Chapter 5
Astrid's POV
I walked back to the long stairs and up to my room, telling myself not be worried. I reached my room after walking at the corridors, and I saw the man and the maid talking. I heard them talking about me as walked near them.
"Miss Astrid is kind and friendly. She's the most thoughtful person in this castle." The maid mentioned, and I don't think they noticed me yet.
Thoughtful was probably not the best words to describe me because I don't think I am. But then, when I am another person who's a maid here in this castle, I am actually thoughtful!
"Just by looking at her, I can see that she has a very… Um… Good personality." It doesn't sound like he meant what he just said. And I swear, I'm sure that this wasn't him.
I heard the maid chuckle and I approached them looking like I don't have interest in doing anything. I simply want to lie down in my bed now. I always had a positive vibe around me, but I know that I didn't had that with me since I saw the face of the maid changing.
"Miss Astrid, you're finally back." I just nodded at her words, and I saw the man walk towards me.
He raised his hand in my direction, indicating he wants to shake hands. "Pleasant greetings, Miss Astrid Falin. My name is Ruel Brondain, and I was sent by Prince Henry. I will be your new bodyguard."
Mister Creepy R. But like I said, this man doesn't look like him because he looks so different than what I remembered last night. It's like they're two different people. Or maybe, that one I met last night was his twin.
I shook his hand, and I looked straight into his eyes. His ocean-blue eyes. Those blue ocean-eyes looked familiar, as if I saw it somewhere, but in a different time. No, not yesterday, it was a different time. I don't know if he could feel what I'm feeling right now, but it felt like I've saw them multiple times before, and it's like I've met them not just in this world.
The next second I got out of my daze. I smiled at him softly, as I analyzed his face. Ocean-blue eyes, sharp jawline, hot, and handsome. How come I've never noticed his features before? "Nice meeting you, Ruel Brondain." This is not the first time we met I guess.
He smiled at me, eyes looking dull. I felt my hair standing up when he did that, not knowing why. But I swear, he looks so much happier and full of energy yesterday.
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It was now the afternoon and I was lying down in my bed with nothing to do. Ever since Ruel came, he kept following me everywhere whenever I come out of this room. He seriously can't leave me alone for a second.
Just like what Mister Creepy R would do. Follow me all around every time of the day. Then disappear out of nowhere sometimes. I'm still convinced though that this bodyguard was Mister Creepy R's twin. Though I haven't asked yet.
I wanted to go out even if it's just outside this castle all alone. But with that man following me, I don't think I could be alone even if it's just five minutes. I just want to go outside without that man in my sight.
I decided to sneak out. It's not totally sneaking out, because I don't have to although I'm just going to hang outside me, myself, and I, but I have to just so he won't follow me.
I felt him walking away from my room through the wooden floors. That's my cue to go sneak out now. I opened the door, looking from left to right to see if he's anywhere in my sight. When I can't find him anywhere, I walked outside of my room and escaped the huge oak doors leading outside.
I took in the fresh breeze of the air surrounding the atmosphere. The smell of nature is very calming to take in. A smile lit up in my face, acknowledging the fact that I just got rid of him. I was about to go at the backyard, not until I heard something.
"Where are you going, princess?"
I rolled my eyes in frustration after hearing that man's voice. Seriously, it feels like he was holding a leash and that leash was connected to my imaginary collar attached in my neck. I'm not a dog for him to stick with me the whole time. I turned around and glared at him, trying my best not to.
And my hatred for Mister Creepy R was back. He's being an annoying again. Oh wait, that's his twin, but oh well, THEY'RE BOTH ANNOYING AND BOTH OF THEM ARE CREEPS!
"Ruel, can you leave me alone for a second? I'm just taking a stroll around the castle, so nothing is definitely going to happen with me. It seems like you're being too clingy."
"I'm not being clingy, I'm just doing my job." He walked towards me, looking at me with those mean-looking EYES. MEAN-LOOKING EYES! And that is proof that this man is not Mister Creepy R. Oh and by the way, it's been a whole week, and he hasn't even mentioned the "I'll make you fall in love with me" thing so that's definitely not him.
Or maybe it is him, and that's the reason why he's so confident that I'll fall in love with him!
