Chapitre 100: Chapter 99 - For the Bittersweet

"We set up a small tent and decided we would leave on our own. We thought we were in a forest and was pushing through the day only to discover that we were on the palace garden and had only spent the afternoon in the small tent we set."

"Oh...oh....I remember that!" Her eyes widened in excitement. It felt so good to remember.

"The tent was just a piece of cloth I took from my father. My father..." There, her voice faded away.

"Don't you miss him?"

"I don't..." She closed her eyes briefly.

"He doesn't miss me."

"You don't know that."

"What do you know?" She laughed nervously, trying to divert the topic away from the very thought that had been cutting her deep for a while. He lifted her chin so she was looking at him.

"You, Aliyah. I know you."

Their gaze met then and lingered.