The Fallen Prince

⋇- 34: Acceptance -⋇

Arisa curled her arm around Zen's, resting her head on his shoulder as his pale fingers rubbed her hand.

A sense of peace flowed within her as a cool breeze blew across the spacious garden where they had taken a seat to watch the clear starry sky and enjoy each other's company. Despite feeling that she had lived a moment like this before, Arisa's happiness overshadowed her wonder about it.

She still couldn't believe that Zen was right there and had kissed and hugged her multiple times since their confessions. Who would have thought that in the end, the emotionless boy she tried to befriend with ended up being her first love and years later, her lover? Fate could be cruel most of the time but was surely full of surprises.

During their stargazing, Zen apologized for what he had done in the last months and told her that everything he had done was to gain sympathy from his people. That even though he had strong feelings for her and saw Kazuya as a brother, he had to follow his father's wishes to make him proud. Understanding that he had gone through hardships, Arisa forgave him.

After the unfortunate events they went through in the last few months, she never thought their relationship would return to what it once was. Remembering those sad times, this moment felt like a dream. She tightened her arm on his. If it was a dream, she didn't want to wake up.

"Hey," whispered Zen, his chin touching her dark head, "don't you think it's time for us to return? Everyone must be wondering where we disappeared to."

Arisa's arm remained wrapped around his. Her selfish side didn't want to leave yet; she wanted to stay alone with him for a bit more.

"I don't want to leave, too," said Zen, noticing her silence. "But we should go or everyone will start to worry; especially your grandparents."

Arisa blinked a few times upon hearing Zen mention her grandparents. Even though she felt as though not much time had passed, she was sure the clock had ticked for minutes, judging by the bright full moon. With her and Zen missing from the table where they had gathered, Arisa realized that by this time, her grandfather had come up with a conclusion about her.

"You're right; we should go." Arisa lifted her head from Zen's shoulder. "I bet everyone is having dinner."

As she slowly stood up and removed the grass and dust from her bright blue dress, she wondered how her grandfather was feeling after seeing she disobeyed him. Even though she had followed her heart, she felt bad for disappointing him.

She sighed, trying to imagine the consequences of her decision. She was sure he would be disappointed since she didn't listen to him. But that would be nothing compared to the fury her grandfather would display after learning she was in a relationship with Zen.

"Do you want to keep our relationship a secret?" asked Zen as if he read her mind. "Like this, you won't disappoint your grandparents. If he asks you why you disobeyed him, you can tell him I wanted to talk to you to apologize for everything."

Arisa gazed at him, noticing the worry in his expression. She was surprised to see that kind of emotion in him. Usually, he would hide that kind of feeling with an expressionless face. Was it because they had gotten closer that he was at ease to show such a vulnerable expression? But then, she noticed that he hadn't hidden his emotions ever since they saw each other again.

She wondered what he went through after he found out the truth about his father. He really looked different from the boy she always knew.

"No." Arisa shook her head. "I want everyone to know about us. I'm sure Grandma won't mind, but Grandpa...I'll try talking to him. It's better for him to know everything than to find out by himself in the future. I'm sure he'll be even more disappointed if he finds out by himself."