Lost Crown

Chapter Four

I grabbed the remote to the TV, turning it off with the press of a button. There was too much on my mind now, I wouldn't be able to sleep. I got up, putting a robe on over my pajamas, then began the trek to the kitchen.

The palace was oddly quiet, people turning into their rooms for the night. It was sort of nice; it was calm when it was usually chaos. 

I reached the kitchen, turning on the lights as I walked inside. The staff had their own separate part of the kitchen, which was separated by a door. That's where all of the meals were prepared, but there was a smaller kitchen that was meant for cooking your own meal or just grabbing a snack. 

The countertops were marble, the floor a dark wood that matched the cabinets. The appliances were black, the walls having a backdrop of dark marble, contrasting nicely with the rest of the room. It felt more homey than the other kitchen, which was a plain, large, gray expanse. 

I walked over to the stove, finding a teapot rather quickly. After filling it with water, I set it on the stove, going to find a tea bag while the water heated up. Tea was definitely my comfort drink. I noticed more people tended to drink coffee, but I personally didn't like it all that much. It was too bitter, even with added sugar. I much preferred tea; it helped me calm down. 

I searched through the assortment of kinds of tea, eventually deciding on a peach tea. I was just putting the box back when I heard the door to the kitchen swing open, startling me. The tea bag fell out of my hand as I jumped, quickly turning around to see who had come in. 

Prince Leyton stood in the doorway, staring back at me with those stunning hazel eyes of his. We simply stared at each other, until the whistling of the tea pot broke the silence. I turned, taking the pot off the burner and turning the stove off.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Leyton finally spoke. I turned back to him, remembering our last conversation. I wasn't sure how to act towards him.

"It's fine," I replied, the two simple words being the only thing that came out of my mouth. Grabbing a teacup out of a cupboard, I poured the water inside, plopping the teabag in the water, my back turned to Leyton. 

I heard the fridge open as I stirred my tea, assuming Leyton was grabbing something. My eyes drifted over to him, studying him as he looked through the fridge. He was still dressed up from the day, which surprised me a little.

"What were you doing today?" I asked awkwardly, trying to fill the silence. 

"Paperwork; mainly stuff to secure the alliance we're making."

I nodded, turning to him with my steaming cup of tea in hand. Leyton turned to me, closing the fridge without grabbing anything. 

"You're the heir, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Leyton responded, walking a little closer to me, then jumped up to sit on the counter by me. "I'm getting coronated around the same time you are. I think just a bit before. I just became old enough."

"So you're eighteen?"

"No, twenty." I looked over at him with a bit of surprise. I expected him to be closer to my age. Though, I supposed there was only a two year difference between us. It wasn't that big of a gap. Leyton noticed my surprised look, giving me that smirk of his. "Are you that surprised that I'm older?"

"I mean, I guess not really. I thought you were like, nineteen." I lifted my cup of tea up to my lips, taking a cautious sip of it. It was hot to the point where it was a little uncomfortable, but it didn't burn.

Leyton chuckled, meeting my eyes. Every time he looked at me, it was like I fell into a trance. Something about him simply pulled me in. I didn't exactly know why. Maybe it was because he was a bit mysterious to me. I didn't know a lot about the Zolvans; everything I learned about them seemed to suck me in.