Kris - Part Four

You're mine, mei li.

 

Your heart is pounding, heart racing as you walked down the empty hallways. The last time you checked the note you were last given from Tao, the note directly says to meet him at the garden, at the largest tree there with fairy lights all over that specific tree at precisely five minutes past midnight (just to be safe). You fiddled with the long skirt you had on as you stepped out to the garden through the back door as you made sure a few times that no one was around. Everyone was asleep, well, except the night shift guards but that was pretty much it. You exhaled heavily and narrowed your eyes to look around in the dark only to see that ahead of you the tree Kris described in the note was clear. The large tree stood there with twinkling lights, inviting you over as you took small and careful steps towards that tree with the pathway provided.

Each step made your heart race even more – definitely because of how much you’ve been thinking about it all day. This was the time of the day you’ve been waiting for and to be completely honest, Kris, felt the same. He stood from a distance as he could see your figure walking towards the tree.

“She’s here…” He mumbled, taking in the sight of you being so oblivious yet endearing. How was it possible that he found himself drowning into your beauty day by day? How was it possible that you easily took his breath away? How was it possible that you made him feel this way?

How?

He blinked slowly, a smile creeping onto his face as he grinned the moment he could see you looking around for him. From the moment that he woke up until now, he has only wanted to see you and only you. The other maidens that have tried to pull something funny on him left no effect – he wasn’t even swooned one bit.

He had you in his mind, occupying every single corner.

How dare you.

He smirked when you huffed quietly, your sulks evident to his ears, “Don’t tell me I’m the one waiting now…”

You gasped and leaned back against the tree when you heard his dark voice popping out of nowhere, merely echoing in the vast and quiet garden, “In fact, you’re not.”

Your hand that was on your chest fell, you sighing in relief when it was just Kris.

“God… You scared me!”

He chuckled with his eyes squinting a little under the moonlight, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

You shook your head with a tiny smile – one that already had him hooked to you. “It’s alright…”

His hand motioned you to the ground, where he sat down once you sat down with him beside you. You couldn’t tell if it was just too quiet or not because your heart was pounding too loud for you to take note of what was happening. You leaned your back against the tree trunk with your heart still not slowing down on its beats as you stared ahead of you where there was this evident red rose shining from a distance.

He could only stare at you with such delicacy, how your eyes glowed under the moonlight to his eyes, as if you were this bright star – it amazed him on how truly beautiful you are without even trying.

How is that humanly possible?

“Maiden?” He called out for you quietly, trying not to shock you. You let out a soft hum, head turning to meet with his gaze where it softened the moment your eyes met. You gulped and rephrased your words, “Y-Yes, Kris?”

He smiled, “I can see you’ve grown accustomed to calling me by my name.”

Your eyes widened, blinking at him with your hands waving in front of your chest nervously and almost in a too flustered state to even speak properly as you stammered after each word, “N-No! T-That’s not what I-I meant! I… I was just-“

You couldn’t continue with your words when he chuckled. Holy Christ… his voice, the way he chuckled, the way his lips curved up into a smile was enough to shut you up with your lips sealing up. He shifted closer, his hand boldly reaching for yours where he held onto it tight before he laced them together, “I like how you call my name… It soothes my heart.”

You blinked down to where he held onto your hand before your eyes glanced up to him, still not letting all of this sink in, “K-Kris… I…”

“Would it be alright if I called you by your name?”

Your hand accidentally gave him a squeeze before you managed to answer, “Y-Yes…”

He couldn’t help but just use his other hand to ruffle up your hair – you were still so nervous around him even though he was calm and collected. He knew you were somewhat, afraid of the ‘castle rules’ that obviously state that no servants, maids or anyone below the royal family should ever try to converse with the royals.

And Kris was a prince.

Which means he is part of the royals that are usually feared by the people below the royals.

Who are the people below the royals? Servants, maids…

It feared you every day just thinking about this but whenever you were with him… all of that just seem to not mean such a big deal. It was as if those rules never existed. “Princ-I mean… Kris…” You called for him quietly, causing him to let out a soft ‘hmm?’ before his eyes met yours with a small smile he gave you. “I-Is this…” You couldn’t even continue with your words as your eyes trailed down to stare at how tight he was holding onto your hand before he leaned closer, brushing his arm with your as he too, leaned back against the tree trunk, “Don’t worry,” He laughed in a hushed voice, “I like holding onto your hand.”

You shook your head with a quiet sigh, “No… that’s not what I meant…”

He frowned as he took note of that change of voice you were letting him hear. “What do you mean, then?”

