My feet walked across the pathway of a certain town near the capital city, taking me to the orphanage located at the very back.
Sana skipped and jumped, enjoying every second of our little walk. We were attracting a few eyes because of our masks, but they eventually looked elsewhere when their curiosity subsided.
Still, it's unexpected for Sana to want to visit an orphanage. Is she perhaps fond of children? Or maybe she just wants to heal herself by surrounding herself with balls of sunshine?
Lots of possibilities ran through my mind, but a sudden guess had me sucking in a shocked breath. Or is she going there to look for an heir to the throne?!
I gulped at the thought of her becoming a mother. I mean, she'd probably be a great mom, but she's too young for that!
Knowing her, she'd definitely be the type of parent to dote on her children and spoil them to no end, but at the same time, will make sure they grow into fine adults and teach them proper manners.
"Wh- Why are we heading to an orphanage?" I couldn't hold myself back any longer and stuttered out a question. I really wanted to know the reason behind her sudden interest in orphanages.
"A former attendant of mine is working there, I promised her I'd visit someday, and we're here to fulfill that promise!"
Sana's enthusiasm made me sigh in utter relief. God knows how relieved I was to know that was the reason. Now that my mind is clear from pointless assumptions, I can finally relax and enjoy this day to the fullest.
We stopped in front of the said orphanage, and the first thing I noticed was the church attached to it. It made me wonder which god it believed in, or did it believe in all 3?
"Queen Sana?"
I immediately flinched after hearing an unfamiliar voice mention Sana's name. Snapping my head to the side, a woman holding a laundry basket with her mouth agape entered my field of vision.
My face portrayed a look of panic behind my mask. I was about to ask Sana if she knew this unidentified and exceptionally gorgeous woman, but her loud squeal stopped me.
"Cho Miyeon!" Sana jumped into her arms, engulfing her in a warm hug.
Miyeon threw aside the basket, and hugged the queen's waist. Her squeals were even louder than Sana's as they spun around while jumping in the most adorable way possible.
Two beauties hugging each other so happily, it was a sight to behold. The huge smiles on their pretty faces were enough to warm the heart and give you butterflies.
"It's so good to see you again! How'd you know it was me?" Sana asked when the two finally pulled away after a whole minute of embracing each other.
"As if I'd ever fail to recognize you. I served you for over 10 years until I had to quit, your highness" Miyeon giggled and took a step back to do a curtsy. "It's so nice to finally see you again, my queen"
Sana took her mask off and wiped the tears pooling in her eyes. While she was busy stopping herself from bawling her eyes out, I was busy being impressed by how Miyeon recognized her so easily.
Even I'd take a minute or two before I can recognize Sana with a mask on. They must have been very close back then if Miyeon had seen through her disguise the moment she laid eyes on the queen.
It made me a bit envious since Jennie has failed many times at figuring out Y/n Granbell's real identity. I mean, it's a relief for me as Y/n Granbell, but as the great captain Y/n L/n, it kind of hurt me a little.
Hopefully, I'll be able to teach her a lesson once the gods erase everyone's memories of my death. I'll be sure to knock some sense into her if our plan succeeds.
But for it to succeed, I have to beat the crap out of Dilariel and Ciferio first. I sighed triedly, what a hassle this turned out to be.
"I'm assuming you came here to fulfill your promise?" Miyeon asked, pulling out a handkerchief and using it to wipe Sana's tears.
The latter nodded and held Miyeon's hands. "I'd like to meet the children of this orphanage, would that be okay?"
"It's more than okay, your majesty! The queen herself has allowed those children to be in her presence, they are truly blessed with exceptional luck" Miyeon held Sana in high regard, so to her, those children were the luckiest fairies in the 3rd world.
Well, she wasn't wrong. Not even high-ranked nobles could meet the queen in person, so those kids were indeed fortunate.
Miyeon quickly led us inside, showing us the way to where the orphans currently were. Loud yells and giggles sounded at the other side of a certain door. Sana and I glanced at each other before nodding.
She pushed the door open and went inside first, silencing everyone in the room. Miyeon was the next to go in while I was last.
The children were quiet for a bit, gazes shifting from Sana to me then back to her. They looked at us from head to toe, scanning us like machines in attempt to get as much information as possible.
