'Knock! Knock!'
The Third Prince was casually lying down on the bed, closing his eyes. Hearing a faint knock at the door, he opened his eyes instantly as he asked sleepily, "Miss Aylin?"
From outside, Aylin answered hesitatingly, in her silvery tone, "Yes, I have made apple pie. Do you want some?"
Pulling the blanket up to his bare chest, the Third Prince sat up on the bed as he agreed excitedly, "Of course. I am dying of hunger."
Pushing the door, Aylin entered her bedroom and instantly, the sweet and delicious aroma hit his nostrils. Half sitting on the bed, the Third Prince rubbed his palms cheerfully as Aylin passed him the plate.
"It looks delicious."
Aylin murmured with a tiny, embarrassed smile, "Ummm… I barely had any food left except for some apples and flour. So… I can't serve you anything else."
The Third prince already began to eat the apple pie with a satisfied expression. While munching his apple pie, he claimed in his playful tone, "It is more than enough for me, Miss Aylin. Trust me, this apple pie tastes more delicious than any other desserts of the royal kitchen."
Her amber eyes sparkled in glee but then lowering her thick, black lashes, she responded shyly, "Thanks, Third Prince. Better I leave-"
"Kai. It's Kai."
"Huh?"
"You can call me, Kai. No need to be so formal."
"Alright. Rest well."
Kai was still a stranger for Aylin and she barely knew anything about him yet she wasn't uncomfortable or scared around him. She even allowed him to stay in her house and was treating him as her guest despite knowing that he must be a Prince of one of the rival kingdoms.
Aylin was embarrassed at her irresponsible action but it was already too late to regret it.
She was leaving the room when something shiny caught her eyes and instantly, she became wide awake.
'A silver crest of chimaera with eyes of red stone!'
Aylin instantly blurted out, "Damn! Don't tell me… You are from Fintan!"
Tilting his head, Kai also looked in the direction Aylin was staring. Noticing his crest, he sighed softly as he answered in brief, "Yes, I am."
Colours drained from Aylin's face as she felt a momentary panic. Clenching her fingers into tight fists, she mumbled absentmindedly, "Goodness! King will order to execute me for treason. I am helping the notorious third prince of Fintan… Ugh! I am done."
Kai sighed again as he assured her in a comforting tone, "Don't panic… Nobody will know."
But, Aylin murmured again in her lost tone as if she didn't hear anything, "Damn it! I should have guessed it before. It must be Fintan or Morana… Ugh! I am so stupid."
"Well… I also agree with that. You are indeed silly."
Turning her head, Aylin glared at Kai as she asked furiously, "Then should I just inform the royal guards about you? Or, Would it be better if I kick you out of my house right now? In the rain?"
But, Kai answered in his playful tone while playing with his spoon, "Do you think that you can fight against me? I can kill you within a second. You will never get a chance to leave the house."
Aylin knew that he wasn't lying. Yet instead of getting scared of his threat, she kept on glaring at him, frowning her long eyebrows, "Are you threatening me?"
"Not at all... I am just stating a fact, Little girl. You should think about the consequences before doing anything.."
Biting her lower lip, Aylin grumbled, "Yes yes. I am regretting my decision now. I shouldn't have helped a person like you."
Chuckling teasingly, Kai spoke again in his magnetic tone, "Snrk! Miss Aylin, I am not as ungrateful as you. I wouldn't cause any more trouble for you."
Rolling her eyes, Aylin warned, before leaving her bedroom, "Humph! Don't forget about your promise. After tonight, I don't wanna see you here again."
Raising both hands, Kai made a surrender gesture as he answered with his mischievous grin, "Yes yes… As you say."
Aylin left her bedroom quickly, stealing a glance of the silver crest once again.
Lying on her bed, she was listening to the soft pitter-patter sound of the rain, staring outside through the window at the impenetrable darkness of the night. It wasn't raining heavily like before.
Aylin instinctively raised one of her hands and clenched the soft fabric of her nightgown to calm down her hammering heart. Strange and disquieting thoughts began to race through her mind as she recalled the past incidents, related to Kai. Her mind was spinning with bewilderment.
