âI did notâ¦expect to meet you here, Prince Kin,â I said as I tried to keep my voice steady and a friendly smile on my lips.
I bowed politely to him. It doesnât matter whether or not I wanted him here. Heâs still the second prince which meant that I had to show respect.
âI did not get a reply to my latest letter, so I was just a little bit worried about youâ¦â Prince Kin said.
His overly sweet smile was starting to creep me out. He was right, I did not reply to his latest message because I did not see the need to. Was that too rude?
âI apologized, Prince Kin, for my delayed response. I was planning to send you a reply later today after my lessons are over,â I said, trying to sound pleasant. Obviously, I lied.
âThen I guess Iâll be patient and wait for your favorable response. I truly wish to spend more time with you and a dinner would be a good start. After all, you would be my sister-in-law very soon,â Prince Kin said, his eyes watching me intently.
Ohâ¦
âYou are too kindâ¦â I murmured.
âIf youâre worried about appropriateness then we can always wait for when Ren returns,â Prince Kin said while making an understanding face.
âWhen the crown prince returns?â I asked, picking up on news about Ren. Heâs out somewhereâ¦?
âOhâ¦he didnât tell you, did he?â Prince Kin asked.
âTell me whatâ¦?â I whispered, sensing something amiss.
My body froze as Prince Kin bent his head down to whisper into my ear as if he was telling me a secret.
âRenâ¦is at warâ¦â Prince Kin whispered next to my ear.
Renâ¦
My eyes widened in shock as I gasped. Ren really isnât in the palace. Worst, heâs gone out to fightâ¦and he didnât even tell me?
âWhen is he coming back?â I asked the first question that came to my mind.
âWho knowsâ¦heâs been gone for almost a week now,â Prince Kin said with a shrug.
I couldnât understand how Prince Kin could act so carefree when his brother is at war. From the timeline, I figured that Ren had been gone since the day he parted ways with me. Why didnât he tell me anything?
Was he afraid that I would try to stop him? Perhaps, I would have triedâ¦
âAre you worried about Ren?â Prince Kin asked.
I felt his long fingers trace the side of my face and my body froze at his touch. I looked at his cunning face and his eyes reminded me of that of a snakeâs. This manâ¦heâsâ¦
â¦
**Late last night**
The sound of the fire crackling was the only sound in the silent night. Ren and Shin sat side by side on a log as they stared into the fire, their heads fill with their own thoughts. It has been many days since they had travelled out to the boarder to observe the situation of the battle taking place there.
The situation did not perfectly match with the report that they were provided and that bothered the two men immensely. Inaccurate reports could spell trouble and inaccurate future actions. The report that Ren had received clearly stated that the battles were small fights that should be quelled in no time.
However, the reality they witnessed since the first day was different. At first Shin was absolutely against Ren taking the trip to see the situation for himself. However, Ren was adamant regarding his decision.
âMy precautionary plan to bring a larger army than we had initially thought required seemed to have paid off well in our favor,â Shin said followed by a sigh.
Shin brought along a large army to protect Ren in case it was necessary. Better safe than sorry. However, what was described as small fights were actually mid-scale battles. The army they brought suddenly became necessary to help act as reinforcements for the soldiers stationed at the border.
âAre you alright? Youâve been spacing out on me latelyâ¦â Shin asked as he looked at his friendâs face.
âI donât knowâ¦somethingâs bothering meâ¦â Ren muttered.
âAbout this battle?â Shin asked.
âLetâs finish things up here as soon as possibleâ¦â Ren said, sounding tired and bored.
âItâs not like you to want to return back to the palace so soon,â Shin said, observantly.
âI feelâ¦restless,â Ren said, his eyes looking deep into the fire.
âMy guess is that youâre worried about a certain someone back homeâ¦â Shin teased.
However, Ren did not find his friendâs joke very funny right now.
âGo to sleep, we march tomorrow at dawn,â Ren stated before getting up from his seat.
âYes, Your Highness,â Shin said with a mocking salute.
â¦
***Back in the garden***
âOf course, I amâ¦â I said, honestly. Who wouldnât be worried?
âYouâre a cute little lady. I can understand why Ren seems smitten with you,â Prince Kin teased.
âWhere is the crown prince right now?â I asked, getting straight to the point.
âPromise to have dinner with me next weekâ¦and Iâll tell you. Deal?â Prince Kin said with a calculating smile.
If Ren is already back then it should be ok, right? I really want to know where Ren is right now and if heâs okâ¦
âOkâ¦â I replied softly.
âGood. We have a deal then,â Prince Kin said as a satisfied smile spread across his face.
âWhere is Ren? Is he ok?â I asked again.
âI havenât heard any news from the frontlines, so I bet heâs ok. Renâs out to suppress some uprising around the boardersâ¦â Prince Kin said casually.
âThank youâ¦â I said as I breathed a sigh of relief. Ren is okâ¦
âI have to thank you. I look forward to our dinnerâ¦â Prince Kin said.
Prince Kin nodded at me with a satisfied smile on his face. I couldnât understand why he wanted to have dinner with me. As far as I was aware, I didnât have anything to discuss with him or anything that would interest him.
Perhaps, I was being too overly cautious. He did mention that he wanted to get to know me more as his future sister-in-law. Maybe heâs really just trying to be friendlyâ¦
I bowed politely to him as he turned to leave. I felt my heart beat loud and fast in my chest in anxiety as I watched the man leave.
Something about Prince Kin doesnât sit right with meâ¦
--To be continuedâ¦