Forbidden Meeting

-Sun Palace: Guest Room-

Seraphine tosses and turns around her bed, but she eventually opens her eyes and sits up.

"I can't sleep"

She then steps out of her covers and paces around the room, she looks at the lion cub on the bed.

"You can't sleep either, Fries?"

The cub gave a tiny meow, Seraphine gave a faint smile at the cub.

"Damn, I'm going to have a late-night snack, that won't hurt right?"

The cub blankly stares at her, she slumps her shoulders and proceeds to head out of the room, she slowly opens the door and peers outside.

"It looks like everyone is asleep"

She says to herself, she steps outside and heads to the kitchen, but then she gets lost in the hall.

"Where is the Kitchen?" She asks no one in particular "I thought that I already knew the layout of this place" she sighs.

She proceeds to wander around the halls of the palace, her eyes wandering around.

"Those are the magi-stone if I could recall" Seraphine looks thoughtful "those are at rest and the energy inside isn't in use that's why it's a source of light in the night"

"Have you heard?"

Seraphine hears voices behind her, she quickly hides inside a vacant room and listens to the conversation.

"Alicia got slapped by Zeno because she was pestering him so much, while he was on duty."

"That girl should take her head out of the clouds."

"Right, she's not a child any more to act like that."

"She got reprimanded by the second commander of the Knights for being negligent of her duty."

"Just a reprimand?"

"There was a punishment too, but I do not know the details of it."

"That girl deserves it, she is also boastful of her status, and she degrades us, servants, funny how she degrades us but fell head over heels towards a butler."

"She's a Hypocrite."

The two maids voices faded in the distance while they walked further away, Seraphine came out of the vacant room that she was hiding.

"It looks like gossip never dies down, in any century or world for that matter"

Seraphine proceeds to get to the kitchen, she wonders around when she finally recognises familiar wooden double doors.

"Finally!" She shouts in glee.

She entered inside, it was dark inside, so she used her sense of touch to feel around her.

"There isn't a light switch here or any source of light I reckon?"

Her voice echoed inside the kitchen, she groans in frustration, when a faint light glowed inside.

"Oh, wait there is?"

The light brightens a bit, and she could see clearer inside the kitchen.

"So there's magi-stone inside as well" the princess looked in wonder "but why didn't it glow when I entered? Isn't it like automatic lights?"

She shrugs, and focuses on her objective, 'the snacks' she rummaged around to find something to eat.

"Great! A bottle of wine, some small desserts."

She picks up a tray, putting the items on it so that she can easily carry it around.

"I think that would be enough"

She puts her hands on her waist looking over the food that she took.

"No use on always relying on servants when I can handle getting things myself." She states getting a wine glass below the kitchen counter, then standing up again.

"Indeed"

Seraphine jumped, the wine glass slips from her grip, but thankfully a loud shattering of glass was not heard.

"Your highness"

She turns around to find Zeno, looking at her with a raised brow.

"Zeno! What a coincidence that you're here"

'So suddenly' she added in her mind

"I was wondering why the magi-stones are glowing inside the kitchen, I thought it was rats or mice at first, but here I am catching a princess that is taking out food"

"Wait! I can explain!"

"Alright then, explain"

"I couldn't sleep, that's why I snuck out of the room, deciding to get snacks, I didn't want to bother maids, that's why I decided to get them myself."

"Ordering a maid isn't a bother to them, because they have a moral obligation to do their job, princess," Zeno shakes his head in disapproval "you should have called for me if it bothers you ordering a maid, I could have served your needs immediately."

"No one was around…"

"I am just one call away" Zeno gave a faint smile at the princess, "back to the topic of food"

Zeno presents the wine glass to Seraphine that almost shattered, thankfully he caught it.

"You cannot drink wine this late at night"

"Aww...come on"

"I will prepare chamomile tea for you, it helps with sleeping"

"What about the snacks?"

"You do not need to eat snacks, drinking tea is enough."

Zeno clears the food that Seraphine placed on the silver tray, the princess gave a longing look watching the food being returned.

After returning the food to where it was originally placed, Zeno prepares the tea for the princess, not long after it is prepared, he also added a bit of honey on the tea to sweeten it.

"Do you want to drink the tea in your room?"

"Yes, please!" Seraphine answered delighted.

-Sun Palace: Guest Room-

Zeno places the tea on the nightstand but Seraphine ushered him towards the balcony of the room, in which Zeno hesitated.

"It is cold at this time princess"

"I'll just wrap a blanket around myself"

Seraphine tells him, she pulled the covers on the bed and wrapped it around herself.

"I want alone time Zeno, so you can leave, thank you for this."

"Alright, but please do not stay out for too long"

"Understood"

Zeno bows at Seraphine then exits the room, Seraphine enjoys the scenery of the night sky and the large moon.

"There's no T.V in this place so watching the stars will do"

She blows on the cup of tea and sips on it, her eyes widen at how the sweetness exploded in her mouth.

"That was honey that Zeno added...but it's sweet, it's an even balance of sweetness, but you can still taste the chamomile" She looks at the cup she was holding.

