he felt she was out of breath. She inhaled a gulp of oxygen with her hand on her chest. Zebian noticed her tears and leaned in to kiss each of them. “Do not cry,” He kissed her cheek with his eyes closed. 

“For your Lord is after you,” 

And that’s when they both heard. “Prince Zebian!”