A Prince's Awakening

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Kofi Siriboe as Mazikai Deszar (a.k.a. Maze)

Maze watched the sand of the hourglass spill to its base, staring as if he were counting almost every falling grain.

His full, dark lips folded into the other thoughtfully. Should he quit studying for the day? Though he was the one who forced himself to study daily, it could sometimes be quite a bearing task.

It is my duty. He always reminded himself. With a dreadful sigh, he continued his studies.

To his luck, a certain feminine presence suddenly entered his quarters, stealing Maze's attention from the text in front of him.

"Good morning, Iyana," Maze turned away from the desk and smiled brightly at her. "You could bother knocking."

"Spare me," the young lady scoffed. "And the formalness."

Yana's slender frame strutted over to him while his eyes followed every intentional sway of her hips. She scanned over the open history book on his desk with a distasteful gaze.

"So, this is why we missed you at breakfast this morning. Do you want to bore your life with that silliness forever?" she asked.

"You think our history is silly?"

"It is the past," she shrugged. "Why bother yourself with it, everyone should learn to just move on from such events."

Maze thought Yana's response ignorant, but voicing such would have surely soured their atmosphere.

"Easy for you to think such," he commented.

With a shake of his head, he dismissed her unthoughtful words and the feelings they brought about.

Yana regarded the brief expression that took over Maze's face, nearly getting lost in all the handsomeness that he was. It was hard for her not to. From the very beginning of his blossoming into a young man, she was smitten with him.

She sighed sharply and rolled her eyes. Yana understood the emotion in Maze's comment, however felt not an ounce of empathy or the least apologetic for her words.

"You need a break, Maze. Let's go out and do something—anything to get you out of here."

"That wouldn't be wise of me," he shook his head. "I cut my study hour yesterday, and today—"

Yana glared at him. A knot of anger began to tie in her chest, tightening for every second she did not hear the words she desired.

Maze stared at her briefly, observing the disturbance behind her eyes. Yana never accepted "no" as an answer and as it usually occurred, he quickly began to give in to her demands.

He was tired of studying anyway.

"What is it that you want to do?" He closed the book.

Yana beamed, if she was good at one thing, it was manipulating people to bend to her will.

"Mmm, something fun," she hummed while touching her chin. "Prank the guards? As we did in our younger days," Yana grinned mischievously.

"A prank? You couldn't have picked something so childish?" he snorted and shook his head. Yet, he couldn't keep his lips from smirking—tempted to agree.

"Oh, do not act so mature now! We used to do it all the time, Maze," she whined.

"Yes, but we were children then." The pranks they played on the palace staff created unforgettable memories for them.

"Last time we pranked the staff, your father ripped into us quite well. I'm not in the mood to be berated." Especially by a man that held no real power to him.