Heraiah

CHAPTER 14

With furrowed eyebrows, I look back to see a familiar face, “Oh, you’re back-“ I was cut off when I got caught off guard when he continued to wrap the towel around me.

His hands-on was my chest, holding the towel to cover me up. He then scolds me, “Why would you carelessly swim out here? You know it’s getting cold season and worst, you’re vulnerable to the cold,”

My lips were in a thin hard line as I listened to his scolding. I moved my hands and reached them to the towel, “I can hold it,” I offered.

He sighed and let go of the towel, I held tight on the towel and turned to him. but as soon as I turned around he pulled me inside the house. My eyes widened at his sudden pull. He then made me sit on the couch. He walked around in his navy-blue suit inside the house. He closed the sliding doors that led to the pool area and then swiftly turned the temperature a little high up than usual.

My lips were in a thin hard line as I warmed myself up. Luckily, the atmosphere around me felt warmer than outside making it easier to get warmer.

I gazed at Ravier covering the glass sliding window with the curtains, “How long have you arrived?”

“Just now,” he shortly answered.

I rolled my eyes, his annoying cold approach had a way of making me roll my eyes but I was in relief when I was slowly feeling warm, then my tummy growled.

“You haven’t eaten yet?” he asked.

I glanced at him, “Yeah, but I ate late in the morning so it’s okay,”

“Let’s go get some food,” he insisted. “Get a hot shower and we’ll go,” He takes off his suit and sit down in front of me.

“No, actually,” he halted, I gulped, “Can you just order delivery?”

Reluctantly, he nodded, “Okay, I’ll order, you can go take a shower,” he leans back on the couch.

I nodded and gave him a smile then left. I breathed out when I finally escaped him. Although, I would’ve love to go out but, it is too suffocating knowing I’d be hiding from everyone. It’s not very comfortable to always stay hidden when you’re out in the open.

I sighed and went inside the bathroom. I took off the towel and paused for a moment in front of the full-length mirror. My clothes were soaked making my curves more evident. I remember having to take strict meals by my parents just to have the perfect body. And in my naïve mind, I thought they did it because they cared. I hated exercising. But lately, because I’ve been more active and productive I’ve naturally lost weight and it has become a normal routine for me to exercise. Talk about change.

I shrugged, feeling uneasy about the thoughts of my forced diet. I took off all of my clothes and put them in a bin. I went inside the shower and let the hot water consume me.

I cracked my neck, When I heard the cracking noise, I felt relieved. I’ve been having unbearable pain in my neck ever since I woke up. It must be because I slept in an awkward position last night. The hot water streaming down my skin fade away the tension from the coldness I was in a while ago. My stiff trembling shoulders finally relaxed as hot water warm its muscles.

When I finished showering, I went into my closet and picked out clothes. I decided to wear a hoody and some pants since I wanted to feel warmer. When I got out of the room and I looked down on the stairwell. Leaning my body on the railings to see where Ravier was. But I could not find him anywhere.

I sighed, looking at the staircase. It was long and my legs felt tired. An idea popped into my mind. How could I forget I know how to levitate? I floated. Sounds really weird. But it’s a skill I’ve been trying to master and not take advantage of it, but what they hey? I can’t walk downstairs even if it was for my life. I steadily flew down without any complications. I felt a little tingle in my neck when my feet felt the cold tiled floors. I fidgeted then laughed to myself.

“Impressive,” a voice crept..

I look around and saw Ravier, “What can you do?” I narrowed my eyes.

He pursed his lips, “Nothing that has to concern you,” he said and walks himself to the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes, “It does concern me because I’m your fiancée,” I followed him.

He turned around, “When the time comes, Hyveins,”

I let out an exaggerated sigh, “Whatever you say, your majesty, anyway, I have something to tell you,”

I sat at the island counter and on the opposite side, Ravier sat and positioned himself to listen to me. I wondered my eyes on the counter and I saw cellophane. My face beamed and quickly took it. I took out the food and place them in front of me. I took a bite and smiled in delight.

