Night and day

They sat beside each other and dried themself with the napkins. While drying his dark blue hair, he looked at her from the corner of his golden eyes and as she was drying her slim body his gaze lingered on her neck, then slowly went down to her breast before scruting her bottom. She wasn't aware of his gaze and was now tending to her hair, she put them together on her right shoulder, letting them down until it reached her hips. He extended his hand toward her to touch her cheek but was stopped on his track by Eleanor's question,

"So? Were you really jealous?..."

He swiftly withdrew his hand and thought 'I don't know what to answer to that, I am clearly attracted to her but that's it....I think that, it is just physical, nothing more...so why was I so bothered by the fact that another man kissed her or that she was with Al?!' the situation was too complicated for him but as she continued while looking at him with her blue eyes,

"I want to know why, Francis....Tell me."

As if hypnotised by her gaze he came closer to her, drew her lips with his finger and said with a husky voice,

"It seem to be that way...."

To his surprise, she didn't react for a second but then suddenly she gave him her most beautiful smile and took his hand to her cheek.

"I knew it, Francis I feel it since that night you kissed me...You are my one and only beloved."

"....."

He didn't say anything, only looking at her mesmerized. Weirdly, he wasn't taken aback by her unexpected confession about him been her beloved like he did with other womans. Contrary to disgust like with other womans's confession, he felt warm and happy by the fact that she loved him and only him. She took the initiative before he did this time, and gave him an innocent kiss on his lips and just after became bright red. Francis's golden eyes turned red, 'sigh!! this is bad, I am actually aroused by a childlike innocent kiss by this girl who doesn't seem to understand in which dangerous situation she got herself.' He thougth before holding her face with his hands and giving her a feverish long kiss.

After a kiss that took a while, they separated and Eleanor slowly opened her eyes in a dazes. He looked at her eyes and kissed her nose, her cheeks, forehead and then returned To her lips while slowly licking them before taking a mouthful, with his tongue caressing the inside of her mouth. She flinched when she feel his tongue but went with the flow because she didn't hate it.

They took their time while talking beside the lac, with their back against the tree and their shoulder glued to each other. She put on Francis's coat because the dress would have been unconfortable.

"By the way how did you know about this lac?"

"....Al told me about it, but I am sorry, he told me that no one used it and that I could go whenever I wanted....The liar!"

"Haha! I knew it would be him, but it is okay in that aspect he was right you can come here any time you wish."

"Is that really okay?!"

"Yes, do you like it that much?!"

"Well yeah, it is relaxing and beautiful....and.." She blushed while shyly looking down, and then continued,

"It is even better when you are here.."

He looked for her gaze and with a mishevious smile he said,

"Are you sure about that?"

At his question, she looked up at him, and confused she answered,

"Yes of course I am, but why do you ask? don't you like it?"

"Of course I do, But the problem lie there, I will end up eating you alive.....I am doing all I can to restreint myself as we speak."

She blushed and averted her eyes and tried to distract herself while looking at the lac. As she keep on gazing at the moon's reflect on the water she began to dose off.

"And about your feeling...I was really happy but I still can not give you an answer...", Before he could finish his sentence, he feel her head lying down against his right arm. She fell asleep with her hand clasping his hand. ' It is good that she didn't hear what I just said, She would have been hurt....What an idiot I am', he thought and then he took her in his arms gently and went toward her palace. The maids that saw them, bowed and then ran to yet again make another gossip about the emperor and his beautiful maiden. He gently put her on her bed, covered her with the blanket and put a light kiss on her forehead before abrutly getting up and combing furiously his hair.

"sigh! I want to reject her, yet I don't want her to be with any other man.....I don't want to accept her love, yet I naturally act affectionately with her. So pathetic.." He said while looking at her face and feeling lost. He left her room feeling even more confused then ever. 'I have to take some time away from her...to clair up my mind. That would be mean after what I did...but I can not help it.' He thougth while storming furiously in the corridor.

In the morning, Eleanor woke up to the sun light, she stretched herself and then widely opened her eyes before quickly getting up while putting her hands on her lips and said,

"So I didn't dream?! Yersterday really happened...." She keep smiling while sreaming with joy. Miel came to her room, looked at her with a smile and said,

"I hear that you and the emperor had fun yesterday night, all the palace talk about how he carried you like a princess to your room."

"Huh! really?! he was the one that put me to bed? This is so embarassing."

"No way! miss, you two look good together, come and take your bath we prepared your breakfast."

"Will he have breakfast with me?"

"Ah, no he already ate and then he left the palace to go on a tour around the empire he always do that since all the people celebrates his birthday."

"Huh? he will visite all around the empire? and for how long?"

"Didn't he inform you? it will take him at least three week to tour around the empire and sometimes longer."

"No,.....I wasn't aware....I fell asleep yesterday without he finished talking.." She say and suddenly reminded of the last words she could hear him say. 'I can not accept your feeling...' She gasped and put her hand on her chest. 'It hurt! So is that his way of rejecting me...to drift away from me?!' She went in the bathup and plunged into the warm water while holding her breath.

"Miss, are you okay? you will suffocate..."

She gestured with her hand to reassure her that it would be okay and tell her to leave. Miel left the room confused and went to prepare her breakfast.

Eleanor didn't want miel to see her crying face that is why she plunged in her bath. 'What does that mean?! Why did he say that, he didn't explain anything nor did he even left a few words for me before leaving....Why did he act like he did last night if he didn't even want to accept my feelings? Was he playing around with me? No, now that I remember, he didn't say anything after I told him that I like him.' Those thought were haunting her mind while she was looking at her reflection on the water.

"Sigh! is this, what it mean to be in an unrequited love?!....." Tears where flowing on her cheeks after she said the facts that became her reality.