101 Ways To Tame The Emperor

Chapter 27: You Are Precious, Too

(Sabina)

THE TEENAGE boy was sinking deeper and deeper as the water gets colder every second that passes. The coldness was beginning to spread throughout the bones in my body but I did not stop trying to reach out to him… because I could see him struggling to live.

His eyes were still open. He was also trying to extend his hand towards my direction. I showed him the white gold necklace that I caught when I dived in the river. I think it had magic in it. Its heart-shaped pendant was glowing from the inside so I was able to find it easily. The teenager’s eyes widened when he saw the necklace. It must have lifted his spirit because I could see him now desperately trying to move his body. That must have been the reason why he jumped off the bridge. He wanted to get the necklace that the young girl mercilessly threw away. But it almost cost him his dear life.

Just a little more, Sab. I encouraged myself as I swam closer to him. My arms and knees were getting weak. When I finally got to hold the teenager’s hand, I pulled him nearer until both of us sank in the water. From there, the Escorts all hurried to help us ascent. Most of them were wet as if they followed me in the water, too.

The boy and I were both coughing when I tried to approach him. “Hey, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“You almost got yourself in danger when you saved me, my lady.” He whispered in a wobbly voice instead.

I felt like my lips were about to c***k when I smiled. “But I’m alive and so are you. You got what you wanted. You have the necklace back so calm down, everything is good now.” I patted his head. “Take care.”

“Aren’t you even angry at me? I know I look pathetic in your eyes. I dived in the freezing water just because of the necklace. Aren’t you supposed to lecture me like the other adults would?”

“Who am I to judge? I don’t know your story. And you must be feeling down already. I don’t want to add more pain in your heart. Besides, that necklace must be very precious to you for you to risk your life over it.”

“My mother gave this necklace to me before she died. It was my only remembrance of her now.”

“Then that just means that the necklace was worth it. It was worth diving in the river in this cold weather.”

He sniffed. “You think so?”

“I know so. Rest assured, I would have done the same if I were you.” If my mother gave me the same thing, I would have done everything in my power to protect it as well.

“Thank you. Thank you very much for saying that and for appreciating my necklace, my lady. Before my mother died, she told me to give this to the girl that I like so much. It was my girlfriend’s birthday today. She was my first girlfriend and I really like her so I gave it to her but she said it was too plain and ugly for someone like her. She said I was useless, that I am a very powerful man’s son and yet, all I could give her was a piece of scrap. She ended up throwing this and broke up with me.”

It must have been so wonderful to have something to hold on to. I never got to experience that. I put my hands on the teenager’s shoulders, hoping to give him some comfort.

“I would have been angry if I failed to save you. You did well in saving the necklace, young man, and in holding out. That girl is very lucky. Too bad, she could not appreciate you and your gift. But that is her loss. That is not enough reason for you to feel so down. At least, you know her true colors now. She is not worth the necklace. Next time, don’t give that necklace to just anyone. Since it was a gift from your mother, keep it well. You are lucky, too, you know. Not every child gets to have a gift from their parents. And no, you are not pathetic. I would kick the ass of anyone who will tell you that.”

“It was my ex-girlfriend who told me that.”

“Oh. Is that so?” I did not expect that. I scratched my head. Did the boy say that because he wanted me to kick his ex-girlfriend’s ass? “Then how do we deal with this? I don’t hurt girls, no matter how annoying they could be. Sorry. I could not help you with that matter, young man.” I winked at him. “Let’s just pray that she farts on her first date with another man. That would be a major turn-off for sure.”

The boy finally smiled. Seconds later and he was already laughing. He looked better this way. He had a very pleasant face. Crying did not suit him.

“See? You are more handsome when you are smiling like that. Wherever your mother is, I’m sure she is looking at you with a big smile right now because you treasured her gift and her memories. So, chin up. You did great, young man.” I patted his head once more before pointing the Knights’ direction. “See those big guys there? Just inform one of them about your address so they could send you home safely. And make sure to drink medicine when you get back so you won’t catch a cold.”

“I will. Thank you very much. My lady, can you tell me your name?”

“It’s Catherine. Catherine Peiris. I’m sorry but I have to get going now. Don’t go diving again next time, okay? If something happens, it wouldn’t hurt to ask for help sometimes.”

I stood up and was surprised when the teenager began sobbing as if he was only realizing now just how crazy the recent happenings were. His girl broke up with her, he thoughtlessly jumped off the bridge, he almost died, he smiled and laughed with a stranger, and now he was crying a river. Wow. I think I have just witnessed so many sides of him today.

I would have stayed longer beside him but I could not trust my body. I feel so weak and so cold that every step was like a punishment.

