CHAPTER #19

THE TRUTH.

It was the dead of the night; completely hushed and motionless with no sign of life. Silence and stillness prevailed everywhere as the dim light from the moon scarcely lighted up the shadowy surroundings. She could barely see ahead of her; the path further filled with darkness and uncertainty, yet it did not bother her the way it would have usually. She had a lot of other thoughts to carter to. She barely had any presence of mind to be scared of her surroundings. The subtle motion of the branches of the trees along with the whistling wind would have been really frightening in any other circumstances, but at that moment they were just executing a sphere of calm which helped Bora clear her mind a little.

“It’s too late for you to be out right now.” The familiar hoarse voice from behind startled the engrossed girl out of her musings. Letting loose a startled gasp, she whipped her head to the side and tipped it upwards to stare at the very male- who has been on her mind since the morning.

“I can say the same for you.” She countered back after a second of hesitation which earned her a chuckle from the tall male.

“I’m the King,” He replied with the shrug of his shoulders before walking closer and plopping down on the patch of grass beside her figure.

“That does not mean you can break the rules,” Bora argued with a frown and traced his masculine stature with her eyes slowly. She was not happy with the choice of his clothing. Why was he wearing such thin clothes in this cold weather? She at least had half-a-mind to pull a shawl over her shoulders while coming out.

“I make the rules so I can break them too,” A scoff left her lips just as the cruel, cold breeze swept past their figures. Shivering slightly, she discreetly in a breath and pulled her shawl closer.

“Are you cold?”

“Are you not cold?” Bora threw the question back at the male with another whole-body shudder.

“No, I have been through worst. This is nothing.” She was really tempted to tell him to stop showing off; especially when he directed a proud smirk her way (she really had a feeling that he was mocking her for acting like a wet cat), but she decided against it. It’s not like he even gave her a chance to respond since he continued speaking after a second’s break.

“Yixing is going to throw a fit if he knows that you’re out here in the middle of the night instead of resting in the infirmary.”

“He’s just overreacting! It’s been two weeks. I’m as good as new.” The shivering girl protested instantly.

“He has a tendency to be extra careful, but it’s all for your benefit in the end.” The King pacified her with an amused smile which caused her to feel a little embarrassed. He was right. Yixing was doing it all for her good, but she was tired of being restrained and babied. Not only that, he was not even allowing her to go back to her room.

“Yeah, but can you at least convince him to let me go back to my old room?” It was a reasonable bargain.

“You won’t be getting back your old room.” Sehun’s answer was immediate which pulled out a confused frown from her.

“Yixing told me that he would allow me to go back there once I’m recovered…”

“That room is for maids, Miss Bora. You’re not a maid anymore if you’re going to perform the duties of my bodyguard.” The male explained before leaning back on his forearms to stare up at the sky.

“Where will I stay then?” She clearly did not understand it. She was still going to be disguised as a maid so why were they changing her room and alerting people?

“You’re going to be my personal bodyguard. Where else will you stay other than my personal room?” He provided a nonchalant reply.

“W-What?” Bora sputtered in a rather raised volume as she felt her face flushing rapidly.

“You’re going to stay in my room.” The male repeated with the same nonchalance, but she can clearly make out the smug tilt to his lips that he has tried so hard to hold back, but still failed in doing so.

“You’re shameless!” She accused ardently which caused him to raise a challenging brow.

“Now, am I?”

“Yes! How can you say such a thing even as a joke?” Her face was still blushing red and it was an object of amusement to the King; especially if she was to judge by the mischief swimming in his eyes as he traced her features.

“Who said I’m joking?” Sehun inquired while tilting his face closer to hers.

“You have to be! I cannot spend my nights in your room,” That came out sounding so wrong.

Oh, God!

Bora mentally mourned as she tried to calm her red face down. She hated it; the kind of effect he holds over her.

“Why?” The tall male inquired in a breathy whisper with a wicked smile; his face moving closer to her ever-so-subtly.

“You’ve done that before.” He continued which caused the blushing girl to stutter again.

“C-Can you not bring it up again?” She objected heatedly while discreetly attempting to scoot away from him. Sadly, a firm hand shot out to hold her in place before she could be successful in her intentions.

“I’m just stating the truth,” He justified before pulling her closer.

“Besides that, it would be such a shame if you forget the kiss that we shared.” Sehun continued while bringing up the thumb of his free hand to teasingly swipe it against her bottom lip. A barely contained gasp fell past her lips, as soon as she registered the burning touch.

“It would be a shame, right?” He prompted while pulling back his hand and staring straight into her frantic eyes with his slightly dilated ones. Bora wanted to retort that she cannot forget the kiss no matter what happens so he didn’t have to worry about that and torture her with the mention of the mortifying experience repeatedly, but sadly her heart was currently beating inside her head which made it impossible for her to form any kind of coherent reply.

“I-I…”

I don’t want to forget it.

She really didn’t, but can she afford to tell him that?

Even if you start hating me, I want to remember it.

“I heard that…you’re leaving for another journey,”

“What?” The King projected with an extremely dumbfounded expression on his face. She could not really blame him for having that reaction – her claim was totally out of context and random.

