18

Lunch came by like a race circuit. Dad was going on with the possible wedding that they think will be happening and King Ricardo even sided with him. Mom and Queen Josephine were just supporting them and agreeing with the plausible statements they say. At the table, Thomas and I only exchanged looks while Althea kept teasing and asking me questions if it was really happening soon. I honestly couldn’t answer any of them. I didn’t want to pretend and deny it to myself anymore, but it was a matter of love or duty that I will be choosing. If I choose to fight for the love I want, I might have to sacrifice my duty for it. To fight for my selfish decision will cost me all the things I already had. If I choose my duty, then it will be a selfless act, but not the love that I wanted. Harsh, isn’t it? To be in this kind of society and world, sacrifices should be made and feelings should be set aside. The country matters more than your own accords. Lately, there really is nothing else to celebrate and it’s making my mood plumber down. I was walking down the hallway heading to my room when I passed by the garden. I decided to sit by the garden and wind up. The garden is my favorite place in the palace, here I’ll be able to relax and breathe for a while. My long gown made the grass rustle as I made my way to the wooden bench beside the fountain. The flowers and trees made the air smell sweet and it soothed my system as I inhaled deeply. It was just then when I felt that I needed that sense of rest. I was too stressed and worried these past few days that I couldn’t bring myself to take deep breaths. My eyes started to water, and I just covered my face with my hands, trying to calm myself. Suddenly, I heard light footsteps coming toward me. When I looked up, it was Noah.

“Figured you would be here,” he softly said then extended his hand that was behind him. He gave me a chocolate mousse cup in an arched white bowl. I chuckled and wiped my cheeks. I breathed and took the mousse cup from his hand.

“How nice of you,” I said then immediately took a bite. His baking was always marvelous, but the sweetness and softness of the mousse cup surrounded my mouth in an instant, and I was just thankful that he found me here.  I cupped the bowl in my two hands, just taking it all in. It was another moment to finally breathe.

“It makes me feel nice to see you smile because of that,” he teased when I continued eating. I chuckled with the spoon in my mouth. Of course, I was just savoring my favorite dessert that I don’t get to eat much often. Since the chefs prepare the menu for our every day meals, mousse cups aren’t always the dessert. I may have a close relationship with them, but they also priority the taste of my brother and my parents.

“Your mousse cups are always amazing,” I told him and placed the bowl on the bench. I looked at him and he was just observing me. The sun was behind us, so we had shade on our faces, but his features looked so bright and sharp. His mocha-colored eyes shone in mine and it made me stare at him unconsciously.

“You have beautiful eyes,” we both simultaneously said. The realization made us laugh, but my cheeks felt like it glowed in spicy red. I confidently stared at his eyes, and he was staring at mine as well. I don’t know exactly how my eyes look like, but I think it had a hint of blue since my mom also has blue eyes. Did it match my face? Does it fit me? Now, it made me conscious.

“I-uh, I better head back to the kitchen,” Noah said then stood. I smiled at him as he made his way back inside. I sat down and grabbed the mousse cup again. I wanted to save some for later, but I guess I couldn’t resist finishing it now. I took small scoops from the bowl and I heard the garden doors open again. When I looked up, Althea was walking towards me.

“Now, where’d you get that, young lady?” she teasingly asked then sat beside me. I chuckled as I took my last bite. I set the bowl down and linked my arm on Althea’s. I think she picked up my mood, so she leaned against my head and rubbed my arm. We just sat there, staring at the butterflies around the flowers and the birds that were chasing each other. The wind was chilly, but it was perfect for the atmosphere.

“I’m guessing Noah was just here, huh?” she quietly said. I chuckled and nodded. She laughed under her breath and teasingly squeezed my arm. What is up with this attitude? Is she still rooting for me and Noah? I can’t believe that she started to like him the moment she first saw him. I guess even Althea can be swept by impressions. A good cook or baker is attractive, after all.  The sun was starting to set and the breeze was starting to get colder, so Althea and I went inside and headed to the Dining Hall since it was almost time for dinner. The family members would start to gather one by one in a few minutes. Speaking of family members, Keith has been visiting Angelo at the hospital wing as well. Even when he doesn’t tell me, Saint would be the one to inform me since he’s usually the one on duty when Keith visits. Saint told me that he usually talks to Angelo about what I do during the day and then asks him when he’ll be able to wake up. I’m thankful to have him supportive of us, but it also makes me worried for him. If this gets out, if the other family members find out, Keith would get in trouble as well. I care for his future and well-being since he’s still young, so I might have to talk to him about our future plans. I mean, what “future plans” exactly? I kept asking myself what would happen after Angelo wakes up. Do we continue pretending and hiding our relationship? Do I have to tell Dad about us? Should we take our relationship to the next level? I am honestly nervous and confused every day that passes by. The future of our relationship is uncertain, and it’s making my duty and role as a member of the royal family tangled as well.

“What were you doing at the garden anyway?” Althea asked beside me. Now that I thought about it, I didn’t have an exact reason to head to the garden. I just saw it as my “comfort place” and decided to break down in the middle of the day.

“Well, I was just trying to wind up a little. Then, Noah came,” I explained. Speaking of Noah, I totally forgot to thank him for the mousse cup! I am such an idiot! The first thing that should have came out of my mouth the moment he gave me the mousse cup ended up being the thing I would forget. Please, I hope he wouldn’t feel like I didn’t appreciate it. I immediately stood and grabbed the bowl.

“I’ll be right back!” I said to Althea and she waved her hand at me. I paced down the hall way and headed to the kitchen first to drop the mousse cup. Chef Kai was even flustered to see me hand over a bowl, but he didn’t ask any more questions. When I got out of the kitchen, I immediately headed to Noah’s room which was just down the hallway. When I was in front of his door, I gently knocked three times.

“Noah? It’s me. I forgot to tell you something,” I said. A few seconds later, he didn’t respond. I was fidgeting my fingers and kept lifting the heels of my feet, deciding whether to just open the door or wait for him to come out. Well, I’m just going to thank him anyway, might as well get this over with.

“Noah…?” I softly called as I quietly opened the door. It was the first time I saw Noah’s room and it was bigger than I expected. It was a nice and spacious room with complete furniture and he had his own bathroom. I didn’t bother entering the room, I just peeked my head through the door. Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and Noah came out topless, with a white towel on the top of his head. I gasped and he noticed me by the door.

“I-I’m sorry! I mean, thank you! For the mousse cup!” I hurriedly said then closed the door behind me. I leaned against his door and held my chest. What just happened?! Not that I got the chance to stare at his body, but my eyes immediately fixated on him, not that I chose to! Suddenly, I felt the knob starting to turn.

“Y-you don’t have to come out! J-just…do your thing,” I said through the door and jogged away. I covered my face while I walking down the hall way as I felt my face heat up again. To give more details, his upper body was fit and muscled up. He had nice biceps, impressive… I headed to the Dining Hall but stopped my steps just before the double doors. Thinking back on the incident, he had his back on me first before he noticed me. If I wasn’t seeing things, there was a horrible scar on his back, and it looked like it was from a fire.