“My lady, please wear this-“

Before I could accept the coat that one of the Escorts were offering, someone had already covered me with a huge towel. It was so soft and fluffy and had the same masculine scent as the owner. It was Malik. I expected him to be blazing with anger by now since I made quite a commotion. Matilde and Jeanne were even crying nearby while all the Escorts looked as white as a paper. They must have been shocked. If I was Malik, I would have yelled at ‘me’ by now.

“Before you say anything, I want you to know that I am not sorry for what I did. I am only sorry that I made you, guys, worry. But that was a life and death situation back there. I had no time to ask for permission.” I uttered in a hoarse voice, completely aware that I sounded defensive. My throat was so dry that it was a struggle to keep talking.

Malik did not say anything. He just stood beside me as if he was memorizing every part of my face. And then he raised his hands and gently cupped my cheeks. I closed my eyes upon the surge of heat that I felt. His warmth was melting the coldness inside me.

“You are safe. That is all I need to know,” he said as if he was talking to himself. “I’m glad.”

And then he took me in his arms. I was surprised to find out that he was shaking. I didn’t know that a man as composed as the General was also capable of being this startled. I felt even guiltier now. But I did not regret what I did. “Again, I… I am sorry for worrying all of you. I did not mean to cause panic to everyone.”

“While I was running here, I was really angry, Catherine. I wanted to scream the hell out of you earlier. But how can I stay angry if you are looking at me like this? The fall and the weather could have hurt you so badly. There were a couple of Morvenians that had been reported to die in this very river. It was a miracle you and the boy are still alive. You like courting death so much, don’t you?”

I could not ignore the exasperation in Malik’s voice. So I found myself explaining in a low voice. “I knew I would survive. I did this twice in the past already. It was in a different place, though. And the water was not as cold as the river here. But I know my capabilities. I would not have done that if I knew I could not pull it off.”

“And you pulled it off well. After all that, you have that same proud smile on your face. You just saved someone’s life again and you look happy. I am happy for you, too. I just wish that you would learn to prioritize yourself, too. Catherine, your life is precious, too. It was a hundred times more precious compared to that damn necklace. I would have torn that necklace myself if something happened to you.”

 “If you do that, then I would have jumped for nothing.” I said meekly. My head was spinning and everything was becoming foggy to me. That must be why I was mumbling right now. “I want to believe that when I saved the boy and the necklace, I also saved his mother’s love and their memories of each other. Do you know that it was my dream to receive something from my parents? I would have appreciated even a crumpled piece of paper from them. I would have treasured it so much. They did not give me any, though. But that boy received something very important from his mother. Not all children get to be as lucky as he is. That’s why I did not want him to lose it. It would have been heartbreaking. This world is cruel enough already. I didn’t want to have another sad soul to be loitering around here.”

“Cheer up. When we come back to the Castle, I would give you all the jewelries in the City so you would have something to treasure, too.”

I know Malik was only kidding but I could not help but laugh and tease him. “You can afford all that? You are that rich? Really?”

“Never mind. I would have every single jewel custom-made only for you. I would never let you wear just anything. And I would write you letters, too. Heck, I would do that every day if you want me to. I would use the best paper in Morven and the highest quality ink for it. All the things that you did not receive while growing up, I would give them to you, Catherine. So look forward to that. I would give you anything. Just don’t… make that sad face ever again.”

He pulled me closer to his body when I shivered. And as if it was not enough for him, he lifted me and carried me back to the carriage. I leaned my head on his chest and heard his heart pounding.

“Malik?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For saying those things and for worrying about me even if I knew that you are being like this merely out of courtesy and out of your duty since His Majesty entrusted me to you.”

“You act so smart when you discussed about your deal with the Emperor and now you are being like this. I’m disappointed.”

“I know. And I’m sorry.”

“This is the second time.”

 “What do you mean?”

 “This is the second time that I saw you drop your mask. That boy you just saved looked at you like you were the epitome of perfection. What he didn’t know is that you could be so foolish sometimes that you have no idea just how many people are worrying about you. You are so blind that you could not see your own importance. You are so deaf that you could not hear everyone’s screams of dread when they saw you dived. And you are so dense that you could not differentiate concern from courtesy.”

“B-but-“

“But then again, that is not your fault. If there are people to be blamed as to why you are being like this, it’s your family for treating you so poorly that you grew up belittling yourself in spite of the many beautiful things that only you can do. But don’t do this again, okay? I won’t forgive you the next time, Catherine. If you hurt yourself again, I will be forced to tie you with me twenty-four seven to make sure that you would not do anything silly again.”

I remembered smiling before closing my eyes. He had a knack for saying the most beautiful things at the most convenient time. Malik was reprimanding me but his voice sounded unbelievably gentle. It felt marvelous to be held by him like this. I felt… secured and treasured. Maybe my luck was not as bad as I thought it was.

The exhaustion from the past week, the muscle strain, the stress, and the anguish were all coming back to me. But for some reason, my heart did not feel as heavy as before.