I didn't know how to react.
Seeing him show up at this very moment I wanted to run towards him and complain to him how much I feel wronged and how much I was hurting.
I was just standing there staring at him staring back at me.
He gave me a weak smile when I felt Blaze's presence approaching.
My forehead creased when I saw Cool walk away.
'Don't worry. I'm just around you. All the time.'
I figured that he was hiding from Blaze or probably from the whole Flamis. I didn't know his reason but I somehow trust him. No, I completely trust him. I know he has a good reason why he's into hiding.
"Princess—"
"Didn't I told you to stay away from me?" I said without sparing him a glance and just continued walking.
"But I just want to explain my side." He reasoned out, frustrated with how uninterested I am to hear his story.
"Are you done?" I inquired a few moments later.
"You just really don't care about me, do you?" he asked in a bitter tone.
I turned around to face him this time, my left brow rising in a questioning manner.
"You just realized that?"
"What should I do for you to believe that I have clear intentions?!"
"Try stopping hovering over my life. Maybe we could even be friends because of that." I said sarcastically before walking passed him to go back to my room.
I'll just rest for a while.
I need to rest for a while.
"You mean he was just around?" Hailec asked in disbelief when I told him that Cool showed up in front of me a few days ago.
"Yeah. He said he's just around, all the time." I said and stared at my bedroom's lanai.
"And you said that he looks like he was hiding?" He asked with his brows furrowing.
I nodded at him remembering how Cool immediately hid after we felt Blaze's presence.
After that day, I haven't seen him again. He's not even responding when I called out to him.
"What if he was really imprisoned, and he was just able to escape? Maybe that was his reason for hiding?" Hailec suggested which I find very plausible.
"That can be." I agreed.
We stayed silent for a while.
"You look sad." He pointed out, out of the blue.
I tried to give him a chuckle but it turned out to be a lifeless one.
"My grandmother wants me to marry a guy I barely knew. The person who was supposed to stay beside me and protect me was sent to hiding. No, I'm not sad." I said in a sarcastic voice.
"Do you want to come by at my house?" he asked and I immediately understood what he was trying to say.
He wanted to ask if I wanted to see Sassy. I pondered for a while and nodded but I halted when I remembered something.
"But the queen would throw a fit once again if I disappeared," I said worriedly.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of that." He said and gave me an assuring smile.
"And besides, that brat misses you too." I wanted to tease him but stopped myself when we got interrupted with a knock on my door.
"Come in, Ignis," I called out and soon the door opened revealing Ignis.
"What was it?" I asked her warmly.
She just smiled at me and cautiously stared at Hailec. With that action of hers, I realized that she's about to say something confidential.
"It's alright, he's a friend," I said assuring her, she stared at Hailec for a while before she took out a small envelope in her pocket and hand it over to me.
I was confused as to what was the paper about. I stared at her, questioning but she just slightly shook her head and smiled.
"Don't worry about him, he's doing good. He asked me to hand this over to you." She said and gestured me to take the small envelope in her hands.
I turned to look at Hailec who was curiously eyeing the envelope as well.
I took the envelope and Ignis excused herself out before I can even ask anything.
"Is it just me or was she really talking about Cool?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders with his question.
I scanned the plane white envelope in my hands before opening it.
'Don't worry. I just have something to look into. I'll be back beside you when I'm done with this. For now, stick with the Baylan. - CK'
"Who was CK?" Hailec asked as we read the card inside the envelope.
"Cool Kenneth," I said with a smile.
"Do you still want to meet Sassy?" he inquired. I turned to look at him, confused with his question.
"You already look happy." He said that left my mouth hanging.
I didn't know how Hailec did it but he was able to get consent from the queen to take me out of the palace for a few days with the condition of bringing Ignis with me.
Now, I need to mentally prepare her for seeing a mundane in the Punong Baylan's house.
"Where does your loyalty lay, Ignis? " I ask her while we were preparing the things we are about to bring for tomorrow's trip to Hailec's house.
