(Continuation…)
(Viviana Rosalind's POV)
.
.
I know almost everything about him.
Yet, deep down, I know it's only the surface I've scratched.
Because just when I assume I have unraveled all there is to him, he surprises me with something entirely new.
As if he possesses an infinite reservoir of abilities, just to surprise me and make me occupied with him.
His always sincere yet playful words were the only thing that helped me keep my sanity during whatever happened these past three months.
Particularly, I don't know how extreme choices I would have made in the case regarding the extermination of the Bandits group in my Kingdom, which was the major reason I left the palace.
Maybe I would totally turn into a power-hungry tyrant.
His letters served as my guiding light.
Thanks to him and his occasional suddenly wise words in the letter, I was able to view things in different ways and find alternatives other than always resorting to drastic measures.
What astounds me is how his nonsensical, seemingly random quotes in between these letters, unrelated to his routine, are always connected with whatever problems and challenges I was facing at that time.
…It was as if he were holding my hands, gently guiding me, always making me conscious of any bad decisions and keeping me acutely aware of their repercussions.
—*Knock~
Engulfed in the ceaseless flow of my thoughts, I was suddenly jolted back to reality by a distinct *knock on the door.
"Yeah, come in."
I responded, my voice resounding in the otherwise quiet room.
In came one of my dearest companions, Maya, holding a book in her hands.
"What is it, Maya?"(Rosalind)
I inquired, though the book she held already gave away the purpose behind her late-night visit.
"Prince Karnal said to pass this book on to you, Rosalind."(Maya)
Maya explained, her tone betraying the lateness of the hour.
Approaching her, I casually tossed a damp towel onto the bed, its previous utility rendered inconsequential.
As I drew nearer, my hands snatched the book she carried, its weight and significance apparent.
"...good"(Rosalind)
I uttered, a wide grin spreading across my face.
With the book now in hand, I shifted my attention to the book cover. However, before I could start examining it, I heard a defeated sigh from my left side.
I looked towards the owner of the depressed voice, and to my surprise, it was Maya.
…well there is no one in the room other than us to begin with.
Yeah, I don't have a roommate.
Thankfully, in this Academy, the leaders of the House are given the choice to have their own room instead of sharing.
And I obviously took the better one, which is to have a separate room.
I wouldn't have minded sharing a room.
But if only they allowed us to pick up our own roommate, but for some odd reason the academy is very strict there.
As all this was running in the back of my mind.
Maya retrieved the towel from the bed, then slowly folded it in a neat and orderly way.
"What would I do without you, Maya?"(Rosalind)
I asked rhetorically, skipping towards her in a playful way as I held the book behind my back.
"So, did he mention anything else?..."(Rosalind)
I inquired, shifting the book to the front as I gently inhaled the scent of ink mixed with fresh pages still bound together even while it was closed.
"...there should be a letter on the first page."(Maya)
Maya supplied, her words guiding my anticipation.
"*nod."
–flip
With a small nod, I carefully turned the front cover of the book.
..Umm.
Revealing a beautifully designed letter(:slip) resting on the page.
But before I began reading, I quickly glanced at Maya, making sure she wasn't trying to peek at the letter.
To my amusement, Maya was standing on her tiptoes, attempting to sneak a look at the letter without getting caught.
–thud~
With a soft, determined sound, I closed the book, leaving the letter safely inside.
In accordance with my abrupt action, Maya's attention shifted on me from the closed book, and our eyes met.
Maya understood that she had been caught red-handed, and without any explanation, she hastily moved towards the bed, pretending to tidy up the already neat bedding.
Ignoring Maya's antics, I focused on the matter at hand.
I opened the letter to find the following words in Rai's handwriting.
•----------------------•
𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑽𝒊𝒗𝒊!
𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒚.
𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒑.
...𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕?
𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅.
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓?
•----------------------•
"Huh? What did he forget?"
Perplexed, I wondered.
I couldn't help but feel curious, just as Rai had predicted.
Eagerly, I turned the slip to learn whatever it is.
•----------------------•
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚, 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏-𝒕𝒐-𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒆.
...𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒚.
-𝑹𝒂𝒊-
𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏-𝒕𝒐-𝒃𝒆 𝑯𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅.
(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
•----------------------•
As soon as I completed reading these words–
–THUD!
"..um?"(Maya)
I immediately shut the book with a loud *thud capturing Maya's attention once again.
However, at present, I am not in a state where I can be bothered about her after reading the context of the slip.
UHH? W-wht the heck was that?!!!
By the time I completely digested the context of it-
My brain almost popped out.
While the words I had just now read echoed in my mind, creating a whirlwind of emotions.
…Words like-
Beautiful. Orientation Ball.
Soon-to-be Wife.
And lastly-
-gulp
…H-H-usband!..
Those words repeated themselves, one after another, again and again.
As if it wasn't enough, my mind also started to play its tricks on me, taking it to the next level.
A vivid image formed in my head where-
A cute red-haired girl(:child) stood holding hands with a black-haired young man. Their features seemed famili–??
–!!...!!?
Before the story played out any longer, I came to my senses.
My embarrassment surged, and I desperately tried to erase the image by waving my hands in front of her.
"!!Stop it, stop it!!"
I softly shouted, waving like a startled butterfly.
The realization of what I was about to imagine made her blush even deeper.
The embarrassment in me reached new limits making me blush even deeper as the realization of what I was about to imagine hit me.
I could even imagine a white smoke coming out of my head as I hung my head down, not wanting to show my shy state, in which I failed pitifully.
Due to the sudden and unknown feelings in me, it annoyed me to no point, making me angry and irritated.
Flustered, I buried my face in the book, trying to hide my shy expression.
Conflicting emotions overwhelmed me.
Irritation to Excitement.
And many other feelings and sensations that I couldn't quite differentiate.
My body felt weak as the strength in my legs slowly decreased, leaving me no choice but to crouch down as I still hid my face under the book.
Agh! I hate the feeling of being so weak.
…and I have always been.
So why is it any different this time?
I was frustrated with my vulnerability.
I felt exposed, yet I didn't despise this side of myself like I usually do..
Sitting there in a crouching position, I murmured to herself trying to clear my mind of all the unnecessary thoughts–
"Idiot…
"Idiot, Idiot, Idiot."(Rosalind)
–Repeating the word as if it could somehow untangle my feelings.
.
(End Of The Scene)
(To be continued…)
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
Chapter words : 1210
Total words : 59.98K