Her image reflected on the tea, her expression was of astonishment at how clear the tea water is, that it could reflect the image of herself.

"This world never fails to surprise me"

She finishes the tea and sets it down on the table, her whole body warming up.

"I'm getting used to this world, even for a tiny bit"

"The moon is beautiful isn't it?"

Seraphine thought it was Zeno at first, but she then realises that it was different from the butler's voice, she stands up at the tabled chair she was sitting at.

"Was that a ghost?!"

"Down here"

Seraphine cautiously follows the voice squeezing the blanket she was holding.

"Peer down, my fair maiden"

"Corny…" Seraphine mutters.

The princess slowly peers down the balcony, she sees a man smiling at her.

"Another stalker, I'm out!"

She turned around to leave but then the voice spoke again, but it was closer and clearer this time.

"Leaving me hanging here?"

Seraphine steps on the hem of the blanket tripping on it, a hand catches her waist.

"This is so cliché!" She shouts her heart pounding in her chest.

"It may seem cliché," the voice whispered in her ear, in a low husky tone "but you can't deny that this is how love stories begin"

A cold wind brushed on their skins, Seraphine turned around to see who was holding her.

But the clouds covered the moon, her vision darkening.

"Who are you?!"

"That doesn't matter, what matters is, the thing I want"

"What's this thing you want? I don't have any money"

"I am not a thief"

"Then what are you?"

The moon emerges from the clouds, Seraphine finally seeing the owner of the voice.

Both of the colours of their eyes reflected each other, the princess blue eyes reflected on the King's emerald one's, Seraphine couldn't believe that a handsome man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and visited her.

"I am euphoric in finally meeting you, face to face" he pushes a strand of hair from Seraphine's face.

"Huh?"

"I wanted to see you"

Seraphine backs away from Kristopherson, who she couldn't identify since she never saw him before, inside the main palace.

"I don't know who you are, but I think you should go already, but thanks for the immediate prevention of my face meeting the concrete floor."

"Hahaha…"

Kristopherson laughed at what the princess said, she rolled her eyes at the King's laughter.

'He's a stalker Seraphine, remember what happened last time? But his voice is also different from the voice of the hooded man'

"Why don't you keep me company under this beautiful night?"

"How about a NO?"

"I would like compensation on my good deed"

"I told you, I'm broke"

"Broke?"

"I am penniless"

"Then be my company as the compensation, that isn't so hard is it?"

"Fine."

Seraphine begrudgingly agrees to the King, the King beckons her towards the railing of the balcony, the princess comes towards him but puts some distance between them.

"Cautious are we?"

"I don't want anything 'funny' to happen"

King Kristopherson chuckles, silence engulfed the two but the King is very amused at the princess, he was watching her every move.

"Are you satisfied now?" Seraphine suddenly says "I'm going back to bed"

"I wanted to see you so badly you know? Yet you brush me away"

"Disappointed now?"

"It is not disappointment that I am feeling, but interest"

"It'll be gone as soon as it came, trust me"

"My curiosity is finally satiated to see you, but now I want to get to know you"

"Let's stop talking, you go back to wherever handsome land you came from, and I'm going to bed."

"So you think I am handsome?" Kristopherson smirks.

"Uh, yes?"

"What about my personality?"

"I don't know!"

"You are becoming irritated"

"Because I want to go to bed!"

"Alright but…"

Seraphine's lips formed into a frown looking at the tall King, Kristopherson smiled at the princess.

"Good night"

"Yeah, good night-"

Seraphine's guard is clearly down in which Kristopherson notices, he took that chance to wrap his arm around the waist of the princess reeling her towards him, he then presses his lips onto Seraphine's own lips.

"Mmmh?!"

The princess froze, a jolt of electricity traveling through her body, Kristopherson pulled back from the kiss.

"W-W-What the hell-"

Kristopherson then presses light kisses on her lips whenever she talks, the cover of the bed that wrapped the princess falls on the ground since her body is becoming numb.

"Do you want this to continue inside the bedroom?"

Seraphine couldn't answer, her mind hazy because of the heated kisses, Kristopherson bent down then hoisted her up in his arms, he also took the cover of the bed with him.

He lays Seraphine on the bed while he climbs on top of her.

'I should stop this' Seraphine protested in her mind but her body seemed to want more.

The two begin their heated kisses again, while Kristopherson's hands travel down Seraphine's body.

The King is fuelled by the princess' breathless pants, but he knew that they shouldn't continue, for their actions will result in severe consequences.

"Princess"

"Hm…?" Seraphine hummed her hair already messy, he chuckled at the sight of the princess messy appearance.

"I want to continue but, let's do this in a more proper setting"

"What do you mean?"

"I will see you soon…"

Kristopherson gives a final kiss to the princess, before using a sleeping spell on her to make her sleep. He tucks her in, having a grin on his lips after that he exits the room from the balcony, closes the balcony door and jumps off.

He returns to the Core Palace, with a dishevelled appearance but with pure satisfaction.