She suddenly stopped packing and turned around to face me.
"My loyalty lies where your happiness is, Fhyra." She was staring directly into my eyes as she was saying this. I felt how she meant the words that just left her mouth.
"You may not know about this but my mother is Api, your mother's personal muranda. Since I was young she told me stories about your mom, how she treated her as a friend, and not just a servant that we were." I already saw her mother Api while watching my parent's story before but I never thought that she was Ignis' mother.
"My mother was the one who helped your parents escaped here. I wouldn't do anything that can discredit what my mom did. Besides, you're my friend. I wouldn't cause you any harm. I can even lay down my life just to save you. Just like what my mother did." She continued.
I felt warmth after hearing her words. I went near her and embrace her taking her by surprise.
"I'm so glad I get to meet you. I'm sure your mom's so proud of you." I said sincerely as I was embracing her.
A few moments later she hugged me back and gently tapped my back.
"I'm glad to meet you too." She whispered.
We separated after a few more minutes.
"You know, you don't need to sacrifice your life for me, Ignis. I don't want that. I'll never want that, okay?" she just gave me a smile and continued packing my things in a suitcase-like container.
"Ignis," I called out after watching her close the container containing my stuffs.
"Yes?"
"You're going to meet a friend of mine tomorrow at the Punong Baylan's house," I said scanning her face for any reaction.
"That would be alright." She said as if wondering why I had to tell her about that.
"But she's not ahmm—quite normal?" I said struggling with the right words to use.
"What do you mean?" she asked, completely confused with my words.
"My friend is a mundane."
"Sassy this is Ignis, Ignis this is Sassy. The friend I was talking about." I introduced them to each other after arriving in Hailec's place."Hi! It's nice to meet you Ignis!" Sassy greeted cheerfully."Hi, it's nice meeting you too, Señorita," Ignis responded shyly."Woah there! I'm no royalty, okay? Sassy is fine." Sassy corrected."Okay, Sassy," Ignis said still a little awkward with Sassy's enthusiasm."I've prepared your rooms," Hailec said after appearing all of the sudden."Kimean!" Sassy called out as he followed Hailec inside the house."I thought his name was Hailec?" I asked Ignis after realizing that Sassy was talking about the baylan."Only a few one's knew that the real name of the Punong Baylan is Kimean Hailec Ledesma. And very few are given the privilege to call him with that name. I think your friend holds a special spot in his life now." She said and gestured me to follow the two first."Sassy," Hailec's warning tone welcomed us, as we enter his living room."But I
"Before your arrival here in Narte Fantasia, Blaze already had a hunch that there's a mole within the Royalties and he was right. The moment you came, the suspected mole acted more suspicious." Cool stabilized my position on his lap and he rounded his arms around the small of my back to my waist before he continued."Remember Duchness Ardor?" He asked and looked at me questioningly.I tried to recall who he was referring to but nothing came into mind, so I just shook my head to tell him that I don't."Remember the lady who suggested to send me back to the glaciers? You burned her clothes." He said and it was with his last sentence that I remember the middle-aged lady who screamed like a banshee after having her dress set on fire."Oh, yeah. I remember. Wait. Don't tell me she was the mole?" I inquired in which he responded with a nod."Yeah. She is.""Wow! The darkess did a great job sending an idiot as a mole." I said both a little disappointed and amused."After being taken by the Gu
"Wow!" I heard Sassy gasped as soon as we step foot on the opening of the Kabisera."Don't go too far away from us." Hailec reminded her."Yes, sir," Sassy answered together with a playful salute."Ignis, are you okay? Are you comfortable?" I asked her when I realized how quiet she is."Yeah. Don't worry. I just missed walking around here." She answered with a smile."Why? You haven't been here for a while?" I asked, my forehead creasing from curiosity."As soon as I entered the palace, it was too hard to go outside. It was a rule made by the queen since she found out that an insider helped Princess Blare escaped before." I wanted to feel pity for her, being unable to go to places she used to go to, but I knew that's the last thing she wanted right now."That's fine with me though. Don't worry." She said with a smile."I'll just look around for a while," she said and started to blend in with the crowd."Sassy!" we heard Hailec called out and immediately followed my friend who looks lik