Covering her amber eyes, she murmured to herself, "Ugh! I shouldn't have helped him. He is more brutal than all those rumours state. I- I was so scared but-"
Her clench on her nightgown tightened as she thought about those moments when Kai protected her, standing like a shield. He could just let her die or escape alone but… Welcoming the confusion, she took the moment to catch her breath.
"But… He is warm."
—
A crescent moon peeked through the dark clouds as a dark silhouette entered the bedroom, silently pushing the locked door. The door was indeed locked but it wasn't enough to stop the young beast.
The moonlight was pouring on the naive sleeping face of Aylin through the arch window near the bed, making her features look more delicate and softer. Taking silent and careful steps, he approached the bed and hunched over her face. The cut on her left cheek was still fresh and deep.
Hesitating for a moment, Kai leaned forward as his finger tenderly traced the cut. Aylin's face twitched slightly but she didn't wake up. Leaning closer, Kai whispered near her ear in his deep, teen voice, "Lin, sorry for acting selfishly."
Instantly, his slender fingers touched Aylin's forehead and within a few seconds, a warm red light began to flow out of his fingers. The glow was so warm that Aylin's face flinched in pain. Her chest was tight. She couldn't breathe, trapped between sleep and wakefulness.
Blinking a few times, she opened her sleepy eyes as she mumbled in a vague tone, "Who? W-who is here?"
The room was dark. But, in that dim moonlight, she could see the devilishly handsome face, hovering over hers. His eyes were clinging to hers, analysing her reaction. Aylin raised her slender hands defensively to push him away as she demanded in a confused tone.
"You? W-what are you doing here?"
Kai grinned mysteriously as he whispered in his deep voice, "Calm down. I am just here to see you for the last time."
His fingers stopped moving over her forehead and the flow of red energy that was coming out also paused instantly.
Still trying to push him away from her, Aylin murmured in her hoarse yet adorable sleepy tone, "Are you leaving? But, it is still dark outside."
Kai chuckled as he asked, leaning closer, "Why are you looking disappointed? Wanna come with me?"
"Eh? Never… You are a b-beast. Why will I-"
Kai's expression dramatically changed. His mischievous grin disappeared from his teen face as his face darkened with a cold and gloomy expression. He didn't let Aylin finish her sentence as his lips pressed onto her with demanding mastery, startling her to the core.
She froze for a moment as Kai moved his mouth over hers, devouring its softness.
It was a tender yet punishing kiss.
His fingers again began to move over her forehead as the red glow of his energy brightened with a sharp burning sensation. Aylin gasped in pain but her moan was suppressed by the soft and tantalising kisses as if Kai was trying to soothe her pain by kissing her.
A few minutes later,
The bright red light began to disappear as he parted his lips from hers. But, Aylin was already in a deep and peaceful sleep. Though her lips were still warm and moist, her hammering heartbeats already calmed down.
Sighing loudly, Kai looked at the injury on her left cheek and with a soft brushing of his fingers against her left cheek, a tiny and warm red light glowed again just for a second. Then, along with that red glow, her wound also slowly disappeared.
Kai was still staring at her moist pink lips, the delicate and fragile face of that tween girl, glimmering in the moonlight. Tiny curling tendrils escaped the heavy silken mass of her black hair, falling over her forehead and cheeks.
Aylin's reflection was in his eyes which looked isolated in an endless, impassable red sea.
Tucking those disobedient strands of her hair behind her ear, Kai stood up from the ground as he murmured in his deep, teen voice.
"For the first time, I got angry when someone called me Beast. I wanted to kill you instantly. It felt like your words were directly stabbing my heart… But, it was not anger…"
A slight hesitation flicked in his hawklike eyes as his inexperienced teen mind didn't find a proper word to describe his true feelings. The weird emotion he felt for the first time. While running his fingers through his silver hair, he turned to leave the bedroom.
But,
Just before leaving the room, Kai turned in the direction of Aylin once again as he murmured under his breath, staring at her ethereal beauty.
"Goodbye, Lin… Hope not to meet again."