"Well, can you at least give me privacy? You even followed me to the bathroom."
I was laughing mentally when he didn't respond. I thought he would stop following me anymore, but I was wrong. That man. I turned around to look at his annoying face and stopped walking.
I closed my eyes out of frustration and groaned, because of his acts. "Fine! If you want to follow me then go!"
I walked away, not planning to go to the backyard anymore. Now that my new bodyguard is following me, I decided to go the town square. Most people is there to gather to you know, buy some food and things.
I was so annoyed with him, but at the same time, it's fine because I have someone who could go out with me. In the future, I'm probably sure that he will always follow me wherever I go.
Most of the people there are used to me being around from time to time, because I usually come there for one reason: Food. I greeted people who greeted me kindly, until I stumbled in front of a restaurant I almost forgot.
Me and my brother used to hang in here, and we're quite close when we were kids. But when he turned 20, things change. Just like my father, he always has work, and I could barely meet him each day because most of the time, he's either away or maybe, just maybe, he's hooking up with some random girls. Just like what I said in the first chapter.
I went inside the restaurant and It's still the same as before. Me and Maxwell usually dine here, and It's been a long time since visited this place, approximately two years ever since Maxwell left me alone. The food inside here, is delicious and probably is one of the best place to dine in. Not just that, the owner Miss Curpin is kind and generous.
I was her most welcomed guest, although I haven't visited this place in a long time. She welcomed me with a warm hug immediately the first second I just stepped my feet inside.
"Princess Astrid! Oh, how I've missed you! It's been 2 years my darling and you've grown into a fine lady. How are you and Prince Maxwell?"
"We're fine. Anyways, I've missed you and the food in this place! Anything to offer Miss Curpin?" I responded and I simply can't wait to munch on some food. The smell of food spreading in the air is triggering my nerves.
And if it's not obvious, I'm a Foodie.
"You haven't changed a bit, still thinking about food." I giggled at her comment, but I'm serious though. "You could sit down here." Miss Curpin offered a place to sit and she gave me the menu. "Just call me if you decided what to eat." She then left.
I sat down making myself comfortable, while Ruel stood there formally by my side. He looks like he's ready to get back to the castle. If he hadn't chose to follow me in the first place then maybe he won't have to suffer.
"Sit down." I demanded casually as if It's just a simple matter. He's really getting in my nerves when he just stood there hesitating. "Come on!"
He let out a sigh and sat down in front of me. I know he's just doing this for work and no other stuff, but he made me do all of this.
We sat down silently as I look down the menu while Ruel silently explored the place. The place is beautiful actually. It has this unique looking picture frames with random pictures attached to the wall. It has a very interesting look.
Miss Curpin went back to our table a few minutes later. I could feel him looking at me, then at Ruel, then at me again, then it became a pattern until she finally spoke. "I see we have another… guest." I guess she's considering him as my friend or something because every time me and Maxwell come in here, the bodyguards that my father insisted to come with us would stand outside the door of the restaurant.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce him. He's Ruel, my bodyguard. Ruel, this is Miss Curpin, the owner of this restaurant."
Ruel raised his hand in front of Miss Curpin. "Nice to meet you Miss Curpin. You have a very lovely restaurant."
They both shook hands as I look at them happily. "Why thank you, young man. At first, I thought he was your boyfriend." My eyes widened at what she said.
Never in a million years will I be willing to be with him. Especially when he has a creepy twin brother.
"No! You mistook us. He's new, actually." I turned my head to Ruel and saw him trying to contain his laughter. This here made me doubt if he have a twin brother or not. I looked at him with brow furrowed with each other because of what he's doing.
"You two would make a lovely couple." I looked at Miss Curpin who was looking at us a few moments ago.
Us? I don't think so. I don't even know if I'll like him in the future. "Miss Curpin!" I whisper-shouted at what she said.
"Ok, ok. I'll stop. Anyways, what do you want to have today?" Miss Curpin prepared a pen and a notepad to write our orders, and after we did, she left us alone in this table with Ruel anywhere but me.
"Miss Falin, I would appreciate it if you only ordered for yourself." He leaned to me, head lowering and moving closer against my side of the table. He finally spoke and looked at me.
