Day 104

Evening

Hours passed and the dark cloudy skies loomed above the carriage that finally came to a halt.

"We have arrived, lady Astor." The door was opened for me and I step out, my hands holding my dress up to the extent I could exit without tripping ungraciously.

The grass being blown by the wind brushed against my skin once my feet met land, and before me was the splendor of a flower field. Not just any flower field, but iridiscent flowers that were the same deep blue as Rowan's piercing orbs.

"My apologies for taking you out somewhere like this so late and abrupt. But I felt like you'd like it."

The prince was standing a few meters away from me, he held his hand out and I wondered if he was just doing a cliché pose, or expecting me to take his hand. "It's fine. This place is really pretty." My eyes were still held captive by the entrancing flowers I had the blessing to see. I wanted to stare at them for a little while longer, but I shifted my gaze to Rowan who was walking over to me. "Are you and Luca done with whatever you had to deal with?"

"Things didn't go as smoothly as planned but we did manage." He smiled and took my hand, interwining our fingers. "Only because I didn't want to miss your special day." At that, I could once again feel the burning sensation creep up my face.

I used to hate it to an extreme extent- When he'd look at me with those eyes of his. They were like psychological attacks. They used to affect my head, but now they affect my heart as well.

And in a situation like this, they have twice the effect! But I didn't hate or fear the way he looks at me like he used to. "I-" I opened my mouth to speak but I didn't have anything to say.

"You?"

"Nothing."

Rowan looked at me with downcast eyes. "Don't get me all worked up just to say that."

"Sorry."

"So how were you the past month?" His downcast eyes faded away and he was now looking at me warmly.

"I was alright. Nothing much really went on without you and Luca around. And I kinda... Missed you." I said hesitantly. Admitting something so embarrassing felt really out of character for me, but all the things and feelings I want to let out feel like they're in a barrel that's about to explode. I think...

"Is that true?" A cocky smirk formed on his annoyingly charming face. "I've missed you lots. Thinking about you each and every day." His voice grew softer with every word. That sounds kinda creepy, prince.

"Ah... Haha, good to know." I chuckled awkwardly and pulled my hand away from him. The prince looked slightly dispirited after I did so, but the awkward atmosphere was beginning to furiously choke me here. "These flowers by the way, I've never heard of anything like them before." Flowers that glow such a beautiful blue hue.

"They're rare flowers that only grow on the border of Acullis and Elleris. There's an interesting legend about them too."

"Oooh I want to hear it!" I bent down to take a closer look at one of the luminous flowers.

"The legend speaks of a of a traveler; an adventurer. A long time ago.

There was a woman who often took this route from Revellis to Acullis, and back. She was brave, unproblematic, and kind.

And during her travels, she met a girl who sold mysterious blue flowers that would glow when the sun is hiding. Their paths met multiple times and the travelling lady started to grow interested in the life of the girl that sold those flowers. She later found out that by selling flowers, the girl was trying to make money to afford treatment because she was mildly sick.

It was a quiet evening, the two had met again on this path. And the girl who sold flowers was well aware she was on her final moments. The kind traveler stayed as the girl talked about the dreams she still had in life, until her eyes closed and she was off to a land much more peaceful. The traveler buried her afterwards. And by the next time she took that same path, there was a field of those mysterious blue flowers thriving magnificently where she had layed the girl to rest."

"Wow..." Legends always have some sad twists to them, don't they.

"Should we dig up the soil and check if her remains are still here?" The prince suggested and my jaw dropped.

"Have some respect for the dead you bastard prince!"

"I'm kidding!"

"Some humor you got there." I stand up straight and walk over to the Prince. Facing him with dauntlessly. "Why don't we have you buried here and let's see if any pretty flowers will grow?"

"Oh? Your beloved prince still has too much to do. I can't become one with nature just yet." He returns the same dauntless grin as mine and leans forward. His head was towering over me.

"Asserting dominance now are we?"

"I'm always asserting my dominance, Riselle."

"Yeah?" I narrow my eyes with a smug grin plastered on my face and he does the same. My hands make their way to the collar of his damned hello-I-am-royalty attire and I tightly grip onto it, pulling him down closer to me. "I'm not the same girl you could always frighten and push around anymore." Since the days I always feared I might end up executed, I've gained a lot of spunk.

"I'll give it to you for your confidence my love but you must not forget that I'm still the prince, and a man." My grip on him loosened as he spoke because I knew those lines never meant anything good.

Warm hands greeted my cheek, holding onto the side of my face in what felt like a possessive manner. Rowan leaned in even closer and breathed into my ear. "Just kidding. I wouldn't do anything bad to you."

"Whatever." I push him away from me, a bit frantically yet not in a rough manner. I felt like I wanted more from him at that moment.

My eyes shifted to his lips for a moment, then back to his eyes. Riselle you idiot, you have no experience with this!

"You look like you want something." The cocky bastard infront of me bit his lip in a seductive manner and my heartbeat turns rapid.

"Uhh what?"

"Eyes say a lot, my love." He inches closer to me, back to the same distance we held before I pushed him away a few moments ago. "You want a kiss." The smile on his face was even more teasing than the words he spoke and the way he said them.

"H-how can you be so sure about that?"

After the rapid heartbeat comes the stuttering. Of course.

"Because."

I shut my eyes, feeling his warmth against my skin grow closer with every passing moment. "Do you really want me to kiss you?" He asks. My world felt like it came to a stop because I was too nervous to open my eyes, and had too much pride to open my mouth and say yes.

"Riselle?"

With trembling arms I grip his shoulders and distance us by a small amount, hesitantly opening my eyes. There he was again, with that soft and concerned look in his eyes. "I'm just really nervous- and not sure how this works. Like what if I do things wrong and... And..."

"You don't need to worry about all that." Rowan's hands cupped my face. "I'll ask again, but you better give me a straight answer or I'm going to kiss you either way. Are you ok with me kissing you, Riselle?"

"I- I am. I'm ok with that."

"Happy birthday my love." He whispered just before leaning in.

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Just wanna share with y'all some art of Rowan I drew :D