"You should get some sleep too," Casimir reminds once again.
"I'm really not tired." I reply firmly as I cross my arms and lean back against the wall.
After what had felt like hours of journeying, we had finally found Ecrin which according to Casimir, is one of the villages that we have to pass by in order to get to Myrefall. Since it is already nightfall, Casimir decided that it would be best if we rested at the village overnight.
You might ask, why Myrefall exactly?
Well, the last people to see Rosalia are the villagers of Myrefall—the Myrefallions. As such, Casimir believes that the Myrefallions might know of Rosalia's whereabouts.
"Quit being so stubborn and actually get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a long day and I don't know if we'll get the chance to sleep much. You can't go on for an entire day without sleep." Casimir reprimands sternly.
"And I'm telling you that I don't need to sleep. I'll keep a lookout for us." I retort, frustrated by his incessant pestering.
"How dangerous can a village be?" Casimir questions, giving me a blank stare.
Honestly, how naive of him to assume that he is safe in a village.
"Sometimes I really wonder if you forget that you're going to be the King of Acreria. With you dead, there will be no successor and the Hughes will be overthrown. Anyone can pretend to like you and stab you in the back at any moment. Understand that your life is priceless." I caution in exasperation.
He remains silent then he lets out a sigh and leans against the headboard of the bed.
"I'll keep you company then." Casimir informs indifferently.
Is he really going to try to spite me right now?
"No, you're not. You need to sleep, Casimir." I insist, evidently disapproving of his idea.
"You do too and yet I don't see you sleeping either." Casimir counters matter-of-factly.
I roll my eyes at him and I can feel myself losing my patience. It truly makes me wonder if we are fated foes.
"I am of a different status as compared to you and you need to understand that. It is my duty to ensure you're safe." I explain, trying my hardest to not lash out.
He frowns and crosses his arms, refusing to budge.
Frustrated at his stubbornness, I let out a sigh of defeat before grabbing onto his arm as I attempt to get him to lay on the bed. However, he grasps onto my arm abruptly and pulls me onto the empty spot beside him. With that, I am now staring into his hazel eyes as we both lay on the springy mattress.
The earthy hues in his eyes shimmer under the dim light and I am caught in a daze, incapable of looking away. I am completely and utterly captivated by his cryptic gaze.
It would be an understatement to say that he seems remorseful.
In fact, his eyes portrayed an overwhelming plethora of emotions. It is as though he is both frustrated and apologetic at the same time. Conflicted almost.
"Do I look like I give a damn about our different statuses?" Casimir questions, his tone clearly soaked in fury.
I instantly clench my fists so tightly that my knuckles begins to turn white and my lips purse into a thin line. I can feel my muscles tensing up and I am unsure of how to respond. Frankly, I am taken aback by his unanticipated outburst.
As if it had dawned on him that his reaction had frightened me, Casimir loosens his grip on my arm and his tone softens. "I didn't mean for it to come off that way..."
I keep mum, still unable to utter a single word.
As if subconsciously, he loosens his grasp even more and his fingertips are now barely touching my arm. His actions confuses me and it is almost as though I would get hurt by his touch.
He then looks me in the eyes and mumbles under his breath so quietly that if I had not tried hard enough, his words would have been inaudible.
"I just can't always have someone put my well-being and safety over theirs . It just doesn't feel right..."
Stunned, my eyes widen at his comment.
"W-What?" I stutter, mustering whatever I had left in me to finally speak up.
"It's ironic, isn't it? That as the soon-to-be-king, people have to risk their lives for me when supposedly, I should be the one looking after my people." Casimir asks rhetorically, looking away as he sits up.
I follow suit and sit up too, about to respond to his sudden insightfulness. However, before I am able to do so, he gets up from the bed and saunters towards the chair before plopping down on it. This makes me hold back from speaking.
What was I even going to say?
I honestly do not know.
I feel the urge and the need to say something but nothing comes to mind. I could not tease or argue with him like I usually do. Then, it hits me. It felt as if he was an entirely different person. It was a side to him that I did not expect to witness.
Just as I am struggling to comprehend and wrap my head around what had just occurred, my thoughts get interrupted by Casimir.
"You can go ahead and sleep. I'll be here." Casimir instructs and I immediately look at him, confused.
"What do you mean? Are you not sleeping?" I ask.
"Oh please, I'm not as wilful as you, Rissa. I love my sleep and I definitely am not dumb enough to give it up for yours. Though, I do hope that you can trust me that we're safe. So please, let's both sleep." Casimir responds jokingly.
There he is.
The Casimir that I know.
"You, the demon of all royals, are going to sleep on a chair while you let me sleep on the bed? Is this part of your scheme to kill me?" I reiterate, clearly in disbelief.
"Yes, Rissa. As impossible as it sounds, I'm not all mean you know." Casimir snaps back hastily.
I sigh in defeat before getting up from the bed.
"You know I can't allow that. You can sleep on the bed, don't worry about me."
Casimir raises a quizzical eyebrow at me and does not move an inch.
"Get back down and sleep. Either we both sleep, you on the bed and me on the chair, otherwise I will literally make us play hide and seek for the rest of the night." Casimir threatens in the most childish way possible and I can only stare blankly at his absolutely harmless warning.
"You wouldn't," I challenge.
"Oh. Try me, Rissa." Casimir says with such assertiveness that I start to believe that he might actually not be joking.
"Alright fine. Just for today, promise?" I finally give in.
He then nods his head triumphantly and proceeds to shut his eyes, ready to sleep.
I hesitantly climb back onto the bed and try to get some sleep.
Of course, it is much easier said than done. God knows how long was I pondering about every event that had occurred thus far since my arrival in Acreria.
One question that I simply could not get out of my head involves Casimir.
What kind of a king does he want to be?
I had such mixed feelings that I simply did not know.
He gives the impression that he would be an atrociously awful ruler yet during our interactions, he appears to be so different from what people set him out to be.
Will it be as they say? Will he be the fall of Acreria?
I do not have an answer.
However, deep down, I probably did.
Perhaps I am just too afraid to admit it.
♚♚♚
"I can't help but notice you reading one of my all-time favourite." Casimir exclaims as he ambles towards me, back into the hut that we had stayed in overnight.
Surprisingly, I managed to get at least some sleep.
"Oh really? You read? Knowing you, I assumed that you'd threaten the book to read itself to you otherwise you'd incinerate their existence." I respond cheekily, gently closing the book before placing it back on the desk that I had picked it up from.
"Ouch. What do you take me for? A fool?" Casimir questions in disbelief and places his hand over his heart, pretending to feel hurt by my assumption.
"And you're sure it's your favourite book?" I ask in amusement.
"Absolutely. In fact, I love that book so much that I'd say rereading it can even be considered a hobby of mine." Casimir brags with such confidence in himself that I cannot help but burst into fits of laughter.
"Reading a travel guide book is a hobby of yours?" I say while choking in between my laughs.
He has on a blank expression and it gets gradually replaced by mortification.
"I stand by what I say." Casimir tries desperately to hide his ignorance and proceeds to brush it off. "Anyways, get packing. We should go. We have to find Rosalia soon before my father finds us."
I merely nod my head, trying my hardest to hold back my threatening laughter. Afterwards, I quickly grab my backpack and so does Casimir.
With that, we make our way out of the hut and eventually out of the village after thanking the village chief for accommodating us.
We are engulfed by tranquility for a while until I decide to question Casimir.
"What do you plan to do once you see her?"
"Truthfully, I don't know either." Casimir replies solemnly.
"Well, do you plan to get back with her?" I ask further.
He fidgets with the hem of his shirt for a while, uncertain of his answer.
"I don't know once again. Even if I wanted to, it would be the most selfish thing I can ever do to my people and to her." Casimir answers vaguely.
Understanding that he is probably feeling conflicted, I decide to stop prying and we are once again enveloped by silence.
However, that did not stop my mind from pondering. Eventually, I finally give in to my curiosity.
"What kind of person was she?"
Casimir looks startled by my question but continues to answer it.
"You'd be surprised. Rosalia isn't the kind of person you would envision a princess to be. She is so different from what fairytales would portray princesses to be. She is known for being selfish, arrogant and even bratty. Kids would call her the villain. But in my eyes, she's just a girl who is trying to escape from a title she was born with. A title she's stuck with and has no say in." Casimir explains and I am left quite confused.
I cannot help but question myself if what he feels is love or sympathy.
"What about yours? You've heard so much about Rosalia but I don't even know a thing about your first love. I don't even know his name." Casimir changes the topic swiftly.
Almost immediately, I can feel myself tensing up. It is honestly insane how the thought of him alone is enough to send chills down my spine.
"Chad."
Casimir shoots me a perplexed look.
"His name is Chad." I force myself to repeat his name once again.
"Did he hurt you?" Casimir asks out of concern, probably because he had noticed that I was shaking ever so slightly.
"Perhaps." I mutter and bite my bottom lip uneasily.
"Well then, perhaps the world accidentally gifted such a wonderful name to a douchebag."