>>Amber
"W-what are you saying?!!" My cheeks blushed in embarrassment. I was not expecting him to blurt out such crude words. I noticed the gazes of all the people around me.
Oh No,
Did they all hear that? My heart skipped a beat, there was an odd silence mixed with the chattering and I knew many of the customers were trying to listen.
This is not the type of conversation other people should listen to!
"Why are you acting like you don't remember?" Hael paid no heed to anyone and continued to speak, "You forced me to sleep wi-" I slapped his mouth shut and leaned towards him
"I did no such thing." I glared at him, "Don't make me the villain." My heart pounded in my chest, "There was no forcing,"
This fool!
He's going to create such a fuss with those words of his!
Cory came down the stairs and Aira came out of the kitchen. They both passed by the counter and started talking there. I knew immediately that they were trying to help me out. They had started chatting loud enough to cover Hael and my voice.
Hael grabbed my hand and brought it down from his mouth, "But you did." He said,"You were the one who seduced me."
"W-well, who told you to get seduced?!?!" I tried to remove my hand from his but he didn't let me.
He let out a soft chuckle and brought my hand down but kept mine in his, "I wonder, what was wrong with me?"
"Let my hand go," I demanded.
"Why?" He asked, "You put it on me willingly," He refused my request, on the contrary, he moved his hand slowly, making me notice all the movement as he intertwined his fingers with mine.
I gulped, "Why are you doing this?" I looked at him as my heart acted weird. He was still as beautiful and handsome as ever. On that note, with those classy clothes he was wearing, he looked even more charming.
He looked back at me, "Doing what?" He replied.
Someone called Cory to have their order taken and Cory walked away but she didn't stop talking with Aira, as the distance increased between them, so did their voices. It made the customer who called Cory frown.
I guess his plan failed.
"You said you're not here to kill me, then why are you here?" I asked. I did not want to beat around the bush. It's been two years already. I can't believe he was still looking for me. And the moment he noticed me, he came for me
Why? Why would he look for me now? For what purpose? Everything between us was over that night he burned the mansion down.
There's nothing left between us
Hael stared back at me, "I was curious," He said,
"Curious?" I was baffled, "About what?"
"I wanted to know where you were, what you were doing," He spoke with a straight face,
"Why?" I asked, "There's no need for you to be curious about me,"
"Why not?" He asked, "You are my master,"
"Was," I corrected him, "Not anymore," My words made his eyebrow twitch. I removed my hand from his and this time, he let my fingers slip away, "Whatever we were, is all in the past and it's gone." I told him, "And you and I went our separate ways, we have no reason to see each other,"
"..." He stared at me, his expressions were a bit hard to read but I still hoped that my point got through him, "Did you know what was going to happen that night? On your eighteenth birthday?"
!!!
"Why are you asking me that?" He caught me off guard. I didn't think he would bring that up.
"Because of how you left," He stared deep into my eyes, "Without a trace, with those jewels, and leaving that magic necklace behind, all of it proves that it was planned."
I know I can't lie to him. He'll know right away if I say something strange, or if I try to make something up.
"It was planned," I told him, "I had been planning to run away for a long time."
"I understand that," He said, "But why that night?"
"..." I couldn't think of an excuse
"It looked like a perfectly timed escape. Everyone else died, the mansion burned. Everyone in the manor was presumed dead. No one would ever come looking for you. It was a perfect escape." I tore away from his gaze, "So, tell me, did you know I was going to do something?"
"I did," I replied
"How?" He asked
"I won't tell you," I didn't look at him, "That secret remains with me."
"..." There was silence between us for a while and somehow the whole cafe went quiet. There was a limit to what Aira and Cory could do and they had to return to their posts.
But once everyone saw how quiet we both had gone, the chattering in the cafe started again.
"Fine," He broke the silence between us, "Then why not go back after everything was done?" We looked at each other again.
Ah,
Is that what he was curious about? That I never went back to the mansion? Back to the noble society?
