Kingdom

58. Truce (16)

Nori places the music box by the bed and turns the key to play it. Soft melody dances in the air; pleasant and comforting as a cotton scarf one wraps around in winter.

The King is laying on the bed, hands crossed around the 'magic' pillow he brought. After all the beating it took, the poor pillow finally found its way out of the bag and into the bed. Nori insisted they take it. Yet, she left the blanket back in the box. If the King wants no shields, no illusions and no fake stars, then Nori should keep those things away from him.

He stares at the ceiling but his eyes seem to be seeing something different than the white paint. Who knows what memories and thoughts fly through his mind right now. Nori cannot tell. His face is expressionless, as if he had never felt a single emotion in his life. He is still wearing his robe, stubbornly refusing to remove it. He tied it a few extra times when Nori suggested he should take it off.

Nori is uncertain if to keep hers or not. After a moment of hesitation, she takes the robe off and places it on the side of the bed. Her movements are slow and careful; her breathing has normalised; her heart is beating calmly. Yet, she feels as if there is electricity left on top of her fingertips. Her body is still charged with lingering emotions that she can't free herself from; her skin is too sensitive to every touch.

She sits on the bed, getting ready to lay down. It feels weirder than before to be next to him, to remain in his company. Yet, she is glad he stayed with her, she doesn't want to imagine how empty that room would have felt otherwise.

"Here..." He hands her the pillow.

"We can share it..." she puts it down and pats the soft surface. He scrunches his nose but lays his head on the pillow regardless. Nori lays next to him. They one breath away but she is not scared.

"I don't like this. It's a bit uncomfortable." He complains.

"Life is uncomfortable, get used to it." Nori grins.

"Will you stop using my words against me?"

"I like your words, they are so quotable."

He pulls back and grabs another pillow. "I will use this one."

"Okay." She covers herself with the sheet, looking unbothered.

"Princess...." He slips closer, their pillows almost one above the other.

"Yes?" She looks at him with curiosity. He looks uncomfortable, his eyes avoiding her, his lips opening and closing, trying to speak but failing.

"What's wrong?" Nori asks, catching his gaze into his.

"I am truly sorry..." His voice comes out as low as a murmur, the words hard to distinguish. "I am sorry for how I acted tonight. I have no excuse for my behavior, it was inexcusable. If anyone behaves with you like that again, you should slap him in the face and leave the room, okay?

"Sure..." She nods.

"I won't touch you again unless you ask me to."

"You told me that already."

"I want to say it again. I want to apologize properly."

"Okay, I accept your apology." She smiles.

"Thank you." He says, his voice turning more confident."From tomorrow I will be really hard on you. I will only accept you when I am sure you really want it. You will have to beg me to be with you ..."

Nori grins, a mischievous sparkle shining in her eyes."I might be the one begging but you will be the one down on your knees..."

The King gives her a scandalised look, opening his mouth in fake bewilderment.

"I am concerned about the literature you read..." He squints his eyes.

"You will be more than pleased with my selection of novels..." She adjusts the sheets, covering her shoulders.

"Knowledge without practice is like a half-cooked meal - it doesn't really taste as good."

"I am sure what you have to offer will taste delicious .."

"Excuse me?" His jaw drops in another stunned expression.

Nori laughs. "You should see your face right now! Your reactions are so entertaining."

"You find this funny!?"

"Yes, isn't it! " She laughs again and reaches out to cover him with the bedsheet. "Your Highness, even the nice, refined and well-educated ladies can be unlady-like in their thoughts and desires. You should know that best."

"Yes, women are scary." He moves closer as if to whisper a secret. "One of them once asked me to bring a friend for the evening, to spice things up, she said."

"Did you do it?" Nori leans into their joint conspiracy.

"Of course not! I do not share my meals."

"What a pity, I was hoping you would invite Jin to join us at some point."

"EXCUSE ME!"

Nori bursts out laughing.

"You really enjoy making fun of me, don't you?" the King stares at her, his expression a mix of amusement and shock. He looks funny and adorable and Nori can't take her smile off her face.

"I am not making fun of you, Your Highness." she says. "But for a man with your reputation, you are somehow innocent and naive. I find that endearing..."

"Endearing!" His eyebrows shoot up, his eyes as wide as rice cakes."Hei, let's go back to being scary and intimidating!"

"Sure, sure. You are very intimidating..." She pokes his nose.

"Also!" He pulls his hand out of the sheet and waves it in the air. "Keep in mind that I might have had only 12 different women but that doesn't mean I am behind your guard in terms of practice."

She laughs again and takes his hand, pushing it below the sheet. "I don't care about that. 12 seems a lot to me already; but I don't care. Even if you were inexperienced like me, I would still think you are very attractive. Quite annoying at times, but attractive."

His features twist into a false grimace of frustration and anger. He is acting cute. He is acting like a sulky boy, enjoying the way she laughs at his expressions. A warmth spreads in Nori's heart.

"Your Highness... "

"What? I am not inviting Jin over, okay!"

"It's not about that...."

"What then?"

"Thank you for staying with me tonight.'' She smiles.

He turns quiet and still, his face turning serious and weirdly focused.

"And you don't have to invite Jin over," Nori adds. "You are quite enough." She kisses his cheek and pulls back, closing her eyes. "Good night!"

Nori keeps her eyes closed but her heart is beating too fast to let her sleep. She peeks through her lashes to check what the King is doing. He has closed his eyes, his features relaxing into a dream. He looks adorable.

The magic he carries is surrounding her, giving her power. It's like a haze of light that comes from a distant star. Nori feels extremely powerful. As if she can lift the whole world in her hands. As she can change time. As if she can be anywhere. But she is not interested in that power, she is looking at the man in front of her with a heart filling with more and more warmth.

"I wish you could see the monster of my nightmares" she says, "Then you would know you are nothing like him." She closes her eyes and her mind drifts into a dream.