43— Mask

Nicolas was to return back, he knew that he had taken up more time than he let on. He didn't want his mind to wonder to how Laura would be faring. He had cleansed his mind of any pest, anything, anybody that wasn't Lily. After their first kiss, it was as though he had a factory reset, everything, everyone, nothing mattered to him anymore. Not like how she did.
He hadn't even told her that he was to be married to someone he hated with so much passion, a spoiled brat who still stayed awake because she wanted the maids to read her a fairytale story. He didn't even want to see her again but as it is, he needed to leave. How to tell Lily? How to tell her that his stay has become overwelcomed, how he has been away from where he should be for far too long and how he has nearly forgotten why he was here.
He found that it would be so much easier if he started to pack his bag, while he was coming he brought a sack, slung over his shoulders but this time, it would be strapped on his horse... If he was to take one and taking a wild notice and guess, he assumed that they were in no possession of a horse or horses.
He was going to tell her over dinner like he always did important things, maybe it was because he was a night owl by birth and identity but something about dinner and time of day called out to him.
****
— Unknown —
Now that the princess has been gone for a while, he breathe clean refreshed air, while the king worried about all the things that may go wrong, he made sure he soothe the old man's heart, telling him how this was a good adventure for her.
"But what if, she faces those accursed bandits on the way" he asked like a baby. He smiled, it was nice to be able to be in control of such an important person as this, his pride swelled and threatened to combust.
"She'll be fine wolfking. She would be ok" he hoped she died on the way, anything to make sure his sick plan happened beautifully because it would be so much easier to whisper the sweet poisons and have him put him as his new heir and crown him the crowned prince and what better way? He's male, he's experienced, he's everything and he could get married to anyone not that lousy princess who has to get married to royalty or nothing. He almost felt pity for her. Almost.
"But she could be in danger, I should call her back!"said the wolfking. 'No way!' He thoughy
" Sire, take deep breaths — more than he was doing — she's going to be ok, she's going to return with him and she's going to be stronger than she is now. If she meets those snivelling bandits — it's only because he was a lone wolf, this could have been arranged — what better way to prove that she is a capable leader? She always them with all of her training, she's smart, she'll survive. Trust her, I know I do" bravo! The best in acting should definitely be awarded to him, he trusts her? Not with his life, his tea or his balls, if there's anything he hopes would happen, she should meet a grave and heartless death on the way there, to whereever she was headed, he didn't care, he wasn't paying any attention and it was clearly not his concern when he cried on a handkerchief and waved her and a few soldiers, which a few were vampires goodbye, it was all for show.
The king breathed long and deep, he helped him get away from the window he was sitting and meticulously trying to force his eyes to see through, this would have made him laugh but in these situations, even a loyal person would not and that was what he was playing here. A loyal person.
But nobody knew that, not his guards, not the maids, not the kitchen staffs, the villagers, the shops, the food he ate, not the bratty princess, not her off fiance and definitely not this blind old man. He was a perfect green snake under a long green grass and he hoped it stayed green much longer since they don't suspect a single thing. He was in luck, now he prayed that luck never ran out.
****
Dinner was going quite smoothly but he was in no mood to eat, he kept playing around with his blood meal, it aroused his nose but failed to do so with his stomach. He wanted to stay here but it's been two weeks, he can't do it any longer. Lying was his forte but now he feels that that job was not for him as long as he was near Lily and now he has to be away from Lily.
After their first kiss, Nicolas had been anything but seperated from her. He wanted more and more and found out that she was getting more and more comfortable been around him, taking off her masks even in public and under the sun. It made so much sense been here, he didn't even mind if the other elders decided that making him a slave would work for their sneaky interests. He didn't mind any of that but with her, as long as he was with her, anything was bearable but lying to her? It wasn't his game. He didn't want to do it but he needed to protect her feelings and his plans, he winced at that, so he needed to lie, again.
"You not hungry?" She asked. Her English was so well spoken, it made his heart to gladden.
"Well, I can't seem to get my stomach hungry" she smiled at that.