I can still hear the screams and shrieks of the fantasians behind the wall where we are currently hiding.'Would the others be alright?' I worriedly asked him with my mind.He tilted his head to face me.'Don't worry. They'll be fine.' He said and gave me an assuring smile before peeking once again on whatever was happening behind the wall.I was pinned against the wall, Cool's body against mine, I can feel his hands on my waist.I didn't know how long it takes before the disturbing screams of terror started to die down until there was nothing left but silence.A dreading and eerie silence.'Stay here.' He ordered as he tried to check the area before he came back to get me.I felt my stomach turned upside-down, I instantly felt the urge to vomit.The lively and crowded Kabisera was now filled with dead fantasians on the ground. The disgusting scent of blood lingers on the air.I immediately thought of my friends and hurriedly scanned the place for any sign of life.My eyes glowed when
The very next day, Queen Feu immediately sent Blaze and a few guardias to come and fetch Ignis and me at Hailec's house."The Queen is worried about Princess Fhyra's safety, since your home is quite near in the Kabisera. I hope the punong baylan won't take it negatively if we ask the Princess and her muranda to come back to the palace?" Blaze respectfully told Hailec who was seated on the couch on the receiving area of his house.It's a good thing that his house was huge. We were quite startled to see Blaze and the guardias early this morning.Seeing Cool here would be a little understandable but seeing a mundane like Sassy here?So we needed to mask her presence in case the others would notice and Hailec hid her somewhere inside the house.Ignis, on the other hand finally gained consciousness this morning as well and Hailec assured me that she was fine.So here we are, facing Blaze and the five guardias sent by Queen Feu."It's not that I held it against the Queen, since I do understa
"No! I'll be draining you if I do. No, I wouldn't do it." I said in a firm and determined voice."No, you won't. You won't let yourself drain me. You can do it." Cool said encouraging me.I tried to focus once again but every time I started to feel his energy creeping into my body, I immediately
I don't know if a one week stay at the punong baylan's house was too long, but stepping inside the Flamis Palace once again feels foreign now."Good morning, Princess Fhyra!" The murandas that lined up by the gate of the palace greeted in unison.I throw a glance at Ignis who was standing behind me and gave her a meaningful look. She suddenly nodded, curtly bowed, and left the place in a hurry to do what I ask her to do before we left Hailec's home.I faced the people confidently and made my way towards the Queen's quarters to give my greetings and let her know about my return.Although we're not in good terms she's still the queen and my grandmother, just like what Cool said.'Cool?' I called out in mind.It took him a few more minutes to respond.'I'm here.' I almost sigh in relief when I heard him talkback on my mind.'Just go to my room. He'll be there soon.' I told him pertaining to Blaze.Before we left Hailec's house, I asked Ignis to immediately find the count and told him to g
"Cool!" I called out in irritation. He just couldn't take that smirk off on his face."Stop it!" I hissed and the lava flowing inside the fountain suddenly overflowed."Shit! Okay! Okay! I'll stop!" He said when he saw what happened.I willed myself to relax, a few moments later the lava stopped boiling and Cool's anxious face faded.I heard him gave out a sigh of relief before I felt the other side of my bed move a little."You know, we should do something about that temper of yours." He said as he lies beside me.I snorted and scolded him for teasing me about the count."Maybe he genuinely likes you?" I creased my head with his words."I don't think so. Maybe he just likes the idea of having a princess as his future wife.""But what if he really likes you?" I rolled my eyes with his persistence."That would be impossible. We barely knew each other, I've been nothing but rude to him so, no. Impossible."I thought he will have another set of his witty comebacks but I receive silence in