I leaned my head towards him, making us inches apart. I smirked at my very own actions. "Very formal of you to address me like that, but call me Astrid. Besides, you're the one who wants to be with me. It's fun to have a little bit of company." I leaned back at my chair and crossed my arms. "Don't tell me you regretted it."
He also leaned back on his chair, copying my position but with a brow arched. "What's there to regret if I'm doing this for work?"
As much as I don't want to say it, I was speechless. All the words drifted away from my head. Since I don't have anything to respond to what he said, I decided to change the topic. And I have the best thing for that. "Do you have a twin?"
"What? NO! What makes you think of that? "
"Well, the thing that makes me think that because the Mister Creepy R I know, or should I say the Ruel I know and met just yesterday doesn't have the same personality and attitude as you."
"Princess, it's me."
"Prove it!" EHH, still not convinced that this man wasn't the twin of the man I met yesterday.
"Now that I'm working as your bodyguard, I'll have plenty of chances to make you fall in love with me. Is that ok?"
"Well… No. You look and feel cold and you're definitely not the one who talked to me about how you wanted to escape with me through the window just so I could escape marriage."
"That's because the Ruel, or the Mister R you met yesterday was the Ruel outside the castle. Right now, I'm inside the castle and the meaning of that is that I have a different version of myself when I'm at the castle."
"But we're not in the castle."
"Yeah, but I'm working. I'll continue to be the Mister R you know if I'm comfortable to be Mister R inside your bedroom and not just outside the castle. And no, that's not a sexual term incase you get it wrong. So when I'm working, just focus on falling in love with me, ok?"
"But I don't understand. How many versions of yourself do you have? I mean the outside-of-the-castle Ruel looks like a very different human being from inside-of-the-castle Ruel."
"I do have many different versions of myself. I will show you the version of myself that you're meant to see, but it's up to you if you want to see the other versions of myself that you're not meant to see."
What does he mean by "meant"? Was there a version of himself that no one can see? Was there a version of himself that I may not want to see?
"You know what, forget about that. Why don't you open a little bit of yourself? I want to get to know you."
"Bodyguard opening up to the royal princess of Chartancil? That sounds a little… Unusual."
"Come on. You need to open up to me a bit because, in the near future, I might bombard you with every bit of my problems." What I said isn't a lie. As a talkative person that has no friends, I need someone to talk to aside from myself.
"I'm sure you wouldn't want to know anything about me."
"Would I ask if I don't want to? Besides, all I know is that you're a creep who wasn't actually a creep because he turned out to be my bodyguard the next day, and you have a lot of personalities, and you're a man who wants me to fall in love with you just so you could brag to your friends."
He became silent for a while, until he finally opened his mouth to speak. "I am 3 years older than you, I'm an only child, and I lived here in my childhood years."
"What about your parents?" I know, I don't have anything to do with it, but something inside me forces my mouth to ask that. So to be precise, I spoke carelessly. But there's no turning back.
"My parents died when I was young."
"What happened?" Curiosity is taking over my whole being right now.
"My mother was killed when I was 8 and my father was also killed when I was 11. Then I ran away from home, and I stumbled into the kingdom of Pleuns. I lived as an orphan there." I heard the sadness in the tone of his voice. As a person who also experienced losing a specific someone, I could feel the sorrow showing out of him.
"Looks like we've been in the same situation. During those moments, I wished that someone should've taken my life." I hanged my head low, avoiding to spread sadness in the air. I looked back at him and held his shoulder from across the table, smiling at him in attempt to make the air lively again. "But It's ok. It's all in the past now."
He just nodded and gave me a sad smile. I straightened my posture when I saw Miss Curpin, heading towards us with the delicious food on her hands. Miss Curpin handed out the food in our table. "Hope you enjoyed it." She then left without waiting to any of our response.
"Eat." I said to Ruel when he did not bother to touch the food. "Do you want me to feed you? I mean, I could do it." I added teasingly.
He just rolled his eyes when he saw the smirk on my face. But I could also see him smirk so I giggled and we started eating the food in front of us.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still surprised that he is my bodyguard. I need to get used to him having multiple versions of himself.
Let's just hope I won't fall in love with him.