Chapter 2- More Than a Bargain

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Moon kept good on her promise to Toffee and worked every day on making his job a living hell. She quickly sensed that he was the kind of person with a thin tolerance for nonsense. Despite his appearance, he was just another stuffy councilman, like the rest. Moon figured that, if she acted out long enough, Toffee would get fed up with her behavior and quit. However, despite all her best efforts, she was unable to get a rise out of Toffee. He didn't get angry when she arrived late, or mouthed off to him in lessons. His comebacks were always witty and intelligent. Moon blasted him with spells anytime his back was turned, but his sixth sense always seemingly warned him before she'd even utter one. She purposely put bugs in in his afternoon tea, which he always drank without complaint. Nothing that Moon ever did exposed even the tiniest bit of emotion in him and it was the most infuriating thing. Did it really take this much effort to get a monster to snap? How long would she need to keep this up before she was finally rid of him?

"Princess—we don't have time for this today..."

Toffee was walking through the royal gardens, unperturbed and surprisingly relaxed for someone who could not find the only daughter of the royal family. Moon's new favorite thing had become hiding from him. He always ended up finding her, but it was a creative waste of his time that required minimal effort. The sights of the gardens were beautiful, but he paid them little attention other than a perimeter scanning glance. He took a sudden turn off the path towards a seemingly ordinary tree and found the little pink thing he had seen hanging out of the corner of his eye was indeed the hem of the princess's dress. "I found you."

"Spssh, I went easy on you today," Moon scoffed, unimpressed. "—Trust fall!"

She suddenly swung herself completely off the branch she was sitting on. Toffee's expression changed for a fraction of a second, as he ran to catch her. He held out his arms just in time and she fell right into them. "Good catch. You're actually pretty fast."

"Must you insist on giving everyone around you heart attacks with your recklessness."

"So, you were worried about me?"

"No, I wasn't." he replied, coldly, setting her down onto the grass. "Now, we really must get on with your lesson. Come along."

They walked back through the castle corridors in silence. Toffee was straight-faced, as always, seemingly thinking on nothing but the destination. However, Moon was clearly pondering something deeply.

"What do you worry about, Toffee? Isn't there anything that scares you?" Moon asked, suddenly. He looked at her a little puzzled, but then returned his gaze forward.

"That is none of your concern, your highness." Toffee replied, dutifully. "You need only care about the worries of your subjects—"

"I don't care about them. I'm asking about you." she pressed even further. There had to just be something inside his shell. He couldn't just be Mr. Manners and Responsibility, all the time. He was a monster, for christ's sake. He must've seen war, felt bloodlust and the adrenaline of battle. Frankly, Moon would've found him far more interesting, if he just let her in and displayed he had any form of personality. On that first day she met him, there was a moment where she thought he might not be that bad. He might've actually been someone who believed in her. However, he'd done nothing since to assure her that he was on her side. So, she prodded and poked at his tender spots until finally—

"Tell me! I want to know—"

"Yes, but you do not need to know. That is the difference!" he suddenly snapped. It was the first time she'd actually succeeded in making him angry and Moon stopped following him immediately as his loud voice reverberated the empty hall. It was what she had wanted. She wished to strike any sort of emotion in Toffee. However, suddenly, Moon didn't know why she kept pushing him towards this. His eyes were enraged, his nostrils flared, and sharp teeth snarled, probably wanting nothing more than to bite her. Kill her. It was the first time she really saw the true monster in him. It was horrifying.

Monster Love |~Moon and Toffee~|Where stories live. Discover now