chapter twelve ; a kiss goodbye

Eventually, it was time for you to leave the White Palace and go check to see if Suho needed any help, even though he said he wouldn't. But Suho liked to overwork himself, especially since he set deadlines for everything, down to the second.

"It was nice to see you," said Kai as he walked you out of the palace, guards trailing behind you. "You should visit me more often, Ari. I get no female companionship besides these old ahjummas that love to scold me."

"I'll try," you offered with a smile, looking around. Kai tilted his head, also looking around. "Trying to find Tao?" You sighed and nodded, biting your lower lip. "Yeah. He never came back after his walk."

"Would you like me to walk you back home?" Kai offered, worried. "A girl shouldn't wander the Wyld Wood on her own, especially as the kings birthdays are nearing."

"I'll be fine," you said with a sigh. "I know how to take care of myself, Kai."

The White King sighed and stopped, spinning around to face you, his hands on your shoulders. He bent his head to your level, looking into your eyes with his deep, chocolate ones. "But still," he said. "I worry. Let me walk you home, Ari."

"No need," said Tao as he materialized out of nowhere. He took your hand, pulling you from Kai. Kai frowned at the loss of contact, pulling you back to him. "Can I talk to you really quickly before you leave Ari?"

"Yeah." You nodded and let him lead you away from Tao. Kai sighed and then smiled at you. "Don't I get a goodbye hug?" You smiled crookedly and wrapped your arms around Kai, liking the warm feeling he gave you. You pulled back after a few seconds, but Kai swiftly leaned in and pressed his lips to your forehead.

Your face turned bright red, while Tao, who was watching the whole thing, started to see red. His fist clenched and he had to take deep breaths to keep himself from punching Kai.

Kai chuckled at your blush and cupped your cheeks with his large hands. "Bye, Ari," he whispered, slipping his arms down your arms and grabbing your hands, squeezing them lightly. "Next time, you should visit me instead of me having to send a summoning for you."

"Yeah," you murmured, moving away from Kai and going to Tao. "Bye, Kai." You went to Tao, who offered his hand to you without a word. You took it and left the White Palace grounds together with him.

On the walk back, Tao was very quiet. Which was odd considering usually he'd at least tease you or tell you confusing riddles with no answer, or multiple answers. You peeked at Tao and nudged him with your arm. "Yah."

He blinked at you. "What?"

"Why are you so quiet, Tao? You're never this quiet. Not around me. Is something wrong? Did I make you mad?" Your eyes widened. "Are you mad because I didn't go on the walk with you?"

Tao softned and shook his head. "No. It's not that, Ari. I promise. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at...someone else." He sighed and gave your hand a squeeze. "I was thinking, that's why I was so quiet. I'm sorry if you thought I was mad at you."

You puffed your cheeks out and nodded as you got to Suho's house. "Okay. But if there's anything wrong, you can tell me. I just want to make sure you know that."

Tao smiled softly and nodded. "I do know that. Thank you, Ari." He patted your head. "I'll see you later." You nodded and gave him a small smile before heading into Suho's cozy house.

Tao sighed as he watched you walk in. *Guess you don't see me as a man, huh?*

As soon as you walked into Suho's house, he walked up to you with his usual bright smile. "Right on time. The Red King has sent you something."

You blinked and tilted your head. "What did he send me?" Suho's smile only widened so it resembled Tao's as he led you to his office, a package on his desk.

"He left a note with it," Suho informed you, handing you a red card with elegant black writing on it.

You'll get a bigger one if you come to my ball, my dear Ari. -Kris

He even used his real name, instead of writing 'His Highness the Red King' or 'Ruler of the Red Kingdom'. He wrote 'Kris'.You blinked and tilted your head, confused, before you opened the package, revealing a small silver tiara with rubies embedded in it. "Do you think these are real?" you nearly squeaked once you examined the diamonds and rubies.

"I believe so," said Suho, sounding thoughtful. "This is the Red King we're talking about."

You stared at the note, then at the crown in wonder. Honestly, you didn't want to be bribed into going to the Red King's ball but...when he sent you gifts such as this, you really didn't want to waste them. You sighed deeply and set the beautiful crown down. *What am I supposed to do?*

AUTHOR'S NOTES; A short chapter orz. Things will pick up soon though ^^

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