“Sooyoung told me that you’re leaving tomorrow.” She cleared which finally helped him to join the dots. Bora watched in anxious silence as his furrowed brows smoothed out to give way to an empty and blank look. She was not sure whether she liked his previous reaction better or this one; she honestly didn’t like both.

“You-” He started incredulously before cutting himself off with a chuckle which sounded bitter to her ears; sardonic even. Before she can even have a chance to decipher it, he was pulling himself away from her. She watched on with growing dread as he abruptly stood up in his place while distractedly dusting his clothes off.

“Yes, I am.” He answered belatedly before directing an unreadable glance in her direction.

“I think I should call it a night. I have to get up early-”

“Sehun,” Bora choked his name out desperately when she saw him taking a step away. She knew that the right thing to do at that moment was to let him walk off, but something inside told her that it was not the way things between them should end. The growing ache in her heart, the increasing emptiness inside her as he stepped further away terrified her. She was not stupid. She knew what his and her actions meant; she knew that she has just rejected his advances. He had all the right to walk away from her now. She knew it, but still, she cannot stand the thought of him not talking to her again. She can’t even think about losing the spark that makes her feel eccentric whenever she’s around him.

   The male addressed stopped in his tracks after hearing her call, but he did not turn around to face her. She deserved that much.

“You never asked for my full name.” That seemed to have caught his attention because he reluctantly shifted in his place to stare at her. It was difficult, but Bora made sure to not avert her gaze away from him this time. She desperately wanted him to understand something that she couldn’t make sense of herself. It was frustrating.   

There must have been something about her expression again – there has to be – nothing else can explain the sudden painful conflict that crossed his features which she assumed was mirrored on her face.

“Why did you never ask about it?” She hopelessly wanted him to say something, anything! The silence was slowly killing her from inside.

“I had a feeling that you don’t want me to ask that.” He finally spoke up, but still, his countenance gave away nothing which made her anxious.

“Shin…My full name is Shin Bora.” She revealed in a despairing tone before finally stealing her gaze away from him. The lack of reaction from him bothered her.

Did he not get it?

“My father was the former-”

“General of our Army, I know.” Sehun completed her sentence before taking a step in her direction.

“Miss,” He called out sternly when another silence prevailed around them; this time charged with so much tension that he could barely stand it. How was he supposed to solve the problem standing between them if he didn’t even know what it was?

“I was not wrong when I said that you didn’t want to reveal your Sir name, right?” He inquired to get their conversation going once again because it seemed like his companion was adamant on not uttering a single word on her own.

   The tall male pressed his lips in a thin line when he got no answer and averted his gaze towards the sky with a throaty groan. He specifically didn’t need an answer from her on that matter – her silence spoke volumes – but still, a verbal confirmation would have been nice.

“Why?” He urged once more in a guarded tone taking under consideration the silence that was prevailing from her side.

“Don’t you know why?” Bora replied finally, but her eyes still refused to meet his’. He honestly didn’t get what she was being so nervous for and he also didn’t get what she meant by her answer. Was he supposed to know the reason? Was it something he did? It’s ridiculous to even think of because he hadn’t even met her that long ago.

“How am I supposed to know why you decided to hide your lineage from us and work as a maid in the castle when you are entitled to so much more?” That came out sounding more accusing than he originally planned it to be, but the confusion was eating away at his sanity.

“Are you accusing me of something, My King?” The hard tone that she used to address him pulled out an exasperated sigh from him.

“Lord, No! I’m not accusing you of anything.” He bellowed before messing his hairs up in frustration.

“I’m just confused, okay? Any normal person would be. Why won’t you tell anyone that you’re a noble?”

“Why would I tell anyone that I’m the daughter of a traitor?” Bora retaliated in an equally exasperated tone though the volume of her voice was barely above a whisper.

What-

“What did you just say?” Sehun was sure that the perplexity that was clouding his mind at that moment was quite apparent on his face.

I heard her wrong, right?

“Why are you acting like you don’t know anything?” The girl inquired with indignation which befuddled him further.

“That’s because I don’t.”

“So you’re telling me that you don’t know about my father committing treason against the Kingdom?” This time it was her who seemed to be accusing him of something that he didn’t even know about.

I did not hear her wrong the first time.

That was the first thought that crossed his mind as soon as she repeated her dreadful words.

“I-” He started after a moment of stunned silence – his thoughts in a mayhem – but she cut him off before he can relate anything.

“Did the royal family not send people in my search, Sehun? Were they not ordered to kill me? Did y-”

“Bora!” It was Sehun’s turn to cut her off in a rather incensed manner. No one can blame him. What was she going on about?

“Do you hear yourself? Are you even aware of what you’re saying? You’re accusing me of sending people after you to take your life!” His fists were trembling in anger. He can’t believe what he was hearing. All this time the girl he harbored feelings for thought that he wanted her killed. How can she even think of such a thing?

“Am I wrong?” She countered heatedly which caused his temper to flare further.

“Yes, you’re wrong about everything! Your father was not a traitor for