You gently let go of his hand – not because you didn’t want to hold onto his hand… it was because you were afraid. Was he being genuine? Was he sincere? You didn’t know for sure and you couldn’t risk losing the only job that was supporting your life right now. You wouldn’t know what would happen once you leave the castle walls, how you would survive – this was everything you have. This is everything your parents gave up for you – you couldn’t just flush it down the drain like that.

“I mean… are you sure about this?”

He could see how your lips quivered, how you wanted to continue speaking but you were afraid.

“Don’t be afraid of me. Speak your mind.” He reminded you in the most delicate way he could. Your eyes flickered over to meet with his and it only confirmed that indeed, he wanted you to speak your mind.

It was only because he wanted to prove you wrong. That whatever you were thinking, you were absolutely wrong about that.

Nodding once nervously, you inhaled and exhaled calmly before managing to speak properly.

“You’re a prince and… I’m just a maid around here. I’m not who… who you think I am. I think you’re mistaken that-“

“Hey.” He cut you in between, making you forget your words as you casually looked over to respond to his ‘hey’, “Yes?”

You swallowed nervously when his hand lifted up to tuck strands of your hair behind your ear. His eyes filled with warmth as he smiled at you, showing you how handsome he really was – it took your breath away just staring at him. You blinked at him a few times before he managed to see that tinge of redness coating your cheeks, you were blushing.

“You want to know why… why I’ve chosen you out of all the girls I could choose from?”

You stared into his eyes uncertainly, lips nervously where you managed to quietly ask, “Why?”

The corners of his lips tugged upwards before he reached for your hand again, with two of his hands. His thumbs the back of your hand and your eyes trailed down to see how soothing it felt for him to just play with your fingers. Him on the other hand, was rather focused on your expression. He could see how your eyes softened as they glazed with serenity, how the pulse on your hand had given him the signal that you were no longer nervous around him – you could finally be yourself.

The true you that he’s been wanting to unravel.

You allowed him to see that today.

“Before that, can you tell me why you’re afraid?” He asked, genuinely interested as his eyes locked on yours. Without knowing, your other hand had joined his where this time, you played with his fingers, just meddling and drawing circles on the back of his hand. His lips continued smiling just looking at you – how can someone be so innocent and pure?

Despite everything you could’ve gone through…

“I’m just afraid of losing everything I have…” You mumbled quietly, his hands still stagnant for you to meddle with. His lips formed a frown as your voice… you suddenly had this tinge of sadness in your voice that sparked up his curiosity. “M-May I ask what happened? As in… what happened before you came to the castle?”

“The war…” You croaked out unsurely, eyes flickering up to meet with his where he caught on quick.

The war. That war that happened between the Wu’s and the Kim’s – two separate kingdoms fighting against one another to prove which kingdom is more powerful. And with that, it wasn’t the kingdoms suffering; it was the people. And your family was part of those people who got hurt. You could vaguely remember how your father screamed for you to run as fast as you can with Ma carrying you – a villager nearby that had one extra spot on the carriage to the castle walls. Your father had pleaded her to bring you with her and without hesitations or doubts, she dragged you into the carriage with you trying to hold yourself together. Your father had given you a bag filled with gold coins along with certain things that you could use in the future. Your mother had no chance to even see you as… she was the first one to get killed before even having the chance to inform you. You had no chance to say goodbye, no last hug, no last kiss – everything happened so quickly that you could only recall what happened as soon as you reached the castle walls. You never wanted to follow Ma, you wanted to stay with your father. Till’ death do us part, was what you thought it would be with your family because it seemed that death was the thing that separated you and your family. In the carriage, you were fighting the urge to not look back but you failed. You looked over your shoulder, only to see your father attempting to hide himself but he failed – he was too slow. As soon as he hid behind a tree with a bow and arrow in his grip, he had failed to place the arrow in the bow quickly, thus getting shot with an arrow from the enemy.

You remembered how wide your eyes went, and how internally loud you were screaming but Ma was right beside you as she hurriedly closed your eyes, bringing you to her embrace where she prevented you from seeing anything – you were too young to see all that.

For such a young age, you were scarred very badly.

For someone so young, you shouldn’t be suffering like that.

Kris could see that as you told him everything, your hands stopped playing with his. Your hands trembled in his grip, your body became cold as you recalled everything – it was so horrid, so bloody, so… heart breaking. He could see how glossy your eyes became that you closed them shut – unable to unsee everything you’ve seen.

His arms lunged forward to wrap around you, bringing you to him as he let you bury your face in his chest as he hushed you. His hand your back and your head, attempting to calm you down because in seconds, you had started crying – you couldn’t hold back the tears. It was the first time in many years you’ve talked about this.

“I’m so sorry…” He whispered into your ears as he held you. He felt so guilty – he felt so useless.

For he is a prince, he couldn’t protect his people.

He couldn’t protect… your family.