"Hael," I smiled subtly.
"Yes?"
"I am happy here." I looked at him, "This place," I looked at the cafe, "These people," I looked back at him, "They let me breathe. I like it here. A lot,"
"You could have gotten all the power as Countess Cory." He replied, "You still can,"
...
I get a feeling, I need to make this clear to him that I have no intention of ever going back.
"No," I shook my head, "I don't want that, I want to live happily."
"You can live happily there too."
"No," I shook my head again, "I can't, that society doesn't suit me,"
He stared at me, "You've lived there your whole life, how can you say that life didn't suit you?"
"Because my whole life, I've been miserable. You were with me for a lot of it. You saw it first hand how dreadful that place was for me."
"That's because you had no power," He said, "But if you go back now, all the power will be yours."
A point clicked in my mind.
I stared at Hael, then smiled at him, "Oh, Hael," I felt bad for him, "Power doesn't equal happiness."
"I doubt living as a commoner can make you happy."
I let out a soft chuckle, "I don't think you understand what it means to be happy. To be truly happy."
He stared back at me with an unamused look, "..."
"I'm not saying power will make you sad. People can be happy with power and wealth but I know I won't be."
"Why?"
"Because I hated living as a noble." I looked into his eyes, "You saw first hand what it made me." I spread out my hands, "And look at what this place has made me." I passed him a Lively grin, "I am at peace here."
...
"I don't get it," He shook his head softly, "There is nothing appealing about working at a cafe,"
"I hope you understand one day." I smiled at him, "I really do," I nodded and silence fell between us again.
I guess there was nothing left to say between us. I'm glad he doesn't want to kill me as well. He was only curious. And now that curiosity must have been satisfied, right?
"You should leave now," I talked to him softly, "You've finished your tea."
He looked at the tea cup sitting on the counter, "..."
"I hope you don't come back here, Hael." He raised his head to look at me, "We both have chosen very different paths in life and I think we should stay away from each other."
"..." He stared at me. I couldn't read his expressions but he looked a little disturbed.
"I made something the other day," He said out of the blue
"What?" I was not sure what he was saying. Or why he even said that.
"Chocolate brownie," He reached out into his inner coat cloak pocket, then took something out.
"Chocolate brownie?" I looked at him in confusion while he brought his hand towards me. We glanced at each other and then looked at his fist. He opened his hand and on his palm was a chocolate brownie wrapped in a pretty blue cover
"You have chocolate?" I tilted my head in confusion, "What? You said you made this?" I pointed at his palm, "You?"
He nodded, "The king's daughter insisted." He rolled his eyes, "The king demanded I stay with her during her cooking class."
The chocolate brownie floated towards me, "It was annoying then but I like that I made it now." He smirked, "I get to give it to you,"
Oh...
My heart fluttered.
"Thank you?" This was totally unexpected. I took it from him and he stared at me, "I'll eat it well," Weren't we at our goodbyes? Where did this brownie thing come from?
Or is this his way of saying goodbye? Is it like a farewell gift?
My heart stung at the thought but I ignored the feeling.
"..." He kept staring at me.
"...?" It was getting sort of awkward.
Does he want me to eat this chocolate now? Why? Does he think I'll throw it away once he leaves or something? I'm not that bad of a person though.
But he didn't stop looking at me.
I closed my eyes and sighed internally.
I opened the box and found the brownie in it
Wow, it looks so nice.
I glanced at Hael. He was expectantly staring at me. I looked down at the brownie, took it out and took a big bite from it
!!!
It was unexpectedly delicious.
"Oh my!" I brought my hand to my mouth in amazement, "This is really good!"
He smiled, "Thank you," I didn't notice it then, "You'll love the aftertaste as well," I had no idea what he meant by those words. He got off the stool and began to walk away, "I'll meet you later." He whispered his last words.
What did he say?
I ate the rest of the brownie
Oh, well
It doesn't matter
It's not like we'll be meeting again.