10. Mi'lady

10. Mi'lady
He had been nothing but kind and patient with me, yet I was trying to escape.
"I..." I started, but the lie wouldn't form.
"I was going out on a stroll, you must have felt suffocated in there all by yourself, right?" He asked and I found myself shaking my head.
What I should have done in the least was nod and agree with him, but I just couldn't...
"What's wrong?" His voice lowered as he bent to face level with me. However, I turned around and sniffled.
"It's nothing, it's just..." I wanted to escape and you blocked any chances whatsoever that I had and now I'm probably going to be in this strange place till my hair turns grey, that's if my life is not snapped short.
"Oh I know," he snapped his fingers with a broad smile.
"You were feeling suffocated in your room and wanted to go out for some fresh air right? Me too!" he said and linked our arms together like two best friends in kindergarten.
"But!... Why aren't you wearing your shoes?" he came to my front, took the pair of trainers out of my bag and wore them on my feet all while I looked at him.
What would the maids and everyone else say if they saw the prince they feared so much go down on his knees to wear shoes for me, a mere weak human in their eyes?
"Ashton should have arranged for you to be shown around, but we can't risk having the wrong pair of eyes on you. You being here is a secret and it could be dangerous if his enemies knew about you," this time my ears perked up.
"Enemies? What do you mean?" Why did that sound to me like some sort of political rivalry where the parties didn't hesitate to draw blood.
"Don't bother too much about it for now." He smiled as he finished tying up the lace and smiled at me.
Despite the fangs and the strangeness of his figure, starting from this height and long fangs, his smile still soothed me in a way I needed.
My fearful heart relaxed and I found myself feeling more eager to hear the rest of the story than escaping.
After all, I couldn't outrun him.
"But you said..."
"Let's just get a breather. I will be your tour guide," he smiled again before stretching his palm out.
"Shall we, mi'lady?" I nodded and smiled genuinely for the first time, blinking back tears before placing my hand on his warm ones.
"Let's go. Are there any fun spots around here?" I found myself giggling as I swung his hands.
"I'll take you to the garden. It has the most beautiful flowers in all the realms. But first, I need to ask you, do you have pollen allergies?" he asked.
"What? No? Summer is literally my favorite time of the year," I chuckled as I followed in the direction he was leading us.
Plus I rarely ever went to the ER for my allergies. They were such rare cases I had almost forgotten.
"Here we are," he pointed to a black gate that looked like something out of a magical fantasy animation.
The butterflies on the walls, the veins and the way the air changed. The sweet scent of different flowers.
Then I noticed the words carved on the black gate. They seemed to be written in gold, but the crawling flower veins that had died and bloomed on it had covered most of it.
"A place li..." I paused and turned to Kylanor, "what does that mean?"
"It's English!" He peered at me from his tall height.
"I know," I hid my embarrassment with a smile, "the leaves covered the rest."
"Oh," he tore some vines with his claws and read out the words, "A place like home. This garden is magical and one of the oldest artificial constructs in our realm. It was made when the..." I zoned out his explanation. Even though my eyes were glued to the words on the gate, my mind was back to the chaotic place I had left behind.
Would I be missed at home?
Did my mom file a missing person's report yet? It's been two days now.
"Did the pollen get in your eyes? We should..." he started with his fingers gently tilting my face sideways to check for the reasons for my obvious tears.
"Are you ever going to let me go?" I blurted out and didn't shy away from eye contact.
No doubt my eyes looked glassy, but I didn't want these tears to fall.
"What do you mean Mia?" He asked with an even tone, his expression didn't falter one bit. Did he have to pretend to not have any idea?
"I was brought here against my will, I want to go back home, where I belong," his grip on my arm tightened for a second. And when I expected a reprimand, he raised his hand.
My heart leapt out of my chest as I stared at the descent of his hand with a boldness that scared me.
The thumping in my chest was loud enough to reach my chest and fast enough to pump water, but I wouldn't let myself show it.
I stared defiantly as his hands closed down to my face.
Of course, I'd asked a question and finally thrown the Prince of the Monster Beasts off.
"I don't have the final commands here, because if I did, trust me Mia, I would do everything to please you," his palms that I'd thought would hit me in the face landed softly on my puff of hair.
"Everything," he added like an afterthought while his hand continued to pet my hair.
This time, I didn't hold back and let the tears roll down my cheeks.
"Why? What did I do to... hiccup... deserve this, I just..." I crouched as my legs could no longer support crying me.
"There there. My brother is the king and ruler of us. Going against his commands would land us a fate worse than death."