" My nostrils long for the taste but my tongue doesn't and my mouth refuses to wet itself in anticipation" she blushed a bit at that but she dropped her pork and looked him straight in the eye even though there was a clear pinkish hue on her cheeks, it amazed him how she can blush and still be so serious with her eyes.
"Something on your mind prehaps?" She asked, she was worried now because if anything, food was one thing that Nicolas could do so well, it amused her and now that he was not eating, she was worried. He averted his eyes at the question and her worry was correct. Something was bothering him and badly at that.
"I fear that I may have over spent my welcome" it came as a low blow for her, mainly because she had clearly forgotten that he did not belong here, she had taken him by force and forgotten that he was not a toy to be kept but a bird to be freed. He needed to go home or at most, complete the information collection on their soon becoming Ally.
She cleared her throat, trying to keep the emotions out of her voice, she didn't want him to think of her as pathetic and find her weak.
"I didn't realize that" she said but no matter what she said, she was still affected by the fact that it was time to free the bird.
He sighed into his food, he did it out if pain that he was going to leave. She watched him sigh into his food and thought ' he must really miss home' she was so tempted to get up from her chair and run out of the chambers and cry somewhere, her voice had thickened from the emotions that poured out from her without showing it.
" Alright. When do you plan on leaving?" She asked, it was better to get this done and over with.
He thought about it so much, it was better that they went as soon as possible, it wasn't Everytime that he would be this string headed and be able to think around her.
"In an hour's time when it would be dark enough for me to go" she made a sound of protest but quickly decided to voice it out " it's a bit late and you're just telling me now, I don't think you can go out with the horses at this time and plus you haven't packed a bag and I haven't even finished showing you the grounds and you haven't met the priestess yet, there's so much for you to see here, why not tomorrow morning?" She was blabbing but it was more than obvious that she wanted him to stay. Why couldn't he stay? Was where he was headed, even a good place? She feared she was... She was falling in love with this stranger.
" I don't need the horses, I have a bag packed and I'm sure the priestess won't mind, I've heard takes of from you, I almost feel like I know her in depth — she laughed a sad but genuine laugh at this because she had told him all about her, every detail — you've told me about all the things there is to know about this place. I appreciate that you made me feel very welcomed despite everything else, my background, my status, I'm happy that I spent my time here but I was on a mission and I have achieved that, I must go back to before I came here" she was distraut, she wanted to so badly cry but he did it for her instead.
He wiped the stray tears from his eyes and moved towards her, it was a curse that this table had to have incredible length and it ended up that they were both on its ends. He got up from his end and moved towards her, she stood up in anticipation, her heart making notes that her lips were weak to do. He held her hands first, took her face in his hands and with his cold dead fish eyes, he stared straight to hers and felt the warmth creep into his eyes like a pool of her reflection had danced its way to his territory and had sprung life in the palace that he was in, had made flowers grow on the ice that had infested his being from birth. He loved been with her, he loved the man that he was becoming, he loved what he was when he was with her. It gave him a great sense of a budding feeling that he was somehow a good person and he so wanted to believe it, he tried to believe it. He believed it as much as he was getting the chance of kissing her for the last time.
He took her face in his hands with the determination written across his face and the hungry anticipation that clouded her eyes as she unconsciously licked her lips in waiting, it only felt right that this, was going to happen. With a flick of his eyes, his lips swooned on hers like an eagle on sight seeing, fast and hungry, their lips merged, intertwined, regrouped but never left too much time for them to breathe and when they finally departed, they were heaving and breathing like they had run a marathon.
They seperated from themselves and a giggle broke out from Lily's lips, Nicolas followed and soon they were laughing and touching each other's faces in gratitude.
"I don't want you to go" she said. He acknowledged that she was dying to say this and she finally did, in his previous life he would have scorned and treated her badly for confessing her feelings but he wasn't that man anymore.
"I know and I wish I didn't have to but I do. I hope you understand that I have to do this, I don't want to but I have to" she understood what he meant.
" Then I'll come with you" wait. What?