CLOUD

The night then came. However, the drowsiness has not yet come to me even though my eyes were tired from reading the entire contents of the blue file.

I took a glass of warm tea available on the table, and I looked at the moonlight from behind my bedroom window. It feels like there is a longing held back. But not for Cloud, but my family far away.

This longing appears. I miss my mom, dad, and my two brothers. When apart like this, this longing is so great. However, there is bound to be material for a fight if you are close.

"I hope everything is fine."

I close my night with a prayer and hope as I close my bedroom window. Tomorrow is my first day working here. I have to give my best. This country has already arrived. There's no turning back. I have to mean it. I'm sure I can. Spirit!!!

A few minutes later…

After trying to close my eyes, I started to feel sleepy. However, I still can't fall asleep. I don't know why tonight I'm restless. Like something is missing.

I tried to get out of the room. I breathed the night air and saw that several royal soldiers stood guard not far from my room. I then sat on the terrace of my room, looking up at the sky, counting the stars so I could fall asleep.

"Miss, you haven't slept yet?"

A servant approached me, carrying a food basket for the soldiers on guard. She looked young, maybe only five years older than me.

"Not yet, Aunt. I can't sleep," I said, smiling at him.

"Okay, No. When you're sleepy, go to sleep early. I left first to deliver food to the soldiers on guard. Excuse me, Miss."

I nodded. The maid then gave food to the soldiers guarding near my room.

My mind is erratic. The figure of a young man crossed my mind. I don't know why I suddenly miss Cloud—missing his smile, laugh, and scent. Everything about Cloud, I miss him. Maybe this is called falling in love.

The treatments Cloud gave me made me feel even more wanting to be owned. It felt like being alone with him for a long time and pouring out these feelings.

Ah! I imagine too much. How could a humble prince like Cloud love a country girl like me? Moreover, he is beautiful and has a big influence in this country.

Sometimes I ask, why should Cloud invite me? That question sometimes slips between my busy life. During my time with Cloud, I never felt uncomfortable or worried. What is there? I always want to see him, accompany him, and, if possible, always be pampered with him at every opportunity.

My heart is at peace when I'm with him. He is like a fire that burns my soul. If he hadn't brought me here, I might still have stayed in the village.

Not because of his faces like Caucasians and masculine posture. I love how he treats a woman. He never said rude or threatening tone to me. Not like Rain.

Huh! If I remember Rain, my heart is upset again. He's been throwing tantrums a few times. How dare he be rude to me. The words that came out of his mouth hurt. He was so proud. I wish I could teach him a lesson. But alas, the opportunity is not on my side.

Come to think of it, despite his arrogance, and Rain was also charming. His posture is very athletic. However, his skin tone looks darker than Cloud. He said Rain was out of the palace more than Cloud.

Maybe military training got his body in shape. His height also exceeds Cloud, a difference of about 3-5 cm. But I don't want to care about it. He was being mean to me. Why should I be kind to him? It seems like if I'm being kind, it'll just be a waste of my energy. For him, it makes no difference, and I'm indifferent or humble in front of him.

"Hoamm..."

Heavy drowsiness finally hit me. I'd better go to sleep and let go of fatigue because tomorrow is my first day working on assignments in this palace.

The next day…

Early in the morning, I woke up. I think I had enough sleep last night. I immediately went to the bathroom. The water in the morning is so fresh on my body. Not here, not in my village.

As I walked by, I saw that there was already a dish for breakfast this morning on the table. There is a bowl of ear mushroom soup, rice, and a glass of warm tea.

"It must be from Cloud."

There is no sender name for the dish I received. I just smiled to myself, sure if Cloud was the one who sent it. I immediately went to take a shower to freshen up my body.

***

After taking a shower, still wearing a towel, I went to the changing room. In the wardrobe, there are still four unused dresses. There are black, white, red and green.

I want to wear the red one. However, this seems to be in harmony with Rain's clothes. There's no way I'm wearing clothes that match her. Wanting to wear white also seems inappropriate. Because usually, white dresses are used for sacred occasions. Marriage, for example.

"So I wear green. It matches the butterfly clip I'm wearing."

I chose a light green dress to wear today. As usual, I had to roll up my hair so that it wouldn't be disheveled in the wind because the palace rules required that a woman's hair be in a bun to make it look neater. My hair is not too long, just my back. However, this light blonde color makes me feel like someone else.

After getting ready, putting on a dress, bundling my hair as best I could, putting on minimal make-up, and spraying my handpicked perfume, I felt like I was ready to start my routine this morning. Of course, don't forget to eat breakfast first. After that, I headed to the palace.

My work starts from the main hall of the palace. This time Aunt Asri accompanied me. A senior servant in this job. Of course, Aunt Asri received orders directly from Cloud, who else if not him.

I made a rough sketch of the palace's main hall and started imagining it. It looks like it needs updating in this room. The palace paint had faded and replaced immediately to make it look fresher. Likewise, with the glass curtains, the color is too old, in my opinion.

A few moments later…

After finishing my rough sketch of the main room, I moved on to another room. I thought the room was a bit, uh! It turns out I was wrong. There's a lot of room here. One by one, I entered the room and sketched until my hands were sore.

"This palace is huge."

I didn't think going around the palace would take that long. If you count, I've started at seven in the morning. But until lunchtime, I still haven't finished everything.

"Ara…"

I heard a voice calling me from the side. Aunt Asri also said goodbye to me when she found out who had come.

"Clouds? Em, I mean Prince Cloud," I said with a smile covering the mistake in pronouncing the name.

It's in the open. Many palace maids and officials were pacing around. Why did I slip up not following the prince's words in calling Cloud?

Cloud just smiled at my attitude. He seemed to understand what I was thinking.