Vamp Guards ✔️

F I F T Y-T W O

"Sage, too?"

Seconds later Sage popped up beside Kai, smiling innocently.

"Why, hello my prince–ah, princess." Sage acknowledged Zoe, and she smiled confusingly.

Sage began nudging Kai out from their spot and they hesitantly walked in the royals' direction.

"What were you two doing?" Iris asked. Automatically he wanted to smile at Kai, but he was too confused to change his expression.

Kai cleared his throat. "Talking."

"Talking?"

"Yes, about..." Kai glanced at Sage and she took a step closer.

"We apologize for intruding on your private time, sir. We were talking about action plans regarding our unwanted guests in the kingdom. We didn't realize you were in this garden as well." She finished with a pearly smile and released a sharp breath.

Iris wasn't gullible but he had a tendency to believe things more when someone spoke it so highly and confidently. Sage kept her chest out and back straight and hoped he'd buy her story.

He answered with a small smile, though his eyes narrowed with speculation both Kai and Sage hoped he wouldn't voice.

"Right...well, that's okay. You didn't interrupt anything important." He glanced at Kai, as if to reassure him, but was taken back when Kai was momentarily glowering at Zoe.

"Anyway–" Sage cut in, also noticing Kai's resurfacing anger, and she grabbed his shoulders. "–we apologize again. We'll be taking our leave now."

Kai shot a pointed look towards Sage and she tightened her grip on his shoulders and subtly shook her head. Her expression said 'it can wait' so he responded with a huff and turned away. Seconds later, only Sage stood in Iris and Zoe's sight.

She smiled at them, bowed her head, before disappearing after him.

The confusion and abruptness lingered in the air invested with the smell of roses. Iris didn't have anything to say about their odd behavior, so he was left with the feeling of surprise.

Zoe hummed beside him and curled her arm around Iris's, making him flinch.

"You know, I don't think your body guard likes me very much," she said. She started pulling Iris with her as they walked on the stones leading them around the garden. Iris didn't quote their closeness.

"He's, uh, he's like that with everyone."

"He doesn't look like the glaring type to me."

Iris held back a chuckle. "Don't worry, he always has a reason behind his actions."

Zoe peered up at Iris and pursed her lips with thought. "Iris, you seem fond of him. Is a friend to you?"

"A friend," Iris sighed out. "Yes. Yes he's a friend to me."

"The same applies with Hyde. We've been working together for a long time, it's hard to see him as just a bodyguard, someone professionally tied to me."

Iris nodded, understanding and in agreement.

They walked around the garden for a while longer, arms linked and mouths chatting away. Iris couldn't explain why he felt like he could trust Zoe, or why he wanted to so badly. He gave up tying to understand and probably for the first time ever, accepted what he couldn't put into words without going through an internal battle first.

His head felt lighter agreeing with his brain, but his chest weighed heavier with the uneasiness in his heart. But this time his mind trumped his heart; he just hoped deciding it was okay didn't have a negative effect on him.