svadilfari - w.kh

32.

"there's something else though," renjun says quietly. he knew xiaomei well, possibly too well. he knew there was more than that.

he could see just by the look in her eyes that there was something pulling at her heart. "tell me jiejie. you know you can't hide your thoughts from me."

xiaomei sighed deeply at renjun who looked at her with pity eyes. "the prince..how do i say this?" xiaomei sighed once again.

"you've grown to like him." renjun stated quietly. xiaomei heard his short and quiet words. she looked down at her fiddling hands that sat directly in her lap. "it's a strong word to say, possibly..missing him?"

the tone of her voice sounded doubtful. she doubted herself with her own words and feelings. she wasn't sure how she was feeling. of course she couldn't deny he was an attractive male but, she couldn't tell if she liked him or not?

"oh who are you kidding? you like him and you've liked him for years. you lied to him when you said you gave the necklace back to me, when you actually had it the whole time. don't lie to me and yourself, and say you miss him. you clearly like him more than a friend, more than a prince. you clearly know that he likes you but you always rejected him because you only now started to like him in that way."

renjun ranted to the stunned girl. xiaomei sat there in shock at the amount of words that ran out his mouth - a strong passive aggressive tone heard.

"did i ever tell you that he asked if i wanted to be his queen and i was about to say yes but he didn't let me answer because i was taken aback but he thought i was gonna reject him and so he ran off and then he was on his mother's side and so that's why i'm avoiding him...?" renjun whipped his head in xiaomei's direction with eyes wide.

"HE SAID WHAT?!" renjun yelled. xiaomei scowled at the younger male, slapping her hand over his mouth - which he licked. xiaomei retracted her hand in disgust at his action.

"you were gonna say yes?! and he just left you before you answered?!" renjun whisper yelled. yet again, xiaomei said nothing and only nodded her head.

renjun gripped his hands onto either side of xiaomei's shoulders, staring into her eyes with a wide smile. "you have to invite me to the wedding and the coronation."
"there won't be any, he hates me."

"no i don't." the short three words, spoken by the familiar deep voice. renjun looked over xiaomei's shoulders while xiaomei sat there frozen like ice.

"i don't hate you, mei. i also never will." his words rung in her ears like a bell, they stung her heart like an arrow piercing through a stack of hay.

renjun slipped his hands off xiaomei's shoulders and stood up slowly. "i'll uhm..be off. excuse me, your highness." renjun bowed awkwardly and escaped the strong tension that drifted in the air.

xiaomei, too, stood up from the bench and attempted her escape. of course, she was stopped by the prince's hand wrapping around her wrist.

"mei..can we please talk? at our spot?" his honeyed voice echoed in her ears, sending a chain of chills down her spine. "your highness, if you excuse me-"
"xiaomei, please.." his voice was small and brittle.

xiaomei didn't have to look into his eyes to know that they were glassy.

"your highness.." xiaomei tried to project her voice as cold and strong but she couldn't. "just one last time before you leave me completely? please. after this i promise i'll never come to bother you again." the prince pleaded with desperation.
"just this once." xiaomei whispered.

something tugged both their hearts. the feeling of a promise he now had to keep, the feeling of abandonment, the feeling of their hearts breaking into shards.