I had been tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep due to the rumbling of my stomach that had demanded and urged me to eat something for hours now, the low sound thundering in my ears as it cut through the otherwise heavy silence of my room.
Finally, unable to take it anymore, I abruptly sat up in my bed, tossing off the sea of blankets and pillows that had been slowly drowning me as I squinted around the dark bedroom, taking in the shadowy figures and silhouettes of the furniture and plants, hesitating for a moment as I focused on the veil of stars that covered the night sky outside of my windows, watching as it glinted beautifully in the midnight black landscape of the heavens.
"I probably shouldn't" I whispered to myself but as yet another round of thundering complains roller cover my stomach, I decided otherwise, "No one will be out this late," I said, nodding my head as I tried to treasure myself, a plan quickly coming together in my mind piece by piece as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed before jumping onto the cold floorboards and shivered a little.
"No one will even notice me. Technically, that almost means that I'm not doing anything wrong. Yes, I'll be in and out in no time," I mumbled to myself, hurriedly making my way over to the closet to grab a robe before scurrying down the stairs, careful of every shadowy step as I tried not to stumble and fall.
I poked my head through the door to glance out into the hallway just outside of my room and, as I had expected, the palace seemed to be asleep and completely empty, devoid of any light or life that had lit up the golden hallways and polished floors during the day, making the rooms glow and mirrors shine. I smiled, sneaking out of my room before carefully closing the door after myself, making sure to make as little sound as possible.
My next task; finding the kitchen. "It can't be that hard," I said, immediately clasping my hands over my mouth as my voice echoed down the hallway, crawling up and down the walls before fading into a low whisper. I cursed at myself for being so careless, then furrowing my brows as I told myself that there was no reason for me to be nervous.
"I'm not doing anything wrong," I whispered, keeping my voice low this time as I tiptoed across the marbled floors, turning a corner and making my way further into the Palace of Atlas.
It was definitely something else in the darkness of the night; the marbled floors, tall columns, enormous windows, and gilded details along the walls and ceilings all covered in cold light from the moon, the glow from the stars reflected in the numerous mirrors and clear surfaces of the polished floors. I couldn't help the thought that I was walking in the middle of the night sky as I looked down at my feet in the middle of the starry ocean beneath me, letting out a breathy laugh before continuing on.
And it took a while, not to mention several failed tries and wrong rooms, before I finally poked my head through the door to the kitchen, letting out a breath of relief as my stomach once again voiced its complaints, quickly slipping inside and closing the door carefully behind me with a smile.
"This is going to be good," I whispered, clapping my hands with excitement as I made my way over to a row of cupboards just barely visible in the darkness, feeling my way across the surfaces until my hands came across the familiar shape of a handle, tugging at it only to be blinded with a ray of bright light as the refrigerator opened.
I gasped, staring in awe at the wonderful sight of the food that was displayed in front of me; the shelves of the fridge filled to the brim with drinks, fruits, vegetables, leftovers, and everything else I was craving at the moment.
I giggled, reaching for an apple and biting into the fruit as I rummaged around, grabbing a handful of other things when a low chuckle cut through the silent kitchen, making me freeze in surprise as the room was suddenly flooded with warm light.
"Now who is this little mouse that is robbing my fridge?" the voice mused, low and harmonious. I turned around to see the King of the East, Yeosang, standing in the doorway to the kitchen with an amused smile on his face as he studied me with interest, his gaze traveling from the apple still caught between my teeth to the food in my arms.
"I was hungry," I mumbled, the words coming out muffled.
"Yes," Yeosang chuckled, "I can see that."
"I blushed, feeling a wave of heat spread across my cheeks as I piled the food back into the fridge, quickly putting everything back in its rightful place before turning back to the king and bowing my head slightly, the apple still in my mouth.
"As a matter of fact, I am also hungry," the King of the East said, making his way over to me with a kind smile that turned his sharp and handsome features almost soft.
"I often come here at night to satisfy my craving and it seems that you've caught me in the act. Do you want me to cook something for you as well?" he asked, plucking the apple out of my mouth before throwing it over his shoulder and into the trashcan across the room, "This fruit couldn't possibly be enough to satisfy you, could it?"
My eyes widened at his comment, and I felt the blush burn even more fiercely as I shook my head, laughing nervously, "N-no your highness," I said, flustered and a little embarrassed to be caught in a situation like that, "I'll be heading back to bed, then."
"Call me Yeosang," he said, the comment immediately making me come to a halt as I turned back to face him, "What-?" I began, "Yeosang. It's my name," the king said, "Please, speak comfortably around me and sit down on the chair over there," he snapped his fingers, a breeze fluttering past me as the chair was suddenly pushed away from the countertop, the sight making my jaw go slack, "I'll cook something for the both of us."
And so, I did as I was told, taking the opportunity to look around the kitchen as well now that the room was bathed in the warm light from several chandeliers and flickering candles that had replaced the veil of darkness from before.
The space was ridiculously big; with a separate, more intimate dining room in one end, parted from the rest of the room by a row of columns lined with heavy curtains that could separate the two spaces.
The kitchen itself took up most of the room with endless cupboards lining the walls, countertops, a big kitchen island with a built-in bar next to where I was sitting, several stoves, an enormous fridge, freezer- and shelves lining the walls, all filled to the brim with jars and books, pans, pots, cups, plates, and other silverware, gilded details everywhere my eyes fell.
"Tell me, Yuna, have you ever been to Sector 3?" The king asked, turning to me as he tilted his head, his green eyes glinting in the candlelight. I shook my head, "I've never been outside of my own Sector but I would have loved to visit Tokyo one day if I had gotten the opportunity."
