Ever since that day, Isabella came to the exact same tree where she met him. She was enamored by him.
Though the man did not say much, his eyes showed all. His anger, his appreciation and his joy. He watched Isabella with content from dawn to dusk.
They both had managed to fit each other into their routine naturally. However, the more they spent time together, the more they felt the need to know each other more. To break the boundaries they had placed around themselves.
"Where...did you come from? You're not from my kingdom, are you?" Isabella asked, bending down as she set down another pastry. She had realized this before, but his green eyes were remarkable. It never failed to make her freeze in awe. His tan skin was like a beautiful shade of the sunset.
The man took a large bite of his pie. He paused with his head raised. "Through an underground tunnel...and across is my home" he said as if struggling to remember.
"Right. So where do you stay for the night?"
"Here." he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Isabella stood there, completely baffled. She couldn't believe she had allowed herself to be so neglectful to the point where she hadn't even realised the man was left stranded outside in such a dense forest.
"Come! I'll take you to my house, if my parents ask I'll say you're my friend." Isabella said, holding out her hand, her eyes brimming with determination.
"I-I-I rather not." the man replied, stunned by the sudden offer.
"Let's go! There's absolutely no way I'm leaving you behind after hearing that." she insisted.
The man found himself stuck in quicksand with nowhere to escape to, he reluctantly nodded. Digging his fingers deep into the dirt, as if tracing something.
They both arrived at the front door of the mansion with their hands interlocked with each other as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Isabells's parents were shocked to see the scene through their dining room window. They dashed to the door immediately.
"Isabella? Who is he?" Isabelle's mother asked with concern in her voice, stepping in front and grabbing her daughter's arm but she was gently pushed off.
"He's my friend, please don't get angry at him. I insisted he come here." Isabelle claimed, raising her arm a little as she stood in front of the man, protecting him from her parents. "His name is-" she stopped and realised she hadn't even known his name yet, only he knew hers.
"It's Envius." He took over.
"I beg your pardon but I have never heard of such a person like you in my daughter's life before!" Isabella's dad chipped in, sounding furious and out of his mind. "And you, you're the princess of our country, how dare you conduct yourself in such a carefree manner?" he snapped.
"Honey, calm down." she patted his back and glanced at the two of them. "Please have a nice stay, I'll resolve things with my husband." she reassured her daughter.
Isabella stood there in silence with Envius for a while before awkwardly bowing and offering her hand. "Shall...we? I'll bring you to one of the guest rooms." She nervously asked, still trying to get over the embarrassment of her getting scolded by her parents.
Envius jumped back a bit and stared at the hand. "Please...show the way." He quietly said. He gently grabbed her coarse hands so as to not harm her. Soon, he was being dragged to levels and levels above the ground and they stopped at the top floor.
It was a marvelous sight to behold, instead of a floor coated with gold and silver there was instead an intricate pattern on the floor with various symbols and patterns of swords. Befitting for a family that solely relied on their swordsmanship to keep their generation going.
"You'll settle in the room right across from mine." Isabella said, letting go of his sweaty and warm hands. She paused and looked around. "If anything were to happen at night, I could rush over. Just call out my name or scream. I'm a light sleeper. Since I dragged you here it's my responsibility to ensure your safety and comfort here." She said, her purple eyes shining with pride.
Envius opened his mouth and closed it before shaking his head slightly. "Thank you...for treating me so nicely." He said, turning away and opening the door. "I'll...excuse myself." He whispered through the gap of the door.
Isabella smiled and nodded before waving goodbye to him even though they were at such a close distance. She rotated her heel to the direction of the staircase while her bright purple eyes turnt dull and cold. Confrontation was how she would deal with such an issue. She wasn't one to back off about a problem that has occurred. She will make it clear what her objective is to her parents by today. No matter what.
Silently walking down the staircase, she could hear a familiar voice echoing through the hallway of the third floor. It was so loud that it could be heard from the fourth level staircase. Isabella's dad was truly mad and he might go on a rampage if her mother wasn't there to control him.
She reached her dad's office and she could still hear sounds within the room. Without knocking, she barged in and held her head high. "We need...to talk father." She solemnly stated.
Her mother sighed and backed down, she knew the routine now. She loosened her shoulders and released some tension.
Isabella's dad avoided eye contact as he sat down at his seat. He sat down and eyed his daughter. How could he have let her grow to such an extent to the point where she disobeys her own father?! He must have gone wrong somewhere.
"Dad. I want you to treat Envius like a proper guest here." Isabella said.
"But we don't even know where he came from! And rumors will start sprouting up, do you want to ruin your reputation for good?" Her dad said as calmly as he could while his hands beneath the table shook violently.
"I... seem to like that man. I want him to be with me. If you were to object, dad. I don't mind going against you."
"You insolent-" the dad started before his wife calmed him down and held him back by grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Please, dad." Isabella begged.
Isabella's father stayed silent and dug deep into his memory. Soon, he gave up and surrendered. "Fine." He agreed. He could never go against his own daughter, he loved her too much. Though he may be strict, it was all for her own good.