บท 48: Chapter 48
~Talfen, the capital of Coldshore~
~Inner Court, Reqiel's Palace~
Andras didn't know what to make of this, it was odd to have such a harmless and almost friendly conversation with an Angel. But he could be humorous, he would be staying here till his mission was complete after all, he could adapt, even though it was to a troublesome Angel.
"No," He answered shortly, resisting the urge to yank his hand free.
Reqiel skidded to a stop when they got to the front doors, letting go of Andras' wrist, "Then you'll eat with me… I wonder if Aethel has had breakfast as well, we could all have breakfast together…" He mumbled to himself, jumping when the doors swung open without warning.
"Prince Reqiel!" Aethel hurried in to throw herself on him, "You didn't have to come to get me yourself, how do you feel now? Are you all better?"
Reqiel took her questions in stride, "I'm fine, I'm fine, all better after some sleep. Have you had breakfast yet? I was just about to have mine, join me?"
Andras stepped back slightly, they both spoke far too much in such a short span of time, even Randall wasn't this chatty.
Aethel's response died at the back of her throat when she noticed the guard standing behind Reqiel, she had been too occupied by the wellbeing of her friend to notice anyone else but now she couldn't wrench her attention from the guard.
She remembered seeing him for the first time while she was feeding her ducks, he had looked at her then but when they bumped into each other the evening before, there hadn't been even a little spark of recognition in his depthless eyes.
"Oh, you remember Andras?" Reqiel cut into the growing silence, looking from his blank faced bodyguard to the Princess who looked to be bereft of words. "He was assigned to be my bodyguard, I'll have to thank King Holdred for that."
Aethel still said nothing, slowly processing Reqiel's words. She felt a twinge of jealousy that he hadn't been made her bodyguard instead but even more than that, she was elated. Because she knew that never in a hundred years would Andras be allowed to be her bodyguard but as Reqiel's bodyguard, it meant that she would get to spend more time around him.
"Breakfast?" Reqiel repeated, staring at Aethel with concern when she didn't respond.
Aethel snapped out of her trance, returning her attention to Reqiel. She had already had breakfast but she wasn't going to miss a chance to stare at Andras some more. He was clearly loved by the gods to be handcarved by them.
"Certainly, thanks for the offer." She said, looping her arms with Reqiel.
Aethel mentally shook herself, she was a princess, she should have more composure. She had already gotten to spend more time that she ever hoped for in the presence of the enigma that was Andras, she shouldn't forget herself and her position enough to neglect her new friend.
It was easier said than done…
Reqiel, her dear friend, had his bodyguard sit across the table from them, a cruel move on his part because it meant that Aethel couldn't concentrate on anything else.
"...I would like to pay a visit to the city square today," Reqiel said hesitantly, worried about Aethel's absentmindedness. Was he being that much of a nuisance to her? He wished she wouldn't trouble herself so much for his sake,
Aethel blinked, "Don't you want to get a bit more rest?"
Reqiel chuckled nervously, if he had to take another nap, he would light his bed on fire. "No, no, I don't, I've completely recovered," He said in a rush, "I'll just take a carriage ride and sightsee through the windows."
"Will Andras go with you?" Aethel blurted out before she could stop herself, her eyes going wide in barely concealed panic after asking that.
Fortunately, Reqiel didn't read into her question, "I suppose so, he follows me everywhere."
Aethel glanced at Andras without thinking, an action she was quickly making into a habit from how often she did it, only to choke on a grape when she met his eyes.
"Are you alright?" Reqiel panicked, handing her a cup of water.
"I'm fine, I'm sorry," Aethel said in a soft voice, ducking her face to hide her flaming cheeks.
The entire time that she had been sneaking glances at Andras, he had kept his gaze steadfastedly on his plate so she hadn't been expecting to meet his gaze, and just that simple action had her so shaken up.
"I'll come with you to the city square," She invited herself, placing the cup on the table with a firm thud after drinking.
Reqiel stared at her for a few seconds, he had barely gotten over her nearly choking and now he had to deal with her deciding to go to the city square when she never left the Royal Palace.
"Yo-You don't have to j-just because of me," Reqiel stumbled over his words, worried for Princess Aethel's sake.
Reqiel's words calmed Aethel down somewhat, she had almost run out of his palace after making another blunder. What was it about being so close to Andras that made her forget all her propriety?
Clearly, she was doing a great job of hiding her true intentions if Reqiel couldn't put it together that she wanted to go to the city square just because of Andras. "Oh, I don't mind, also it would do me some good to get some air every now and then."
Reqiel beamed at this, happy that he wouldn't be exploring the city square all alone. "I planned to go right after breakfast, is that fine with you?" He asked eagerly.
Aethel glanced at Andras for the umpteenth time and the look in his eyes made her shoot to her feet without warning, startling Reqiel. "I believe we're already done with breakfast," She laughed nervously, fiddling with the jewelry in her hair. "Why don't we get started?"
Reqiel rose to his feet as well, he was concerned but the excitement of exploring the outside world overshadowed that.
"I'll arrange a carriage to take us," Aethel added, already hurrying out of the dining room before Reqiel could offer to escort her. "I'll pick you up outside your palace!" She tagged on, practically dashing off.
"Aethel! Wait!" Reqiel tried to stop her but he heard the front doors slamming resolutely and couldn't help but wonder how she had gotten there so fast. "She's gone," He muttered to himself.
He glanced behind him to see that Andras had risen to his feet and was right behind him, "You know you don't have to follow me around so closely," He smiled kindly, noting that he was still wearing the uniform from yesterday.
"And I believe you should get a change of uniform, you can-" Reqiel paused at the look in Andras' eyes. "You can wear whatever you want," He completed with less confidence, wondering if he had said something wrong.
Andras bowed briefly, "I'll be right back, please don't move from this spot so I can't easily find you, Your Highness."
Reqiel watched him quickly leave, realizing his bodyguard spoke a lot but only when he wanted to. He returned to the table to settle down and fiddle with the food left on his plate, his thoughts on his expedition that morning.
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