The light in Yeosang's eyes dimmed at that, and he crossed his arms over his chest as he said, "You talk as if you're already dead. How come?"
I sighed, feeling dishearted but, strangely enough, I wasn't scared or afraid, "Because we all die on those trials," I said, smiling a little, "But at least we die so the rest of the kingdoms can live. I was walking through the city earlier in the day with King Wooyoung when the topic came up and," I paused, hesitating for a second before continuing, "even though you're immortal, I think a part of you dies during those games as well."
Yeosang opened his mouth as if to respond but he seemed to change his mind as he studied me, cocking an eyebrow as he changed the subject, "Have you ever tried onigiri, then?"
I furrowed my brows at the name, the dish unfamiliar to me, and asked Yeosang a silent question that he seemed delighted to answer, clapping his hands together before making his way over to the kitchen island where I was sitting, leaning over the edge as the corners of his lips turned up in a bright smile.
"It's a small dish, a comfort food, and, to me, the beauty lies in the way you make it, the care you put into it," he said, turning back around as he began rummaging for ingredients, "Rice. All we need is rice and nori. Oh- and salmon, salted salmon and maybe some bonito flakes-"
"So like, sushi?" I asked, flinching in surprise as the king whipped his entire body back around to face me, pointing an accusatory finger in my direction as he growled, "No." before going back to the task at hand.
"I see," I mumbled, internally panicking for a second before deciding to stay silent instead and watch the King of the East as he went to work.
〄
It was attractive. My god, it was so attractive to see the male making his way around the kitchen, pouring out the rice into a bowl to cool down, getting the nori ready, cutting up the salmon, and seasoning the bonito flakes with soy sauce all the while he hummed a small melody to himself, his features sharp with a kind of concentration that made unable to look away.
By the time I realized that I was no longer just staring at the king but rather devouring his entire figure with my eyes, I cleared my throat, feeling the blush creep back onto my cheeks before shrugging it off and running my hands through my hair, wanting to break the silence that had suddenly become too suffocating for me to function in.
"Would you like me to help you?" I asked, my voice a little timid and quiet but Yeosang turned around the face me the very moment the question had slipped past my lips, looking almost surprised by the offer, "I can also just stay back here if that's better, though. I don't want to be a bother."
"Offering to help someone should never be considered a bother, Yuna. Do you want me to show you?" he asked, and I nodded my head eagerly as I joined his side, looking down at the ingredients on the counter.
"It's simple, really," Yeosang said, "First, wet your hands with water." I followed his example, biting my lips as I studied the male next to me, "Then, dip your fingers in salt and rub it onto your palm. Scoop up some rice-" Yeosang continued, pausing as he watched me carve out a lump of rice from the bowl between us.
"Choose your filling," he picked salmon and I did the same, "Place it in the middle, create a pocket around it and then just shape it with your fingers," he said, easily making an elegant triangle and wrapping it in a sheet of nori before taking a bite of it, humming at the taste.
Meanwhile, I was struggling to get the shape right, my tongue poking out of the corner of my mouth as I wrapped my fingers around the ball of rice, furrowing my brows as the 'simple dish' refused to cooperate with my wishes of turning it into a triangle.
Yeosang chuckled, "Here' let me help you," he said, making his way over to stand behind me, snaking his arms around me and putting his hands on top of mine. I froze for a second, my eyes widened as a shiver went down my spine with every small comment and praise that left Yeosang's mouth as he helped me make a couple of onigiris, offering me yet another warm smile when I finally got it right on my own.
I couldn't help but smile as well as I plopped the simple yet delicious comfort food into my mouth, savoring the taste of the salmon hidden inside the cloud of rice.
"How is it?" Yeosang asked, and I giggled, "You were right," I said, "It's all in how you make it."
〄
The rest of the night continued like that, the two of us making a wide range of onigiris as we competed with each other and came up with new shapes and filling, our laughter echoing throughout the kitchen as we worked.
And even though I barely realized it, some of the weight that I had subconsciously been carrying around since arriving in Martell seemed to ease a bit off my chest as I enjoyed the company of, not one of The Eight Kings of Haelan, but a rather charming and wonderful man who, at that moment, was nothing but my equal and someone who I would love to call my friend.
But as the sky outside began to lighten, the darkness turning midnight blue, and the morning inched closer, I finally began to feel the full effect of the training King Wooyoung had hauled me through earlier.
Feeling tired and full, I was unable to hold back the yawn that had been building for the last couple of minutes, rubbing my eyes sleepily before turning back to Yeosang who was studying me with kind eyes.
"It looks like someone is finally ready to head to bed," he mused. I let out a breathy laugh at the comment before yet another yawn cut me off. Yeosang chuckled.
"Thank you for the meal, then," I said, hesitating for a moment, "Yeosang," trying the name, liking the sound, the feeling, and the informality of it.
"You're very welcome."
"No," I said, raising my hand in a dismissive gesture as the smile on my face grew. His eyes glimmer,d shining faintly in the wavering light from the candles all around us, the chandeliers overhead, "I owe you one," I said, "Next time, I'll teach you how to make a dish from my own sector."
"I'll hold you to your word, then," he smiled.
I did a mock bow at the King of the East, "Until midnight brings us back to this kitchen," I said.
Yeosang laughed, "Goodnight, Yuna. Sleep well."
A/N:
If you enjoyed the story so far, please leave a vote on the little star in the corner. It would mean the world to me :)