Away ⥃ Nishimura Riki

.Fifteen.

KIM SEULHYUN skipped through the open corridors as her hand held a plate that had a slice of pie on it, her fork dug into the pie as she took a big bite. The savory delicacy was absolutely delicious. It was everything she needed after a tiresome day. As she peered over the field, where she heard grunts and low cries, she saw a group of men in training.

All of them wore a torn shirt. It was originally white, but from the sweat and dirt it captured, it had turned into a soft beige color. Some of their pants were rolled up to their knees, while others had it unraveled. Through concentrated eyes, she saw that each knight wore a badge. There were different colors. She guessed it indicates their ranks.

Amongst the miserable knights, there stood a vampire who stood tall as he avoided every attack targeted at him with such ease. He was agile with his feet and precise with his movements—every action he made formed a certain angle, which Seulhyun couldn't help but gape at. It was rather embarrassing for the knights, as they stood no chance whatsoever with the young prince.

The latter watched as a knight lunged himself towards the prince as he aimed his sword at his neck, but impressively, Prince Niki crouched down and extended his leg, tripping the poor knight down.

Seulhyun grimaced at the sight, although she wasn't the one in the fight, she could tell that fall would leave a bruise for a few weeks. "Ouch."

Not long after, another knight mustered up the courage to run towards Niki, putting his arms around the prince's neck and tackled him down. Prince Niki fell down harshly, causing Seulhyun to wince as the knight positioned himself above the prince to serve him a punch. However, before he could swing his fist at him, the prince had switched positions, swiftly putting a dagger against his neck.

The cinnamon-haired girl, who had no intention of joining the fight, raised her brows in surprise. He did it so quickly that she had almost missed it. "How is he so fast?" She muttered to herself.

She saw the previous knight tap the ground ferociously, indicating his forfeit. Prince Niki then removed himself from the knight and gave him a polite bow while the knight mimicked his actions. When the knight went back to his previous place, Niki stood alone at the center of the field, waiting for any other volunteers that wished to fight him.

To his disappointment, none of the knights were brave enough to challenge him since he was free of any injuries while they were covered in scars, bruises, and even blood.

"How are you supposed to beat the king with that attitude." She heard him say, "What is the point of attaining skill without an attitude?"

After his question, the knights rumbled amongst themselves—some of them complained about how unfair the fight was, whilst others reflected on his words.

Seulhyun took another bite of Haeyul's pie. She leaned on a pillar as she crossed her legs, entertaining herself with the knights below her as she enjoyed her early supper.
"Your obsession towards me is showing."

A deep voice rumbled next to her ears, which resulted in her lifting her fork up to stab whoever it was. But her arm was immediately held back as her eyes met a pair of dark eyes tainted with smugness. "It happened once, I will not let it happen again." Prince Niki told, alluding to the episode at the field.

Seulhyun's face formed a frown. Why does he have to creep up on her? and scaring her with their close proximity too. Is that a hobby of his now? Because if it is, she loathes it.

Swallowing down the food in her mouth, she spoke, "Why do you have to be so bloody near me?" She gushed in vexation. "Can't you greet me how a vampire would normally do?"
"And what is the fun in that?"
"You will decrease the chances of getting hurt."

Niki snorted as he freed her arm. "You can't hurt me." He confidently said, "Didn't you see me fighting against those vampires down there? None of them could leave a scratch on me, so how can you?"
"Maybe I didn't break your nose, but I surely did leave a bruise."

"I saw your green nose a few days ago." She mocked, "Glad you're not a zombie anymore." Seulhyun petted his shoulder as glee soared in her body, watching his face contort into a scowl.

"You saw that?" Cursing at himself for letting you see him in such a 'vulnerable' state. She was not going to let him live this down.
"Of course, I did. It made my day honestly."
"I hate you."
"The feeling is mutual."

Niki rolled his eyes, and as he did, he noticed a purple spot on her left wrist. His brow pulled together as he instinctively gripped her arm and twisted it outwards, revealing the purple bruise. Seulhyun yelped in surprise, dropping her fork as the prince examined her wrist.

"Who did this?" He questioned, the previous jest in his voice vanished as his face stoned.

"No one did. I was practicing my stamina in enchanting earlier, I must have gotten it then." She simply answered, shrugging it off since witches and wizards get it often. Actually, a lot of the wizards and witches showcase their bruises to boast about their achievements and efforts to others.

Niki sighed, brows still furrowed, and stared at her with an unidentified expression. "What?"  The girl voiced out, confused by the prince.
"Nothing."

Seulhyun hummed, not buying his response but brushed it off nonetheless. Her eyes glanced at their tangled hands and trailed toward his shirt. Although he wasn't sweating much, his shirt was still a bit damp from all of his actions, causing it to stick to his figure, showing the defined lines of his muscles. The girl averted her eyes from his abdomen as she felt her face warm.

She cleared her throat. "Aren't you supposed to go take a bath?" She asked

Out of nowhere, a butler joined their conversation, deeply bowing to the prince, to which Niki merely responded with a nod. "The King has ordered a meeting held in the Great Hall this instant." He informed.

Seulhyun shared a glance with the youngest prince, questions evident in their eyes, yet neither of them had the answers. Prince Niki faced the butler, "We will be there." He said.

The butler's eyes lingered on Prince Niki's hand, which still held Seulhyun's arm, and excused himself.

Rest in peace our Moonbin 🕊️
May the stars keep you company

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