Cinderella's Masquerade | Huang Renjun

20

Renjun started coughing, joking on his own saliva.

"Nevermind" Hannuri shook her head "Hanyuri's just a kid. Pretend I didn't ask". Thankfully, the conversation was quickly dismissed

Hannuri has lost her usual glimmer in her eyes. Her skin was rough and patchy, the glow gone from her once fair skin dimmed. It was like she has lost her soul.

Who could blame her. Being thrown around by 4 men was not an experience anyone wanted to go through.

Once Hannuri made sure her sister had gone, the two delved right back into a deathly silence. Hannuri clenched her fist, holding her arms over as she turned around.

"Sorry. Don't come back here" Hannuri tried to brainwash herself into thinking that this was indeed a place Renjun wasn't supposed to step foot in. It was far too dirty for a golden crown. Suddenly, she felt a thick fabric layer over her skin.

"Don't get a cold" Renjun's voice was soft, careful not to startle her. He had pulled his coat over her body, his arms naturally laying around her. Hannuri couldn't do this anymore. All the pain and the torture flooded her heart.

A thin river flowed from her eyes, carrying with it the pain, sorrow, and emotional baggage that weighs heavy on the heart. Renjun snaked his arm around her waits, pulling her body against his upon feeling her chest begin to tremor. He leant his cheek upon the top of her head, his own arms protecting her like a pair of angel wings.

"I'm sorry" Renjun muttered "I'm sorry for not coming earlier". He could feel her physically easing into his touch. She turned around slowly. Instead of looking up at him, she immediately buried her face into his chest, settling within the warmth of his embrace. Despite the two being polar opposites in terms of identities, it seemed as thought status was never an issue when it came to true emotions. Hannuri had never let herself cry. Crying meant weakness and she had built a castle for herself in order to protect all those within her castle.

She let that castle breakdown today, even if it was just one brick.

Renjun held her closer, his hands gently tapping her against the back. He felt her clutch against his shirt. Of course it felt nice for her to trust him, but more so, he felt like a failure. He failed to protect the one girl he had risked everything for.

It began raining outside. The sound of rain hitting the a window is like a thousand tiny drum beats, each drop a gentle tap that creates a symphony of sound. The peace patter of raindrops dance across the glass, leaving a trail of tears that eventually run together, just like their own emotions.

"I'll be by your side next time. I'll be by yourself always" Renjun whispered. It was a beautiful moment. Perhaps it was moments like these that made him think that it was all worth it—destroying the relationship between him and his dad, breaking all family rules, giving up on the 'better option'... It all lead up to this, where he held her like she was his whole world.

"Sorry, for everything" He confessed "Sorry for hurting you"

Grocery shopping was the first thing on the agenda. Hannuri wanted to make some homemade meals for Renjun to taste before he needed to go back. Well, Renjun never specified whether he even wanted to go back. Instead, to celebrate getting over everything, the two was going on a little shopping trip.

"They're literally all the same" Renjun groaned, pointing at the different 'types' of carrots.

"Look" Hannuri took a carrot off the small market stall "This one has a black patch on it. We need a completely fresh one"

Hannuri continued picking her vegetables with a lazy Renjun behind her. Renjun was dressed into something less extravagant in order to fit in with the villagers. Truth be told, he liked the life here. It was so free. No classes, no manners, no nothing. It was just people what people wanted to do.

"OK Renjun" She showed him the mushroom and the chicken "Mushroom or chicken"

"Chicken"

"You're so rich people it's unbelievable" She rolled her eyes, picking the chicken anyways. Meat was mainly shared amongst the rich here. Dinners that included steaks was guaranteed to be top-class people dinners.

"How much?" She asked the owner.

"50 pennies"

"You grew in price!" Hannuri gasped. This cued her bargaining war

"Hannuri 50 pennies is not-"

"I don't want to hear a word from the richest man here" She scowled at him "Ai come on, Minjun, I've always helped you with carrying bags. Don't you think you should make this 30 pennies?"

The old man let out a hearty chuckle "You haven't changed at all, Hannuri. How about 40?"

"35" She beamed, flashing her teeth at him. The owner agreed, giving her the carrots 25 pennies cheaper. This was like listening to another language for Renjun. Never in his life did he ever need to bargain. Money was the least of his concerns.

She continued to drag Renjun down the village, showing him all sorts of cool things: the colourful flags hung up along the house balconies, the smell of fresh bbq, the laundry lines that seemed to be shared for every house in this village—it was truly a place that Renjun had never thought even existed.

"Try this" Hannuri purchased a roasted sweet potato from a stall she often ate from. She remembered whenever it was her sisters birthday, she would buy this potato for her sister to eat

"What is it" Renjun asked as he took it into his hands.  Hannuri goggles at him, astonished at the fact that he had no idea what sweet potatoes are.

"You have to be kidding me" Hannuri gasped, buying one for herself "It's like the best food in the whole kingdom! Better than all the under flavoured steaks at your mansion. This, is what you call true delicacy"

Renjun was hesitant to take a bite. He grew up only eating the things that was healthy and only healthy for him. He had never tried anything roasted of the sort.

"Come on, you're not a Prince here" Hannuri groaned, rolling her eyes. Renjun sighed, peeling the skin off and took a bite. From its tender flesh to its slightly nutty flavor, each bite of a sweet potato is like a love letter to his senses. Hannuri could see Renjun's face light up in a pleasant surprise.

Just as the duo was leaving the store, there was a loud bang in the distance followed by screams.