It was like that for god knows how long until their eyes sparkled with excitement. I was expecting them to immediately rush to Sana, but I was proven wrong when they suddenly ran to my side.
"WAAAH! It's a knight!" One of them yelled.
"What a cool mask!" Another said while bouncing up and down.
"Your sword looks so awesome!" A kid with a missing front tooth tried to pull my sword out of its scabbard, but I was quick to back away.
"Easy there, you'll get hurt if you randomly go taking out swords" I knelt down in front of him and ruffled his hair.
"Sorry!" Despite his readiness to apologize, he didn't seem like he was the slightest bit guilty because of the wide grin on his face.
I laughed as they began to circle me and bombarding me with questions. They were a loud bunch, but undeniably cute. They were also very polite and asked for my permission if they could touch me.
A clearing of someone's throat had us turning to the direction of where it came from. There, we saw Miyeon who was gesturing at Sana.
"Kids, I'd like you to meet Minatozaki Sana. She came all the way here to visit all of you" Miyeon looked rather proud while saying that and waited for the kids to squeal.
"Not interested" But the reaction she got was not what she was expecting.
The children were too focused on me to notice the brokenhearted look on Sana's face, but before she could sulk in a corner, one of the older kids spoke.
"Minatozaki?" The young girl asked and approached Sana with curiosity. "Eh? Minatozaki as in Queen Minatozaki!?"
"Queen?" The others were now directing their full attention to Sana after their friend had begun to jump around excitedly.
"You guys, it's her! The first fairy queen, Minatozaki Sana!" The 10-year-old female gazed at Sana with so much adoration to the point that one could say she was her biggest fan.
While she was busy fangirling, the rest were still utterly confused. One of them even asked a question that made me snort. "What's a queen? Is that some sort of snack?"
Miyeon let out a hearty laugh and knelt down in front of the boy who rubbed his belly. He was probably hungry, it was the middle of the day, and I doubt they had lunch yet.
"No, Soobin. A queen is someone who rules over a world" Miyeon explained, but another cheerful voice chimed in.
"So, she's a ruler?"
"You're almost there, but not quite, Winter" Miyeon took the literal ruler little Winter passed her and put it aside. "Yeji, you seem to understand what a queen is, so how about you tell them?" She called for the young female who was still fangirling.
The latter quickly snapped out of it and turned to her friends, slightly annoyed that she had to be the one who explains something so simple.
"She owns the damn world"
Loud screams instantly filled the room as the children began to circle Sana, two of them even hugged her legs while two more held her hands.
"I'm Nako, will you please sign my forehead!?"
"Sign mine, too! My name is Felix!"
"Ryujin, let me hold her hand, too!"
"First come, first serve. Go hold her other hand, Chaewon!"
"But Hyunjin won't let me!"
Miyeon immediately stepped in just before an argument could break out. "Calm down, everyone. You're being rude to Queen Sana!"
All of them backed away in a hurry, afraid that they might get scolded for being so clingy. And on the count of 3, they bowed their heads to apologize. They may be young, but their manners were better than most adults.
They had startled Sana a bit, but the queen didn't seem to mind when she crouched down and caressed their heads one by one.
"Have all of you eaten?" A chorus of nos and head shakes was the reply to her question. "Then how about I buy you everything you want for lunch?"
Another series of excited screaming echoed around the room as they went back to swarming her. Sana laughed at their reaction and entertained them, paying attention to every word they said.
"Beef! Beef is a must! I'm Wonyoung, by the way!"
"I'm Yunjin! Can we get burgers?"
"Ningning and I want cake!" Winter pulled Ningning to her side as the two girls hugged Sana's right arm.
While the kids continued to make a ruckus, Miyeon sighed next to me. "I knew this would happen... They tend to get very clingy when they're excited"
I laughed at that and told her it was completely fine. "Her majesty seems to be enjoying their company, so it shouldn't be a problem"
Miyeon moved her eyes from me to Sana, seeing the wide grin the latter had. Although she was still concerned, Miyeon decided to just let them do whatever they wanted.
She couldn't bring herself to pull the kids away from Sana, especially when Sana looked so happy. "This is the first time I've seen her having so much fun"
The smile of compersion on Miyeon's face put a smile on mine, as well. She seemed to really care about Sana and the well-being of her queen, it made me understand why Sana was so happy to see her again.
And after 5 more minutes of the children listing out everything they wanted, we went back to the town to go shopping.
"Are you a knight or Queen Sana's guard?" A little girl named Minju asked while holding the basket of strawberries she was helping me carry.
She looked a lot like Tzuyu, so I couldn't hold back the urge to pinch her cheek before answering her. "I'm both"
"Why'd you pinch my cheek, though?"
"Because I felt like doing it" I laughed and caressed the top of her head. She probably thought I was weird, but it didn't really bother her that much so she shrugged it off.
I kind of want to introduce her to Tzuyu. Minju was timid and shy, but I'm sure she'll like Tzuyu a lot if they ever meet. I clicked my tongue, if only I could drag Tzuyu's ass here without taking too long.
I obviously can't leave Sana alone with no one to protect her just so I could introduce that tall yoda to this little angel next to me.
In the end, I decided that I should just come back here the next time I'm free. And of course, I'm taking Tzuyu with me. It's been a while since the two of us hung out somewhere nice, so I'll definitely take her here.
"Did everyone get what they wanted?" Sana asked after buying Sunoo the ice cream he wanted.
They all replied with a loud yes, and with that, we went back with satisfied smiles as the kids hopped around like bunnies.
"Y/n!" I stopped in my tracks after Sana called me. She finally managed to escape from Chaewon and Winter's hold, and was now walking beside me. "Is it okay if we stay the night here? I want to spend more time with the kids and catch up with Miyeon"
"Of course, if that's what you want then I see no problems with staying here a little longer"
Sana held my hand and leaned her head on my shoulder. She's gotten very clingy with me ever since we started our getaway trip– not that I'm complaining, I'm actually very happy about it.
"Thank you" She whispered, snuggling closer. She was getting really comfortable with me, and the way she intertwined our fingers and swung her other arm over my neck proved it.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and mustered up the courage to wrap my arms around her slim waist, her small frame fitting perfectly with mine.
The stupid grin on my face would have been exposed to the world if it weren't for my mask that was keeping me from looking like a total idiot.
A smitten giggle fell from my lips, not noticing the multiple pairs of eyes staring at us with amusement.
"Are you two dating?" Yeji was the one to ask followed by Wonyoung who stepped in front of us.
"Or are you two married?" The innocent little girl asked with her innocent little gaze and her innocent little friends behind her. So adorable.
Sana was flustered by the questions and jumped away from me with a forced laugh. "No, no, we're not like that"
"But it looked like you really wanted to kiss her, though?"
"Only couples kiss!" Soobin added to Yunjin's statement.
"Eh!?" Sana shrieked, knees buckling. "Yo- You're mistaken! I'm wearing a mask, you can't possibly–"
"Do you like her?" This time, it was Ningning who asked.
But before I could hear Sana's answer, Miyeon came at the wrong time and pulled me aside. "Would you mind helping me with something?"
"Oh, uh sure" I nodded and glanced one last time at Sana who practically had steam coming out of her ears due to how hot her face was under her mask.
-
The process of cooking tonight's dinner was... well, not good.
Okay, I'll be honest– it was beyond terrible.
I, who was well aware of how disastrous Sana was in the kitchen, suggested that she should go and play with the kids. But Miyeon who wasn't as aware of it, insisted that the queen should stay.
And I'm pretty sure everyone already knows how that turned out...
I won't dig further into the details since I don't want to ruin her majesty's good name. So instead, just imagine a perfectly good kitchen turning into what looked like the aftermath of a war.
Miyeon, who was dragged into the battlefield, was shot down with eggs and had ketchup smeared all over her. The poor girl was currently on the floor, passed out after Sana accidentally threw a frying pan at her.
"Miyeeoooon!!" Sana cried dramatically and draped her body over the unconscious girl.
And before things could get any worse, I dragged both of them out of the room and locked the door so they couldn't get in. I then looked to the side, seeing the little girl I brought with me. "Let's just get this over with"
"Aye" Minju nonchalantly replied and grabbed a mop while I started cooking with the ingredients we had left.
After the both of us finished doing our tasks, I called everyone into the dining room while handing Minju the cookies I baked for her as a reward.
"Ms. Miyeon, what's that on your head?" Nako pointed at the bandages wrapped around Miyeon's head.
Sana looked down in shame, holding back the tears in her eyes as Minju comforted her silently. The latter rubbed the back of Sana's leg and offered her a cookie in attempt to cheer her up.
"This is yummy!" One of the kids said and a few similar compliments were being yelled out as everyone enjoyed their meals.
Sana offered to do the dishes, but Miyeon learned her lesson and begged the queen to just stay put. Minju dragged Sana out of the room along with the rest of the kids. What a reliable, little angel.
She looked a lot like Tzuyu, but her personality differed too much from my favorite brat. Yeah, I'm totally gonna introduce those two to each other one day.
"Ah, right!" Miyeon exclaimed after remembering something and turned to me. "This orphanage only has one guest room"
"Okay?" I replied, not really understanding why she's bringing that up.
"So, you and Queen Sana will share that room"
"Eh?"
"You're gonna sleep with her"
"In the same room?..."
"In the same room"
"Just the two of us?..."
"Just the two of you"
My brain malfunctioned for a good 5 minutes.
-
"A- Are you sure you don't mind sharing a room with me? I can always sleep outside..." I tried reasoning out, too shy to enter the room Sana was currently in. The door was open, and I could clearly see Sana laying on the bed, wearing unicorn pyjamas.
Yesterday at night, Sana and I rented out separate rooms at the inn near the beach. So we obviously didn't sleep together on the same bed.
But tonight was different– instead of sleeping in the room next to hers, I'll be sleeping right next to her. In the same room, on the same bed. My heart couldn't handle it.
"Nonsense! I can't let you sleep in the cold while I lay on a soft mattress, such unfairness will not be tolerated!" Sana's refusal to my offer made me flinch. Judging by the serious look on her face, I just knew that she won't let me go even if I go on my knees and beg her.
With a defeated sigh, I took hesitant steps inside and closed the door behind me. Starting now, I'll be all alone with Sana. In the same room! At night!
Gulping, I took my mask off and fanned my burning face. Sana was looking at me so intently, I thought I was going to melt. She didn't take her eyes off me for even a second while I could only glance awkwardly at her.
And at my 6th glance, I saw her bite her lip.
"Y/n," She called, voice barely above a whisper as she laid on the bed in a very alluring position.
"Y- Yes?" My voice cracked, but she didn't bother noticing it and smirked.
"Be gentle?"
And that was how the great captain L/n almost experienced a second death.
My heart did a backflip, a somersault, a cartwheel and finally an impressive jump that almost had it flying out of my mouth.
"PARDON!?" It was a miracle that I hadn't fainted from shock yet.
Never have I ever imagined Sana to say such bold words. The way she said it so casually made me realize how much of a coward I was when it came to things like this, I could never bring myself to say words like that to her or to anyone else. And yet she did it so easily as if she didn't have a single fear in the world.
Just when my knees were about to give in, she suddenly pointed at the object in my hands. "That vase, be gentle with it"
I looked down at the vase Miyeon gave me. It was a gift for Sana. I went quiet for a while, eyes never leaving the vase as my brain slowly processed the information it just received.
Sana looked at me with concern, wondering why I was suddenly so quiet. "Y/n, are you alright?"
Snapping out of it, I looked up and met her gaze. "Huh? Oh, yes. I- I'm quite alright" I immediately placed the vase down on the nightstand and grabbed my mask. "I forgot something in the kitchen" Obviously, that was a lie.
I didn't want to lie to her, but I had no other choice. If I stay here any longer, I just might die a second time due to the unbearable embarrassment.
I closed the door and leaned on the wall next to it. My legs eventually gave up on me as I fell on my bottom, heart still racing and hands on my head.
"What's up with you?" Minju asked after seeing me drop on the floor with a thud.
"I almost had a heart attack..."
Minju understood that I didn't want to explain anything at the moment and just sit there until my embarrassment subsides. So instead of interrogating me, she plopped down beside me.
Taking out the container that stored cookies inside of it, she took one out and placed it on top of my head before picking up another one and shoving it in her mouth.
"Yum"
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