Lea tried her best not to smile or blush, because she knows that is where she's headed to.
She raised her head up and then Valdemar's eyes grew wider, again.
"Sir Butler said you wanted to see me, so Lin, Sarah and Alexis helped me to prepare quickly" She stated.
Valdemar didn't even seem to hear what she just said because he kept his eyes fixed on her face. He couldn't just break the eye contact he had with her body. It was just so hard.
But then, he came back to his senses and thought for how long he had remained silent and Immediately felt embarrassed. But his face still had the same expressionless look on it.
"Are you sure that's what happened?" he asked calmly and looked away from her face and body and into the night sky where the moon shined brightly.
"Cause I can see through your eyes that other things happened"
Lea swallowed her saliva hard. How did he know?!
Of course what she said was a half truth, but it wasn't completed.
She actually wanted to dress up to attract attention but not his attention. How was he so observant, even with things not yet said or shown to him.
"I... No... That's all that happened" she stuttered.
Gosh! Hope he didn't see through that lie!, she thought.
"That's a lie" he said.
I really need to stop thinking! Like even about what I will eat tonight!, Lea thought.
Everything that she was thinking about seems to have a connection with Valdemar's thought, so she needed to stop thinking.
Valdemar's eyes dropped upon her body and he scanned it once more as he spoke;
"And I hope you know the consequences, of a person who lie to the Prince" he said.
Lea said nothing and thought about nothing. She didn't want her thoughts to speak for her, so she wanted something to distract the intense moment that is going on in between them right now.
Her head is bowed and she have a cold face on. She bites her lower lip and I guess her heart skipped a bit. She felt so abnormal in front of this handsome young prince.
After a while, there was no sound or movement, but a finger tilted her head to look up and then was when Lea actually noticed the color of Valdemar's eyes.
Blue. Beautifully, blue.
"But I don't think there will be any consequences for you" he whispered gently and Lea wanted to think again, but she kept her thoughts back from coming up in her brain.
"Thank you, your- I mean, Valdemar" she said and immediately felt embarrassed.
It is the first mistake she is making while directly staring into his eyes, which is so embarrassing at the moment.
He smirked stubbornly at her and her embarrassment increased.
"I'm sorry, I - "
He pressed his thumb to her lips signifying that he didn't want to hear it, so she just kept quiet.
He then withdrew his finger but still maintained the distance and stared down into her brown beautiful eyes.
If I have said I have seen men with long hair as you, I lied, Lea thought.
His hair has two long and neat braids that is braided to the back and used to package the remaining of his hair, so that it won't be sticking out from one place to the other.
"You said you have a father and no mother, do you know how she look like... Or did your father show you any picture or sculpture of her?" he asked
In Maneth and all neighbouring kingdoms and towns, a sculpture of a person is made when he or she dies or retire from the King's soldiers, in order to honor the person's name.
But a sculpture wasn't made for Lea's mum, it was just a black and white picture that was shown to her by her father when she clocked four.
"Only a picture" Lea said. Her answer short and no explanation.
Valdemar asked nothing further, but in his mind, there are so many questions that he needs answers to about this strange and beautiful girl.
"I wanted to call you out into the fields to apologize personally, for making you leave your father's house... And still have no complains" he stated.
Lea tried as much as she could to break the stupid eye contact but it all seemed like her eyes didn't want to leave his face, for no apparent reason.
"Oh.. Um... Thank you. I appreciate that" she calmly said.
There was no need to increase the pitch she used to talk cause they were so close and Valdemar kept leaning forward unconsciously, which she had no real idea about why he did that.
"Umm... Prince Valdemar... " she called his name when he kept leaning towards her.
"What?" he asked gently as he tucked her hair behind her ears and kept the smirking face on.
"Uhhh... " she said nothing but he understood what she meant and withdrew.
He still had the smirk on his face, but when he withdrew he enhanced it the more.
"Like I said. You will have to stick with me. Jen don't like you for anything, so we have to handle her with wisdom" he said calmly.
Lea gulped and continued listening;-
"So this is what I want you to do. Do not come out of your room, except if my parents or I have summoned for you. Lin will be bringing your food to your room so that you won't fall into anything planned" he said
Lea nodded and he still continued.
"Speaking of planned, there may be a bit of violence and harshness to you coming from me. So they won't suspect anything"
Okay, this one made Lea to frown entirely.
What does that mean?
"I have always wanted to be rude once in a while" he whispered and Lea squinted her eyes in annoyance.
"Thank you for your time... "
He looked into the eyes of Lea and then at her abdomen.
"Lea" he completed and then stared up at her face to see her expression.
It was the first time he called her by name so, the butterflies in her stomach started to come alive one by one and her cheeks turned pink wholely.
She bowed deeply and nodded.
"Likewise, Your Majesty" she said.
Before Valdemar was able to make any corrections, she ran off back into the palace, but Valdemar's eyes didn't miss the blush that erupted on her face when she turned to leave.
He felt happy.
But Unknowingly, from the top of the palace where Mariam slept with the other ladies, Jen and the white haired lady stared down at Valdemar and Lea.
They didn't see the part when they were so close though. They only saw when it was close to the time for Lea to depart back into the Castle.
"She really got his heart" The white haired lady said with admiration for Lea
"Shut your mouth and enhance your looks. I will forever remain in regrets and you will not be forgiven if he chose her as his bride" Jen said and the white haired lady pouted in anger, when Jen was not looking.
"But I like the way I am... "
"Well I don't!" Jen hushed aggressively, so as not to wake the other girls up.
"Don't be pathetic. Have some new looks, Laura" Jen said and exited the room with no hesitation.
Laura, the white haired girl, sighed and stared down at the Prince.
She can't be forced to marry someone she don't love. Especially if it's not permitted by her parents.
But what could she do, Jen had threatened to kill her if she don't do what she says.
What could she do?
Unknowingly, Marian had her eyes open and witnessed everything. She had something to tell his highness the next morning, at least.
Meanwhile, Valdemar stared up at the sky and inhaled the cold breeze deeply.
He stared at the dark path Lea had departed into and smirked.
"Lea... " he called her name with so much passion that he had in his heart.
"Please Accept Me"