The Prince's Indentured Bride

dragonfly and butterfly

"How have you been Oldie Oldies?" I shouted entering the room where my grandmother was giving the last touch ups on a grey flower of the garden, she was making on the wall facing opposite to the doorway of her studio.

"You are not young anymore. So, keep your nagging less." Greymon; super senior Mendel, Gabriel's grandfather chided me as I threw my purse irresponsibly on the chair.

I may have lost connection with the Mendel brothers for the past five years but Greymon Grandpa and my grandmother have still remained the closest friends. The involvement of a third status quo shall never affect the bound of another bond.

"Why are there so many people in the yard?" I asked, peeking through the glass window as I saw cameras and drawing boards being set up.

"They are all here for Kriag. He is going to be modelling here for a photoshoot and also as a model for some art students." My Grandmother explained: I could see the gone glitter of happiness from her eyes. Children must really be the soul and light of one’s life.

I went and gave Greymon Grandpa a hug, "Thank you."

Julian had cried his eyes out for ten times before being able to give the news to Grandmother; old age has given her nothing but boredom, loneliness and the death of her only child.

I was really thankful to Greymon Grandpa and his charismatic presence in my grandmother's life, my own grandfather has been, and will always be busy, in conquering something or the other in the world of business affairs. So, it was a relief knowing someone was there to take care of Grandmother.

"You fool. What's got into you?" Greymon Grandpa laughed in my hair and kissed my forehead.

"I didn't know the concept was sentimental today." A voice, which I recognise well, spoke behind me and Greymon Grandpa proximately pulled Kriag also into the hug as soon as he heard him.

I couldn't see him yet but his breathy voice was suggesting he was in a mask, a poking on my head even advocated he was wearing a snapback cap: may I guess he was in a black dressing, too.

His hands on my shoulders spread a warmth like the morning sunlight: not too strong, neither touching me nor too distant. For some reasons that made my heart twitch with cosiness.

"My man, are you ready for today?" Greymon Grandpa joked with Kriag, while Grandmother complained from the back, "Vhrea, two men are not good for your health. Come here!"

I smiled seeing Grandmother being jealous of something so frivolous. "Aww, you missed me?"

I went and hugged her; paint and turpentine engulfed me. "Greymon Grandpa smells better." I teased her.

"Tiffany smells like pancakes." Greymon Grandpa said, making all of us laugh as Grandmother threw the paint brush on him; his face having a seaweed on the cheek, now.

“All of you get out of here. I have an exhibition in a week.” Grandmother shooed us away; of course, excluding Greymon Grandpa: he is my co-painter, was the decent reasoning. They were quite inseparable.

And my guess was wrong; mask worn off Kriag stood beside the large flower pole, smiling at me, dressed in a pair of plain blue jeans adorned with a nude white T-shirt which he had coupled with a navy-blue shirt; isn’t he feeling hot with so much clothes on?

“How have you been these days?” He asked, still smiling; but with his eyes this time. “I’m okay.” Except that somebody is ready to kill me, and I haven’t found a clue of who is behind Father’s murder.

“How are you?” I asked; little talks eventually lead to healthy conversations. “Fit, healthy and happy; amazing! Phone?” He asked and extended his hand towards me.

Tentatively I took out my phone from my handbag and gave it to him, “Password, never mind.”

Kriag tapped the little smiley on the phone and bought the front camera near to my face; unlocking my phone and letting out a little Wow.

“Is that a dragonfly?” He asked, sliding through the various screens.

My wallpaper was one of the murals which Grandmother had painted at our mansion before I moved out; “Kind of. It’s like a combination of butterfly and dragonfly.”

I smiled proudly. “It’s very beautiful.”

“I’ve added my number. Do you have work now?” Maybe yes. “Not really. Why?”

“Stay for some time. These art students make awesome profiles of models. Do you want to try?”

He loves modelling, was my conclusion. I let out a little laugh at his proposal of modelling.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Kriag. Let me just watch you instead.”

“Get braced then. Today is a sensual concept.” He explained, or was it teasing?

And then came behind me and put his hands on my shoulder and started pushing me forward, as if pushing a train ahead.

“Umm. Sit here. This is the best seat for the view. I’ll be back.” He said after making me sit on one of the stools as I saw students filling in their respective seats with their various sets of drawing tools.

Was Kriag always this sweet, caring and considerate? Maybe, I was the one who had always taken him for being a narcissist and overly cheerful; after all we were nemesis from our school period not until the last year of college, when everything changed.

Or, was he being all good and nice out of pity for my loss?

Five minutes have passed by in all my not so useful self-reflective thoughts when I heard loud gasps and little screams from all the students when Kriag came into the centre of the circle, formed by all the students seated with their frames; it seems like they didn’t know he was the model today.

‘It’s Kriag Mendel. He is so gorgeous.’

’He is so hot.’

‘Handsome!’

I heard some of the females in my row, whispering loudly and a few trying to set up an attractive sitting posture and some trying to fix their hair; well, Kriag did have the aura to even make DiCaprio do a final conscious touch up.

“Hello beautiful ladies and handsome men. I’m Kriag Mendel and I will be your model today. Please exploit me well!” He hasn’t changed at all, I laughed at his last sentence.

He then went and stood against a stool, and started unbuttoning his shirt. My eyes were fixed on his fingers as they slowly plucked the buttons open; the first one revealing white creamy skin, followed till the third one where his collar bones peeked out from the dark: alluring.

“He is so shameless, isn’t he?” Greymon Grandpa said, standing behind me, as Kriag continued his circumference of eyeing each pair of eyes while watching me.

“It is also a talent.” I retaliated; Grandpa gave a small chuckle. “If you put it like that then he looks like a good brat.”

Did I just defend Kriag? Something I am not quite used to do. News!