I held my bow as tight as possible while Kai was lecturing. I don't know why but I'm getting nervous as the time runs that I can't completely focus on Kai's lecture.

“Seolrae... are you still listening?” he gawked at me intensely.

I nodded and he continued. Then my mind started thinking about what ifs. What if I can't shoot the target? What if I can't even hold the bow and arrow properly? What if I'm not in good posture? And another thing is that I'm so desperate to know about Yu Ren. Is she really good at this? What is her connection between people I interact with? I sighed deeply that probably caught Kai's attention.

“I think my lecture is no use when the trainee is out of focus...” he slyly commented tapping his own bow on the wooden floor of the bridge.

Oh no... is he going to scold me? I tried to shift my attention back and smiled at him but he did not continue his lecture except with furrowed eyebrows, he massaged his forehead with ease.

“Alright, I know what to do...” he declared and pulled me to somewhere.

He slung the cylindrical tubes on his shoulders and brought his bow. I did the same. We almost walked ten minutes until we arrived on small waterfall. A waterfall inside the vicinity of his house? Are you kidding me?

“Don't be so amazed... it was just a man-made waterfall...nothing special” he said as if he read my thought.

I still showed him a confused and shocked look at the same time. Obviously, I'm still amazed. How can a man-made waterfall be nothing special? Of course it does serve a purpose. I clicked my tongue thinking about it.

“I know what you're thinking?” I saw him grin.

“You're both like open books, easy to figure out... you should be careful of that” he added raising his lips to an obvious smirk.

“What do you mean?” I curiously said turning my gaze to him.

“Nothing... don't mind it... Anyways this waterfall is intended for meditation... I just thought that you needed that before the official training” he said while staring at the fifteen feet waterfall.

“I don't need meditation I just need answers for some questions clouding my mind...that I wanted to ask to you” I said bowing slightly.

“Oh... then please ask me then, though I just answer questions that were for me...” he gave me an assuring smile.

“It's about Yu Ren...” I lowly said wiping off the smile from Kai's lips.

“Well, it's not that I'm forcing you to tell about it but it may help me to know her... is it?” I quickly explained my side because of the thought that it may bother him.

“I figured this out already, Tao was really no joke... as for Ren...” sighed and slowly strolled to a flat rock ten feet away from the waterfall.

He removed his shoes and dipped his foot while sitting comfortably on the flat rock. He gestured me to do the same. I thought it was fun and relaxing with the way he swayed his feet under water, so I removed my shoes in such a classy manner which was caught by his gaze. He euphorically inhaled and turned away as if what I did was unusual.

“What?” I curiously asked while I visualize his smiling face behind the back of his head.

“I was just very pleased that a Princess showed her precious feet on someone lower than her level...” he stared on my bare feet and raised his head to meet my eyes.

I was slightly embarrassed that I incautiously sat on the rock not considering some sitting observance that I learned when I was young. He softly chuckled on my carelessness that added color to my blushing cheeks. I felt warmth traveled from my foot to my whole body, then I remembered that the waterfall was man-made, therefore it might be one of the wonders of electricity, well it was just a hunch.

“Relaxing isn't it?” he asked while staring at clear water.

I nodded to agree, waiting for him to start the story. The weather was sunny but the canopies of old trees blocked the sunlight leaving a fresh cool breeze that blew his hair vehemently away from his forehead that almost covers his beautiful expressive eyes, so expressive that they speak his personality and mood.

“Yu Ren was a very quiet and disciplined girl, since she's the only girl born on the Huangs' at her generation she is well taken care off by her family and cousins... but being a girl she's not expressive to us guys and enjoyed being alone for most of the time...More like a type of girl who is secretive with her thoughts yet an open book to us... Myself didn't understand why we describe her like that, maybe because she force herself to mask her personality yet it shows automatically with her actions...” he paused then stared above glimmering sunlight peeping on the blocking leaves.

So... she's like me, well taken care off, not expressive and secretive and an open book, of course, me being an open book is taken from Kai's opinion earlier, then he was comparing me and Yu Ren a while ago. But there were obvious difference because I was born away from the eyes of the public and hidden until the right time to get out comes. Was taught everything about ruling the country yet cannot interact or go out to witness her people. And now without both my parents I felt clueless about everything. What a life... isn't it?

“And she's a very special girl...” he said with a longing voice.

“You like her don't you?” I didn't know where that remark came from but I did not regret asking it.

He gazed at me and I just smiled at him in return.

“You can say that...” he said and played with the water.

“By the way, how did you met?” excitement was obvious on my voice.

“We met because of Tao... Tao and I learned martial arts together but I specialized on archery and he was on katana and staff... so when Ren decided to specialized with the bow and arrows Tao talked to me to accept her as my trainee...” he smiled while he recollects memories of it.

“Then?”

“Of course, I accepted it... At first, we're both shy at each other, so it was hard to teach her... but then when I came to ask her about things like her life and let her tell her story to me... we started to become comfortable with each other... and then one day I realized that I can't stand a day without seeing her...” I heard him sniff. Is he crying?

“Are you crying and being sentimental or something?” I slyly asked.

I was surprised when he gave me a it's-not-funny look, obviously his sobbing is not to be questioned like that. Then, I felt somehow sorry to him.

“I'm sorry if I offended you... then why are you crying then?” I hastily apologized.

“Obviously... because I can't see her anymore...” he briefly said while wiping some tears that escaped his eyes.

Oh yes... Yu Ren died when she was fifteen but Tao never told me why. He always say that there were right persons to tell the story instead, the one who witnessed it and that was Kai. But...do I have the right to ask it, when remembering her just give him heart aches? I was staring blankly on the water for minutes when I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder.

“Are you battling with yourself if you're going to ask how she died?” he asked as if reading my mind again.

Am I really that easy to read that he can even tell what is going inside my mind? I never knew that I'm like this kind of person until he said it. I felt my cheeks heat up because of embarrassment.

“Yu Ren died because of me...” I covered my mouth with my hand and displayed a shocked expression exaggeratedly.

“Not like I killed her... There were rumors that bandits were on the town center but then I being stubborn, we still went there after the training. The events were so fast, a crowd of people were suddenly running I searched for her and saw her held captive by one of them...of course my instinct would be saving her but then I underestimated them... Ren tried to shoot them with an arrow but then she can't, worrying that I might get hit by it... so...” he paused.

“So?”

“So... when she tried to save me... she got stabbed on her stomach...” I heard a hint of hurt on his voice.

“I did everything to bring her back to the Huangs' place for treatment but she still died, it just hurts me that I can do nothing to save her...” a tear escaped from his eyes.

I patted his back feeling the urge to comfort him. I know how hard it is to see someone you love die before your eyes and with the fact that you can do nothing to save them. Just like when father died, I cannot do anything but run away or else we will be both killed. That was merely the reason why all this things where happening now. Shrugging the thought away, I focused my attention back to Kai.

“You really are deeply in love with her...so nice...Don't worry I know that she's happy about that...” I said with an assuring smile on my lips.

“How did you know that she is happy?” he raised his brows at me.

“I just know... as you said we're alike...” I smiled again and divert my attention the flowing water.

“Then... you should also be great in archery because she shoots very well...” he retorted then went back on playing with his feet underwater.

I will...

Tehee Here's another update ^^

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