If only he had foresee what could’ve happen, if only he was smart enough to tell his father not to carry on with the war.

If only…

His eyes moved down to look at you where his heart clenched at the sight, it was all too much for him. He wanted to tell you that you were now in good care, that you were now under his care. He wanted you to know that no matter what happens now, you are his – and he will take care of you forever more. He wanted you to know that he has fallen deeply in love with you that he could never get up from this spell.

But he knew that for a girl like you, for someone so broken who tries to be strong, he had to take this slow. By taking it slow, he would also like to make it clear that you were now his, only and only if you wanted the same…

“I’m sorry…” He croaked out quietly, making you shake your head as you winced, “It wasn’t your fault…”

He nodded with a frown, “It is. If only I had… if only I just…”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence when you lifted your chin to look into his eyes. When you sniffed, his heart urged him to place his hand on your cheek where he wiped your tears and that was exactly what he did. Your eyes closed, sighing upon his touch that he had his other hand to hold your face in his hands – you were so precious, so endearing…

“Nothing can hurt you now, do you understand? If it’s anything, they will have to go through me. I am here, just for you now. Understood?”

With your eyes still closed, you managed to nod slowly, tears drying up as he continuously your cheeks with his thumbs. “Good…” He muttered under his breath, bringing you back into his warm embrace where he continued to soothe you and calm your heart down with his warmth radiating around you. You had your eyes closed, leaning against him that little did you know, you had fallen asleep.

He pulled away a little only to take note at your sleeping state, the way your eyes closed as you leaned against him for support – it only made him fall for you harder. He wanted to protect you so much, and he was jumping on the insides on how he could finally do that for you. Even if it was doing it silently, he was very happy.

He tucked strands of your hair behind your ear as your arms gingerly went around his waist where you subconsciously hugged him back, cheek pressed against his chest as you breathed in and out calmly – you were indeed, in a somewhat deep slumber.

He couldn’t help but take this golden opportunity to lean down where his lips brushed against your forehead, his lips murmuring on your skin after he planted a gentle kiss, “I’m here to protect you.”

---

You wiggled your back on the soft material that was covering your back. You frowned and tried to open your eyes but you felt so tired, you could continue sleeping for the rest of your life. Sleeping has never been this comfortable in your life – why did it feel so different?

You sighed and tried to open your eyes this time, succeeding as your eyes peeled open. The bright light that shined through only made you realized that you were not where you usually slept at because where you slept barely had sunlight shining through. Your eyes couldn’t make up where you were as you stared at the ceiling – the pattern looked so familiar as you squinted your eyes to get a better view. As your narrowed eyes analyzed the area, your eyes only grew wider as you finally placed the pieces together.

You were in the Prince’s bedroom.

You gulped and gasped quietly, hands shooting up to cover your mouth from the partial shock – how did you get here?!

“Good morning.” His dark voice entered your ears, making you flinch as you closed your eyes for a moment before opening them, turning your head to the side where you were greeted with his heavenly smile. His hand reached over for one of your hands covering your lips where he held onto your hand tight. He brought your hand to his lips, kissing the back of your hand subtly, “No ‘good morning’ back for me?”

You swallowed hard and looked at how he held onto your hand, “G-Good morning…” You managed to stutter, blinking at him rapidly, heart racing as you couldn’t believe this was actually happening.

So last night, by the tree, where you told him everything, was real?

The way he hugged you, the way he held onto you, the way he promised to protect you, was real?!

“Prince-I mean, K-Kris… I… Uh…” You couldn’t make up a proper sentence because this… was too much for your heart to take. Never you’ve received a treatment like this before, never – ever. And has anyone received this before apart from you?

No one.

You couldn’t help but just freeze when his other hand was placed on your waist, turning you to face him where he wanted to get a clearer view of your face. Your cheeks blushed as you looked away from his eyes, staring over his shoulder at the door where you stammered, “I… I’m sorry, I can’t-…” Your voice trailed off cutely to his eyes where he chuckled at your flustered state – it only made him want to prove to you his love even more.

“You’re so beautiful…” He muttered quietly, both of your hands in his now as your body faced his.

You exhaled with your breath shaking as you had the guts to stare back at him when his hands gave yours a squeeze.

His lips tugged upwards, showing you that handsome smile – even in the morning he’s so handsome…

“This is just the beginning, mei li.”

Your eyes went wide as you blinked at him, “M-Mei li…?”

He chuckled, nodding his head, “That’s what I’m going to call you now.”

You frowned a little, “D-Doesn’t that mean, pretty?”

He nodded his head, “Yes, it does.”

That made you frown even more, “Why?”

He pulled you closer, the gap between your bodies suddenly so close as he smirked at you, “Because you’re pretty.”