“What was it that you wanted to tell me?” he asked.

I gulped down the food and spoke, “I’m going to my parents tomorrow so I’ll probably be late,”

He silently stares at me, “Whatever your intentions are, how worth are they that you have to see your parents?”

My eyes looked at him, “very worth it,”

He snorted and leans his body on the chair.

Feeling offended, I put down my spoon and looked at him closely, “What about you? How worth are your intentions that you’ll sacrifice your freedom to marry me?”

“This is on my own free will, no sacrifices were made,” his eyes glinted in proudness.

I scoffed, “You really think I don’t know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Larousse, I know very well your mother forced you to get a girlfriend,” I stood up and went to the refrigerator. I took out the pitch of water inside it and grabbed a glass as well. As I poured in the water, I was facing to him.

He looks back, “My mother can never force me to do things,”

I raised my head to him, “Then why offer marriage to me?”

“Because I wanted to,”

I curl formed on the tips of my mouth as I walk back to my seat, with the pitch and glass in my hands, “There’s a difference between want and need, and you,” I pointed my hand, holding a glass, “Needed me,”

“There’s many things you don’t know yet, Heraiah,” I was stunned, this was the first time hearing my name from his mouth and it naturally rolled on his tongue like he says it every day. Weird. I narrowed my eyes, what does he mean about on the line “many things I don’t know yet”?

“Yet?” I asked.

He nodded, politely, “But like I said, when the time comes,”

I my lips twisted, “You’re talking too much, one minute you were cold and now you’re talking?”

“Communication is the best foundation in a relationship, I must try to talk to my fiancée once in a while,”

“It’s weird hearing you say that,” I took a bite.

“You should get used to it because soon you will be known as my wife,”

I sighed, “Isn’t it unfair? I have to be known as the prince’s wife and you’ll just be the prince? You should be called Heraiah’s husband too, I also need credit in this relationship,”

He chuckles, “That’s the thing about you being tied to me, you’ll be known as mine,”

I eyed him, “Don’t say that, it sounds weird, I will be just a married woman,” I emphasized the word married, “Just married, not owned by you,”

He laughed, the soft laugh of the prince was highly intoxicating and addicting, something I will never get used to hearing, “Whatever you say so,”

I rolled my eye, “Anyway, I’ll be going to my parents’ house,”

“who’ll take you there?”

I halted him from offering me a ride, “Definitely not you, I can’t tell them about us yet, I’m just visiting them so they can see me, real and alive,”

“So, Khai will take you there?”

I nodded, “Yes,” I say and look up to him.

He nodded back, “Okay then,”

I gave him a tight smile then went back to eating. I nibbled on the corners of my mouth, trying to reach if there were any crumbs. The atmosphere around me and Ravier has loosened up having that conversation but the silence devoured us both back into awkwardness.

Without looking up, I grabbed the glass of water them I was paused by his comment, “The ring looks good on you,”

I looked up and raised my ring finger, feeling the ring, “It does,” I smiled. “It’s just unusual you carelessly entrusted me with such a special ring,” I grabbed the glass and drank the water remaining in inside soon after, silence once again devoured us.

It was quite nice of him to compliment me about the ring even though I find it very odd of him to just give to me. He didn’t even make me sign a contract or swear an oath to keep the ring safe, or even generally just asking me to keep it safe since it was from his grandmother. And not all, it was customized for her grace. And now, he’s just giving it away as if it’s just plastic.

Poor ring, unappreciated. I looked at the ring and thought, don’t worry ring, I’ll take good care of you and I’m doing this on my own free will.

Then my attention was diverted to Ravier when he spoke something that I could not fully comprehend. His words were always coated with mysterious and puzzle pieces.

 “Don’t worry about the ring because if anything, I am not trusting you the ring,” I felt slightly offended by that but then the next line he said made me beyond confuse and puzzled, “I’m trusting the ring to keep you safe,”