Ruen looked at her with eyes burning every fiber of her being. He leaned against the door frame and said, “A minute it is then,” crossing both his arms while waiting for her to respond. Lianne clenched her hands into a fist, conjuring up enough strength to confront the King despite his taunting gaze. What was wrong with her now? She was stubborn already to seek an audience with him, but it was as if all her resolve had weakened just by the mere sight of him standing there, so close, so attractive, and so inviting. Her eyes betrayed her as it perused the length of his bare chest. He was wearing his nightclothes just like her. Simple to say, they were both informally dressed. With this realization, her body suddenly turned hot, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. This reaction only convinced her how vulnerable she was to this kind of attack of her senses. She couldn’t cr

Lianne, feeling nervous, peeked through the French door to see clearly. In her mind, she had expected it was the King, who followed her after leaving his chamber, but upon looking closely on the profile of the man who was watching the outside scenery, to her surprise, it was Lord Cain. The General spun around as if he sensed the princess’ presence, and in that instant, he saw her hide behind the glass door, looking obviously puzzled by his unexpected visit. “I can see you, you know.” He grinned and cocked his head to the side. “Lord Cain?” Lianne muttered in a weak voice and then stepped out of the door. Cain beamed a smile on her way and dutifully bowed, greeting at the same time, “Good morning Princess.” His welcoming expression quickly turned into one of confusion when he realized that the princess was still wearin

The path they took was a long and arduous one. They passed some uphills and downhills until they reached the center of the forest about fifteen minutes later. Lianne was stupefied by the sight of nature along the way. The landscapes of the mountains that were towering up to the heavens, the enormous trees that covered the forest floor, and the peacefulness of the forest itself were all wonders for her to behold. They stopped near a riverbank, descend on the ground, and secured the horses by tying the reins up around a sturdy tree. Present now was only her, Lord Cain, and two other generals. It seemed that the other groups weren’t able to catch up with their fast pace. It was good progress, however. In a hunting competition, the man that kills the most number of animals shall be named the winner. What better way to win than to separate with the group and scatter throughout the forest floor.

Lianne walked as fast as she could along the hallway with Erza. Her eyes were cast downward, her thoughts filled to the brim as she recollected her memories about the two men in her life. The first one was her childhood with Cain; from the first time they met to the present situation they were into. She cared for him and she felt at fault by the choices that he had to make in order to keep their relationship intact, but in the end, the shock of finding out the truth made it difficult for her to forgive him. The second memory however dove too deep in her mind, and the reality of it made her head spin. ‘Ruen...is not Garlow’s real son?!’ her mind shouted. This time, she felt even more a fool. If it was the truth, then there was a possibility that everyone in the Regaleria mansion kept it from her. Lady Faye too, whom she considered to be her c

‘Ah, what perfect trap it is.’ The princess expressed in her head. She pressed herself as much as she could against the edge of the seat, as much as she could away from the King. She stayed silent but tensed, her arm crossed, her chin still raised. She made quite an effort to divert her attention to the darkened scenery outside, still stubbornly acting as if she didn’t have a companion inside the carriage, but the King’s steady gaze made her feel more conscious and uneasy. Ruen was already fuming inside, but he wanted to control his temper. Anyhow, deep inside, he was pleased that she was finally with him, safe, protected, and within his reach. They had covered over twenty minutes of travel, but not even one word was released by her. Lianne indeed was trying to evade any conversation with him and she was not even giving him at least a single glance, but Ruen cared less of it.