Kingdom

135.Moonlight(7)

It has been ten million years. She is still not here. Yoongi is staring down at the table, thinking that maybe he should have prepared a better looking lunch and invited the Princess to eat in the house. Maybe this is too simple. Yet, simple is nice. She should like this.

But where is she? Did she get lost? Why is she still not here?

The sound of light footsteps catches his attention and he looks up. Nori is coming his way, wearing one of the white silk robes from the bath, her long hair set loose, still a little damp from the water. She looks positively unreal.

"Did you cook all this in such a short time?" Nori asks, sitting in front of him.

"No, they left us a lot of food for lunch." Yoongi says, his voice weirdly dry. He clears his throat. "But I can cook something else for dinner."

"We can eat what we have." Nori takes her chopsticks and adds vegetables on the top of her rice. "You don't have to cook."

"Excuse me?" Yoongi cocks an eyebrow, faking an offended expression. "Do you doubt my abilities to cook?"

Nori smiles, "A little."

"I am making dinner." Yoongi slaps the table. "It is decided."

Her smile widens, her expression becoming unusually soft. Yoongi expects her to tease him about his cooking skills, but she says nothing at all and starts to eat instead, her eyes focused on the food.

Yoongi can't think of a thing to utter. Suddenly he feels a little odd, a little out of place. A little restless. He fills his mouth with rice and chews it slowly, stealing glances at the Princess at any chance he gets. She ignores him completely.

They eat their lunch in silence, both seemingly too busy with devouring the food in order to talk. The food is indeed delicious and Nori is eating it with such an appetite that it seems she hasn't eaten in a week. She looks adorable. Yoongi wants to do nothing else but stare at her, yet that would be weird so he continues to stuff his mouth with rice.

Despite her energetic appetite, Nori looks a little pale. Yoongi wonders if she needs rest, or more refreshments, or maybe something to cheer her up.

"I want to show you the gazebo with the best view." He says as soon as Nori finishes the last piece of her fish. "We can take some fruits and eat them there."

She nods, keeping her eyes to her plate. Yoongi springs to his feet, takes a basket and fills it with white grapes, apples and pears. He waves at Nori to follow him.

He leads her out and around the kitchen to the second gazebo, the one hidden behind two large oak trees. This gazebo is built over a rocky cliff that offers a stunning view towards the descending slopes of the mountains, the meadows and forests below, and the distant sea.

Yoongi is not sure how clear the view will be now that the sky has turned so cloudy, but it should be pretty enough to make her smile. Hopefully.

"How unusual," Nori says as they climb the few stairs of the gazebo. Her eyes are full of bewilderment, moving up and down, exploring each curve of the building. Yoongi can't stop himself from smiling, pleased with her reaction.

This gazebo is a little odd indeed. Its richly decorated roof sticks out from the edge of the cliff like the brim of a large hat, but its wooden base is made in the form of a half-moon, covering only part of the rock that it is built upon. Thus, half of its floor is wood and the other is nothing but a bare stone whose uneven gray surface is covered with veins of blue and purple. The fence and the four columns of the gazebo are covered with lush vegetation that has been trying to crawl over the roof and the floor for years, but an old spell keeps it in check.