Sir Arthur

• Eight

Kim never thought things would take this unexpected turn tonight. Or maybe she wasn't that lucky with herself.

Lily was already off with her brother and she felt stupid for having not thought through her plan. She sat at the kitchen stools as she grabbed onto the sweet cakes and cookies that no one seemed to care about.

They were much similar to her current situation. No one was bothering about them no matter how delicious they looked.

Kimberly had introduced Lily to her brother just as she had promised but they had ditched her moments later when her friend claimed to like watching the moon and Gerald generously offered to join her.

He didn't even like any celestial body as he always claimed it was a waste of time staring at something that was just hovering in the sky.

She bit the cookie in her hand harder as she chewed up the chocolate that melted in her mouth making her eyes close in pure happiness.

What else could she ask for other than this? Despite the background music that everyone seemed to be enjoying, these desserts were quite heavenly.

Kim nibbled on the remaining jar having already eaten two. Madame Paula wouldn't allow her near any were she to know that she had eaten this much. The cakes were also savoury and she gladly ate to her fill.

A huge shadow cast beside her and Kim glanced at her side with her mouth already full with the cake she had just stuffed in. Her eyes widened further at the man beside her. She almost choked but held her mouth with a napkin nearby before she spilled the contents onto Sir Arthur.

His eyes raked over her face and Kim looked away embarrassed as she tried to swallow discreetly. She had taken a large chunk.

"I'm sorry about that," Kim said sheepishly as she glanced up at Sir Arthur who had been observing her the entire time.

"It's okay, you seemed to be enjoying yourself." He replied as he gestured the unfinished cake on the small plate.

"Yes," Kim answered as she smiled nervously. Right now she hoped that she didn't have any cream smeared on her face. She was a messy eater and Faye had always pointed that out everytime they ate together.

Sir Arthur was intently gazing at her and she really struggled to maintain a neutral face. He was dressed in black pants and a coat that draped over a white shirt with a black bowtie that made him look even more enticing.

Kim looked away instantly once she realized she had been openly staring at him. She began to mess around with the plate before her suddenly dumbfounded.

"Umm, thank you for helping me out the other day." Kim looked up as she remembered she still owed him at least a show of her gratitude for his intervention.

"It was not an issue," Sir Arthur replied as he noticed a group of men enter the kitchen staggering, completely wasted as they argued about something.

He didn't recognize any of their faces so he concluded they were part of the invited guests from their neighboring kingdoms. They seemed to walk blindly since they almost crushed into the table Lady Kimberly was at were it not for him obscuring their path.

Their noises filled the entire kitchen and he found it a nuisance. He liked quiet places and the fact that he was trying to hold a conversation with the lady had his jaw ticking.

"Let's head back to the ballroom," Sir Arthur suggested as he noticed how she had started to look round uneasily. Kim mindlessly accepted as she slowly rose up from the stool, her stomach full from all the eating.

Just as she exited the doors, Sir Arthur softly held onto her arm making her stop and look at him inquisitively.

He just offered her a napkin and said nothing more. Kim stared at it confused for a while before she dawned in realization. There indeed had been cream smudged on her face.