"Why are they throwing flowers at us?"
As Cavi diverted his attention from the book he's reading, he spotted Hariah holding a bunch of flowers in her arms. He shook his head as he picked one from them.
"Did you know that receiving them means giving your blessing to the giver?" he asked and unlike what he expected, she seemed happy instead of being scared like many does.
"That amazing? Then, I should have caught many more! It's a pity…"
"Then, do you know what the consequence of receiving them?"
She looked at him.
"Your luck and blessings will be transferred to them and yours will run out." Though he didn't truly believe in it, Cavi told it to her just to scare her. Yet, looked like he again failed since she suddenly gave the half of the flowers to him and smile wide."
"Then, I should give half of you. You are the king and surely, your luck and blessing won't run out. As for me, I'll just accumulate more blessing so I can receive more flowers…"
As she said those words, Cavi didn't noticed himself smiling. Hariah saw this but knowing he will be embarrassed again, she decided not to show that she saw.
"Your name…" Cavi spoke after few minutes of silence. "Was it given to you by your parents?"
Hariah looked at him intently, trying to decipher what he's intending to do again. Was he suspicious of her again? so, he's interrogating her?
She nodded immediately after the realization.
"Then, did they know what it means?" with his question, her brows knotted.
"Why? what does it mean?" she asked back.
Cavi seemed surprised and she noticed his ears turning red as he looked away.
"You seem to know King Derian. Is he the one you thanked yesterday?" he was changing the subject.
Now that he's asking, Hariah realized that it was no way she could hide the truth from him. besides, he's the man in her dreams, right? if she lies, how can she ask him whether he knew her in the past or not?
"You're right. He's the one. Before you saved me, he helped me first when I was drifting in the sea. He brought me into his ship and took care of me. But…" should she tell him that Lady Hailey pushed her in the sea? "but I accidentally fell again on the sea again. luckily, you saved me."
'So, she's the beauty that Derian had found?' Cavi thought as he stared at Hariah. Now, looking at her closely, or even with just a glimpse, it will be no wonder why Derian fell for her instantly.
But thinking about it, he seemed to hear that Derian was depressed these days because that beauty had died when she was pushed by a slave into the sea.
"You didn't accidentally fell in the waters. Someone pushed you."
Hariah was stunned because of what he said. judging by her reaction, she was indeed protecting the person that caused her tragedy. How lucky was that person not to be hated by someone she did evil with…?
"You're really stupid."
Instead of receiving a mean response, Cavi only heard her small laugh. "Am I?"
Few hours after, Hariah fell into a sleep on Cavi's lap.
"Stupid. Impudent. Shameless." Though Cavi said those words as he watched her sleep, inside him, he actually sees her in the exact opposite way.
***
"What is happening?!" as Hariah bolted up in surprise because of the noises she heard, an arrow almost hit her. fortunately, Cavi pulled her into a protective embrace as they dropped to the floor.
"There are enemies trying to ambush us. It's safe inside so don't ever go out," he told her and was about to went outside. Yet, Hariah tightly hugged him without letting go.
"Then, where are you going?" her voice was shaky.
Noticing her fear, Cavi's knotted brows ease a bit and softly squeezed her shoulder.
"I will just check on Nanny Elis. I will be back." Pushing her forcefully, Cavi jumped out of the carriage and headed outside.
Hariah didn't know what to do. This was the second time she experienced this but this ti9me, the enemies seemed fiercer. From what she's hearing swords were colliding with each other and second after second, she was hearing moans of pain and something heavy falling to the ground.
She was no fool not to know what those were.
Closing her eyes and covering her ears with both hands, the sounds of fighting seemed to lower a bit. Yet, suddenly, the fighting sound went louder and even fiercer. Like as if thousands of people were fighting. Their groans of pain and helplessness didn't escape her ears.
No. it wasn't just sounds. She was seeing countless bodies of dead soldiers. Bloody. Wounded. Lifeless.
But didn't she close her eyes and covered her ears? Was this…her memory?
As she looked around the battlefield, a familiar figure arises from her sight. He was in his armor. Black and silver. And his hair…it was silver too. his hair was even stained with blood along with his sword. And it was dripping to the ground.
As he turned around, their eyes met. Why was she feeling this way? Her heart twisted in pain and sadness… like as if, she had been betrayed by him…
Hariah screamed in terror. She found her self running out of the carriage, panicking aimlessly. When she was back to herself, she realized she was now in the middle of fighting.
There were men in black in a collision with the royal guards.
"Hariah! Go back to the carriage now!" She tried to find where Cavi's voice was coming from. But what she found instead was a sword heading towards her, aiming to slash her dead.
"Ahhhh!" her screamed drowned Cavi's worried call of her name. However, her end must still be unwritten for she felt someone's arm wrapping around her waist and pulled her to avoid the enemy.
When her eyes opened, she immediately recognized the silver-hair. But it wasn't Cavi. It was Crown Prince Raziel.
"King Cavi's meimei…" he grinned at her. (Meimei means younger sister)
"At your back!" Hariah yelled when she saw another sword coming behind him. Yet, as if not needing her warning, Raziel killed the man by throwing just a knife that directly shot him in the head.
Hariah gasped.
"Admiring me now?" he even managed to joked which made her brows knot.
"In such situation, how could you still smile and joke?" she snapped as she shook her aching head.
Some scenes kept appearing in her head hearing the swords' clunking to each other. She needed to get away from it. she needed to…
"Hey1 where are you going?" Raziel asked, jailing her by his arms. Now, he looked serious.
Firmly, Hariah closed her eyes as she breathed deep.
"I… I need to run. I…"
'Why do you need to run?"
She bit her lower lip. The pain in her head was increasing even more. She looked at the fighting men but in just a second, it wasn't the same scene anymore. she was seeing a battle field of two kingdom soldiers killing each other.
Before she got lost in that memory or imagination, her hand was pulled into a run. It was Prince Raziel. And they were being chased by enemies now.
"How fast can you run?" he asked her in the midst of running.
Out of breath, Hariah forced herself to answer him. "I'm now at my limit."
With her answer, in an instant, she felt herself lifted into the air. Prince Raziel was carrying her in his arms. Unexplainable, she found herself staring at his face. like as if, it was an enchantment that she couldn't resist looking at.
Compared to Derian and Cavi, he's indeed more handsome. No. he's got a beautiful face. beautiful though it had some touch of evilness. Like as if, behind his beautiful façade, a monster was hiding behind.
Hariah had goosebumps when his eyes suddenly met hers. His eyes were the color of vivid blood…
She held her breath as she gripped her chest. Again, there was an unexplainable feeling inside her. And his eyes... why does his look seemed to hold sadness as he stared at her?
Just…what was he?