Chapitre 9: The Beauty and the Hopeless Romantic
Almost twenty four hours already passed, yet Zen is still waiting for a certain zombie to make an appearance.
It seems like Anastasia is starting to detest him after the whole 'nude body' confession. Just when he thought of making a good first impression, he went ahead and got into another banter.
It turned out that she has stayed in her room for the rest of the night, not even bothering to answer his calls outside.
"This isn't good. Even though she's a zombie, she has to eat like a normal person. Her appetite shouldn't have changed that much. Come to think of it, she still has no idea of how her body works," Zen muttered to himself, ascending a flight of stairs leading to her bedroom.
When he comes knocking on her door for the nth time that day, he's taken aback when he finds it unlocked. He tries going inside but only to see it unoccupied.
Confused, he hastily walks out of there until the idea of her escaping again pops up in his mind.
"No. She couldn't have ran that far. I made sure to lock all the doors this time," Zen assured himself, expression ominously hooded.
His erratic heart begins to hammer in his chest as he continues to overthink. That's until he hears the sound of faint footsteps coming his way.
Turning to their direction, his eyes then widen in surprise at the sight that greets him.
Cloaked by the coruscant moonlight, Anastasia's figure illuminates dazzlingly as she trudges down the hallway like the corpse she is. With a downcast gaze, she silently strides with inconspicuous grace - one that only she can do.
Right at that moment, he can only stare at her dreamingly, falling into a reverie.
It all appears strange to Zen. She is supposed to be a ravening zombie who can chase him out any time, and anyone will surely be frightened the instant they lay eyes on her.
But rather than these, he only finds himself plummeting deeper into endearment, helplessly drawn and enticed.
"Oh, it's you..." Anastasia blurted out in surprise, making him snap out of his daze.
She halts on her tracks as soon as their eyes meet, still a bit flustered. Zen only musters an amicable smile and approaches her, which then makes her take a step back.
"Where did you wander off to, Sia? Certainly, you aren't thinking of leaving, right?" he asked with a knowing look, crossing his arms.
A bit jittery, Anastasia evades his intent gaze that's practically drilling holes on her. She can't say something as embarrassing as sneaking out but only to end up getting lost.
In reality, she'd been going around in circles for a while now. This maze-like place isn't really suitable for someone who has no sense of direction like her.
"I was just taking a breather-"
Then, out of nowhere, her stomach begins to growl.
Both of them stand flabbergasted for a moment, awkward silence stretching between them. That's until Zen suddenly bursts out in laughter, much to her chagrin.
Anastasia only bites her lips and clenches her fists before blushing in embarrassment once again.
"So, you're hungry, huh? And you snuck out to search for food instead of looking for me first. Oh, and let me guess, you went back because you couldn't find any, is that right?" Zen pointed out to which she reluctantly nodded.
"I-I kinda got lost... What kind of place is this anyway? Are you living in a labyrinth or something?" Anastasia questioned, brows furrowed in annoyance.
"Close enough. We're inside a castle."
Then, she gapes.
She failed to figure that out since she didn't bother to look back when she went out yesterday. Now, she feels nothing but flummoxed.
As far as she recalls, there's no such thing as a castle existing in the middle of a city. What's more, she can't believe that she's actually living inside one all along.
"T-Then, are you a prince?" she asked in disbelief, much to his amusement.
"I am," he simply answered, making her jolt in surprise.
"Huh?! Seriously?!"
"Why, of course... I'm your prince~"
Anastasia then makes a deadpan look at this, regretting getting worked up even just for a second. She shouldn't get her hopes up too much when it comes to this guy.
Zen, on the other hand, only beams at her ever so charmingly. He's quite delighted that his jest made her loosen up for a bit, at the very least.
As she just continues looking at him with a flat expression, he then kneels down in front of her and picks her up all of the sudden.
"Anyway, up we go!"
"Huh?! H-Hey, wait! What are you...?!"
Taken aback, Anastasia jumps out of her skin the moment he starts carrying her bridal style. She tries to retort and flail her hands around while shooting her mouth off.
Though against her will, Zen just proceeds to walk down the corridor with an ear-splitting grin on his face.
"Behave yourself, Your Highness~ Aren't you hungry? Let your prince take you to dinner, then," he remarked playfully, making her eyes bulge in incredulity.
"What are you spouting out now? Put me down!"
"Hmmmm... Wait, I just thought of this but doesn't this have a good ring to it? A way to a zombie's heart is through her stomach - isn't that sweet~?"
"Ugh..."
Anastasia may have escaped many consequences of being a zombie, and one of them is having a rotten flesh. But now, her ears might end up rotting instead.
Zen is too cheeky and cheesy for his own good. She can't keep up with his pace at all.
"What kind of a prince keeps a girl from leaving, anyway?" she scoffed in miff, crossing her arms.
"Well... Let's be Beauty and the Beast, then!" he chirped ebulliently.
"Yeah, great, awesome... So, technically, I'll be the Beast and you'll be the Beauty?" she flatly retorted, straight-faced.
"Of course not."
Too caught up in their exchange, Anastasia didn't notice that they just arrived at the dining hall, which is almost as large as a grand ballroom.
A golden marble flooring, exquisite ornamentation, and a jaw-droppingly stupendous chandelier - everything here lives up to the fact that this is a castle.
Still not breaking eye contact, Zen gently puts Anastasia down before snatching both of her hands and kissing them. Caught off guard, she only stares down at him and watches how his eyes glisten with fondness.
"You're beautiful, Sia... And if I have to say that everyday just to make you believe, I will."
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone