I Wonder...

"I knew you looked familiar," he said and smirked. I froze from where I was standing—nervous, because he might have known about my past and what he did to me back then.

Is he after my head again? Am I going to die for the second time?

"You're that girl!" He exclaimed excitedly as he smiled from ear to ear. "What... do you mean?" I asked as I was breaking out in cold sweat.

"You know..." He moved his face closer to mine and smiled. "...the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with," he whispered as he moved his lips closer to my ears.

"Huh...?" What he said still hasn't been processed in my mind, and when it finally did, I couldn't hide the fact that I was flustered.

"W-W-What?! Wha-What are you t-talking about?!" I stuttered as I pushed him away.

What a player!

He kept laughing because of the way I reacted to his action and words. He wiped the tear from his eye and said, "I was just joking. Anyway, kidding aside, I think I've seen you somewhere before," he said and smiled while staring at me.

This man is really... annoying me! But... I still can't deny that this side of him is adorable.

I cleared my throat and calmed myself down. This is not how a princess should act. "Where?" I asked. "I'm not really sure, but the first time I met you, I—" He could not finish what he was about to say because our conversation was interrupted by someone.

"Your Majesty! We have been looking all over the place for you," Noah said as he ran toward me. "Why were you looking for me? Who are you, anyway? You're not one of my knights," Vaughn said as his forehead creased.

I bit my lower lip to stop myself from laughing. This man right here, the soon-to-be-emperor of the Rosiello Empire, thinks that my knight was looking for him.

"Who is this man? Why would I even look for you when I do not even know you?" Noah said as he pulled me closer to him. "Your Majesty, did this man harm you?" He asked as his eyes scanned my face and body carefully.

I shook my head and said, "No, Noah. He is harmless," I said and smiled.

I guess I could still call the innocent Vaughn harmless... right?

"Nevertheless, he is still a man. He could have done something bad to you! I hate to even think about it, but there are countless possibilities when a woman is alone with a man," Noah nagged and glared daggers at Vaughn.

"Are you saying that I had ill intentions?" Vaughn said, sounding very offended because of what Noah said.

Noah did not bother answering him and dragged me instead. "Let's go, Your Majesty. His Majesty, the prince, has been so worried about you," he said as he held my wrist, dragging me out of the forest.

I looked back at Vaughn and saw him staring at us as we walked away. "I'm sure I'll see you soon, Just Krishiella," he said and smiled. "Till our next meeting, then. I bid you goodbye," he said and waved his hand. "Y-Yes... Goodbye!" I replied and faced the road.

While Noah and I walked to reach the entrance of the forest, we were both silent. Only the sound of the owls and the wind can be heard. I cleared my throat to destroy the awkward silence and said, "I'm sorry for leaving without explaining. I was really in a hurry."

"It's alright, Your Majesty. I know you must have a reason why you went after that man, but regardless of what it is, I hope you at least told us where you were going," Noah said without even glancing at me.

I couldn't say anything after what he said. Maybe I felt guilty for making the knights worry about me. If something has happened to me, they might get executed just because of my careless actions.

"Who was that man, Your Majesty? Is he someone you know?" He asked. "He's... He's the person I love the most..." I whispered. "Pardon? I couldn't hear what you just said, Your Majesty," Noah said and chuckled. "I said, he's someone I bumped into earlier," I replied, lying about what I said earlier.

"Hmm... okay," Noah said and smiled. We got out of the forest and started walking in the alley. We were both quiet, but the silence was comfortable, unlike earlier.

My feet hurt a lot because I kept walking since earlier. I tried to walk properly, but I keep having a hard time taking a step forward. These new shoes are giving me a hard time, too.

Noah stopped walking and faced me. "Your Majesty, are you all right?" Worry can be seen in his eyes. Then he looked at me as if he was really concerned. "Yes, I'm fine," I said and continued walking.

And because I'm hard-headed, I continued to force myself to walk until I finally couldn't take a step forward due to my fall on the ground.

"Your Majesty!" Noah exclaimed as he bent his knees to tend to me. "Do your feet hurt? Are you injured?" He said as he held my leg. He looked at me with worried eyes and said, "Why didn't you tell me?" I avoided his gaze and said, "I thought I might burden you..."

After I said those words, he suddenly lifted me which made my eyes widen in shock. "What are you doing?!" I said, almost yelling, as I looked at him. "Let me do this, Your Majesty. This is the least that I can do for you since I wasn't able to do anything... when you were hurting so bad..." He said with a sad expression.

I looked at his face, scanning each and every feature. His eyebrows drew together, and his beautiful hazel eyes were looking down as he was biting his lower lip.

I wonder if Vaughn was with me instead of Noah... would he make this kind of expression as well?