The man guided her down the carriage to walk the rest of the path towards the Central Palace. As the two of them walked down the path, Emerald could not help but notice something unusual about the place. The usual busy sight of the Central Palace, where there were always some form of social gatherings was nowhere to be seen. Unexpectedly, even guards and maids that should be walking around the area during these hours were not present. Why is that? She furrowed her brows in wonder as they continued to walk along, Leo was leading the way while she followed behind.
"What's going on?"
From her curiosity, the man looked back at her and smiled dubiously as if he had already expected such a reaction from her. Then, only turned back around without saying anything. It was a disappointing response— she thought he was going to answer her at the least.
"Not that way, My Lady. Please follow me."
The man did not give even the slightest time to hesitate. She had followed him without second thoughts, cutting corners and turning right. The path led to the East garden, the secluded part of the Palace.
"You okay?"
The man called her for attention and she nodded in response. Leo appeared to be aware of the complicated thoughts that occupied her mind as they walked further into the garden. The outer part of the garden had fresh green bushes that were like walls cutted and trimmed into rectangular shapes, creating a clear path to where the inner garden would be.
It was where she first saw a glimpse of the Crown Prince before they were officially engaged.
"Are you going to tell me what's happening?"
The man gave her another quick glance. But, soon directed his attention elsewhere. His eyes zoom around the area as if looking for someone and she mirrored his gestures. Who is it that they were looking for?
Emerald was too busy figuring out what Leo was thinking, not realizing she had moved further from the man because she was too distracted by her thoughts. Caught off guard, she hurried her way to close the huge distance between her small steps to his huge strides. Leo seemed to be too busy looking for something. His tall build and long legs were not making it easier for her to match his speedy phase. With her long dress dragging to the ground, she pursued to follow him as best she could, trying not to fall. Then, as if Emerald knew already that it was going to happen, the hem of her skirt caught her heels. Leo did not notice because he was too occupied. As she secretly kicked the skirt to steady her feet, her failed attempt made her body tilted and leaned forward against her will.
I'm going to fall…
Her eyes widened and her back turned cold. Anxious, her body followed the ground's gravitational pull even if she willed resistance. Unexpectedly, a strong arm wrapped around her waist from behind. The warmth invaded her cold back. The careless touch of another person against an unmarried woman like her felt strange and completely surprising. Her face instantly turned pale in dread.
"Hey."
A laugh came forward. The familiar voice sounded gentle in her ears. It was like instinct dictated her to look back and see who it was, though she already knew who the person was.
Sharp jaw, pale skin, blue eyes and silver hair all instantly came to view. The man had a pitiful smirk on his face. For the first time in six years, their eyes met. It felt weird to be reflected in his eyes that her heart felt like it stopped for a moment before realizing who he really was.
The Captain of the Knights turned around, his pale expression were clearly visible as he stood frozen, caughting the scene of the two so close in distance. Only for a second, the man spared a glimpse of the Knight. Then, came back to Emerald as she pulled herself together.
"Let's get married."
Radia's mouth opened—- what do you mean?