Stone.

Cold.

He tried to seem oblivious of the fact that she hated him so much right now. She didn’t say anything about it, but that was how he was able to tell.

Princess Hwamun was the youngest out of the five siblings, of which were all princesses. People would think that she was the most doted based on her cheerful and childish personality, but the truth was the exact opposite. Since she was the youngest, the royal family tends to overlook her. She had the staffs of the royal palace serving for her from dusk to dawn so that gave the royal family more time on other matters other than her. Princess Hwamun had everything lavishly taken care of, from her warm baths to her manicured nails, but never a speck of attention from the emperor or her older sisters. The emperor was always busy; either he was working on a diplomatic relationship with other nations by marrying off his daughters or having serious discussions with the rest of the ministers on the war threat from the enemies.

Speaking about war.

The nation, Hayan, was in danger of being attacked by a long time nemesis. Apparently, the prince from the southern land, Barabur, had landed his eyes on Hwamun. However, the emperor was still enraged by the fact that Barabur had stolen a precious portion of land from Hayan long time ago. They had been on cold war ever since. The rejection of the prince’s proposal had in fact aroused much anger from the kingdom of Barabur.

Back to Hwamun. Now that the focus of the war was on her, the palace had assigned the best fighter to guard her at all times. That very young man was Tao. He and Hwamun used to be playmates when they were younger, but they were not friends anymore. He was her official guard and she was the princess of the nation now.

They were not friends anymore and Hwamun made sure she had her point across of how much she hated that without having to utter a single word about it.

“But, your highness. You barely eat anything-”

“I’m finished.” Hwamun rose from her table, of which length stretched to over ten meters and yet she was the only one making use of it. Hwamun left the dining hall, ignoring the pleads of the maids. Tao nodded at them, reassuring them that he would take care of her and took off after her.

 Hwamun walked along the lavish hallway, heading towards the lush garden at the back of the building. Another servant rushed by her side, pleading humbly.

“Your highness, a famous textile merchant will be dropping by shortly-”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m just taking walks along the river,” Hwamun quickly brushed her off with a small smile; which was really a mere façade to mask her anger.

“But we’re supposed to choose the fabric for your new dress-”

“I’ll leave it all to you,” she spoke with a decisive tone; which immediately rendered the servant quiet with the most troubled look on her face. Tao sighed inwardly. He felt sorry for the young servant who would surely get yelled at by her superior, but he was much more concerned about Hwamun. Previously, she would never trouble the royal household on purpose. She was always considerate, warm and friendly towards them. She seemed to have changed since a few days ago, since the day he was assigned as her specially selected guardian.

 Tao didn’t speak a word as he followed her now relaxed steps along the river. He wasn’t sure which words were right to be spoken in this situation. His attention sharpened when he heard Hwamun let out a soft sigh.

Her head was tilted back, so she could see the birds flew off a cherry blossom tree, fully blossomed and graciously swaying its pink petals along the breeze that brushed by. The nature was mesmerizing, but Hwamun was mystical in his eyes. Her skin just glows and her hair, ever so smooth and soft, jet black and silky, fell like mysterious willows over her back. Her dress billowed in the wind and sparkled under the soft morning sun. She looked like an angel. She had always been gorgeous; befitting her title of a princess. Sure, she had servants to care for every particular of her health and beauty, but Hwamun’s beauty was beyond such superficial. She was intelligent, as proven in her educational achievements, and brave and strong. She was kind too, though people might disagree with Tao for it was easier to recognize her stubbornness and quick temper than her tender heart. Tao had known her long enough to know. Her older servants did too.

 “It’s really beautiful in Spring. Such a shame that I have no one to enjoy it with,” she let out a subtle, yet sarcastic sigh. She stole a brief glance towards Tao before she continued to walk along the deck across the small lake. Whenever she had her eyes on him, Tao immediately lowered his gaze. It was almost a reflexive act because he was strictly trained so. Male servants were to never gaze in the eyes of female royalties. Such act was disrespectful, sinful even.

“I still remember long time ago, when I was really young. We used to play hide and seek in this garden. It was the happiest moment in my life, because I had a friend back then,” Hwamun continued to mutter with a gentle smile dangling on her lips. Tao couldn’t see it, of course since he had been following her from behind.

“These days, I only talk to myself. How pathethic.”

“Your highness-”

Tao was startled that Hwamun suddenly turned around and looked straight into his eyes. Almost frantically, Tao lowered his head. His speech was halted. His humble instinct of a servant kicked in and he stopped himself from talking to her.

“Oh, Huang Zitao. I didn’t know you were there.” Hwamun smiled. She walked towards him and stopped a feet apart. “What were you saying again?”

“Nothing of much importance, your highness.”

Hwamun tilted her head to the side. She narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

“Won’t you look into my eyes and speak with me, Tao?” her voice gentle, bordering begging, unlike her playful demeanor.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, your highness.” His speech was always calm and gentle. She loved that about him the most.

“Of course. Since looking in the eyes of a princess is a sin,” she walked past by him, their shoulders brushed slightly, “what a horrendous princess she is.”

“That’s not true,” Tao almost forgot, “your highness.”

But Hwamun paid no heed to him anymore. She quickened her steps, back towards the palace and Tao followed suit.

He wanted to explain to her, that he still very much treasures her as his friend and that she was the woman he most adored in his heart. But doing so would be preposterous. He was just a mere servant, a lowly knight whose responsible of ensuring the safety of the nation and the royal family. He wasn’t in any place to be a friend of the princess. A lover was not even a question. It killed him inside that he couldn’t make her happy, or that he made her sad, but he was a trained soldier. Emotions no longer affect him, or at least, he wouldn’t allow them to.

Still, Hwamun was the only thing who held the soft spot in his heart and never budged from there.

“Your highness, I don’t meant to offend your feelings.”

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