Runaway Royals

Chapter 6: Blush

Hollybelle started murmuring something. Tatami couldn't hear but she noticed Yo and Momo. Momo didn't look like she was going to help. Hey at least Tatami knew what to do.

"Hey, Princess, dont look at it." She said calmly. Hollybelle wasn't listening. She held her arm out. She still looked absolutely petrified.

Momo seriously had the blankest look on her face. She wasn't going to help either because she was scared or because she didn't know what to do. Maybe it was that talk with her father.

Yo stood still as Hollybelle's arm began glowing a bright green.

"Tati, I'm scared!" She whined.

Tatami didn't say much during the accident. Hollybelle's arm, still glowing, began to look relaxed.

As if nothing had happened a minute beforehand, the bear walked away and Hollybelle's arm fell.

Well damn.

That was anticlimactic event.

Only that next day, Hollybelle was banned from going outside. She had developed a type of magic that allowed her to speak to animals and command them. It made her quite sad but when Tatami said they could have fun indoors, her mood became better.

As she was dragged off with Hollybelle, the prince looked at her with eyes that weren't his usual.

"Ooooooh! The prince has a crush!" A finger was poked into his face. The nail was sharp and the finger was skinny so he knew Momo was being a prick again. That was just her way of making him pay attention to her, poking his cheek.

"I do not have a crush on my sister's Lady-in-waiting. I thought you were supposed to be wiser than me." She laughed at Yo's comment.

"Your lies aren't very good, my prince." She giggled.

Yo looked away and refused to look her in the eye. As they walked past the garden door, Momo could see her Lady in Waiting, Kyouka holding a paper. She knew how to read since Sozo allowed servants to read or write. The only exception was, if they were to share information, the person would be hanged for treason. Momo loved the rule because she loved watching the guilty die.

She ran up to the young woman and jumped on her back, scaring her.

"Hello Lady Kyouka! What are you reading?"

"Oh, it's nothing princess! If you would like to read, go ahead." Kyouka said. Momo shook her head and smiled.

"Would you like to come spend time with my cousin and I? We'll be talking with Lady Tatami. You know her, correct?"

Jirou stopped to think for a second. When she thought of Tatami she thought of-

"Oh you mean Princess Hollybelle's- I'd love to!" She smiled. Momo smiled and the wandered around the palace.

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"Princess, you know I'm not supposed to spend the summer with you! I am trying to be nice but I have a life too." She tried to explain. Hollybelle was annoyed by her constant breaks whenever they played. There were other servants who could watch the princess.

"You're my favorite Tati!"

"I can't spend every hour with you though! You have to let me go eventually!" She sighed.

"Lady Tatami! You're coming with us!" Momo said. Tatami dropped everything she held and almost passed out. That was a random thing to say.

"Can I come along?"

"We'll be going outside and you know the rules." Momo laughed. "We'll be back before you know it. Ask PRINCESS NEJIRE to play with you." Momo smiled.

Nejire loved children. She would definitely want to play, just because she asked. That's if she wasn't playing with Pip. By playing with Pip, she meant choking him out for singing off key.

Pip was her pet chipmunk.

Tatami left the room with Momo, Yo, and Kyouka. They were truly heading to the library so Momo could teach Tatami to read like usual. Only a week had passed and they hadn't been able to study because she had to spend time with the young princess.

On the walk to the library, Tatami noticed how Yo wouldn't look her in the eye. He wouldn't even look at her in general. When she looked away, he didn't do that thing every single person does. That weird, looking away when they're looking at you then looking at them when they look away. Had she done something wrong? No, if she had wronged him, she'd be sent to her father's place in the servant ward. Royalty was fricking petty sometimes.

"Yo, lets go. We're here." Tatami said. She didn't address him by his title because he never wanted to.

"Tatami! We have things to do! You have to pick out a book and I'll teach you!" She smiled. Tatami knew how to read but she had to advance her knowledge and reading level.

Inside the Library, Tatami and Momo picked a book while Yo and Kyouka sat down and started talking.

"Why are you so quiet?"

"What? Me?"

"Of course you! You sound like a cat has scratched your vocal cords. Can you not speak?" She asked. Yo looked at her.

"I'm talking right now?"

"True, but don't think I didn't notice you on the walk to the library. You ignored the other Lady in waiting. Why's that?"

"Our conversation is over." He said. She almost immediately noticed the light flush of color on his cheeks.

"Oh, I see." She giggled. Momo and Tatami returned to the chairs and after making sure no one else was in the room, they sat down.

Tatami had picked out a fantasy book and they were all gonna help her. Momo helped her with tough words and Tatami was constantly embarrassed. She disliked being in this situation everytime but there was another person who could read, making her even more uncomfortable.

As they taught Tatami how to read, the door opened. Everyone paused as Momo took the book from Tatami and shut it.

"Oh! Hey Akali!" Momo yelled out. The princess ignored her and walked off. She grabbed a book and left without saying a word.

"She's so rude." Momo pouted.

"I know." Yo rolled his eyes. He disliked his sister but definitely didn't hate her. They had a love hate relationship and everyone knew that.

Tatami faced Yo and accidentally made eye contact. She looked at his face and felt her face flush up. She had never, and she meant never, blushed in front of Yo! He was like a brother to her.

Hey, at least he was blushing too.

So both of them were blushing just because they made eye contact. Nice.

Why were Lady Kyouka and the Princess squealing-